AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card: Earn 100,000 Points + One 50k Free Night Award; Annual 35k Free Night Award

The welcome offer on this card has changed to 100,000 points plus a 50,000-point free night certificate, requiring a total of $$8,000 in spending within six months. In theory, this certificate is worth 50,000 points, so the total is equivalent to a 150,000-point bonus. Note, however, that the certificate expires one year after it is issued, and you lose value if you use it for a lower-category room. It is still a bit less flexible than pure points. The promotion expires on November 4.

This business version of the card also gives you a free night certificate every year, and the 15 elite night credits it provides can be stacked with those from a personal card, making it exceptionally easy to work toward Platinum status. If you are able to apply for business cards, I highly recommend this one.

• AMEX Marriott Business application link

This welcome offer is very good, so I have added it to the business card rankings.

• Best U.S. Small Business Credit Cards Ranking

AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card

Note: If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” carefully.

Highlights

• 7% off Marriott hotel bookings: Note that this discount only applies to the standard rate. It is still unclear whether it can be combined with the member rate, but it likely cannot be combined with corporate employee rates, AAA partner rates, and similar rates.
• 6x on dining worldwide: This used to be limited to the U.S., but the coverage has now been expanded.
• Annual free night certificate: Starting in the second year, after paying the annual fee, you will receive a Free Night. It can be used at any Marriott, SPG, or Ritz-Carlton hotel costing 35,000 points or less, subject to availability that night.
• Hotel elite status: Cardholders receive Marriott Gold status. You also get 15 Elite Night Credits each year, which helps when working toward Marriott Gold or Platinum status. Elite Nights from the business card can be stacked with those from a personal card.
• Free access to the fastest in-hotel internet: Marriott’s regular free Wi-Fi can slow to a crawl during peak hours. With this benefit, cardholders can browse freely. This benefit originally required Marriott Gold or Platinum status; otherwise it costs $20 per day.
• No foreign transaction fees: AMEX credit cards have no DCC when used abroad, meaning the conversion rate is the same whether the transaction is settled in local currency or in U.S. dollars. You do not need to worry about getting a poor exchange rate when settling in local currency as you might with Visa. From now on, you no longer need to worry about booking hotels outside the U.S.

AMEX Card Benefits

• [Business card exclusive] AMEX Open Savings: Use an AMEX business credit card at select merchants to earn an extra 2x MR or a 5% discount. Merchants include FedEx Express and FedEx Ground, Hertz^®, HP.com, and others. See details: Open Savings introduction
• AMEX Offers: Examples include Amazon spend 20 get 20 back, Walmart 15-5, and phone bill 75-10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders good offers that let you earn cash back while spending. For details, see: Recent good AMEX Offers, Summary of past good AMEX Offers, and AMEX Offer guide.
• [Business card exclusive] More and better AMEX Offers: As a business credit card, it receives more good offers, such as 20% off offers at Staples, Office Depot Offer, Sam's Club, and others, which can be used to buy gift cards. These types of exclusive offers are not sent to personal credit cards.
• Small Business Day: AMEX credit cards can participate in Small Business Day promotions every year, with extra rewards for spending at select merchants. See details: Small Business Day promotion introduction
• High credit limits: AMEX is very generous to customers and often gives much higher credit limits than other banks.
• Triple credit limit increase: After holding an AMEX card for 61 days, you can request a credit limit increase through the official website up to three times the original limit.
• Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping at many online stores. For details, see: official link
• Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card automatically receive one additional year of manufacturer warranty coverage.
• Free report: Cardholders can check their credit score from the Experian credit bureau for free. See details: comparison of free credit scores

Introduction to the Points System

• 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:

As Marriott’s only business co-branded credit card, this card’s benefits are decent. At the very least, the annual 35,000-point free night certificate can cover the annual fee. One highlight is that Elite Nights from the business card can be stacked with those from a personal card, making it easier to work toward higher Marriott elite status.

Marriott has co-branded credit cards issued by both AMEX and Chase. You can read the article below to choose the one that suits you.

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

Application:

Note: If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” carefully.

If you meet any of the following conditions, you will not be able to get the card or the welcome offer:

• You have previously had this card or the SPG business credit card.
• You have had a Chase Marriott business co-branded credit card within the past 30 days.
• You have received any Chase Marriott co-branded credit card within the past 90 days.
• You have received a welcome offer or upgrade offer on any Marriott co-branded credit card within the past 24 months.

This card is a Marriott co-branded credit card. When applying, you can enter your Marriott number, otherwise one will be assigned automatically. I recommend first registering as a Marriott member.

• 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