 | Flytrippers cofounder |
Things are moving in hotel credit cards! A few days after the unveiling of the brand-new Hilton Honors Amex Card (and its launch offer that’s a must-have for everyone), Marriott and Amex announced changes to their card lineup this morning. There’s going to be a new no-fee card… and major modifications to the 2 existing cards.
For the new card, it’s nothing extraordinary (as always with no-fee cards). For the existing cards, there’s mainly one negative change for many travelers and one very positive one for all (as always, we’re going to be frank, and tell it like it is).
For many travelers, we still recommend keeping the 2 existing cards every year. Flytrippers helps you travel for less with its free newsletter specifically about travel rewards, its ranking of the best current offers, and its infographic summarizing all the basics.
Here are the details of the changes to the Marriott Amex cards.
Changes to the 2 existing Marriott Bonvoy Amex cards
There are going to be major changes to the 2 cards that all savvy travelers should already have, namely the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card (having an incorporated business is not required to get the “business” card).
We’re also going to have a comparison between the newly launched Hilton Honors Amex Card and the newly modified Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card, in addition to our comparison between these 2 hotel rewards programs (the best ones for Canadian travelers).
If you want to receive that and plenty of pro tips to maximize the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors rewards programs (and all the others), sign up for our free newsletter specifically about travel rewards.
Here are the 3 changes to the Marriott Amex cards:
- Free night certificate will require $3000 in spending (instead of $0)
- Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status (instead of Silver)
- $150 annual fee (instead of $120)
Nothing else changes.
It takes effect on February 9, 2027.
Let’s look at this more closely, including the details of each change.
Basics of changes in general
I’m going to start by slowly explaining something very important in the world of travel rewards that a huge number of people, unfortunately, have an extremely hard time understanding.
Even when there are negative changes, something can obviously remain excellent!!! It becomes less good than before, but still good.
Of course it’s pointless to compare with the past (which no longer exists and is no longer available): you have to compare with the other alternatives in the present. Something that’s less good than in the past… can, of course, still remain better than the existing alternatives.
So I repeat that for many travelers, the fact that the Marriott Bonvoy cards are excellent to keep every year doesn’t change at all despite the changes announced this morning.
But also, we’ve had your trust for almost 10 years because we tell you things as they are… and the changes are indeed negative overall, at least for many travelers.
Analysis of the Marriott Amex changes
These changes will affect many travelers. The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card are among the most popular for our fans like you who have earned a total of over 4 million dollars in free travel just with our welcome bonus deals.
First of all, the annual fee increase is completely irrelevant if you know how to do the math correctly. If you currently redeem the amazing certificate so that it’s worth it at $120… it’s obviously still worth it at $150.
(Not to be dramatic, if you cancel this card only over this extra $30, I don’t know if there’s much hope for you in the world of travel rewards, honestly. It’s just so important to know how to do the math properly…)
If you already spend $3000 on the card, the changes are very positive: you now have Gold elite status instead of Silver. Wonderful!
If you don’t spend $3000 on it and it costs you nothing to move $3000 in spending here because you’re putting it on a card with no welcome bonus anyway, it’s a no-brainer to do it. The certificate is worth a lot (and can be worth a whole lot if you maximize it).
If you don’t spend $3000 on it and are truly maximizing that spending by unlocking bonuses, it may still be worth modifying your travel rewards strategy to get that certificate. Especially since having the card allows you to also have Gold status.
Value of the cards with the changes (if you already have the cards)
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card are definitely among our favorites in Canada thanks to the certificates. How about in February 2027?
We’ve been telling you for 7 years that it’s literally one of the best credit card benefits and that you should take advantage of the 4 certificates per year that you can get (2 if you don’t have a travel companion).
It’s amazing. It’s worth ≈ $315 (and even $800+ if you maximize it) and you get it for only $120.
The certificate remains amazing and doesn’t change in any way. But to get it, you’re soon going to have to spend $3000 on the card the previous year (and pay $30 more).
It was simply too good a deal.
If you already have the cards, absolutely nothing changes at your 2027 renewal: you’re going to get your certificate without having to spend anything.
It’s only at your 2028 renewal that your spending in the previous 12 months will be taken into account to give you a certificate.
