How to Choose Among 8 Marriott Co-Branded Credit Cards: Record-High Offers Expire on May 13!

The all-time-high offers on Marriott Brilliant, Bevy, and Business will expire on May 13! If you're interested, make sure to act soon.

Here’s a quick take on each card:

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: Worth considering if you want premium hotel stays and can keep it long term. The overall value is solid. The all-time-high 200,000-point offer is hard to ignore!

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business business credit card: A business card that can be worth holding long term if you qualify. Holding both the business and personal versions is even better. This time it comes with 5 free night certificates worth 50,000 points each, which makes it very attractive.

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card: Recommended for application and long-term holding. It offers excellent value and will be the best fit for most people. The bonus of 4 free night certificates worth 50,000 points each is pretty good.

The following cards are not especially recommended:

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card: Limited value overall, though it can serve as a downgrade option from an annual-fee card. The bonus is mediocre.
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card: Poor value. It does not offer an annual free night certificate, so it is not worth keeping long term at all. The 175,000-point welcome bonus is decent, but you might as well go straight for the Brilliant.
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card: Poor value. It does not offer an annual free night certificate, so it is not worth keeping long term at all. The welcome bonus is also pretty weak.

About Marriott co-branded credit cards

Marriott launched two new cards with a $250 annual fee and refreshed the $650 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. That brings Marriott’s co-branded card lineup to a record 8 cards, with annual fees ranging from no annual fee all the way up to $650. That said, each of these co-branded cards has its own strengths, so today we’ll compare their benefits and help you figure out which ones may fit your needs.

There are 5 personal cards that you can apply for directly:

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant:

There is 1 business credit card you can apply for directly, issued exclusively by AMEX.

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business business credit card

The following 2 cards can only be obtained through an upgrade or downgrade:

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy credit card: Not available for direct application; can only be obtained by downgrading from the AMEX Brilliant
• Chase Ritz-Carlton Ritz-Carlton credit card: Not open to new applications; can only be obtained through a product change from a Chase Marriott card

Chase previously also had two business cards, Marriott Business and Premier Business Plus, but both have been discontinued and are no longer available, so they are not listed here. Premier Business Plus actually also came with an annual 35,000-point free night certificate and a $99 annual fee, so it could have been worth keeping long term as well.

Here is a brief comparison of these cards:

Marriott Credit Card Comparison

	Bold	Boundless	AMEX Bonvoy	Bevy	Bountiful	Ritz	Brilliant	Biz
Annual Fee	$0	$95	$95	$250	$250	$450	$650	$125
Welcome Bonus	60k	5*50k FN	/	125k	125k	/	150k	125k
Credits	/	/	/	/	/	$300 airline incidental credit	$300 dining credit	/
Free Night Award	/	35k	35k	50k (requires $15k spend)	50k (requires $15k spend)	85k	85k	35k
Elite Night	15	15	15	15	15	15	25	15
Status	Silver	Silver	Silver	Gold	Gold	Gold	Platinum	Gold
Marriott Spending	3x	6x	6x	6x	6x	6x	6x	6x
Full Review	Review	Review	Review	Review	Review	Review	Review	Review

Welcome bonuses

Here are the current bonuses on the cards that are available to apply for, ranked from highest to lowest:

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 200,000 Marriott points (worth about $1,600)
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card: 175,000 Marriott points (worth about $1,400)
• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business business credit card: 5 free night certificates worth 50,000 points each (worth about $1,250)
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card: 4 free night certificates worth 50,000 points each (worth about $1,000)
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card: 85,000 Marriott points (worth about $680)
• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card: 2 free night certificates worth 35,000 points each (worth about $300)

Points vs. free night certificates

Before getting into the analysis, let’s roughly estimate the value of Marriott points. Based on general data points, Marriott points are currently worth around 0.6–0.8 cents per point. In other words, 15,000 points can roughly get you a hotel stay worth about $120, so 100,000 points are worth about $800. Of course, redemption values can vary significantly depending on location and travel dates. As for free night certificates, redeeming a 35,000-point certificate for about $150 in value should be very doable, a 50,000-point certificate can be worth up to about $250, and an 85,000-point redemption depends heavily on how desirable the hotel is, but if used well, it may be worth around $400.

Free night certificates may represent more total points on paper, but they expire one year after issuance, while points do not expire. Points are also more flexible because they can be used for hotels across different award levels. Certificates tend to be best used at the highest possible redemption level to maximize value. So from a flexibility standpoint, a points-based welcome bonus is generally more useful. However, if you already have a specific hotel, destination, or travel date in mind and can maximize those certificates, then the free night certificates may be the better choice.

