Overview of the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

For supporters of Marriott Bonvoy, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a reliable small-business card. It has helpful benefits including the possibility to expedite your Marriott elite membership by providing 15 elite night credits annually and a yearly free night at hotels (up to 35,000 points). Card Grade*: 1 1/2

*Card Rating is determined by the editors at TPG and is not affected by the issuer of the card.
The majority of the features and advantages of the Marriott Bonvoy consumer cards are included in this Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, but it also has large extra reward categories that are ideal for small-business owners.

This card offers a lot of extra features in addition to a modest annual charge of $125 (see rates & fees), making it a good choice for a hotel business card. Additionally, it was updated with even more benefits last year without changing the yearly price.

A welcome bonus of 75,000 Marriott bonus points is now available after using your new card to make $3,000 in qualifying purchases within the first three months of card membership. These points are currently worth $630, based on TPG's assessments.

If you presently have a personal Marriott card as well, it can help hasten your 2023 status certification.

The sole Marriott corporate credit card that is still accepting new applications is shown below.

This card is for whom?

For company owners who are devoted to the Marriott Bonvoy programme, this card is great. Keep in mind that almost any size of company can be approved for small-business credit cards. If you don't have an Employer Identification Number, you can use your Social Security number on your application (EIN). Additionally, it's advantageous for people who run side businesses like freelance businesses or eBay stores.

This card might also work well as a supplement to a credit card issued by an airline or one that generates transferable points that can be converted into airline miles. As a result of the fact that elite night credits may be accumulated, holding the consumer version of the Marriott Bonvoy credit card issued by American Express may even make good financial sense. Any individual who possesses both a Marriott Bonvoy credit card for small businesses and a Marriott Bonvoy credit card for consumers is qualified to get a maximum of 40 elite night credits per year.

Acceptable gift: $630

At the moment, if you join a card programme and use it to make qualified purchases totalling $3,000 within the first three months of membership, you will be awarded 75,000 bonus points. We give each Marriott point a value of 0.84 cents, which brings the total value of this deal up to $630.

This marks a significant boost above the standard bonus that comes with the card; thus, if you have been considering applying for it for some time but have been waiting for the right moment, this may be the moment.

Principal advantages and advantages

The numerous additional advantages offered by this card are among the most compelling arguments in favour of applying for it. To begin, it now provides you with automatic Marriott Gold Elite membership, which entitles you to benefits such as a bonus of 25% more points on paid stays, late checkout, premium internet, a welcome gift of points on each stay, and room upgrades (based on availability at check-in).

In addition, you will earn 15-night credits toward the next level of elite status (which may be stacked with a Marriott Bonvoy consumer card) as well as a complimentary night's stay on your card's anniversary each year. The complimentary night must be redeemed at a property that costs 35,000 points or fewer per night. After spending $60,000 in a calendar year, you are eligible for a second free-night award (at or below 35,000 points per night). This reward is earned at a rate of 35,000 points or less each night.

Be aware, though, that Marriott did away with its published reward charts in March of 2022, so the cost of free nights is subject to change. Nevertheless, there are still some methods to acquire great value, and certain properties of a better calibre that were previously unattainable with these certificates may now be open for purchase.

Access to Amex Offers and the absence of fees associated with overseas transactions are two additional perks (see rates and fees).

When you search for the "Amex Biz Card Member Rate" on Marriott's website and then book using your card, you are now eligible to get an automatic discount of 7% off the normal hotel rate. This offer is only available to Amex Business Card members. On the other hand, the 7% discount may seem to be more beneficial to you than it is.

How to accrue points in the game

When used at hotels that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy programme, this card awards six points for every dollar spent. You will also earn four points for every dollar spent at restaurants anywhere in the world, as well as at gas stations in the United States, on wireless telephone services bought directly from American service providers, and on purchases made from American merchants to have them shipped overseas. On top of that, you get two points for every dollar spent on anything else that qualifies.

Additionally, Gold members will get a total of 18.5 points per dollar spent, and Platinum members would earn 21 points per dollar spent if they meet the requirements. Last but not least, top-tier ambassadors and Titanium elites will receive a total of 23.5 points for every dollar spent, which is equivalent to a spectacular 18.8% return on their investment.

How to cash in your points

A dynamic price mechanism was implemented into the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme in March 2022. Prior until this time, the programme had reward charts with predetermined redemption rates. According to Marriott, the new redemption model will not represent a significant departure from the previous one because hotels will, for the most part, continue to charge the same amount for rooms at peak and off-peak times throughout the year. And, to our great relief, the initial tests conducted by TPG discovered that this was, for the most part, the case.

Marriott is not the first hotel brand to do away with its reward chart in favour of dynamic pricing; Hilton Honors and IHG Rewards have already done so within the previous few years. Marriott is only the latest hotel chain to join this trend. According to David Flueck, the senior vice president of global loyalty for Marriott, the adjustments were made "to ensure that our members have more freedom, and it's more sensible pricing." Although the results of the programme have not yet been seen in their entirety, there is a possibility that this adjustment may be beneficial.

