If you're a business traveler who prefers Marriotts, the Bonvoy Business Amex is worth a look - especially now that it's offering a 100,000-point welcome bonus
- The Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card is a great credit card for business owners who frequent Marriott properties during their travels.
- While the card has a $125 annual fee, the benefits can easily help you offset it.
- Additionally, when you apply for the card now, you'll be able to earn 100,000 bonus Marriott points after meeting the $5,000 minimum spending requirement within the first three months. This offer is only available until October 23, 2019.
- Read more personal finance coverage.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex card is a hotel travel rewards card designed for people who frequent the Ritz-Carlton, Aloft, St. Regis, Element, W Hotels, Sheraton, and other hotels and resorts that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
Joining the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is free, but the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card from American Express does have an annual fee of $125. However, the card comes with benefits that can easily offset the annual fee. Just the annual free night award alone can make this card worth it.
Read more: The best hotel credit cards
While this may not be the most rewarding travel card overall, it certainly should be high up on the list for any business or individual staying at the properties of the Marriott family regularly. Take a look at our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex card to figure out if this is the right card for you.
Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.
When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.
Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex card details
Annual fee: $125
Welcome bonus: 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months (available until October 23, 2019)
Points earning: 6x points at Marriott hotels, 4x points at US restaurants, US gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service providers and on US purchases for shipping, 2x points on everything else
Foreign transaction fee: None
Welcome bonus
The Marriott Bonvoy Business card is currently offering a 100,000-point welcome bonus when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first three months. This is a limited-time offer, available until October 23. The standard offer is for 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
You can redeem points from the welcome bonus at 7,000+ participating hotels around the world, 200+ global airlines and car suppliers, by purchasing Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or by purchasing gift cards from over 30 participating companies.
As a general rule, redeeming your Marriott points for stays at hotels or transferring your points to Marriott's partner airlines will give you the most value for your points.
Points earning on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex
There are a number of ways to earn points on daily purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Business card, especially for patrons of Marriott hotels. Here's a breakdown of how you can earn points depending on the category of your purchases:
- 6 points - for every dollar you spend on purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 4 points - for every dollar spent on select categories including US restaurants, US gas stations, US service providers for wireless telephone services, and US shipping purchases
- 2 points - for all other eligible purchases
Using Marriott Bonvoy points
The simplest way to redeem your points is for free nights at Marriott's worldwide network of 7,000+ hotels and resorts. The tiered system allows you to book lower-end hotels for much less than luxury resorts.
You can also stretch your points even further by booking four nights in a row, as Marriott will give you the fifth free.
With Marriott's award chart, hotel night awards start at 5,000 points for Category 1 properties during off-peak times and go all the way up to 100,000 points for Category 8 properties during peak times.
You can also transfer your points to over 40 frequent flyer programs to redeem for flights and car services. These typically transfer at a ratio of 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile. You can also earn a 5,000-mile bonus by transferring 60,000 points to one of the participating frequent flyer programs.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are an interesting and exciting way to redeem your points. You can buy or bid on a number of experiences from five different categories including culinary, entertainment, lifestyle, sports, and various partner programs. These are generally exclusive experiences that you wouldn't be able to purchase with cash.
Additional Marriott Bonvoy Business card benefits
Annual free night award
Every year, on your account anniversary, you'll receive one free night (worth up to 35,000 points) which can be used at all participating hotels. This perk itself makes up the Bonvoy Business card's $125 annual fee, as long as you use it each year. You'll receive an additional free night reward for hotels that cost up to 35,000 points if you use your card for $60,000 in purchases in a calendar year.
Complimentary Silver Marriott elite status
As soon as you activate your card you'll receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver elite status.
Silver elite status members receive:
- 10% bonus points on eligible hotel purchases including room rates, dining, and spas.
- Priority late checkout (based on availability)
- Dedicated elite reservation line
- Ultimate reservation guarantee
If you spend $35,000 in a calendar year, you'll automatically be upgraded to Marriott Bonvoy Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
Gold status perks include:
- 25% bonus points
- Enhanced room upgrades (based on availability)
- 2pm late checkout
- Gifts of 250 or 500 points on arrival
Note that you automatically get Marriott Gold elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card and the Platinum Card® from American Express.
15 night credit for elite status
Every calendar year you'll receive 15 additional nights toward your elite status just for having this card. This means you'll only need to stay 35 nights instead of 50 to receive Platinum elite status, the lowest status level that comes with free breakfast at Marriott hotels.
While the Marriott Bonvoy Business may not be our top choice for an all-around travel rewards credit card, there are a number of perks that make it a great option for businesses that prefer the Marriott properties. It also goes a long way toward helping you increase your Marriott status level.
Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.
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