Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card — Full Review [2020]
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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.
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, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), free employee cards, and multiple point redemption options.
Pros
- 6x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
- 4x points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, 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)
- Silver Elite status (Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year)
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- No premium perks like airport lounge access
- Marriott Silver Elite is the lowest status tier
Marriott Bonvoy Business Card — Snapshot
- Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Earn up to $150 in statement credits within your first 6 months of Card Membership for all eligible purchases on your Card on U.S. Advertising in select Media. Plus receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status for one year (February 1, 2021-January 31, 2022). Offer ends 1/13/21.
- 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
- 4x points at U.S. restaurants, 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 account anniversary. 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 a participating hotel. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Terms apply.
- See Rates & Fees
- Card Type:Credit Card
- Card Categories:
- Rewards Center
- Customer Service Number800-627-7468
- Login Link
- Related Articles
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Review
- Best Ways to Earn Lots of Marriott Bonvoy Points
- How to Qualify for Elite Status With Marriott Bonvoy [Stays and Spend Ways]
- How to Earn 100,000+ Marriott Bonvoy Points [In 90 Days]
- Best Chase Marriott Rewards Credit Cards: Comparing Benefits and Perks
- The Best Ways to Use 10,000 (or fewer) Marriott Bonvoy Points
The Ideal Cardholder
The Marriott Bonvoy Business card is a great option for business owners who travel frequently and prefer staying with Marriott-branded hotels. Additionally, taking into account the annual fee, you’ll want to make certain you can get great value out of each of the card’s 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.
Since Marriott now utilizes dynamic award pricing, this complimentary night certificate could get you 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.
The free night certificate expires 12 months after it was issued, giving you plenty of time to find a good use for it.
Silver Elite Status
The card also grants you Silver Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, and while this is the lowest status level in the Marriott Bonvoy program, it can still be valuable to those frequenting Marriott hotels that didn’t have status with the chain otherwise.
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status offers:
- Priority late checkout, based on availability
- 10% bonus on Marriott points
- Access to exclusive phone lines for booking reservations
- Compensation if Marriott can’t honor your reservation
The primary benefit is that you will earn an extra 10% point bonus on your Marriott stays, and it’s worth mentioning that this applies to points earned through the hotel, not through the credit card.
This bonus amounts to a total of 11 Marriott points per $1 on your Marriott stays, up 1 point from the base membership level.
If your business has a decent level of expenses each year then you’re in luck, as the Marriott Bonvoy Business card also offers a fast track to Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 or more on the card each account anniversary year. Marriott Gold Elite status offers increased perks like a 25% point bonus, 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability), and enhanced room upgrades.
15 Elite Night Credits
In terms of working your way to upper levels of Marriott elite status, the Marriott Bonvoy Business card gives cardholders a boost towards status with 15 nights of elite credit 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.
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
How to Earn More Marriott Points
Marriott Stays
It should come as no surprise that you’ll want to use this card for all of your Marriott stays. The card earns 6x Marriott points per $1 spent with the hotel chain. This represents a 4.2% return on your spend with Marriott hotels, based on our 0.7 cents per point valuation for Marriott points.
Hot Tip: With the Silver Elite status, you’ll earn 11x points per $1 for being a Silver Elite member, plus another 6x points per $1 when paying with your card for a total of 17x points per $1 (or 11.9% back).
U.S. Restaurants and U.S. Gas Stations
The card also earns 4x points per $1 at U.S. restaurants and U.S. gas stations. There are cards out there that offer a much better return on your spending for both dining and gas stations, but both of these categories present a great opportunity to earn extra Marriott points.
Wireless Telephone Services and U.S. Purchases for Shipping
If your business has significant shipping and telephone service expenses, then the Marriott Bonvoy Business card is a stellar option as it will reward you with 4x points for every $1 you spend in these categories.
Again, this makes for an excellent opportunity to earn extra points for expenses you’re likely to be making anyway.
Everyday Spending
Finally, the Marriott Bonvoy Business card earns 2x points for every $1 you spend on all other purchases. While this isn’t a top option for non-bonused spending, it is worth considering for those trying to earn as many Marriott points as possible.
Refer-a-Friend Bonus Rewards
Know another business owner in need of a solid travel rewards card? You can refer people to the Marriott Bonvoy Business card and earn up to 50,000 Marriott points per year — 10,000 for each referral.
To send out a referral, visit the Refer-a-Friend website and log in using your Amex username and password (or your credit card information).
Adding Ultimate Reward Cards
Marriott is one of the Chase Ultimate Reward transfer partners, so utilizing their credit cards can help you earn extra Marriott points as well!
