AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card: 135,000-Point Welcome Bonus

This card’s welcome bonus is 135,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (spend $5,000 + $2,000 in the first 6 months). Note that this card does not give you a free night award every year; you need to spend $15,000 to get one, so it is not really recommended as a long-term keeper card. That said, the welcome bonus is still pretty good.

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy 135,000-point application link

This offer is excellent and has been added to the ranking.

• Best U.S. credit card welcome offers ranking (personal cards) [updated monthly]

AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card Overview

Highlights

• Big-spend bonus: Spend $15,000 each year and receive one 50,000-point free night award (Free Night Award usage guide)
• Marriott Bonvoy member benefit: Cardholders automatically receive Gold Elite status
• Stay bonus: Automatically earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay

Points Program Overview

• Point value: Average value is 0.8 c/p, 100 Marriott points = $0.80 (Point value and analysis)
• Hotel redemptions: Marriott points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott hotels, Ritz-Carlton, and hotels that were previously part of SPG. Marriott now uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points required depends on the room rate. You can also redeem using cash+points. All-points bookings qualify for a stay 5, pay for 4 offer.
• Point transfers: Marriott points can be transferred to the following airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, with an additional 10% bonus when transferring to UA. In addition, every 60,000 points transferred earns an extra 5,000-mile bonus, which means a maximum transfer ratio of 3:1.25 for miles (eligible miles only). Air Canada Aeroplan (AC) miles (domestic U.S. flights, one-way economy tickets between the U.S. and China, emergency flights, and infant tickets on two-cabin itineraries); Alaska Airlines (AS) miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, U.S.-China two-cabin itineraries, free one-way Stop Over); ANA miles (U.S.-China flights, round-trip economy for just 60,000, business class for 95,000); AA miles (U.S.-China CX and JL two-cabin itineraries, no fuel surcharges); BA miles (domestic U.S. flights and short nonstop flights between China and Japan, very low change/cancellation fees, emergency tickets); Delta miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, can be redeemed at 1 c/p); UA miles (U.S.-China economy, domestic U.S.)
• Point characteristics: Points can be transferred between different accounts, with an annual limit of 100,000 points. When booking rooms, you can combine your family members' points with no limit. Points expire after 24 months with no activity.
• My quick take: Marriott inherited SPG's extremely strong flexibility and can be transferred to many very useful airline miles, with pretty good transfer ratios as well. Point value for hotel redemptions is not as high as Hyatt points, but it is still decent. The ability to pool points for the whole family is also a big plus.
• Detailed analysis: Marriott points guide

My Take

I’m honestly speechless that a card with a $250 annual fee doesn’t come with a free night award. Why not consider the $95 annual-fee Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless? It gives you a free night just for holding the card.

Marriott has co-branded credit cards with AMEX and Chase, so you can check the article below to choose the one that fits you.

• How should you choose among these 8 Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards?

Apply

You will not receive the welcome bonus in the following cases:

• You have previously received this card
• Within the past 30 days, you have had or currently hold Ritz-Carlton cards or Chase Marriott Bonvoy cards (Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful, Business cards)
• Within the past 90 days, you have received a Chase card (Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful)
• Within the past 24 months, you have received a signup bonus or upgrade bonus for the following cards: Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful

Marriott Bonvoy account

• Because this is a co-branded credit card with Marriott Bonvoy, if you already have a Marriott Bonvoy account, you can enter it when applying. If you have never registered for a Marriott Bonvoy account, sign up through our link so your stays can earn extra rewards (no bonus if you register directly on the official site): Marriott Bonvoy account referral signup link (for one year after signing up, each paid stay earns an extra 2,000 points. After signing up, you will receive a confirmation email and rewards number, and then 48 hours later you will receive a welcome email. After that, you can register for an online account.)

Other notes for AMEX card applications

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application link: