What are the benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card?
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Why should you get the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card?
Today, I want to look at the top 10 card benefits you will receive if you apply for a Marriott Bonvoy American Express (Marriott Amex) credit card.
The Marriott Amex earns points in Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty scheme which covers 32 hotel brands including Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton, Westin, W, Aloft, Luxury Collection etc.
You can apply for the card here.
Here is the legal information we need to tell you:
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
- Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
- Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles
Other information:
- 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
- Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- Annual fee: £95
Representative 54.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.
You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.
You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy. The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.
15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.
If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty scheme for AC Hotels, Aloft, Autograph, Courtyard, Delta Hotels, Design Hotels, Edition, Element, Fairfield Inn, Four Points, Gaylord, Le Meridien, Marriott, Moxy, Protea, Renaissance, Residence Inn, St Regis, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, The Ritz-Carlton, Springhill Suites, Towneplace Suites, W and Westin.
The top 10 benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card:
1. There is a generous sign-up bonus of 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
You will receive 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you sign up and spend £3,000 within the first three months.
You qualify for the bonus if you have not had a personal American Express card in the past 24 months. Even if you do not quality for the bonus, you can still apply.
There are occasional special offers which increase the sign-up bonus. If a higher offer is currently running, it will show in the box above. This box is automatically updated with the current deal.
2. You receive two Marriott Bonvoy points for every £1 you spend on the card
There are a few exceptions (cash withdrawals do not earn points) but in reality virtually every £1 you spend will earn two Marriott Bonvoy points.
3. You earn TRIPLE points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels
You will receive triple points – six per £1 – when you use the card to pay for your stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel.
The card has a 3% foreign exchange fee, however, so I would not necessarily use it outside the UK to pay for hotel stays unless your employer is paying you back.
4. You receive 15 elite nights credits in Marriott Bonvoy each year
Each year you will receive 15 elite night credits in Marriott Bonvoy.
This will automatically get you Silver Elite status (usually requires 10 nights) and puts you well on the way to Gold Elite status and higher. These nights also count towards lifetime status.
You should receive your initial batch of 15 nights within two weeks of application. In subsequent years you should receive your 15 elite night credits in early January.
5. You receive Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy for spending £15,000 in a card year
This is a decent step up from Silver, but does not have many concrete benefits. It does not get you free breakfast or lounge access, for example.
6. You receive a voucher for a free hotel night for spending £25,000 in a card year
This is valid for any hotel costing up to 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. This would typically get you a hotel costing around £100 on an average night.
You can top up the voucher with up to 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points from your account, allowing you to book a free room costing up to 40,000 points.
7. This card is also a great way of earning airline miles
Marriott Bonvoy lets you transfer your points to 40+ different airlines. For many of these airlines, such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Emirates, this credit card is the only way for a UK resident to collect in that programme from their day to day spending.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at 3:1 into airline miles. With most airlines, you get a 5,000 mile bonus for transferring 60,000 points, which works out at 25,000 miles.
8. There is a low minimum income requirement
You can apply for the card with a minimum personal income of just £20,000.
9. American Express runs regular generous cashback offers
Once your account is up and running, you will receive generous cashback deals from Amex. These are typically on the lines of ‘Get a £10 statement credit when you spend £50 at Tesco’.
It is relatively easy to save over £100 per year with these offers.
10. American Express has excellent customer service including a UK call centre, and a well-designed app
You can monitor you balance and make a payment via debit card in the app at any time. The core business of American Express is credit cards, and they know how to run them properly.
Conclusion
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card is a good card for the first year, with a good sign-up bonus and two Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent. The triple points offer at Marriott hotels is even better. After the first year, however, you should look at how much you are spending on the card and ensure that the rewards justify the fee.
If you are a regular Marriott guest, the most important part of the card may be the 15 elite nights credits you receive each year. This could make a real difference to the elite status you are able to earn.
You can sign up for the Marriott Amex credit card on the official website here.
Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- Get 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days
- Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 spent
- Earn 6 points per £1 spent at Marriott hotels
- Points convert at 3:1 into Avios or other airline miles
Other information:
- 15 elite night credits per year to help you towards higher status
- Free night, up to 25,000 points, when you spend £25,000 per year.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status when you spend £15,000 in a card year
- Annual fee: £95
Representative 54.8% APR variable based on an assumed £1,200 credit limit and £95 annual fee. Interest rate on purchases 31.0% APR variable.
You will receive 20,000 points as a sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card if you spend £3,000 within 90 days of signing up.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT, currently or in the previous 24 months, have held any other personal American Express card.
You are OK if you had a supplementary card on someone else’s American Express account.
You are OK if, currently or in the previous 24 months, you have held a Business American Express card.
For clarity, you can still apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card even if you do not qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the 15 elite night credits per year, the free night (up to 25,000 points) for spending £25,000 and Gold Elite status for spending £15,000.
You will receive 15 elite night credits per year in Marriott Bonvoy. The first batch will arrive within 60 days on applying and then in Spring in each subsequent year.
15 elite nights will automatically get you Silver Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and put you nearer to Gold Elite and higher tiers.
If you spend £15,000 per card year, you will be upgraded to Gold Elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
If you spend £25,000 per card year, you will receive a free night voucher, valid at any hotel where reward nights cost up to 25,000 points.
You need a minimum personal income of £20,000 to apply for the card.
Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.