If you’re interested in learning about some Chase credit card options, here are some of our favorites for personal and business use.
Hot Tip: If you’re a regular reader of the Upgraded Points, you know we value Chase Ultimate Reward points much higher than Marriott points, so we generally don’t recommend transferring Chase points over to Marriott.
How to Use Marriott Points for Max Value
Once you’ve racked up a bunch of Marriott points, which redemption methods offer the best value?
Marriott Stays
Not surprisingly, one of the best ways to redeem your Marriott points is for award stays at Marriott hotels.
Marriott has over 6,900 hotels worldwide across 30 different brands. Marriott has 8 different award categories, and with the addition of peak and off-peak pricing, free nights can range anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000 points per night. Depending on which hotels you decide to use them with, you can receive excellent value for your Marriott points on hotel stays.
Hot Tip: Want to extend the value of your Marriott points even further? Then take advantage of the fifth-night free perk on your award stays. This effectively earns you a 20% discount on the number of points required for a redemption!
Airline Transfer Partners
Similar to American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, your Marriott points are also a transferable currency. But unlike the first 2, Marriott has a massive list of over 40 airlines you can transfer your points to.
Although, while the list of potential transfer partners is longer, these are not 1:1 transfers. Marriott points, for the most part, transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. This means that transferring 60,000 Marriott points to Korean Airlines would result in 25,000 miles in your account.
From a numbers standpoint, this might seem like a terrible idea. Why would it be a good idea to end up with fewer points after a transfer, right? But keep in mind that not all points are created equal.
If you’re transferring your Marriott points to an airline in order to have enough for a redemption, or moving them to an airline program that doesn’t have any other transfer partners, then it can make a lot of sense.
Marriott Moments
Cardholders also have the option of redeeming their points for one-of-a-kind experiences through the Marriott Experiences portal, like sporting events or culinary trips.
Some experiences cost a set number of Marriott points, while others are auction-style, allowing you to attempt to outbid others. Be certain of your travel plans before bidding, though, as most experiences are nonrefundable.
Marriott Hotel + Air Package
Marriott allows you to redeem your points for one of their Hotel + Air packages, which consist of a 7-night hotel stay plus a stash of airline miles.
When you buy a Hotel + Air Travel Package, you’ll get a certificate for a 7-night Marriott hotel stay plus a certain number of airline miles ranging from 50,000-110,000, depending on which package you choose. Packages range from 255,000 all the way to 750,000 Marriott points, depending on how high of a hotel category you select.
Hot Tip: When Marriott and SPG merged, the Hotel + Air package redemptions were devalued in a big way — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still value to be had. Check out our full guide to find out which packages make the most sense.
Marriott Shopping
Marriott, like many programs, also allows you to redeem your points for products or merchant gift cards. The redemption rates when doing so are generally pretty poor and it seldom makes sense to do so.
Bottom Line: At Upgraded Points, we highly advise that you redeem your points either for hotel stays, or via an airline transfer partner whose points are both valuable and hard to earn, like Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines, or Korean Air.
| Marriott Transfer Partner | Min Transfer | Transfer Ratio (Marriott > Partner) | Bonus Airline Miles for every 60k Marriott Points Transferred | Transfer Time (based on pre-merger reports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Aer Lingus Aeroclub | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Aeroflot Bonus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 20 days |
| AeroMexico Club Premier | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 5 days |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 5 days |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 day |
| Air New Zealand Airpoints | 3,000 | 200:1 | 25 | 1 day |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Alitalia MilleMiglia | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 7 days |
| ANA Mileage Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Avianca Airlines LifeMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| British Airways Executive Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 5 days |
| China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Emirates Skywards | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Etihad Guest | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| FRONTIER Miles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 8 days |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Iberia Plus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| InterMiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 3,000 | 6:1 | 2,500 | 1 day |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| LATAM Airlines Multiplus Fidelidade | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| South African Airways Voyager | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 3 days |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 4 days |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | unknown |
| United MileagePlus | 3,000 | 3:1.1 | 5,500 | 3 days |
| Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 2 days |
| Virgin Australia Velocity | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 | 1 day |
| Vueling Club | 3,000 | 3:1 | 5,000 |
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 an annual fee of just $95 (see rates and fees) 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, U.S. restaurants, 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 free weekend night award 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.
Given the annual fee is just $95, it makes for a compelling option for those who just want a strong point earning card without any extras.
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 points?
Yes, Marriott 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 credit worthiness 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 is free for Marriott Bonvoy Business cardholders.
Do Marriott points expire?
Your Marriott 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.
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