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July 11, 2024: Amex ended an increased offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. We’ve updated this article to reflect this.
Marriott offers 6 credit cards in partnership with Chase and Amex. Within Marriott’s offering, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points in myriad ways, get free night certificates, receive a boost to your Marriott Bonvoy status, and more. And every Marriott credit card offers a welcome bonus that awards points or free night certificates to new cardmembers.
Here are the best new cardmember offers on each of the Marriott credit cards.
Current Marriott credit card welcome bonuses
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card: Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Annual fee: $0
All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® credit card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Annual fee: $95
All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® credit card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Annual fee: $250
All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: bonus_miles_full
Annual fee: annual_fees
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: bonus_miles_full
Annual fee: annual_fees
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: bonus_miles_full
Annual fee: annual_fees
My take on the best Marriott welcome bonuses
Quick take: The new cardmember welcome offers featuring free night certificates are usually the best if you have a plan to use your certificates. Without an immediate plan to use your certificates, the welcome offers that award points are usually a better bet.
Here are the questions you should ask when deciding which card bonus is right for you:
- Do you have a plan to use free night certificates? If yes, then going for one of the welcome bonuses with free night certificates is probably the right call. The welcome bonus free night certificates expire within a year, but can be used for nights up to 50,000 points each. (They can even be augmented with 15,000 additional points if you want to use them for a slightly more expensive room.)
- Which Marriott cards do you have or have you had in the past? Depending on which Marriott cards you have or have had in the past, you may or may nor be eligible for a welcome bonus on a new Marriott card. We have a guide to the Marriott welcome bonus rules available to help you decipher the complex rules around getting a new cardmember bonus on a Marriott card.
- Chase 5/24 and Amex five card limit. If you have recently opened a lot of new credit cards, Chase’s 5/24 rule may prevent you from getting a new Chase card. Likewise, if you have 5 credit cards (business or personal) open with Amex, Amex isn’t likely to approve you for an additional credit card, since it usually limits the number of credit cards you can have open to 5.
- What benefits are important to you? Some cards come with free nights. Others offer perks like airport lounge access. Use our guide to the Marriott credit cards as a reference to decide which card is right for you.
More about free night certificate welcome bonuses
In most cases, the free night certificates offered as the welcome bonuses on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offer by far the most potential for value if you have a plan to stay with Marriott hotels. With either card, you’ll get free night certificates usable for one-night stays at Marriott properties costing up to 50,000 points, after qualifying spending.
You can get incredible value from these certificates. As an example, here’s what I found searching for a five-night stay at a random hotel in May in Amsterdam.
If you earned 5 certificates from a welcome bonus (a common increased offer) you’d get a stay that would otherwise cost you €1,635, or about $1,750. This is far from the best possible use of these certificates, but you should be able to get similar value from these certificates without much effort.
Before applying for either card, be sure you have a plan to use the nights. A 50k free night certificates isn’t the same as 50,000 points… if you don’t use the certificate, it will expire within a year. The best thing to do is to head to Marriott.com and search for the hotels you want to stay at before applying and have a plan to use your certificates. If you don’t have a plan to use your certificates, one of the other welcome bonuses is likely better for you.
More about the Marriott credit cards
Here’s a bit more on each of the Marriott credit cards so that you can decide which is best for you. For more, see our article comparing all of the Marriott credit cards.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Silver Elite status, and a no-annual-fee way to keep points alive.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card carries no annual fee, but has a relatively lackluster set of benefits. Given the value of Marriott points, you’ll earn better rewards with a 2% cash back credit card, including on your Marriott stays.
The one interesting feature of this card is that it is one of the few cards that offers Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement with no annual fee.
Get this card if: You need a cheap way to keep a stockpile of Marriott points alive—they expire after 24 months of inactivity. Or if you want Marriott Silver Elite status for a (very) occasional Marriott stay.
Learn about upcoming changes to the card or compare the Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card against the other Marriott credit cards in our overview of Marriott credit cards.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card welcome bonus:
Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Click here to learn more and apply.
Our take on the welcome bonus: This welcome bonus isn’t terribly exciting when stacked up against the other bonus unless you consider that this is a card with no annual fee.
The link above is a referral link. Someone on our team may earn points if you apply and are approved to the link above. We always show you the best offer, and this is the best offer we know about on this card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card at a glance:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 3x Marriott. 2x other travel purchases trough 7/10/24. 1x other purchases.
Benefits: 15 elite night credits through 7/10/24. Trip delay reimbursement.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: A 35k free night certificate each year and the best card for most
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is arguably the best card for most people who stay at Marriott hotels between a few times a year and often enough to be on a first-name basis with the front desk.
Most people can get enough value from the card’s annual 35k point free night certificate to justify the $95 annual fee. At that point, the other benefits are an added bonus.
Get the card if: You stay at Marriott hotels at least a few times a year and don’t have a reason to get a higher credit card. You’ll get an annual 35k free night certificate and earn as many points on your Marriott stays as you will with the most expensive Marriott credit card.
Dig into the details about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card’s features and benefits in our overview of Marriott credit cards.
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: $95
This is a referral link. All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card sign-up bonus
Earn 3 Free Night Awards valued up to 150,000 total points (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Chase offers a better welcome bonus of 5 free night awards on this card occasionally.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Silver Elite Status.
Earn Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 on the card in a calendar year.
15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
Annual 35k free night award.
Rewards:
6x at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®.
3x on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining.
2x on other travel purchases.
2x on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Marriott Bonvoy points.