It’s starting on that date in 2028 that it may not be worth it if you weren’t spending $3000 on the card.
It’s obviously better to move the $3000 in spending to the Marriott cards to get an amazing certificate worth hundreds of dollars, especially if you maximize it. At least compared to putting $3000 on any other card on which you’re not currently unlocking a welcome bonus, as so many people do.
But if you really maximize all your spending to unlock welcome bonuses, moving $3000 in spending here obviously comes with a fairly high opportunity cost.
That’s because that $3000 can obviously get you closer to a huge welcome bonus worth quite a bit more than the Marriott certificate, like for example, the welcome bonus on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card worth ≈ $885 (or $2000+ if you redeem the points for luxurious business class, as I did this spring).
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Best credit card offers (November 2026) |
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 LUCRATIVENo min. inc.
 Valuation (BONUS)(≈ 27% back on $3k)
Rewards: ≈ $960
Card fee: $150 (≈ 27% back on $3k)
Rewards: ≈ $960
Card fee: $150
Spend required:
$3k in 3 mos.
Best for: Very lucrative hotel points for specific hotels
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Valuation (BONUS)(≈ 17.7% back on $5k)
Rewards: ≈ $1005
Card fee: $120 (≈ 17.7% back on $5k)
Rewards: ≈ $1005
Card fee: $120
Spend required:
$5k in 6 mos.
Best for: Lucrative rewards w/ unlim. value great if you're flexible
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 LUCRATIVE60k/100k
Valuation (BONUS)(≈ 6.6% back on $12k)
Rewards: ≈ $791
Annual fee: $0 $139 (≈ 6.6% back on $12k)
Rewards: ≈ $791
Annual fee: $0 $139
Spend required:
$12k in 12 mos. (or $3k)
Best for: Valuable Aeroplan pts and travel benefits like free bags on AC
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Still… it can definitely still be worth it. Especially if you maximize the value of the certificate. We’ll help you, starting with an update of our list of the best redemptions of Marriott certificates soon.
Note that if your 2027 renewal falls between January 1 and February 9, like for the others, you’re obviously going to get your 2027 certificate without having to spend anything, and your 2028 certificate is going to depend on your spending. However, strangely, your spending calculation is exceptionally going to start on February 9, so you’re going to have a bit less than 12 months to do the spending (just for the 1st year).
Value of the cards with the changes (if you don’t yet have the cards)
For those who don’t have the cards yet, it’s simple too.
In the 1st year, the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card remain must-have cards, like all good cards in Canada. Especially during their increased welcome bonus.
In the 2nd year, all travelers should obviously keep it, because you’ll get a certificate at your renewal. Unlocking the welcome bonus will have required spending $3000 the previous year (the 1st year). It’s a no-brainer to keep it.
In the 3rd year, if you want to get the certificate that offsets the card’s fee, you need to have spent $3,000 during the previous year (the 2nd year). That’s when it depends on your own personal travel rewards strategy (and on where you take that $3000 from).
Let’s look at each of the 3 changes in detail to help you.
Free night certificate: Details of the changes
The big negative change is obviously related to the free night certificate.
I’ve pretty much explained everything in the previous sections.
If your renewal is on February 23, 2028, your spending between February 23, 2027, and February 22, 2028, must be $3,000 or more for the 2028 certificate to be deposited in your account.
Elite status: Details of the changes
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card are now going to give automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status, which is very good for a card at this level.
It’s obviously in response to the new Hilton Honors Amex Card, which gives that level too.
The Marriott cards currently give Marriott Bonvoy Silver elite status automatically, but as we’ve been telling you for years, it’s still a very low level (even though it’s obviously better than not having any status at all).
To be very clear, the shortcut to the higher elite status levels, namely the 15 elite night credits (ENCs), doesn’t change.
That’s a big plus compared to Hilton. I use it every year to get the higher status levels, which give access to hotel VIP lounges, free breakfasts, more bonus points, guaranteed late check-out at 4PM, a lot more room upgrades, etc.
Here are a few benefits of Marriott Gold status (and the difference with Silver):
- Welcome gift of 250 or 500 points (≈ $2-$5) depending on the brand
- Silver: No gift
- 25% bonus on points earned on stays paid in cash
- Silver: 10%
- Late check-out at 2PM subject to availability
- Silver: Lower priority than Gold
- More free upgrades to better rooms
- Silver: Much lower priority than Gold
Without the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card, you would need to stay at Marriott often every year (25 nights) to reach this status level organically.
