Staying at Marriott hotels and wondering if you should get a Marriott co-branded credit card? With six different cards currently available from not one but two banks, there's plenty to pick from … almost too many. We're here to help you choose.
With the current offers, you can earn up to 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or five free night awards (up to 50,000 Bonvoy points), depending on which version of the card you choose. And even if you're not a die-hard Marriott fan, these offers are good enough that they might just catch your attention anyway.
Here are the current offers:
- With the *bonvoy brilliant*, you can earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $6,000 in purchases during the first six months of opening the card.
- With the *bonvoy bevy*, you can earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $5,000 in purchases during the first six months of opening the card.
- With the *bonvoy business*, you can earn three free night awards (up to 50,000 points each) after making $6,000 in purchases during the first six months of opening the card.
- With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, you can earn five Marriott free night certificates eligible for properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night after making $5,000 in purchases during the first three months of opening the card.
- With the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card, you can earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of opening the card.
- With the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, you can earn 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $1,000 in purchases during the first three months of opening the card.
Each of these cards also comes with additional perks like Marriott elite status, annual free night awards, and bonus elite night credits just for having the card which makes them keepers for the long term.
All that being said, these are all really exciting offers and make for a great way to pick up some extra Bonvoy points for your next vacation.
Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. You should never apply for a credit card if you're already in debt, and never charge more to a credit card than you can afford to pay off immediately. However many Marriott points you can earn, they're not worth it.
Read on to learn more about each of these cards and the bonus offers that come with them.
Having trouble deciding which card is right for you? Read our master guide to Marriott Card eligibility!
Overview of the Marriott Bonvoy Cards
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Card
- Welcome Offer: *bonvoy brilliant bonus*
- Free Night Certificate: Get a free night certificate each year on your cardmember anniversary, eligible at properties that cost up to 85,000 points. This benefit starts in your second year of card membership.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
- Get up to $300 in annual credits to use at restaurants worldwide. These will be available in up to $25 monthly increments and you will lose any amount not used each month.
- 25 elite night credits towards Bonvoy elite status each year you hold the card.
- Priority Pass Lounge Access: Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in a Priority Pass Select membership. This comes complimentary with the card, and enrollment is required.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 3x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $650 Annual Fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the *bonvoy brilliant*
Full Benefits of the Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card
- Welcome Offer: *bonvoy bevy bonus*
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on up to $15,000 spent in a calendar year on combined purchases at worldwide restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Get 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Earn a free night award certificate for properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year.
- $250 Annual Fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the *bonvoy bevy*
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Welcome Offer: *bonvoy business bonus*
- Free Night Certificate: Get a free night certificate each year on your cardmember anniversary, eligible at properties that cost up to 35,000 points. This benefit starts in your second year of card membership.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. wireless telephone services, and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Get a 7% discount on standard room rates at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- $125 Annual Fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the *bonvoy business*.
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card from Chase
- Welcome Offer Bonus: Earn five Marriott free night certificates eligible for properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of card membership
- Free Night Certificate: Receive a free night certificate each year on your cardmember anniversary for properties that cost up to 35,000 points. This benefit starts in your second year of card membership.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- $95 Annual Fee.
Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (for full disclosure: this is not an affiliate link).
Full Benefits of the Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase
- Welcome Offer: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of opening the card.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on up to $15,000 in combined dining and grocery purchases per calendar year.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Get 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Earn a free night award certificate for properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year.
- $250 Annual Fee.
Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card (for full disclosure: this is not an affiliate link).
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card from Chase
- Welcome Offer Bonus: Earn 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after making $1,000 in purchases during the first three months of opening the card.
- Earn 3x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 2X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on travel (from airfare to taxis and trains).
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- No Annual Fee.
Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (for full disclosure: this is not an affiliate link).
Are You Eligible to Open a Marriott Card?
Determining whether or not you're eligible for one of these new welcome offers is about as confusing as trying to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Actually, the rules might make more sense if they were written in hieroglyphs.
And on top of Marriott's convoluted eligibility rules, you'll also be subject to the Chase 5/24 Rule for the Bonvoy Boundless and Bonvoy Bold Cards.
