The world of travel rewards can be very intimidating, but it really doesn’t have to be that complicated. Right now, there’s a great deal on THE one card that’s good for ALL travelers without exception… and that deal can be very simple and very lucrative.
If you too want to get hundreds of dollars like our Flytrippers readers who have earned nearly 3 million dollars in free travel thanks to our travel rewards deals, here’s the simple explanation.
How to get 22 hotel nights or $6000+
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has an amazing increased offer and for a limited time only.
All you have to do is spend $3000 in 3 months. It’s very easy for almost everyone with our tips below.
That’ll give you 71,000 Marriott points:
- 65,000 points from the welcome bonus
- Increased offer gives you 30% more than the regular offer
- 6,000 points from the regular earn on the $3000 in spending
- The card earn rate is a minimum of 2 pts/$
There’s no time limit for using the points, as is almost always the case (contrary to common myth).
And it costs you just $120, a no-brainer for anyone who knows how to do math and understands the value of points — and Flytrippers is there for that!
How to exchange $120 for a very simple and flexible ≈ $639
Those 71,000 Marriott points are worth ≈ $639 if you don’t want to rack your brain.
You can choose just about any of the 9000 Marriott hotels around the world. It’s the largest hotel chain with 30+ different hotel brands. It’ll be worth around ≈ $639. You don’t have to be too flexible or learn anything.
This is very simple. It doesn’t make sense to do without it once you understand how it works.
Pay $120, get ≈ $639 for hotels. That’s still an excellent welcome bonus, even “just” that.
But it can be even much better, if you want!
How to exchange $120 for 22 nights or $6000+
If you use them well, these points can be worth 100%, 200%, 300% or 400% more.
That’s the beauty of rewards of the more valuable type, which can give outsized, unlimited value because the number of points required is not linked to the cash price.
The value of the points depends on how you use them. It depends on the price in cash and the price in points. It varies!
The 71,000 points can easily get you:
- 11 free nights in beautiful hotels
- If you want to maximize the number of free nights
- $3000+ in discounts in very beautiful hotels
- If you want to maximize the number of dollars you save
With a travel buddy taking advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card deal too, that’s 22 nights or $6000+ for $120 per person, because you can share hotel nights together.
The last part of this post explains it in more detail for those who want to learn, but here I’m just showing you the concrete examples quickly.
Exchange $120 for 22 nights
Here’s the magnificent Four Points by Sheraton Bali Ungasan, which costs 71,500 points for 14 free nights, but will give 11 on most dates.
So you exchange $120 for 11 free nights. Or $120 per person for 22 nights with a travel buddy.
Really simple too!
Exchange $120 for $6000+
Here’s the gorgeous, ultra-luxurious Le Méridien Maldives hotel that costs 70 000 points for 1 night that’s worth $3167 with cash.
So you exchange 120$ for 3000$+. Or 120$ per person for 6000$+ with a travel buddy.
It’s an extreme example, but maybe it helps you understand the exceptional potential value of this type of point.
How the deal works (step by step)
Here’s how you can take advantage of it very easily:
- Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card
- Unlock the welcome bonus
- Use your Marriott points well
- Keep the card every year for a certificate
Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card
First, apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card via our secure Amex link.
(If you already have it, you can apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card, which doesn’t require you to have an incorporated business and gives you even more points, if you can spend more!)
Having more cards will improve your credit score, contrary to common myth… as long as you always pay everything in full and on time, of course.
The other 2 simple credit score rules are:
- Never close your OLD cards
- You can downgrade them to a no-fee version to stop paying if they no longer give you value and to keep your rewards
- Space out your credit application days by 2-3 months
- You can make 2 applications on the same calendar day, it’s better to do 2 the same day and wait 3 months than to apply 1 time every month and a half
For 15 years I’ve been applying for multiple credit cards per year, and my credit score is in the 800s. It’s just mathematical: having more cards is objectively excellent for your credit score, if you follow those 3 simple rules.
If you don’t follow these 3 rules, then obviously it’s not good. Address that first if that’s your case. If you have balances, eliminate them with a deal with 0% interest for 10 months.
Unlock the welcome bonus
Second, unlock the bonus by spending $3000 in 3 months.
That’s always the only condition. It’s the key to travel rewards and the only way you can get “just” a few thousand dollars in welcome bonuses a year (unless you spend a lot more).
Because there’s almost always a minimum spending requirement.
It’s very easy to reach. Who cares if it’s an Amex card!!!!!!
Because:
- They’re much more widely accepted than they used to be
- You don’t have to use it for 100% of your expenses
Yes, they’re a little less accepted than Visa and Mastercard, but it’s definitely not as bad as it used to be. Forget your old prejudices. Walmart, Dollarama, and Tim Hortons accept them. These aren’t very high-end places, so we’re a long way from the days when it was a premium payment network that was very limited.
Most importantly, the basics to understand in travel rewards is that welcome bonuses are key!!!! Who cares if you can’t use it for 100% of your spending, what matters most is being able to meet the minimum spending requirement to unlock the huge welcome bonus.
It’s just $231 a week to do ($3000 divided by the 13 weeks there are in 3 months, not 12; doing the math is important in this world). You can start by switching to Sobeys, Safeway, Metro, or other grocery stores that accept Amex. If you really need more help, read our tips.
Use your Marriott points well
Finally, the most complicated part for many travelers.
Of course, if you’ve only known terrible cash back, real good points are a little more complicated.
It’s worth infinitely more, though! And it’s really not that complicated.
I showed you concrete examples above, worst case the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card’s bonus is worth ≈ $639 without racking your brain. But if you want to maximize, it can be so much more!
Basics of rewards uses
What you need to understand is that in the world of rewards, there are 2 very different types of uses:
- More simple type
- More valuable type
More simple uses are less valuable:
- Can never be worth more, it’s fixed
- So the choice of use does not affect the value
- Because the value is linked to the cash price of trips
More valuable uses are less simple:
- Can be worth much more, it’s variable
- So the choice of use affects the value
- Because the value is NOT linked to the cash price of trips
So it’s really not complicated to understand when you know it, but it’s the thing most people seem to have trouble getting: sometimes Marriott points will save you more, sometimes less, IT DEPENDS ON YOUR CHOICE OF USE.
Because Marriott points are a more valuable type of point.
It depends on the:
- Number of points required (which VARIES)
- Price in cash (which VARIES)
Basics of maximizing Marriott points
If you want to maximize points (increase their value), you just need to be careful and choose well.
Just do the math. What value does this use give you?
The value is how much you save. It’s always measured in ¢/pt in the world of rewards. Cents per point. How many cents you save per point used.
So if you save $3167 with 70,000 points like in the Maldives, that gives you a value of 4.5¢/pt ($3167 divided by 70,000 pts).
But sometimes, with 70,000 points, you’ll save just $700. That’s 1¢/pt.
IT DEPENDS! It varies.
Our fairly conservative Flytrippers Valuation for Marriott points is 0.9¢/pt, so anything above that is a good use.
If you prefer luxury, you can get a lot more than that. If you’re not careful, you can obviously get less than that too! It happens! When there’s no maximum value, there’s no minimum value either, of course.
If you want more potential value, logically it always means you have to live with the fact that the value varies. Always.
If you don’t want complications, you can — and should — still get into travel rewards of course! It’s still plenty of free travel, even if it’s worth less. There are plenty of points for that, like those on the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card, which have a fixed value.
But still, the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card‘s increased welcome bonus is worth it even if you want it to be simple, because you can use them for any Marriott hotel you want.