Beyond hotel redemptions, Marriott points are also very flexible because they can be transferred to most airline programs at a 3:1.25 ratio. That includes programs such as UA, AS, JAL, BA, and others. So if you care more about flying business class than staying at luxury hotels, earning a large stash of Marriott points for airline mile transfers may be the better play. In that case, you should favor a points-based welcome bonus rather than free night certificates.

Comparing the cards

This comparison is actually a bit tricky, because the limited-time offers on these cards do not always appear at the same time. If we compare everything based on peak offers, then Chase Marriott Boundless clearly offers the best value. After all, 5 free night certificates would be equivalent to a 250,000-point welcome bonus, and even the usual 4 free night certificates are worth about 150,000 points in value. Next would be the current Marriott Brilliant 200,000-point offer, which is much more flexible in how you can use it.

The welcome bonuses on the other cards are not especially exciting, but they are not exactly low either. After all, 100,000 points is roughly equivalent to an $800 welcome bonus.

If you only plan to keep the card for one year and then downgrade to a no-annual-fee version or close it, you also need to consider how much the annual fee eats into the value. In particular, the two newer cards, Marriott Bevy and Bountiful, charge a $250 annual fee but only offer bonuses in the 85,000–175,000 range, which is not especially compelling. You may be better off just going with the Brilliant.

Application strategy

There are a lot of Marriott cards, so I suggest starting with your own needs and thinking about both the welcome bonus and whether the card is worth holding long term. Personally, I recommend the following approach:

1. First consider applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless. If you want a premium card later, you can upgrade it to the Ritz-Carlton; otherwise, you can keep it long term for the free night certificate.
2. If you want Marriott Platinum status, you can first apply for AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant and keep it long term. When you no longer need the status, you can downgrade to AMEX Marriott and keep that long term for the free night certificate.
3. If you are eligible for business cards, you can also keep one for the free night certificate and elite nights.

If you want all of them, you can go in the order of 2, 1, 3, and still receive the welcome bonuses. If you only want to choose one path, either 1 or 2 works.

These Marriott cards have welcome bonus restrictions between them, so we made a table to show the conflicts. The rows are the Marriott cards you can apply for, and the columns are the Marriott cards you have held.

• OK: no impact
• LL: lifetime, meaning you have received the welcome bonus at some point in your life
• 30: held within the last 30 days
• 90: approved for within the last 90 days
• 24: received an upgrade bonus or welcome bonus within the last 24 months

	Bold	Boundless	Bevy	Bountiful	Brilliant	Business
Bold	24	24	30/90/24	OK	90/24	90/24
Boundless	24	24	30/90/24	OK	90/24	90/24
AMEX Bonvoy	30	30	OK	30/90/24	OK	OK
Bevy	90/24	90/24	LL	30/90/24	OK	OK
Bountiful	OK	OK	30/90/24	24	90/24	90/24
Ritz	OK	OK	30	OK	30	OK
Brilliant	90/24	90/24	LL	30/90/24	LL	OK
Biz	90/24	90/24	OK	30/90/24	OK	LL

Below is a detailed explanation of the application rules:

Personal cards you can apply for: 5

Because this co-branded card is issued by two different banks, there are conflicts in the application rules. So if you plan to apply for more than one, you should understand the restrictions carefully.

Chase Marriott Bold and Marriott Boundless have three restrictions. If any one of the following applies, you cannot get the card or the welcome bonus.

• You currently have, or received a welcome bonus in the last 24 months on, any of Chase’s Marriott cards (old and new Marriott Boundless, Marriott Bold)
• You have had an AMEX Bonvoy card within the last 30 days
• You were approved for, within the last 90 days, or received a welcome bonus on, within the last 24 months, any of the following: AMEX Business, Brilliant, or Bevy

This credit card is not available to you if (1) you currently have any of the following cards or (2) you received a new cardmember bonus for any of the following cards within the last 24 months:Marriott Bonvoy®Premier credit card, Marriott Rewards®Premier credit card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®credit card, Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus credit card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold®credit card.

The new cardmember bonus is not available to you if (1) you currently have or had any of the following cards within the last 30 days: Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card, The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express; or if (2) you applied and were approved for any of the following cards within the last 90 days or (3) received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus for any of the following cards within the last 24 months: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card.

Chase Marriott Bountiful has two restrictions. If any one of the following applies, you cannot get the card or the welcome bonus.

• If you currently have Bountiful, or have had it within the last 24 months, you cannot be approved for this card.
• If any of the following three conditions apply, you cannot receive the welcome bonus: (1) had one within the last 30 days, (2) were approved for one within the last 90 days, or (3) received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus within the last 24 months. The affected cards include Chase Marriott’s three cards, AMEX SPG business and personal cards, and AMEX’s premium Marriott Brilliant card.

This credit card is not available to you if (1) you currently have this card or (2) you received a new Cardmember bonus for this card within the last 24 months.

