Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards: New Offers for Up to 60,000 Points

American Express has just debuted new offers on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card.

This time, there’s been a drop from the previous set of welcome bonuses; however, all points are awarded in the first year after meeting a reasonable minimum spending requirement.

If you’re interested and eligible, be sure to check out the below offers, which are available indefinitely without a listed end date.

Amex Bonvoy Card: Earn Up to 55,000 Points

After a few months at a juicy welcome bonus of up to 85,000 points, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has dropped down to its standard offer.

Currently, you can earn up to 55,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, structured as follows:

• Earn 55,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 (all figures in CAD) in the first three months

Unlike previous offers, all points are awarded in one fell swoop upon meeting the minimum spending requirement in the first year. Therefore, while the total amount of points on offer is lower than before, there’s no separate spending requirement to be aware of.

Based on our current valuations, we value Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point, meaning that we’d value 55,000 Bonvoy points at $440; however, they can indeed be redeemed for much higher value than that, if used strategically.

For example, 55,000 Bonvoy points could be enough for a one-night stay at an aspirational resort, such as Le Méridien Maldives, or at a higher-end property in Canada, such as JW Marriott Parq Vancouver on select dates.

If you’d rather redeem your points towards more modest accommodations, 55,000 points should be enough for two nights at a mid-market hotel, five nights at a decent hotel in an emerging market, or up to 10 nights at the most affordable redemptions the Marriott Bonvoy program has to offer.

Once you’ve earned the welcome bonus, there’s a strong argument to be made for keeping the card for the long term, due to the annual Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points.

Ideally, you could time your application in advance of a number of hotel stays, thereby working on the minimum spending requirement while sticking with the 5x multiplier at Marriott properties. 

Indeed, this card is one that we recommend to have as a key part of your credit card travel strategy.

There’s no listed end date to this offer, so if you’re eligible to apply, bear in mind that the offer could change for better or for worse at any time.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

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First-Year Value: $368

• Earn 55,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
• Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
• Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
• Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
• Annual fee: $120

Amex Bonvoy Business Card: Up to 60,000 Points

Meanwhile, the offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card has a slightly higher welcome bonus, and a slightly higher minimum spending requirement, too.

By applying through a refer-a-friend link, you can earn up to 60,000 Bonvoy points, structured as follows:

• Earn 60,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months

As with the personal version of the card, the entire welcome bonus is awarded in the first year; however, it’s worth noting that the minimum spending requirement is $2,000 more than that of the personal version.

The business version has a $150 annual fee, which is $30 higher than the personal card, and the additional 5,000 points will help to offset that difference.

This card also comes with an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 points, starting with your first anniversary as a cardholder.

The Bonvoy cards are great choices as keeper cards, since the value of a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points will easily exceed the $120 annual fee on the personal card or the $150 annual fee on the business card. The sooner you get started with these cards, the better.

As with the personal version of the card, there’s no end date for the current offer.

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

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First-Year Value: $410

• Earn 60,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
• Always earn 5x Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties
• Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
• Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
• Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
• Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
• Annual fee: $150

Amex Bonvoy Cards: 15 Elite Qualifying Nights + Anniversary Free Night Award

In terms of the cards’ earning rates, you’ll earn the following:

• 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels
• 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases

On the business card, you’ll also earn 3 points per dollar spent on gas, dining, and travel purchases.

It’s best to use Canadian Bonvoy cards purely for spending at Canadian Marriott hotels, as the 5x earnings are unbeatable there. However, you can prioritize other cards with higher earning rates for other general purchases.

(Marriott hotels outside of Canada are also not ideal, thanks to the card’s 2.5% foreign transaction fee. If you have a US-issued Bonvoy cards for foreign hotel bills, you won’t get dinged on the foreign exchange fee.)

Both the personal and business Marriott Bonvoy cards offer 15 elite qualifying nights towards your Marriott Bonvoy status every year. By holding onto one of them, you’d only need to complete 35 elite qualifying nights to reach a total of 50, where Platinum Elite status and all of its associated perks start to pay off.

Unfortunately, the two sets of 15 elite qualifying nights cannot be stacked into 30 – that’s only possible with the US-issued personal and business cards, not the Canadian ones.

As mentioned above, the most meaningful perk on the Bonvoy card is the anniversary Free Night Award, which you’ll earn upon renewing the card for a second year.

These are worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each, so a smart redemption here would easily outweigh the card’s $120 and $150 annual fees.

You’re also able to top-up your Free Night Award by up to 15,000 Bonvoy points, thus booking a property that’d otherwise cost up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.

Conclusion

The latest round of welcome offers for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card are for up to 55,000 and 60,000 Bonvoy points, respectively. 

These offers are in line with the average bonus available for the past few years, and once you’ve unlocked the welcome bonus, both cards are certainly worth keeping around for the long-term.

There’s no end date for these offers, so if you’re interested, be sure to apply soon to boost your Bonvoy balance!