Learn more:
Compare this card to other Marriott credit cards in our overview of Marriott credit cards.
Find more cards that offer a free hotel night for having the card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card: Higher-priced card with grocery and dining rewards
You’ll get Gold Elite status each year just for having the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card and you can earn a 50k free night certificate after spending $15k on the card in a calendar year. The card carries a $250 annual fee.
The card does offer 4x Marriott points on up to $15,000 of combined grocery store and dining purchases. But there are much better cards for groceries and dining. Most would be better off getting the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
Get the card if: You plan on spending $15,000 on either Marriott hotel stays, groceries, or dining. At that point, you’ll earn a 50k free night certificate. That certificate, plus the Gold Elite status you get with the card might tip the scales in favor of the card.
If you think the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card is for you, compare it against other Marriott credit cards in our overview to be sure.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card welcome bonus:
Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Click here to learn more and apply.
Our take on the welcome bonus: This bonus is a healthy amount of Marriott points for the spending required, but the other cards’ current welcome bonuses are more compelling if you can use the free night certificates.
The link above is a referral link. Someone on our team may earn points if you apply and are approved to the link above. We always show you the best offer, and this is the best offer we know about on this card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card at a glance:
Annual fee: $250
Rewards: 6x Marriott. 4x on combined $15,000 in annual purchases at grocery stores and dining. 2x other purchases.
Benefits: Automatic Gold status. 15 elite nights per year. Earn a free night after $15k spend annually.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is substantively similar to the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card. Both cards offer a 50k free night certificate after spending $15k in a calendar year, both cards have a similar reward structure, and both cards have a $250 annual fee (See Rates and Fees).
Get the card if: If the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card makes sense for you, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card probably does as well. If you’re running up against Amex’s 5-card per cardmember limit or Chase’s 5/24 rule, that’s probably the tiebreaker.
See how the Bonvoy Bevy stacks up against the other Marriott credit cards in our overview of Marriott cards.
card_name welcome bonus:
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(See Rates and Fees)
Click here to learn more and apply.
Our take on the welcome bonus: This card has been known to offer higher limited-time welcome bonuses in the past and the current welcome bonus on the similar Chase card requires less spending. Probably best to either wait or go for the Chase bonus.
The link above is our affiliate link. We always show you the best offer, and this is the best offer we know about on this card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card at a glance:
Annual fee: $250
Rewards: 6x Marriott. 4x on $15,000 of combined purchases each year on U.S. supermarkets and restaurants worldwide, 2x thereafter. 2x other purchases.
Benefits: Gold Elite status. Earn a free night award with $15,000 spending. 15 free night credits. Terms apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: The card for luxury travelers and Marriott road warriors
Which card should you get if you stay in Marriotts weekly? The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Sure, the card carries an annual fee of $650 (See Rates and Fees) but it includes a suite of benefits that you are likely to use.
A few highlights include the $25 monthly ($300 annually) in statement credits for eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, 25 annual Elite Night credits, Priority Pass™ Select membership (enrollment required), and annual 85k free night certificate.
Get the card if: You are on the road constantly and staying at Marriott hotels or if your use of the dining credits, lounge access, and free night certificates means that the annual fee makes sense for you.
Whether you’re a road warrior or luxury traveler, you can find the best Marriott card for you in our overview.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card welcome bonus
bonus_miles_full
Although this card offers a handsome amount of points, you don’t get this card for its welcome bonus. The card has also offered much more generous welcome bonuses in the past. Maybe wait for a better bonus?
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status.
$300 Brilliant® dining credit. ($25 per month.)
85k Free Night Award.
Brilliant® Earned Choice Award after spending $60k in eligible purchases in a calendar year.
$100 property credit for qualifying charges The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® properties when booking a 2-night minimum stay.
25 elite night credits.
Priority Pass Select.
Rewards:
6x at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
3x at restaurants worldwide.
3x on flights booked directly with airlines.
2x on other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Marriott Bonvoy points.
Learn more:
Compare this card against the other Marriott cards in our overview of Marriott credit cards.
Learn more about the rules for earning Marriott credit card welcome bonuses.
Find other cards that offer a free night benefit.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: The best choice for small business owners
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers a bit more than the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card at a slightly higher price point. The card’s annual fee is $125. (See Rates and Fees)
You’ll receive an annual 35k point free night certificate each year after your cardmember anniversary, plus you can earn another after you spend $60k in purchases on your card in a calendar year. The card offer complimentary Gold Elite status and 15 Elite Night credits, plus bonus rewards in a number of business-relevant categories.
Get the card if: You are a small business owner and you stay at Marriott properties at least a few times a year.
Wondering whether you should get this card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card? Compare the cards in our complete guide to Marriott cards.
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: $125
(See Rates and Fees)
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card welcome bonus
bonus_miles_full
This welcome offer awards free night certificates. If you have a plan to use the certificates, you can usually get more value out of this offer than through a welcome offer that awards points..
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
7% discount on eligible bookings.
Free night award after your card renewal month.
Earn an additional free night award after spending $60k in purchases in a calendar year.
15 Elite Night credits.
No foreign transaction fees.
Terms apply to all benefits.
Rewards:
6x at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
4x at restaurants worldwide.
4x at U.S. gas stations.
4x on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers.
4x on U.S. purchases for shipping.
2x on other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Marriott Bonvoy points.
Learn more:
Compare this card to other Marriott credit cards in our Marriott card overview.
Find other cards that offer a free night award.
Amex rates and fees disclosures
- For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, see this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, see this link: See Rates and Fees
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
