The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* review

The biggest selling feature of this credit card is the potential to earn points that can be used towards free nights at over 7,000+ of the world’s most desired hotels. Here’s the earning structure:

• Earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 spent on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points on everything else
  

When you charge purchases to this card, your points can add up quickly—and exponentially when you use the card to purchase at Marriott Bonvoy®* properties.

Unlike some rewards programs, there isn’t a straightforward points-to-dollars equation to share. This is because, although there are no blackout dates, there are differently rated properties (hotels on a scale of 1 to 8 categories), and standard, peak, and off-peak seasons. In other words, your points are going to go further at certain times of the year and spent on certain things at certain properties. That said, it doesn’t take a calculus degree to see that Marriott Bonvoy^® points have a fair value.

However, a points program is only as good as its redemption process. After all, who cares how many points you accumulate if you can’t redeem them easily? Because these points are Marriott Bonvoy^® branded, redemption is a breeze. Simply go to Marriot.com and use your points when you reserve (and don’t forget to earn 5 points on the dollar by putting that reservation on your card!). You can also use points to buy travel experiences, merchandise, gift cards, tickets to events and more. Or instantly redeem points for dining out, spa experiences, drinks, and more. It’s an incredibly flexible program, allowing you to put points towards almost whatever you want.

It is worth noting that the points are also transferable to more than 40 different airline partners, so if you want to offset a flight cost, you can do that too. The transfer ratio is 3:1 for Aeroplan but it will depend on the airline. As an incentive, you’ll get an additional 15,000 points per 60,000 points transferred.

• Travel accident insurance: You get up to $500,000 in Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage when you fully charge your plane, train, ship or bus tickets to your card.
• Car rental theft and damage: You are covered for theft, loss and damage of your rental car with an MSRP of up to $85,000 for rentals of 48 days or less.
• Flight delay: If your experience a flight delay or are denied boarding for 4 hours or more, you are eligible for up to $500 in coverage (combined maximum with Baggage Delay Insurance) for essential and reasonable accommodations.
• Baggage delay: If your checked-in baggage on your outbound trip is delayed for six or more hours, you can receive up to $500 in coverage.
• Lost or stolen baggage: If your checked-in or carry-on baggage gets lost or stolen, you are eligible for coverage of up to $500 per trip.
• Hotel/motel burglary insurance: If your hotel room is burglarized, you can receive coverage of up to $500 for the loss of your personal items (excluding cash).
• Buyer's Assurance and Purchase Protection: American Express Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to 1 year on many purchases, while the Purchase Protection Plan gives up to 90 days of protection from damage or theft on many retail items.†

Note that travel emergency medical insurance is not included, so that will be an extra expense.†

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card also carries other perks of value to the frequent traveller. As a cardholder, you receive:

• An Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary.

• Complimentary upgrade to  membership, which offers big benefits to cardholders.

• Exclusive entertainment access: American Express Invites and Front of the Line benefits give cardholders exclusive access to pre-sales and special events.†

If you're an avid traveller, you can also consider the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card. With this card, you earn 6x Scene+ points on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco and Foodland, 5x on dining or ordering in via the popular apps and SCENE movie tickets. You earn 3x Scene+ points for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options, including rideshares, buses and subways, as well as eligible select streaming services., too. The 3x earn rate also extends to eligible streaming services. The Scotiabank Gold Amex also comes with $1 million of travel emergency coverage, which the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card lacks.

The American Express Cobalt® Card is great for people looking to quickly rack up rewards points, without forfeiting comprehensive insurance coverage. With one of the highest earning rates available, the Amex Cobalt offers 5x the points on food and groceries, 3x the points on streaming subscriptions, 2x on transit and gas, and 1x points on all other purchases. Its annual fee of $155.88 is divided into manageable monthly payments, rendering it highly affordable.

Best of all, the card allows for a 1:1 points transfer rate with select hotels, airlines, and frequent flyer programs, presenting exceptional value. Its travel insurance coverage surpasses that of the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card.