For instance, this may be helpful for tourists who are trying to make reservations during the shoulder season. However, because point pricing is expected to mirror demand, it may make the Marriott programme less useful for people who travel during busy travel seasons.

The New York Marriott Marquis used to be a Category 7 hotel, which meant that in the past, staying there would have cost between 50,000 and 70,000 points, depending on the time of year. At the moment, the cost of a night's stay on a Sunday in April 2023 is 53,000 points, which is consistent with Marriott's assertions that there will be minor changes in award pricing.

On a more positive side, the flexibility of Marriott's free night rewards has increased as a result of this adjustment. You may now add 15,000 points from your Bonvoy account to your existing 35,000-point certificates so that you have a total of 50,000 points. This enables cardmembers to redeem their points for a free night at more expensive hotels, when a free night for 35,000 points may not have been possible in the past.

The same modifications are being made to additional premium credit cards offered by Marriott, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which provides holders with an annual certificate that is redeemable for up to 85,000 points.

There are also some underestimated benefits associated with Marriott Bonvoy that might be of great use to members. For example, if you take advantage of the "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" promotion offered by Marriott, you will be entitled to one free night after you have used Marriott points to pay for a total of five consecutive nights at the same hotel. The night with the fewest number of points required will be complimentary.

You are also able to convert your Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles at a ratio of 3:1, and you will receive an additional 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points that you convert. Because they transfer to airlines that don't collaborate with other transferable points systems, such as Alaska Carriers, Japan Airlines, Asiana, and Korean Air, Marriott points can be very valuable for booking award flights on select airlines. This paves the way for a plethora of different possibilities for scheduling sweet destinations with miles that are tough to acquire.

For instance, you may use the points you've accumulated with Alaska Airlines to purchase a one-way business-class award ticket with Cathay Pacific from the United States to Asia that includes a free stopover in Hong Kong. If you've been daydreaming about using points from your credit card to purchase an award ticket on Emirates, Japan Airlines is an excellent transfer option to consider. If you're just a few miles short of being able to book an award ticket with American Airlines, you may even transfer Marriott points to your account to make up the difference.

Alternate options for the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card

Although this is the sole small-business card that Marriott offers to new applicants, there are personal Marriott Bonvoy cards that give rewards that are comparable to (or even better than) those offered by this card.

For instance, if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will receive automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual free night at Marriott hotels with a value of up to 85,000 points per night, and up to $300 in annual statement credits when you use your card at eligible restaurants all over the world. These perks may help compensate for the steep annual charge of $650 that comes with using the card (see rates and fees).

There aren't a lot of hotel credit cards with co-branding designed exclusively for smaller companies that aren't part of the Marriott Bonvoy family. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is one of the few now available. After making transactions totalling $3,000 on the card within the first three months of card membership, it will provide new applicants with a welcome offer of 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points as a thank-you for applying for the card.

According to TPG estimations, these points have a potential value of up to $780. It grants you Gold status and gives you an additional 12 points for every dollar spent at qualified Hilton portfolio hotels.

In addition to this, you can earn 6 points for every dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants in the United States, on purchases made for shipping within the United States, on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, and on car rentals booked directly with certain car rental companies. On top of that, you get three points for every dollar spent on anything else that qualifies.

This card has an annual cost of $95 (for further information, see the rates and fees section), but it gives you a free night's stay after spending $15,000 in a calendar year and another after spending a combined total of $60,000 in that year.

In the end, as a business owner, choosing between these cards will come down to determining which programme is going to be most beneficial for you and your employees. Both of these cards have large global footprints, which means that it should be relatively simple to find a property that is participating in the programme, regardless of where you travel.

American Express also offers a business credit card known as The Business Platinum Card®. When you book prepaid hotels and flights with Amex Travel, you will earn five extra points for each dollar spent. You obtain Gold status with both Marriott and Hilton hotels, in addition to the many additional advantages and charge credits that come with this membership (enrollment required).

Have a look at our analysis of the Amex Business Platinum card to find out more about the perks that come with having this card and whether or not they are sufficient to justify the annual cost of $695. (see rates and fees).

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is an excellent choice for small businesses looking for a credit card that provides the maximum number of advantages at any of the more than 7,000 Marriott Bonvoy locations located all over the world.

It is one of the finest hotel credit cards that are appropriate for those who own small businesses since it comes with a generous initial bonus, good earning categories, and other incentives. Because it is an American Express business card, it will not add to the 5/24 total that Chase uses to determine eligibility for lucrative credit card offers. This makes it an excellent choice for anybody who is also interested in opening valuable Chase credit cards.

Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card using this link and receive a 75,000-point bonus after making qualified purchases totalling $3,000 within the first three months of card membership.

Ryan Wilcox, Stella Shon, Jason Stauffer, Chris Dong, and Christina Ly contributed additional reporting.

Please go here to view the rates and fees associated with the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card.
Please go here to view the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex's pricing and charge schedule.
Please go here to view the Hilton Honors Business Card's applicable rates and fees.
Please click here to view the Amex Business Platinum Card's pricing and fee schedule.