Best uses of Marriott points
I mentioned this above, but for all rewards, there are 2 things you can maximize:
- Quantity of free travel
- Quantity of dollars saved on trips
It’s really a personal preference, you get to decide. Of course, you can do a bit of both if you prefer, it’s entirely flexible.
To maximize the amount of free travel, in this case, free Marriott hotel nights, you need to choose the right destinations, of course.
There aren’t many places that give you 22 nights, obviously. If you want to maximize the number of nights, just plan a trip around them, it’s not rocket science.
Here are 5 countries where hotels don’t cost many points. Bali is one of the best places. Kevin, Flytrippers’ other co-founder, went to test the 2 specific cheap hotels there and really liked them. Don’t miss his detailed reviews very soon.
There are dozens of countries where you can get 13 nights (or 6 if you’re traveling solo) for the same amount of points. It’s still great and gives you a lot more options.
However, the more destination options you want, the higher the number of points required per night, obviously.
Whatever your choice, one of the best ways to maximize Marriott points is the “Stay for 5 nights, pay for 4” benefit. Every time you spend 5 consecutive nights at the same hotel, you get one free, so you pay the price of just 4 nights.
Keep the card every year for a certificate
One last thing, and not the least.
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card is the only one that everyone should have without exception, and it’s also the only one that everyone should keep every year.
All good cards give excellent value in the first year, but very rarely do they give much value in the second year.
This one gives you a Marriott free night certificate at each renewal. That certificate is worth 35,000 points, or ≈ $315. At the very least, for sure the certificate is worth at least $120 even if you use it terribly.
So it makes absolutely no sense to close this card. Not logical at all.
We’ll have a detailed guide on the Marriott certificate very soon.
How to learn more about the Marriott deal
Our resource page for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card has just about every piece of information imaginable in 10+ practical tabs, as is the case with all good cards.
Our monthly live video on travel rewards, including a Q&A session, is coming up at the end of March.
Sign up for our free newsletter specifically on travel rewards to receive the date and join 100,000+ savvy Canadian travelers who receive our content.
We’re going to have a lot more content on the Marriott Bonvoy program to highlight this awesome increased offer, thanks to our newly doubled Flytrippers team.
So stay tuned to learn more about this incredible deal.
Otherwise, as always, you can comment at the bottom of this article to ask a question and make all the other readers benefit from it!
Summary
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card comes with an incredible increased offer, allowing you to exchange $120 for 22 nights in sublime hotels, or even $6000+. However, you’ll need to use your points well, or else it’s worth “just” ≈ $639.
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What would you like to know about how the Marriott Bonvoy deal? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
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Featured image: Bali landscape (photo credit: Alfiano Sutianto)
Valuation ≈ $519
So if I already have the regular Marriott Bonvoy but apply for the Business card I will get the welcome bonuses?
Yes absolutely, and we highly recommend getting both, to get 2 welcome bonuses and 2 certificates. Every card is always considered separately with American Express (and most other banks too for what it’s worth).
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card‘s increased offer is even higher than the personal version now! Make sure to read how to apply for Amex business cards.
The welcome bonus eligibility info is always clearly indicated on our resource page for each card, in the summary table at the top (and just about every info imaginable is on that page too, in the 10+ tabs below).
I’m not a ‘travel rewards’ person, so I’m not familiar with how different ones work, so you’ll have to forgive my ignorance, but I didn’t find that information helpful whatsoever. To me, it was incredibly confusing and I didn’t understand it at all. 🤷♀️ I guess that’s why I’ve never bothered with Travel Rewards…I’ve always found them to confusing when it comes to the fine print or actually using them. I guess perhaps I’m missing out. Patti
Hi Patti,
The one thing that is for sure is that you are missing out, yes.
It’s never too late to become a travel rewards person, but it does require a minimal willingness to learn, at least just a bit. That’s unavoidable.
Now if you can be a little bit more specific, I’ll be glad to try and make it even simpler.
What exactly in those 2 parts isn’t clear, what exactly do you want to understand better?