Head to Head: Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card vs American Express Platinum Card

Our analysis rests on the main differences between these two cards:

The comparison table

Here are both cards side by side. We break down each line below.

Welcome bonus

The Platinum offers the bigger bonus, but it also asks for the biggest spending effort up front.

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card offers new Cardmembers up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points:

• 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in your first 3 months;
• 10,000 points after you spend $500 in your 13th month of Cardmembership.

The American Express Platinum Card^® offers up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points:

• 70,000 points after you charge $10,000 in net purchases in your first 3 months;
• 30,000 points when you make a purchase between your 15th and 17th month of Cardmembership.

At Milesopedia valuations, the Marriott Bonvoy bonus is worth about $700. The Platinum bonus is worth about $1,700. The catch: you need to put $10,000 on the Platinum in 3 months, more than $3,300 a month, and pay the $799 fee from year one.

Annual fees and credits

This is the heart of the matchup. The sticker gap is $679, but the Platinum's credits narrow it.

What each card costs

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card costs $120 a year, and Additional Cards are free.

The American Express Platinum Card^® costs $799 a year. Each Additional Platinum Card costs $250. It is a charge card with no pre-set spending limit, not a traditional credit card.

What the credits pay back

The Platinum offsets part of its fee with three credits:

• Annual travel credit: $200 toward a single travel booking of $200 or more, made through American Express Travel Online or Platinum Card Travel Service;
• Annual dining credit: $200, after a single bill of $200 or more (taxes and tip included) at an eligible restaurant in Canada, once you enroll in Amex Offers;
• NEXUS credit: $100 toward an application or renewal, which comes around roughly every four years.

If you use both annual credits, the Platinum costs you a net $399. On the other side, the Marriott Bonvoy card deposits, after your first year, a Free Night Award good up to 35,000 points, worth up to $350 at 1.0¢ per point. Its net cost can turn negative.

Earning points

On everyday spending, the Marriott Bonvoy card earns you more value than the Platinum, and the result is surprising.

Earn rates

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card earns 5 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on everything else.

The American Express Platinum Card^® earns 2 points per dollar on dining and food delivery in Canada and on travel. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar.

Real return per dollar

Milesopedia values Marriott Bonvoy points at 1.0¢ and Membership Rewards points at 1.7¢. Membership Rewards also transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at 1,000 to 1,200. Here is the return in cents per dollar.

The Platinum leads on dining and on non-Marriott travel. The Marriott Bonvoy card wins at the hotel and on everything else, groceries and gas included.

Marriott Bonvoy status

Gold status is the main selling point of both cards, and the gap is narrower than it looks.

The American Express Platinum Card^® gives you Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status on enrolment, with no nights required. It adds Hilton Honors Gold status.

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card gives you Silver Elite status and 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. It gets you to Gold Elite in one of two ways:

• Through spending: $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year;
• Through stays: 10 qualifying paid nights in a calendar year, combined with the Card's 15 Elite Night Credits.

In other words, if you sleep 10 nights a year at Marriott, the Marriott Bonvoy card gets you the same Gold status for $120. Our guide to Marriott Bonvoy Elite status benefits explains what each tier changes at the hotel.

Airport lounges

With the Platinum, you get into more than 1,550 lounges worldwide; the Marriott Bonvoy card gives you no lounge access at all.

The American Express Platinum Card^® opens the American Express Global Lounge Collection: Centurion lounges, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass and other partner networks. The number of complimentary guests depends on the lounge.

Premium hotel and travel perks

Beyond status, the Platinum gives you access to American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, with benefits on bookings made through Amex Travel at more than 1,600 properties. It also includes a concierge service and benefits at Toronto Pearson Airport: Pearson Priority security, valet at Terminal 1 and 15% off parking.

The Marriott Bonvoy card has nothing comparable. In return, its certificate is a real free night, not a perk that depends on a paid booking.

Insurance

With the Platinum, you travel far better protected.

The American Express Platinum Card^® includes out-of-province emergency medical insurance of up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip, for travellers under 65. Its other limits are higher too:

• Trip cancellation and interruption: $2,500 per insured person, each;
• Flight and baggage delay: $1,000 combined, plus $1,000 per trip for lost or stolen baggage;
• Hotel burglary: $1,000;
• Purchase Protection: 90 days.

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card has no travel medical and no trip cancellation coverage. Its baggage, flight delay and hotel burglary coverage caps at $500. Both cards share $500,000 in travel accident insurance, car rental coverage for vehicles of $85,000 or less and rentals of 48 days or less and a 1-year extended warranty.

The Platinum break-even point

Let's run the math with a traveller who puts $30,000 a year on a single card, outside the welcome bonus:

• Dining: $4,000;
• Travel outside Marriott: $3,500;
• Marriott hotels: $1,500;
• Everything else: $21,000.

The gap comes to about $610 in favour of the Marriott Bonvoy card. This profile also crosses the $30,000 spending threshold, so it earns Gold Elite status on the Marriott Bonvoy card without the Platinum. In practice, the Platinum makes sense if its lounges, medical coverage, Fine Hotels + Resorts and Hilton status are worth at least $610 more to you each year. For someone who flies once or twice a year, that is a stretch. For someone who goes through an airport every month, it is within reach.

Verdict by profile

No single answer fits everyone. Here are three distinct profiles.

The occasional traveller loyal to Marriott

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card is the clear pick. The certificate covers the fee, 5 points per dollar at the hotel speed up your next stay and you keep $679 in your pocket. The Platinum does not pay for itself on two trips a year.

The frequent traveller

The American Express Platinum Card^® takes the lead. Airport lounges, medical coverage, travel and dining credits and Fine Hotels + Resorts add up to value the Marriott Bonvoy card cannot offer. On top of that, Membership Rewards points move to Aeroplan, Avios or Flying Blue at 1:1.

The status hunter on a budget

The Marriott Bonvoy card wins again. It gives you Silver status right away, then Gold with 10 paid nights or $30,000 in spending. Paying $799 for Gold status alone only makes sense if you reach neither threshold and the Platinum's other perks are useful to you.

Conclusion

So who wins? For most travellers, the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card offers the best value for money: $120 a year, 2 points per dollar everywhere, a free night that covers the fee and a realistic path to Gold status.

That said, the American Express Platinum Card^® remains the benchmark for people who travel often. Its price only holds up if you use its lounges, credits and medical coverage every year.

Many frequent travellers hold both: the Platinum for the airport and flexible points, the Marriott Bonvoy card for the annual certificate. To compare against the rest of the market, see our best credit cards in Canada or our picks for the best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. The full terms are on the American Express Canada pages for the Platinum Card and the Marriott Bonvoy card.

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Frequently Asked Questions