The best credit card for professionals, self-employed workers and small-businesses
Sep 04, 2020
An impressive welcome offer
With the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card, you can earn 50,000 welcome bonus points!
And unlike many high-income credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card does not require a minimum income.
What can you get with Marriott Bonvoy points?
Marriott Bonvoy's Rewards Chart
With Marriott Bonvoypoints, you can unlock free nights in one of the group’s 7,000 hotels in more than 130 countries! And there are options for all budgets!
Here’s how many nights you could get according to Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Chart (low season/standard/peak season):
| Free Night Award Chart – Marriott Bonvoy | ||
| Category | low-season / Standard / Peak season | Nights with 50,000 points |
| 1 | 5 000 – 7 500 – 10 000 | Between 5-6* and 10-12* nights |
| 2 | 10 000 – 12 500 – 15 000 | Between 3* and 5* nights |
| 3 | 15 000 – 17 500 – 20 000 | Between 2* and 3* nights |
| 4 | 20 000 – 25 000 – 30 000 | Between 1* and 2* nights |
| 5 | 30 000 – 35 000 – 40 000 | 1 night |
| 6 | 40 000 – 50 000 – 50 000 | 1 night |
| 7 | 50 000 – 50 000 – 70 000 | up to 1 night |
| 8 | 70 000 – 85 000 – 100 000 | – |
*And you could benefit from the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 perk when you redeem points for your stay.
An outstanding $120 investment!
When “investing” in a $120 annual fee, you earn many nights in a selection of more than 7,000 Marriott Group hotels!
In Category 1 hotels, we’re talking about 12 free nights with the 50,000 points bonus coming with the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card! That’s $10 a night!
Look for example at all these Category 1 hotels in South Africa (find a full post on this destination here):
Or 6 nights in a Category 2 hotel, a $20 cost per night!
As in one of these hotels in Southeast Asia:
7,000+ Marriott Bonvoy hotels Map
We’ve grouped Marriott Bonvoy’s 7,000+ hotels on this map.
This way, you can easily find the one that’s right for you based on the number of points per night! And check out all the testimonials from milesopedia members at the end of the article to give you ideas!
Couple, friends: combine your points!
A little-known advantage of Marriott Bonvoy: you can transfer up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per year from one account to another!
For example, in our points earning strategies, we recommend to a couple or some friends to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card and then pool their points into one account to book their hotel nights!
For two, it’s a good way to earn more than 100,000 points, which paves the way for a lot of free hotel nights!
An example of Marriott Bonvoy points redemption
Let’s take an example, in this beautiful Category 2 hotel in Turkey, the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara:
You can book this Category 2 hotel with only 12,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night (and as low as 10,000 points per night in low season!)
Stay for 5, Pay for 4
If you book five consecutive nights in the same hotel with Marriott Bonvoy points, you get one for free! It’s enough to make the through most of your Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card!
Let’s take the example above of the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara for five nights. It’s 50,000 points instead of 60,000 points!
In other words, it’s a 20% saving on this 5-night stay! Check out the details on the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 perk in this article.
The value of Marriott Bonvoy points
But what is the value of 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points?
Let’s continue on our example of the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara for the same stay: the cash cost was 1,297 euros or 1,950 CA$!
In this example, 50,000 points save you nearly CA$2,000! Which gives you a little idea of how much Marriott Bonvoy points can save you with your Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card!
And enough to make the annual fee of $120 profitable (this card was never free considering the benefits granted!)
Convert Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles
If you’re not interested in free hotel nights, you can opt for another option: earn airline miles.
Marriott Bonvoy partners with numerous airline programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue, United MileagePlus, etc. For most loyalty programs, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
So 30,000 points = 10,000 miles.
And for every 60,000 points transferred, Marriott adds a 15,000 points bonus or 5,000 bonus miles!
So, 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 miles Aeroplan / Flying Blue / Avios, etc!
After a few purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card and earning its welcome bonus, you won’t be that far from the 60,000 points or 25,000 Aeroplan miles!
