Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card

Flytrippers Opinion: One of the best, a must-have card for Canadian travelers: It provides exceptional value with its Welcome Bonus and annual certificate.
Flytrippers Valuation
of Welcome Bonus alone
via Amex secure application link
≈ $ 357
Earn Marriott Bonvoy points
variable-value rewards (no min. value)

for free nights at 8k+ Marriott hotels
or transfers to airline points		 How to unlock bonus
spend $1,500
in 3 months

(min. value: N/A attainable potential value: 11 free nights)		 Card eligibility
minimum income required: $0

Welcome Bonus eligibility
must not have had this specific card before
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Amex is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "Apply Now" to see most up-to-date information.
Flytrippers Opinion: One of the best, a must-have card for Canadian travelers: It provides exceptional value with its Welcome Bonus and annual certificate.
Flytrippers Valuation
of Welcome Bonus alone
≈ $ 357
How to unlock bonus
spend $1,500 in 3 months

(min. value: N/A attainable potential value: 11 free nights)
variable-value rewards (no min. value)
for free nights at 8k+ Marriott hotels
or transfers to airline points

via Amex secure application link
Card eligibility
minimum income required: $0

Welcome Bonus eligibility
must not have had this specific card before
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Amex is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "Apply Now" to see most up-to-date information.

Flytrippers review at a glance

WHY THIS CARD IS GOOD

  • Excellent welcome bonus (up to 15 free nights)
  • Great annual free night certificate (for luxury hotels)
  • Very good base earn rate
  • Some travel insurance coverage
  • Free additional cards to earn faster

WHO THIS CARD COULD BE GOOD FOR

  • All Canadian travelers: It’s really a must-have card

Card information

You will have 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after unlocking the Welcome Bonus.

That gives you:

  • $855 in rewards at Flytrippers Valuation
  • $1,200 in attainable value by maximizing them (or even more)

Getting those 95,000 points requires:

  • $120 for the card fee
  • $3,000 in spending in the first 6 months

Here are concrete examples of what you can get with those rewards:

15 completely free nights in Marriott category 1 hotels (on the majority of dates): plenty of amazing destinations to plan a trip around to get the most free nights (Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, Malaysia, India, and a few others)

9,5 completely free nights in Marriott category 2 hotels: for more hotel options in a lot more countries (Morocco, Vietnam, Colombia, Italy, Egypt, etc.)

6 completely free nights in Marriott category 3 hotels: for even more hotel options in a lot more countries (thousands of hotels around the world)

3 completely free nights in Marriott category 4 hotels: for stays in hotels that can be very expensive in cash (expensive countries, prime locations, etc.)

1 completely free night in Marriott category 8 hotels: for stays in some of the world’s most luxurious 5-star hotels (often worth hundreds of dollars or more per night)

1 almost free roundtrip flight or business class flight (less taxes and fees): flight redemptions are possible for those who don’t want free hotels (value will likely be lower though, and not just because hotel redemptions cover taxes)

‣Learn more about the best ways to use Marriott Bonvoy points

Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonus

≈ $585 Welcome Bonus (65,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at ≈ 0.9 ¢/pt)
≈ $135 5X bonus on $3k min. spend (15,000 points at ≈ 0.9 ¢/pt)
≈ $135 Renewal bonus (15,000 points at ≈ 0.9 ¢/pt)
–$120 Card fee (Deducted from Flytrippers Valuation)

≈ $735 net in value with the Welcome Bonus alone

(that’s 25% back on the $3,000 spend required)

‣Learn more about our Flytrippers Valuation of Welcome Bonuses

Attainable potential value of Welcome Bonus

$1,200 Redemption (95,000 points for 15 free nights at $80/night)
–$120 Card fee (Deducted from Flytrippers Valuation)

$1,080 net in value with the Welcome Bonus alone

(that’s 36% back on the $3,000 spend required)

‣Learn more about the value of Marriott Bonvoy points

Earn rates

5 points per $ at Marriott Hotels (≈ 4.5% or ≈ 5.85%)
2 points per $ everywhere else (≈ 1.8% or ≈ 2.34%)

(Rate of return at Flytrippers Valuation and at attainable potential valuation in parenthesis)

‣Learn more about credit card earn rates

Additional cards

Free

‣Learn more about additional cards

Free night award certificate
The amazing annual free night award certificate is the best reason to keep this card. You get it on each account anniversary date and it can be used for extremely luxurious hotels.

‣Learn more about the Marriott free night certificate

Marriott Bonvoy Elite status
You’ll get automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status which entitles you to a few benefits at Marriott hotels.

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy Elite status

Elite Night Credits
You will get 15 Elite Night Credits to reach Gold Elite Status more easily.

‣Learn more about Marriott Elite Night Credits

Amex Experiences & Amex Offers
American Express Cards give you access to great experiences and exclusive offers.

