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Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card — Full Review [2023]

Name: Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card — Full Review [2023]
Item: Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
Rating: 4.25
Author: Jarrod West

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"Great choice for Marriott Bonvoy loyalists!"

A great option for business owners who stay in Marriott hotels and want automatic elite status.

Learn More (at Amex's secure site)

Jarrod West

- Updated: May 20, 2023, 6:05am CDT|

2Comments

Business travelers who opt for Marriott as their hotel chain of choice will definitely want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. The card offers great benefits to cardholders like a complimentary hotel night once a year, complimentary Gold Elite status, and multiple point redemption options.

Pros

6x points per $1 spent of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping
2x points per $1 on all other purchases
15 Elite Night Credits
1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (up to 35,000 points)
Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)

Cons

Moderate annual fee of $125 (rates and fees)
No premium perks like airport lounge access

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card — Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- Welcome Offer: Earn 75,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.
Card Categories:
Rewards Center
Marriott Bonvoy
Customer Service Number
800-627-7468
Login Link
https://www.americanexpress.com
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Great Card If

You’re a business owner and Marriott loyalist
You want a fast track to Marriott elite status
You see value in the annual complimentary night certificate

Don't Get If

You’re not a business owner
You’re not a fan of Marriott-branded hotels, or don’t travel much
You prefer a card with more elite benefits like airport lounge access
You want a card with no annual fee

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card — Fees

Annual Fee
- $125
Foreign Transaction Fees
None
Interest Rates
- 20.74% - 29.74% Variable
Late fees
- Up to $39
- Penalty APR: 29.99% Variable
Cash Advance APR
- 29.99% Variable
- Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
Additional Info
Rates & Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card - Is It Worth It?

Business travelers are likely to be on the go quite often, and probably spend a lot of nights in hotels throughout the year.

If you find yourself staying at Marriott hotels the most often, then the Marriott Bonvoy Business card might be a must-have for you.

Not only will the card help you earn more points while staying at Marriott hotels, but its other bonus categories will help you keep earning points while you’re home as well.

Beyond that, with benefits like an annual free night certificate, complimentary Gold Elite status, and a head start towards higher levels of elite status with 15 Elite Night Credits each year, the card will easily pay for itself for those who frequent Marriott hotels.

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card - Top Benefits

Anniversary Complimentary Night Certificate

The complimentary night certificate, given each year at your card renewal, is perhaps one of the best benefits this card has to offer and helps to make up for the card’s annual fee. This free night award is good for any Marriott hotel costing up to 35,000 points per night, meaning you could get a free night in a Category 5 property, assuming that it is not a peak night.

Category 5 Marriott properties can often be priced anywhere from $200 to $300 a night, so the annual fee in exchange for a free night in one of these hotels can make a lot of sense if you know you’ll be frequenting Marriott hotels anyway.

With Marriott Bonvoy’s move to dynamic award pricing in March 2022, you will also be able to add up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to top off the value of your certificate in order to redeem it at a more expensive property.

The free night certificate expires 12 months after it was issued, giving you plenty of time to find a good use for it.

15 Elite Night Credits

In terms of working your way to the upper levels of Marriott Bonvoy elite status, the Marriott Bonvoy Business card gives cardholders a boost towards status with 15 nights of Elite Night Credits each year. Don’t confuse these with free night certificates, though, as you cannot redeem these credits for award nights — they only count towards your elite status requirements.

For example, Gold Elite status and Platinum Elite status require 25 nights and 50 nights a year, respectively. That means, with your automatic 15 Elite Night Credits, you will only actually need to stay 10 nights each year to earn Gold Elite status, and 35 nights each year to earn Platinum Elite status.

How To Earn and Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points

Besides staying at a Marriott hotel and putting your purchases on your credit card, what other ways can you utilize to earn Marriott Bonvoy points? Fortunately, for points travelers, there are many great ways to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points.

Then comes the fun part — redeeming your points! Naturally, the most straightforward way to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points is for Marriott hotel award stays, and you can get exceptional value this way.

However, it’s not your only option, as Marriott Bonvoy also offers over 40 airline transfer partners that allow you to redeem your points to get top-notch value on your flights — especially when redeeming for first or business class tickets!

Alternatives to the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Rather have Hilton as your hotel chain of choice? The Hilton Business Amex card is a great option. With a moderate annual fee it offers 12x points per $1 on Hilton stays, 6x points per $1 with U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services, U.S. purchases for shipping, restaurants worldwide, flights booked directly with airlines, and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, plus 3x points per $1 on everything else.

The card also offers Hilton Honors Gold status, a Weekend Night Reward when you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year, and 10 free Priority Pass visits.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Not loyal to a specific hotel group or prefer a more well-rounded option? The Ink Business Preferred card could be a good fit.

While it doesn’t feature any of the luxury perks or elite status, it has a fantastic earning rate of 3x points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on travel, shipping, ad purchases made with social media sites or search engines, internet, cable, and phones services.

It makes for a compelling option for those who just want a strong point-earning card without any extras.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.

Featured Image Credit: American Express

Frequently asked questions

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Business card worth it?

If you’re a business owner who frequents Marriott hotels enough to get value out of the elite status and annual free night, then the Marriott Bonvoy Business card might be a great option.

Which Marriott Bonvoy card is best?

Which card is best depends on which is the best fit for you and your needs. Be sure to compare and contrast the benefits of each card to determine which will be the most useful to you.

Can you transfer Marriott Bonvoy points?

Yes, Marriott Bonvoy has a variety of airline transfer partners that you can transfer your points to.

Am I eligible for a business credit card?

If you’re a business owner, even just as a sole-proprietor or freelancer, you’re eligible to apply for a business card. Whether or not you will be approved depends on your creditworthiness, which is determined by your credit score as well as other factors like your income.

Does the Marriott Bonvoy Business card charge foreign transaction fees?

The Marriott Bonvoy Business card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Are employee cards free with the Marriott Bonvoy Business card?

Yes, adding employee credit cards are no cost for Marriott Bonvoy Business cardholders (rates and fees).

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

Your Marriott Bonvoy points will expire after 24 months of no account activity. To keep them alive, you just need to a qualifying activity, like earning or redeeming points.

About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about the ins and outs of credit cards and loyalty programs, along with airlines and hotels, for over 6 years. He is regularly called upon to share his expertise on the latest news within the space, and has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, RetailMeNot, and Yahoo! Finance. Jarrod has over 20 credit cards in his wallet and has tested out dozens more in order to vet the very best card options for readers. As he is constantly sampling new cards, Jarrod also earns (and redeems) over 1 million points and miles each year. This allows him to book luxury travel experiences the world over, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

Chris October 10, 2021
I believe that I received an additional two award certificates upon renewal of the Bonvoy Business Amex this cycle. In total, three 35K certs showed up in my account over the course of a week. While I’m not complaining I would like to know if there’s official wording about renewals getting extra certs. Makes sense as a customer retention tool since new apps for the card get two certs (at a higher point value, no less) after minimum spend.
Any thoughts?
- Christine Krzyszton October 10, 2021
  Hi Chris. Not aware of any additional free night certs being offered to members as a renewal gesture. However, business cardholders who spend $60,000 in a year or personal cardholders who spend $25,000 in a year, each receive an extra certificate. The value of these certs is 35K and 20K respectively. I know when the expiration dates of existing certificates were extended, I thought I had received an extra cert too but in the end, I determined I did not. Hope you get to enjoy yours and thanks for sharing. Perhaps other readers experienced the same.

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