Other card benefits
With the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card, you get many benefits like:
- 5 points per dollar on Marriott purchases
- 2 points per dollar in all your purchases
- Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points every year after your first anniversary
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year; it will get you closer to Gold Elite status (25 nights)
- One free additional card
- Travel insurance (delay/loss/theft of baggage, flight delay, travel accident, hotel or motel burglary)
Annual Free Night Award at Card Renewal
After one year, if you renew your annual fee, you will automatically get an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points, which will be valid for one year (from the date of certificate issuance).
Enough to get a free hotel night in a hotel like this in the heart of Manhattan, New York!
Once again: you have to see the annual fee as an investment: $120 for a night in a beautiful hotel in the heart of Manhattan. It’s unusual!
Conclusion
The Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card is currently the best credit card for free hotel nights available in Canada.
You should consider its $120 annual fee as an investment: you should earn its impressive 50,000 welcome bonus points in anticipation of your future travels! Take advantage of this great offer now!
If you want examples of Marriott Bonvoy points redemptions by the milesopedia community, check out this topic in the Facebook group!
We picked up a few examples a little below!
Member testimonials
Here are some examples of how milesopedia members redeem Marriott Bonvoy points!
We personally went to Manhattan last May: 35,000 points for a night of US$350 so for 140,000 points, we had 5 nights (and paid 4 nights), which is worth, $2300!
PL C.
We leave with our family for Europe for 26 days in December/January and have booked 18 nights with our Bonvoy points. (New York 3 nights, Vienna 5 nights, Wroclaw 3 nights, Dresden 2 nights, Leipzig 2 nights and Paris 3 nights).
Marie Andrée C.
8 nights in Louisiana between New Orleans, Houma, Lafayette and Baton Rouge – 1 night at the Marriott at the Montreal airport to limit my mother’s fatigue and travel before a very early morning departure for Mexico.
Pierre-Luc V.
2 nights at Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel:70,000 points. 2 nights in London, booked 4 days early at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall:120,000 points. And I transferred 126,000 points in 52,000 American AAdvantage miles.
Jorge L.
I’m trying to maximize the value of points generally. And it was at the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara (mentioned in the article) that I managed to have the most value per point, followed by the Meridian N’fis in Marrakech, then the Element Me’aisam – Dubai. I usually avoid categories 4 and up. Except when I have an annual certificate to spend.
Poly G.
Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel:75,000 points for 5 nights! I mentioned that it was the birthday of my spouse. So I received a free night, a bottle of wine and a small party cake!
Patrick E.
AC Hotel Valencia – Late August to last September. 5 nights for 30,000 points. We had an upgraded room with king bed and the very friendly receptionist even gave us breakfast for two (16 euros ch.) for free!!!!
Alain M.
Three nights in Honolulu next March, five nights in Tokyo in April, and surely more bookings to come for our mini-tour of the world 2020!
Dominique M.
The Ritz-Carlton – Tokyo when it was at 60,000 points. 5 nights for 240,000 points. With the upgrade in suite, we are talking about a value of nearly $10,000 which cost me $500 in annual fees for Bonvoy/SPG cards I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again in a room/hotel of this level. It is now a category 8 to 85,000 points at night, but if you can have it in low season for 70,000 points, I highly recommend it.
Mathieu L.
I am currently at the Residence Inn Toulouse-Blagnac Airport… superior room upgrade with welcome gift (a plate of sweets) – Very convenient to visit the Airbus Museum.
Murielle D.
We’re leaving for 18 nights in South Africa in November. 9 nights for 97,500 Marriott points. Value of $2372.37.
Pascal J.
This summer in Italy, 385,000 points for 16 days worth $4,500 in addition to a saving of $800 on lunches thanks to Platinum status.
Last summer, Paris, Nice and Marseille. 13 days. 260,000 points plus 2 certificates. Value of about $4,000. Then 5 days in Virginia in high season. 140,000 points, worth $2,200.
Mario D.
5 nights in San Francisco, 1 night in Sydney, 2 nights in Melbourne, 2 nights in Brisbane, 2 nights in Gold Coast!
