Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards: Gold Status, a $150 Fee and a Spending Condition on the Free Night Starting February 2027

• Status: complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status on both cards, instead of Silver.
• Annual Free Night Award: it will now require $3,000 in purchases per year.
• Personal card annual fee: $150 instead of $120.
• Business card annual fee: unchanged at $150.

American Express Canada announced these changes on November 10, 2026, along with a third card that has no annual fee: the Marriott Bonvoy Bright American Express Card. Here, we focus on the two existing cards and on what to do if you already hold one.

My short answer, as a cardholder: Audrey and I are keeping our Marriott Bonvoy cards, both the personal and the business version. The Free Night Award is still worth well more than the fee, even with the new spending condition.

What changes on February 9, 2027

Here are the changes for each card. Anything not listed stays the same: earn rates, 15 Elite Night Credits per year and insurance.

Gold Elite status included on both cards

Today, both cards come with Silver Elite status. To reach Gold through the card, you need to meet one of these conditions in the Marriott Bonvoy program:

• charge $30,000 in net purchases to the card in a year;
• combine 10 qualifying paid nights in a calendar year with the card's 15 Elite Night Credits.

Starting February 9, 2027, those conditions go away: Gold status comes with the card. It gives you, among other things:

• 25% bonus points on eligible stays;
• late checkout up to 2 p.m., based on availability;
• enhanced room upgrades, based on availability.

This is Marriott's direct answer to the Hilton Honors American Express Card, which already includes Gold status for the same $150 fee. Hilton Gold still has one perk that Marriott Gold does not: free breakfast, replaced by a food and beverage credit at hotels in the United States. At Marriott, breakfast only comes with Platinum status. We compare both cards in our Hilton Honors vs Marriott Bonvoy American Express comparison.

The 15 Elite Night Credits remain. Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status requires 50 nights per year, so with the card you still need 35. Complimentary Gold does not change that math, but it gives you its perks for the whole year while you build up those nights.

What we would have liked: a Brilliant card in Canada

Gold status is a step forward, but we would have liked American Express to go further. In the United States, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card targets frequent Marriott guests. Here is what it offers, according to American Express's U.S. website:

• Status: complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, with breakfast, hotel lounge access and late checkout up to 4 p.m., based on availability;
• Elite Night Credits: 25 per year, instead of 15;
• Annual Free Night Award: up to 85,000 points, instead of 35,000;
• Dining credit: up to US$300 per year, at US$25 per month;
• Points: 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels, 3 points per dollar at restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, 2 points per dollar elsewhere;
• Hotel credit: up to US$100 to spend on property during a stay of at least 2 nights at a Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis booked at an eligible rate;
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: fee reimbursed every 4 years;
• Foreign purchases: no foreign transaction fees, while the Canadian cards charge 2.5%;
• Annual fee: US$650.

Canada is a different market, though. It has far fewer cardholders than the United States, and a co-branded card at US$650 would not necessarily find enough takers. American Express chose to expand its lineup downward, with the no-fee Bright, rather than upward. For frequent Marriott guests in Canada, Platinum status still has to be earned through nights, as before.

The annual Free Night Award now requires $3,000 in purchases

This is the change that affects the most cardholders. Today, the Free Night Award arrives on each card anniversary with no spending condition. Starting February 9, 2027, you will receive it after your anniversary only if you have charged $3,000 in total purchases to the card.

The award itself does not change:

• one night in a standard room at a participating hotel;
• up to 35,000 points per night;
• the option to add up to 25,000 points from your account to book a night costing up to 60,000 points.

The threshold works out to $250 per month. For a cardholder who actually uses the card, the bar is low. It is also lower than similar conditions on other cards in Canada:

• Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card: $3,000 per year for the Free Night Award;
• WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard: $5,000 per year for the companion voucher;
• Hilton Honors American Express Card: $12,000 per year for the bonus points.

The new condition does hurt one specific profile: the person who keeps the card in a drawer only for the Free Night Award. If that is you, you now need to put spending on it, or consider the Bright.

American Express has not yet published the full terms. Two things remain to be confirmed at launch: the exact period over which the threshold is calculated, and how purchases on supplementary cards are counted.

Annual fee: $150 for the personal card, no change for the business card

The personal card's fee goes up by $30. The increase applies at your first annual fee billing on or after February 9, 2027:

• Fee billed before February 9, 2027: $120 for the year that starts;
• Fee billed on or after February 9, 2027: $150.

What counts is the date your fee is billed, not the date you applied. If your anniversary falls in December or January, you get Gold status from February while still paying the old rate until your next billing.

The business card's fee does not move. It is the card that comes out clearly ahead: it gains Gold status with no fee increase, and a business reaches the spending threshold without effort.

Why Audrey and I are keeping both Marriott cards

The Marriott Bonvoy cards have been in our wallets for a long time, and these changes do not change our minds. We are keeping the personal and the business version, for three reasons.

1. The Free Night Award still pays for the fee. We value a Marriott Bonvoy point at about 1¢. Here is the math for the personal card:

• Value of an award used at 35,000 points: about $350;
• Annual fee: $150;
• Net value: about $200 per year.

And we rarely use it on a night that costs exactly 35,000 points: by adding a few thousand points, it lets us book hotels that would cost much more in cash.

2. The spending threshold takes care of itself. Our Marriott cards already cover our Marriott stays and everyday expenses. The only adjustment: in a household with several Marriott cards, each card must reach its own threshold to earn its award. So we will spread our spending so each card clears $3,000, rather than putting everything on one.

3. Gold status helps Audrey when she travels without me. I already have Titanium Elite status through my stays, so the card's Gold status changes nothing for me. For Audrey, it is different: when she stays alone at a Marriott hotel, she has no status of her own. With her card, she will now get late checkout at 2 p.m., the 25% bonus points and upgrades based on availability.

For $30 more per year on the personal card, she gets a status she would not have otherwise. The math still works in our favour.

What to do before February 2027

If you already hold one of these cards, here is what to check:

1. Find your card anniversary. It determines whether you pay the old rate one last time, and when your next Free Night Award arrives.
2. Estimate your annual spending on the card. If you are below the threshold, decide which everyday expenses to move to it.
3. Use your current awards. An award you already received stays valid under its own terms; do not let it expire.
4. Compare with the Bright if you keep the card mostly for the award and will not spend $3,000 a year on it.

If you do not have a Marriott card yet, the current welcome offers are still in effect. Our guide to Marriott Bonvoy cards and their free nights covers the current offers, and our ranking of the best credit cards in Canada compares them with the rest of the market.

Our verdict

The announcement mixes good and less good news. Complimentary Gold status is a real gain, especially for those who did not meet the current conditions. The fee increase is modest. The spending condition only bothers those who were not using their card.

For most cardholders, and for us, these two cards remain solid keepers. To find out as soon as the full terms are published on February 9, subscribe to our newsletter.