‣Learn more about American Express benefits

Insurance included

Car rental insurance
Flight delay insurance
Baggage delay insurance
Lost/stolen baggage insurance
Hotel burglary insurance
Travel emergency assistance
Travel accident insurance
Retail purchase protection
Extended warranty protection

‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card insurance coverage

Travel insurance not included

Medical travel insurance
Trip cancelation insurance
Trip interruption insurance

‣Learn more about the different types of travel insurance

Subsequent years bonus
The free night certificate offered every year is valued at ≈ $315 by Flytrippers.

‣Learn more about the Marriott free night certificate

Additional spend bonus
Get Marriott Gold Elite status if you spend $30,000 in a year

‣Learn more about why Flytrippers does not recommend chasing additional spend bonuses

Redemptions
Marriott Bonvoy points can be used for completely free nights in one of Marriott Bonvoy’s 8,000+ hotels (no taxes to pay in almost all countries, and a few dollars per day maximum in the rare other countries). Marriott has 29 brands from luxury hotels to midscale hotels. There are no blackout dates or availability restrictions.

‣Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program

Pricing
Marriott Bonvoy points are variable-value rewards: They’ll save you a variable amount of money, as the amount of points required for a free hotel night is fixed by award night charts—not by the cash price. The award night charts are based on a hotel’s category classification, and any hotel has only 3 possible prices (Standard, Peak, Off-Peak).

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy award night charts

Expiry
Marriott Bonvoy points essentially never expire. They expire if you do not earn a single point in 24 months, so just a $1 purchase with your Card resets the clock for 2 full years.

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy points expiry

Pooling
If you have a travel buddy, up to 100,000 points per year can be pooled into one same account if you share the same address.

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy points pooling

Transfers
Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to 40+ airline programs, but the transfer rate is not great. Only recommended in very specific situations.

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy transfers

Other redemption options
Apart from hotels and transfers to airline rewards, points can also be used for Marriott Bonvoy Moments.

‣Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy transfers

Rewards program logistics
You can use your points via the Marriott website, the Marriott app, or by phone.

‣Learn more about getting started with Marriott Bonvoy

Rewards program summary
Rewards: Marriott Bonvoy points
Type: Variable-value rewards
Subtype: Standard variable-value
Variety: Hotel rewards
Flytrippers Valuation: ≈ 0.9¢ per point
Minimum value: None
Maximum value: None
Transferable: Yes, to 40+ airlines

‣Learn more about rewards programs basics

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

Welcome Bonus eligibility
Must spend $3,000 in first 6 months
Must not have previously had the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card

‣Learn more about credit card welcome bonus eligibility rules

Offer end date
August 3rd 2021

‣Subscribe to Flytrippers’ free travel rewards newsletter to get all card updates

Card highlights

  • New Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Cardmembers earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy™ points; enough for 3 free nights at a Category 2 hotel 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 participating Marriott Bonvoy™ properties
  • 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
  • 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

Rates and fees
Card fee: $120
Fee for additional card: $0
FX fee: 2.5%
Purchase interest rate: 19.99%
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%
Balance transfer fee: N/A

‣Learn why Flytrippers recommends ignoring rates and fees

Card details
Issuer: American Express
Network: American Express
Card type: Credit card
Product type: Consumer card

‣Learn more about the types of credit cards

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)

APPLY NOW

via Amex secure application

This content is not sponsored. However, this page may contain some affiliate links that allow Flytrippers to earn a commission at absolutely no cost to you. Thank you for using our links and helping us keep all our content free for everyone. This helps us fulfill our mission of helping Canadians travel more for less.

The views and opinions expressed on this page are purely our own. They have not been provided, approved, endorsed, or ratified by any third party mentioned on the site.

Financial institutions are not responsible for updating or ensuring the accuracy of the information on Flytrippers’ website. All the information was independently collected by Flytrippers and not provided by financial institutions.

All offers described on the Flytrippers website are subject to the financial institutions’ latest terms and conditions, which can be found on their official website. No efforts are spared to ensure this page is up to date but offers from financial institutions change quickly. It is your responsibility to ensure the accuracy of these offers on their website. Flytrippers will not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the offers or the result of your actions.

Flytrippers’ website does not contain all available credit card offers or all available credit card products on the market. In addition, Flytrippers never shares an offer if it is not considered advantageous for some travelers, at its sole discretion.

No author on Flytrippers’ website is a financial advisor, a financial planner, a legal professional, or a tax professional. No author on Flytrippers’ website can in any way be considered as such.

All articles, pages, and content on Flytrippers’ website are merely personal opinions of a general nature and are for informational purposes only and should not be considered advice for specific situations. It is your responsibility to perform your own personal research to ensure that travel rewards are appropriate for your own situation.

You can learn more about our terms of use here.