Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card – Review

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a hotel rewards card and business credit card with a $125 annual fee. See rates and fees.

Every Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card purchase earns Marriott Bonvoy points, Marriott’s loyalty program currency. Once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem for free nights and room upgrades at thousands of participating Marriott hotels worldwide.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card directly competes with other popular business travel rewards cards, including the Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card and The Business Platinum Credit Card from American Express.

How the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Stacks Up

You already know that the Bonvoy Business card isn’t the only fish in the hotel credit card sea. Before you begin the application process, see how it stacks up to another popular hotel card for business users: the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. 

Key Features of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

These are the most important features of the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card. Note the impressive welcome offer, solid rewards program, complimentary elite status, and up to 2 annual free award nights as long as you remain a cardholder in good standing.

Welcome Offer

Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

All eligible purchases made at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels earn 6 points per $1 spent.

All eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, gas stations, U.S. shipping providers, and on wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers earn 4 points per $1 spent.

All other eligible purchases earn 2 points per $1 spent.

Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott Bonvoy points are redeemable for free hotel nights and room upgrades at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties worldwide.

Free night redemption minimums start at 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels, which are budget-friendly and less luxurious, and rise to as much as 85,000 points for super high-end Category 8 hotels. Note, however, that exact point requirements vary based on season and demand.

If you don’t have enough points for a full night, you can combine cash and points to earn a free room.

Bonvoy point redemption values can vary based on season, demand, and the cash price of the room or upgrade. However, they frequently exceed $0.01 per point, and may go even higher in some cases.

Note that some Marriott hotels and resorts may have mandatory service charges.

Complimentary Gold Elite Status

For as long as your account remains open and in good standing, you’ll enjoy complimentary Gold Elite Status in the Marriott loyalty program.

Annual Free Award Nights

You can earn up to 2 annual free award nights as a Bonvoy Business cardholder in good standing.

First, every year your account remains open and in good standing, you earn 1 complimentary award night at participating Marriott properties after your account anniversary.

Second, after you spend at least $60,000 in eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year, you’ll earn an additional free night award.

Some hotels have resort fees, and your awards nights are limited to properties with redemption levels at or below 35,000 points.

Free WiFi

As long as your account remains open, you get free premium in-room WiFi at all participating properties.

Additional Business Benefits

This card has some additional benefits for business owners:

• Digital receipt storage
• The option to designate an employee or associate as your account manager
• Expense tagging and tracking

Important Fees

This card has a $125 annual fee. Purchases made with this card never incur foreign transaction fees. Late and returned payments both cost up to $39. Cash advances cost the greater of $5 or 3%. There are no fees for additional employee cards. See rates and fees.

Credit Required

This card requires good to excellent credit.

Advantages of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

There’s a lot to like about the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, from the very good welcome offer to the expansive lineup of fringe benefits to the nonexistent foreign transaction fee. The free annual award nights are nice too.

Here’s the skinny.

• Very Good Welcome Offer. The Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card has one of the best welcome offers in the hotel rewards card space.
• Complimentary Gold Elite Status in the Bonvoy Program. For as long as you remain a cardholder in good standing, you qualify for Gold Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program (enrollment required; terms apply).
• Nice Fringe Benefits. This card has a host of great benefits for travelers and non-travelers, including free WiFi at participating hotels. Many business credit cards, including U.S. Bank Business Platinum and Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business, don’t invest in such luxuries.
• No Foreign Transaction Fee. This card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, which is great news for business travelers who frequently venture outside U.S. borders and prefer Marriott-family hotels. Other popular business rewards cards, such as the Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express and Ink Cash from Chase, charge foreign transaction fees of 2% to 3%.
• Points Can Be Valuable at Redemption. The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card’s loyalty currency can be quite valuable at redemption. However, redemption rates are subject to change according to factors such as underlying room rates, hotel properties’ redemption rates, and other factors.
• Earn Up to 2 Free Award Nights Each Year. As a Bonvoy Business cardholder in good standing, you can earn up to 2 free award nights each year: one simply for being a cardmember, and another in any calendar year when you spend at least $60,000 in eligible purchases on your card. You can redeem your award nights at any participating property requiring fewer than 35,000 points per night to redeem.

Disadvantages Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

Key downsides of the Bonvoy Business card are the annual fee — $125 every year — and the restrictions on redemption. It’s on you to decide whether these are dealbreakers or just drawbacks.

• Charges an Annual Fee. This card carries a $125 annual fee. Chase Ink Business Cash and similar general-purpose business rewards cards without annual fees are better choices for business owners who don’t travel often or don’t prefer Marriott properties when they do.
• Can’t Redeem for Non-Travel Items. This card doesn’t allow you to redeem accumulated rewards for cash back or general merchandise, which is disappointing if you prefer such things to airfare or hotel nights. If you prefer more versatile rewards, opt for American Express’s Blue Business Plus Card instead.

Final Word

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a very solid business travel rewards card. Its points offer high value at redemption, it offers a competitive welcome offer, and it matches up nicely with more than 100 frequent flyer programs.

However, it’s not for everyone – even those who travel often. If you don’t routinely visit vacation destinations or business hubs with Marriott Bonvoy hotels, you simply won’t rack up the points fast enough to make this card worth it. Before you apply for a hotel- or airline-specific travel rewards card of any sort, make sure you can get good use out of it without literally going out of your way.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please visit this rates and fees page.