It’s excellent to have it on a card at this level!
To put it in perspective, automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status is also offered by the Amex Platinum Card, which is the best premium card in Canada and has a $799 fee (although it’s a net $399 after the $200 credit you can cash out and the $200 dining credit).
So this change is obviously purely positive.
Annual fee: Details of the changes
The annual fee of the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card is going to go from $120 to $150 for your 1st renewal after February 9, 2027 (the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card was already at $150 and doesn’t change).
As mentioned, if the card was worth it for you at $120, of course it’s still worth it at $150.
By the way, when the card was launched in 2019, $120 in constant dollars is the equivalent of about $148 today. With the incredible inflation that governments love to cause by spending always more, you’ve had a discount every year since, because the fixed $120 was costing you less every year. Now there’s a catch-up.
Not to mention that earn rates keep getting better every year, in constant dollars. That’s because your card earns 5 pts/$ at Marriott. But since $1 today is worth much less than in 2019, it’s like the equivalent of now earning 7 points per 2019 dollar. In short, it’s one of the many reasons why you need to know how to do the math properly in the wonderful world of travel rewards.
This change is obviously also to align with the new Hilton Honors Amex Card, which has a $150 fee (and also with the new standard for this card level across Canadian banks, which is much more around $150 than $120 now because of said inflation).
Launch of the new Marriott Bonvoy Bright Amex Card
Marriott Bonvoy and American Express are expanding their card lineup to add a new card, but unfortunately it’s a no-annual-fee card.
(Let’s just say we would have preferred a premium-level card; one of our favorite cards is the premium Marriott Amex available to Canadians who follow our guide on how to get US-issued credit cards that will finally be launched this fall!).
So it’s obviously not very interesting overall (like all no-annual-fee cards in Canada, to be very clear). But it can be an excellent addition to your card arsenal, especially for 2 types of travelers.
Here are the details first:
- Name: Marriott Bonvoy Bright Amex Card
- Launch: February 9, 2027
- Annual fee: $0
- Welcome bonus: Not announced
- Automatic Silver elite status
- Earn rates:
- 3 pts/$ (≈ 2.7%) at Marriott
- 2 pts/$ (≈ 1.8%) on dining
- 1.25 pts/$ (≈ 1.1%) everywhere else
These are the only details publicly revealed today; we’re going to talk about it again as soon as we can say more up until February, when it will be possible to apply for the card.
If you want to receive all the updates on this card and plenty of pro tips to maximize the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program (and all the others), sign up for our free newsletter specifically about travel rewards.
There are 2 types of travelers for whom it’s likely to be interesting:
- Marriott Bonvoy points maximizers
- Beginners who don’t do the math very well yet
If you want to maximize your amount of Marriott Bonvoy points, and therefore want a bit more of them, this new card is good news.
Assuming the card is going to have a welcome bonus (even if it’s likely to be small), it’s going to be worth applying for this card since it has no fee, especially if you do it the same day as a card with a bigger welcome bonus from another bank.
(The only downside is that it’s going to take up 1 of your 4 available Amex card slots… which is actually a bit more than 4, because some cards don’t count toward the total. I’m going to write a post about this special Amex rule very soon!)
If you’re a beginner who hasn’t yet understood that you need to look at the net value, not just the fee on its own, this new card is good news.
That’s because it at least lets you get a taste of hotel points, rewards of the more lucrative type that have literally unlimited value, and to get an automatic elite status for free. Not to mention the ≈ 1.1% base earn rate is better than most no-fee cards.
(I assume that if you stick to no-fee cards, you’re also probably not taking advantage of welcome bonuses often enough. Hopefully this no-fee card convinces you to get into the wonderful world of travel rewards the right way, with big bonuses!)
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Summary
The amazing free night certificate of the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card is now going to require $3000 in spending per year. It changes nothing for the 1st and 2nd year, but after that, it’s something to consider. Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status makes up for it for some. There will also be a new no-fee card.
What would you like to know about the Amex Marriott card changes? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: New Marriott Amex card portfolio (image credit: Amex)