The new cardmember bonus is not available to you if (1) you currently have or had any of the following cards within the last 30 days, (2) you applied and were approved for any of the following cards within the last 90 days, or (3) you received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus for any of the following cards within the last 24 months: Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card.

AMEX Marriott Bevy has more complicated restrictions. In short, it conflicts with Chase Marriott cards. If any one of the following applies, you cannot get the card or the welcome bonus.

• You have had this card before
• Within the last 30 days, you have had or currently hold a Ritz-Carlton card, or a Chase Marriott Bonvoy card (Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful, Business)
• Within the last 90 days, you were approved for a Chase card (Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful)
• Within the last 24 months, you received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on any of the following: Bold, old and new Boundless, Bountiful

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant®American Express®Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton®Credit Card from J.P. Morgan, the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards®Credit Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy®Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy®Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards Business®Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.

The restrictions on the AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant are similar to those on the Bevy, and it also conflicts with Chase Marriott and Ritz cards. If you meet any of the following conditions, you will not be eligible for the card or the welcome bonus.

• You previously had this card or the SPG Luxury card
• You have had or currently hold a Ritz-Carlton card within the past 30 days
• You acquired a Chase card in this family within the past 90 days (Bold, old/new Boundless, Bountiful)
• You received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on any of the following cards within the past 24 months: Bold, old/new Boundless, Bountiful

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or the Starwood Preferred Guest®American Express Luxury Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton®Credit Card from JPMorgan or the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards®Credit Card in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.

Business credit cards: 1 card

At the moment, there is only one Marriott business co-branded card that you can apply for directly: the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business credit card. If you meet any of the following conditions, you will not be eligible for the card or the welcome bonus.

• You previously had this card or the SPG business card
• You had a Chase Marriott business co-branded card within the past 30 days
• You acquired any Chase Marriott co-branded card within the past 90 days
• You received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on any Marriott co-branded card within the past 24 months
• You get a popup for other reasons

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, or the Starwood Preferred Guest®Business Credit Card from American Express or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy®Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards®Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase, in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold®Credit Card from Chase.

Available via product change: 2 cards

There are also two cards you can get through a product change:

• AMEX Marriott Bonvoy card: you can product change from another personal AMEX Marriott card after holding the original card for more than one year. You can do the product change by phone or via online chat.
• Chase Ritz-Carlton credit card: you can product change from a personal Chase Marriott card after holding the original card for more than one year, and the credit limit must be above $10,000. If your Marriott card does not have a high enough limit, you can first move some credit line over from another Chase card. The upgrade can be done by phone or by Secure Message.

Bypassing the popup

For most applicants, the application rules and family restrictions above are enough. But AMEX has one special feature: although it has many restrictions, some of them can be bypassed by getting around the popup. In other words, even if you already hold a Chase Marriott card, you may still be able to apply for the AMEX Brilliant by bypassing the popup. We explain this technique in detail in our Knowledge Planet community, and it is not something we want to post on a public blog platform. If you are interested, you can join to learn more.

• US Credit Card 101 Knowledge Planet

Long-term holding

As hotel co-branded cards go, Marriott cards offer quite a few ongoing benefits. The following are, in my view, the most important things to pay attention to:

• Welcome bonus: whether a card is worth applying for depends on the historical high and the current offer. The table lists the highest offers seen recently, and those usually show up about 1-3 times a year.
• Annual fee: remember to subtract the value of statement credits and free night certificates, then decide whether the remaining effective annual fee is worth the other benefits.
• Free night certificate: certificates that do not require spending are clearly the best tier. For certificates earned through spending, remember to consider the opportunity cost of that spending. In Asia, a 35,000-point certificate can offer excellent value; in the US, the value is much more average. Now that you can top off a certificate with 25,000 points, flexibility is better. In general, it is not hard to get $150-$300 of value from a certificate, so cards that give one automatically are usually worth keeping long term.
• Elite Night: this is mainly useful for earning a higher elite status tier or renewing status. Personal cards cannot stack with one another, so the best setup is usually one personal card plus one business card. That can get you up to 40 nights, which makes requalifying much easier.
• Complimentary elite status: Marriott Silver is not very useful. Gold has some value and may get you a room upgrade. The most useful is Platinum status, which can get you breakfast, lounge access, and a good chance at an upgraded room, sometimes even a suite. If you stay with Marriott often enough to feel the value, it is worth considering.
• Earning on spending: most of these cards earn 6x at Marriott. Valuing Marriott points at 0.7 cents each, that is about a 4.2% return, which is actually quite decent.

For most people, the best long-term keepers are the Chase Marriott Boundless and the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy, both with a $95 annual fee and a 35,000-point free night certificate. If you can fully use the airline credit and also make good use of the 85,000-point free night certificate, then the somewhat better Chase Ritz-Carlton is worth considering. And if you also want stronger elite status benefits, then just go with the AMEX Marriott Brilliant.