Benedict P.
This article was not sponsored. The views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
Terms
Terms of the offer
- 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.
Annual Fee
$120
First Additional Card
$0
Foreign Transaction Fee
2.5%
Purchase Rates
19.99%
Cash Advance Rates
21.99%
Welcome Bonus
50,000 points
Renewal Bonus
Recevez une nuitée gratuite par année dans des hôtels et des centres de villégiature admissibles dans le monde entier à chaque date anniversaire*
Minimum Spending Required
$1500
Minimum Spending Timeframe
90
Rewards Type
Hotels
Transferable Points
Yes
Loyalty Program
Marriott Bonvoy
All Spending
2 points / $
Value
Offer Value
For all the credit card offers, we estimate the first year Offer Value according to:
- Value of the Cashback or Points earned with the Offer
- Value of the Benefits or travel credits earned with the Offer
- Annual fee offer (first-year rebate or not)
| Offer Value calculation for the first-year |
|
| Point Value (according to milesopedia) | 0.9 ¢ |
| Welcome Offer Value | ≈ $450 |
| Points earned with minimum purchases to get the Welcome Offer (1 to 5 points per dollar) |
≈ $67 |
| Annual fee | – $120 |
| Estimated Value | ≈ $398 |
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance
Yes
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance Amount
$500000
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance Details
Up to $500,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance covers you, your spouse and dependent children under the age of 23 when any of you travel on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and charge your tickets to your card. Supplementary Cardmembers, their spouses and dependent children under age 23 are also covered.
Flight Delay Insurance
Yes
Flight Delay Insurance Amount
$500
Flight Delay Insurance Details
Charge your airline ticket to your card and receive up to $500 coverage (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay Insurance) for all necessary and reasonable hotel, motel, restaurant expenses and sundry items purchased within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no alternate transportation is made available.
Delayed Baggage Insurance
Yes
Delayed Baggage Amount
$500
Delayed Baggage Details
Book a flight with your card and receive up to $500 coverage (aggregate maximum with Flight Delay Insurance) for all immediate daily reasonable and necessary emergency purchases, made within four days, for essential clothing and sundry items when your baggage on your outbound trip is delayed by six or more hours.
Lost/Stolen Baggage Insurance
Yes
Lost/Stolen Baggage Insurance Amount
$500
Lost/Stolen Baggage Insurance Details
When you fully charge your airline tickets to your card, you are covered for loss or damage to your checked-in or carry-on baggage and personal effects while in transit for up to a maximum of $500 per trip for all insured person(s) combined.
Trip Cancellation Insurance Details
-
Trip Interruption Insurance Details
-
Travel medical insurance up to 64 years old - Details
Oui
Travel medical insurance 65+ - Details
Oui
Auto Rental Loss/Insurance
Yes
Auto Rental Loss/Insurance - Amount MSPP
$85000
Auto Rental Loss/Insurance - Details
Save money when travelling with the Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance included on your card. This coverage provides compensation for theft, loss and damage up to the actual cash value of a rental car with an MSRP of up to $85,000, in its model year. To take advantage of this protection, simply decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or similar option offered by the car rental company, and fully charge your rental to your card. There’s no additional charge for this coverage, and you save yourself the daily insurance fee (usually $16 to $23 per day) charged by the car rental company.
Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance
Yes
Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance - Amount
$500
Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance - Details
Charge your Hotel/Motel arrangements to your card and receive coverage of up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel/motel is burglarized.
Purchase Protection
Yes
Purchase Protection - Duration
90
Purchase Protection - Amount
$1000
Purchase Protection - Details
You can be insured for eligible items charged to your Card for 90 days from the date of purchase in the event of accidental physical damage or theft for up to $1,000 per occurrence (for all purchased items combined).
Price Protection - Details
-
Extended Warranty
Yes
Extended Warranty - Details
Your coverage can automatically extend the manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year when you fully charge eligible items to your Card.
Extended Warranty - Duration
1 an supplémentaire
Insurance Document
Learn More