This 5/24 Rule is a hard-and-fast restriction that Chase rolled out years ago in order to limit card applicants from opening credit cards for the sole purpose of earning bonus rewards. If you've opened five or more five credit cards with any bank (not just Chase) in the past 24 months, you will not be approved for new Chase credit cards, regardless of your credit score or history with Chase. The rule does not count credit inquiries, but rather new cards that you have applied for and been approved for.
Read our master guide to see which Marriott cards you're eligible for!
Marriott Credit Card Application Rules
First off, if you've never had a Marriott or Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, you're good to go. Don't bother yourself with trying to decipher the rest of these rules.
For those that previously had, or currently have a Marriott co-branded credit card, you'll want to ensure you're eligible before applying for one of these increased offers. Since Marriott and their bank partners have made it a challenge to know exactly which card you're eligible for, we created a handy card eligibility matrix to help make sense of it all.
Below you'll find the specific terms and limitations for each of the cards with increased offers.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: You are not eligible for this welcome offer if you have or have had the Ritz-Cartlon card in the last 30 days. You're also ineligible for the welcome offer if you've opened the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful, Boundless, or Bold from Chase in the past 90 days. Finally, it needs to be more than 24 months since you received a welcome or upgrade bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful, Boundless, or Bold from Chase.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy: You are not eligible for this welcome offer if you have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card or any Marriott credit card from Chase in the last 30 days. Additionally, you're ineligible if you received a welcome or upgrade bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful, Boundless, or Bold cards from Chase in the past 24 months.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: You are not eligible for this welcome offer if you have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card (no longer open to new applicants) in the last 30 days. Additionally, you're ineligible if you opened any of the following cards within the past 90 days, or if you received a new cardmember or upgrade bonus in the past 24 months on any of the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Cards – Marriott Bonvoy Business, Brilliant, or Bevy.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold: You are not eligible for this welcome offer if you have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card (no longer open to new applicants) in the last 30 days. Additionally, you're ineligible if you opened any of the following cards within the past 90 days, or if you received a new cardmember or upgrade bonus in the past 24 months on any of the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Cards – Marriott Bonvoy Business, Brilliant, or Bevy.
Related reading: Which Marriott Credit Card Am I Eligible For?
Best Uses for Marriott Points
Last year Marriott ditched their award chart in favor of dynamic pricing, so it's anyone's guess as to what a property will charge for an award stay these days.
Having said that, this hasn't yet led to the sky-high rates that many feared and there is still plenty of value to be had when using Marriott Bonvoy points for a free night around the globe.
Take an aspirational property like the Le Méridien Maldives for example. Thrifty Traveler co-founder Nick had a chance to stay at this property in January and found the overwater villas, spa treatments, and mile after mile of uninterrupted ocean views to be a luxurious choice for anyone checking the Maldives off their bucket list.
Although Nick was able to book his stay before Marriott completely scrapped their award chart, we recently found wide open availability to book this property for under 50,000 Bonvoy points per night. This means that you'd be able to use the current welcome offer on the *bonvoy business* for three free nights in the Maldives.
By timing it right, you may even be able to use the Bonvoy Business' annual 35,000-point free night certificate (topped off with points) to spend an extra day in paradise.
If the beach isn't really your style, maybe you'll feel more at home in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. This hotel offers dramatic views of the Andes Mountains and is situated along the Incan Path, providing the perfect gateway to the royal city of Machu Picchu.
At the time of publication, there are many nights throughout the winter months (peak summer in South America) that can be had for just 44,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. With the current welcome offers, you could spend two nights at this mountain oasis with the points earned from the *bonvoy brilliant* welcome offer alone.
Thrifty Tip: Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa has its own private train station for anyone starting the journey between Urubamba and Machu Picchu.
See our best cheap flights to South America!
Bottom Line
Marriott and its bank partners, American Express and Chase, offer a slew of co-branded Marriott cards with welcome offers of up to 95,000 Bonvoy points – or five free nights – and perks like elite status, free night certificates, and monthly dining credits.
If you're in the market for more Bonvoy points and are eligible for any of these cards, now is a great time to pick them up and take advantage of these big welcome offers.
Hotel photos courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy
Why can’t I click on *bonvoy brilliant* where it says I can learn more? I want to apply through your links so you can get a commission — but will probably just go through Amex directly or another blog if I can’t click…
Hi Justin, the link should be clickable. Can you try again?