Flytrippers award won
Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card
Summary of Flytrippers' review
WHY GET THIS CARD
- Good welcome bonus of ≈ $357 in net value
- Annual free luxury night certificate worth ≈ $315 every subsequent year
- Flexibility of points with no time limit to be used
- Good base earn rate
- Automatic Silver Elite status and shortcut to higher levels
WHO SHOULD GET THIS CARD
- All Canadian travelers, without exception
Card details
Welcome bonus structure
50,000 points Bonus after spending $1,500 (in a maximum of 3 months)
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Earn on the minimum spending requirement
3,000 points Minimum earn on the minimum spending requirement of $1,500 (at base earn rate of 2 pts/$)
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Total rewards by unlocking the welcome bonus
53,000 points Welcome bonus + earn on the minimum spending requirement to unlock it
Flytrippers Valuation of the welcome bonus
≈ $450 Bonus after minimum spend (50,000 pts at ≈ 0.9¢/pt)
≈ $27 Earn on minimum spend (3,000 pts at ≈ 0.9¢/pt)
–$120 Card fee (deducted from Flytrippers Valuation)
≈ $357 Total net value by unlocking the welcome bonus alone
( ≈ 24% back on the minimum spending requirement of $1,500 in 3 months)
Rewards from welcome bonus
You will have 53,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after unlocking the Welcome Bonus.
That gives you:
- ≈ $477 in rewards at the Flytrippers Valuation
Concrete examples of redemptions
Here are some of the actual redemptions you can get with these rewards:
8 completely free nights at hotels in a few specific destinations (Bali, Malaysia, India, South Africa, Spain, etc.)
5 completely free nights at hotels in 50+ more countries in almost every region of the world
3 completely free nights at hotels in even more destinations (about 1,000 more options)
≈ $477 in simpler discounts for completely free nights at most of the 8,500+ Marriott hotels
Earn rate (at Flytrippers Valuation)
5 points per $ (≈ 4.5%):
- Marriott hotels
2 points per $ (≈ 1.8%):
- Everywhere else
‣Learn more about credit card earn rates (coming soon)
Earning with additional cards
Fee for additional cards: $0
Quantity allowed: 9
Minimum age: 13 years old
‣Learn more about additional cards (coming soon)
Annual luxury night certificate
On every anniversary of your account, you’ll get a certificate that’s worth ≈ $315 for one night of ultra-luxury at thousands of hotels so never cancel this card!!!
‣Learn more about the Marriott free night certificate
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Marriott Silver Elite Status
As a cardholder, you get free Silver Elite status for VIP benefits at hotels.
‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy elite status
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Shortcut to higher elite status (15 Elite night credits)
Your number of nights required to reach the higher elite statuses is reduced by 15 nights (Gold Elite status also offered depending on $30,000 but it’s highly unrecommended).
‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy elite status
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Amex Offers program
Access to discounts, credits, and special offers throughout the year.
‣Learn more about the Amex Offers program
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American Express Experiences program
Access to exclusive virtual and in-person experiences and pre-sale tickets to lots of events.
‣Learn more about the American Express Experiences program (coming soon)
Insurance included
Flight delay insurance
Baggage delay insurance
Rental car insurance
Lost or stolen luggage insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Travel accident insurance
Purchase insurance
Extended warranty
‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card’s insurance coverage (coming soon)
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Insurance not included
Medical Travel Insurance
Travel cancelation insurance
Trip interruption insurance
Mobile device insurance
‣Learn more about the different types of insurance coverage (coming soon)
Redemptions
Marriott points can be used for completely free nights at the 8,500+ hotels in the 30+ Marriott brands. The price in points is often loosely based on the cash price, but not always.
‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program
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Pricing
Marriott points are variable-value rewards (value depending on how you use them; our Flytrippers Valuation is ≈ 0.9¢).
‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy points (coming soon)
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Expiry
Marriott points don’t expire as long as you use your card at least once every 2 years, so essentially they never expire (there are ways to avoid expiration without having the card too but you should absolutely never close it).
‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy points expiry (coming soon)
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Pooling
Marriott points can be pooled with travel companions easily online.
‣Learn more about pooling Marriott Bonvoy points (coming soon)
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Transfers
Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to multiple partner programs but it very rarely gives good value.
‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy point transfers (coming soon)
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Other redemption options
Marriott Bonvoy points can be used for rewards other than travel but this should be avoided.
‣Learn more about why you should always use your rewards for travel (coming soon)
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Rewards program logistics
Marriott points can be used directly on the Marriott website or app.
‣Learn more about how to get started with Marriott Bonvoy rewards (coming soon)
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Rewards program summary
Rewards: Marriott Bonvoy Points
Type: Variable-value rewards
Subtype: “Dynamic” Rewards
Variety: Hotel rewards
Flytrippers Valuation: ≈ ≈ 0.9¢ per point
Minimum value: n/a
Maximum value: Unlimited
Transferable: Yes (40+ partners)
‣Learn more about rewards programs basics (coming soon)
Card eligibility
Minimum personal/household income: $0
Age: Majority in your province
Estimated credit score: Good or Excellent
Credit bureau: TransUnion
‣Learn more about credit card eligibility requirements (coming soon)
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Welcome bonus eligibility
You must not have had the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card before.
‣Learn more about credit card welcome bonus eligibility rules (coming soon)
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Offer end date
Offer is subject to change at any time
‣Subscribe to Flytrippers’ free travel rewards newsletter to get all card updates
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Card details
Issuer: American Express
Network: American Express
Card Type: Credit card
Product Type: Personal card
‣Learn more about credit card types (coming soon)
Fees and rates
Card fee: $120
Fee for additional card: $0
FX fee: 2.5%
Purchases annual interest rate: 20.99%
Funds advances annual interest rate: 21.99%
Balance transfer fee: N/A
‣Learn more about why Flytrippers recommends ignoring fees and rates (coming soon)
• New Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Cardmembers earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points after you charge $1,500 in purchases to your Card in your first three months of Cardmembership. Subject to change at any time
• Earn 5 points for every dollar in eligible Card purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®
• Earn 2 points for every $1 in all other Card purchases
• Receive an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary
• No annual fee on Additional Cards
• Redeem points for free nights with no blackout dates at over 7,000 of the world’s most desired hotels
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status membership
• Receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card. These can be used towards attaining the next level of Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• Enjoy an automatic upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card each year or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your card
• American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply
Start earning rewards today
And make sure to download our free checklist for when you get a new card—it includes very important mistakes to avoid
(it will open in a separate tab, or you can click here)
via Amex secure application
*Beta version of card page. Sign up to get updated guide soon.*
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Valuation ≈ $357