AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card: Earn 125,000 Points; Annual Free Night Award

This card’s welcome bonus has increased to 125,000 points after $9,000 in total spending within six months. Points are more flexible than free night certificates and don’t expire, so if you prefer points, you may want to choose this welcome offer. This business version of the card also comes with one free night award each year, and the 15 Elite Night credits it gives can be combined with those from the personal card, making it unusually easy to go after Platinum status. If you’re able to apply for a business card, I highly recommend this one.

• AMEX Marriott Business application link

This welcome bonus is excellent, so I’ve added it to the business card rankings.

• U.S. Business Credit Card Small Business Card rankings

AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card

"Note" If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read the “Business Credit Card Introduction”

Highlights

• 7% off Marriott hotel bookings: Note that this discount only applies to standard rates, and it’s still unclear whether it can be stacked with member rates. If you have corporate employee rates, AAA partner rates, or similar offers, they probably can’t be combined either.
• 6x on dining worldwide: This used to be limited to the U.S. only, but the coverage has expanded.
• Annual free night award: Starting in the second year, you’ll receive a Free Night after paying the annual fee. It can be used at any Marriott, SPG, or Ritz-Carlton hotel worth up to 35,000 points, subject to availability that night.
• Hotel elite status: Cardholders get Marriott Gold status. Each year you also receive 15 Elite Night Credit, making it easier to work toward Marriott Gold or Platinum status. Elite Nights from the business card can be combined with those from the personal card.
• Free highest-speed internet at hotels: Marriott’s free standard Wi‑Fi can turn painfully slow during peak times. With this card, cardholders can browse freely. This benefit was originally only available to Marriott members with Gold or Platinum status; otherwise it cost $20 per day.
• No foreign transaction fees: AMEX credit cards do not use DCC overseas, so the exchange rate is the same whether you settle in local currency or U.S. dollars. You don’t have to worry about poor exchange rates like you might with Visa when paying in local currency. You no longer have to worry about booking hotels outside the U.S.

AMEX card benefits

• 【Business card only】 AMEX Open Savings: Using an AMEX business credit card at participating merchants can earn extra 2x MR points or a 5% discount. Merchants include FedEx Express and FedEx Ground, Hertz^®, HP.com, and more. See: Open Savings introduction
• AMEX offer: Amazon spend $20, get $20 back; Walmart spend $15, get $5 back; phone bill spend $75, get $10 back. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders some great offers, letting you earn cash back while spending. For details, see: Recent good AMEX Offers, Archive of past good AMEX Offers, AMEX OFFER detailed explanation.
• 【Business card only】 More and better AMEX Offers: As a business credit card, you may receive more good offers, such as Staples, Office Depot offers, and Sam’s Club 20% off deals (gift cards can be purchased). These card-specific offers are not sent to personal credit cards.
• Small Business Day: Every year, AMEX credit cards can participate in Small Business Day promotions, which offer extra rewards at participating merchants. See: Small Business Day promotion introduction
• Generous credit limits: AMEX is very generous with customers and often grants much higher limits than other banks.
• 3x credit limit increase: After holding an AMEX card for 61 days, you can request a credit limit increase to three times your current limit through the website.
• Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping from many online stores. See the details here: official website link
• Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card automatically get their manufacturer warranty extended by one year
• Free report: Cardholders can check their Experian credit score for free. See: free credit score comparison

Points system introduction

• 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 thoughts:

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

Marriott has co-branded credit cards from AMEX and Chase as well, so you can use the article below to choose the one that fits you best

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

Apply:

"Note" If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read the “Business Credit Card Introduction”

If you meet any of the following conditions, you won’t be able to get the card or the welcome bonus:

• You previously had this card or the SPG business credit card
• Within the past 30 days, you had a Chase Marriott business co-branded credit card
• Within the past 90 days, you received any Chase Marriott co-branded credit card
• Within the past 24 months, you received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on any Marriott co-branded credit card

This card is a Marriott co-branded credit card, so you can enter your Marriott number when applying (otherwise one will be assigned automatically). We recommend signing up for a Marriott member account first

• 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