7 Reasons To Get The Marriott Business Credit Card

7 Reasons To Get The Marriott Business Credit Card

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Link: Apply now for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

While Marriott has an extensive co-brand credit card portfolio, the $125 annual fee (Rates & Fees) Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (review) is the only small business card in the collection.

There’s huge value to having this card, especially if you’re going for elite status with Marriott Bonvoy. In this post I wanted to share seven reasons to consider picking up Marriott’s business credit card. In no particular order…

Five free night awards welcome offer

For applications through March 20, 2024, the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex has a limited time welcome offer of five free night awards after spending $8,000 within the first six months. Each certificate is valid for a redemption level of up to 50,000 points per night for a standard room, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort and destination fees.

Those free night awards are potentially worth up to 250,000 points, though admittedly this offer doesn’t give you as much flexibility as having points that you can use however you’d like. I value Marriott Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, so to me, 250,000 points are worth $1,750.

Standard Amex application restrictions apply. On top of that, there are additional Marriott card eligibility requirements to be aware of.

Redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at Roomers Baden-Baden

Marriott Bonvoy anniversary free night award

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex offers a free night award every year on your account anniversary. This is valid for a one night stay at a property costing up to 35,000 points. You can even top off this award with up to 15,000 additional points, to be able to redeem at a more expensive property (so you could use it at a property costing up to 50,000 points).

If you ask me, this free night award in and of itself justifies the card’s annual fee, as I’ve consistently been able to use this at hotels costing $250+ per night. Hotel free night awards is one of the primary reasons that I find many hotel credit cards to be worth holding onto.

Use your free night award at the St. Regis Doha

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status

Another popular reason to have hotel credit cards is because they can help you earn elite status. Just for having the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, you receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status for as long as you have the card.

This isn’t the most useful elite tier in the world, but offers some potentially useful perks, like 25% bonus points, 2PM late check-out (subject to availability), enhanced Wi-Fi, a room upgrade subject to availability (to non-suites), and more.

Receive upgraded rooms as a Marriott Gold Elite

15 Marriott Bonvoy elite nights toward status

The real value with Marriott Bonvoy elite status comes when you achieve Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, or Ambassador Elite. Platinum Elite can be earned with 50 elite nights in a calendar year, and if you use credit cards strategically, that’s quite easy to achieve.

Just for having the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, you receive 15 elite nights toward status annually. You can earn elite nights from at most one personal card and one business card, so you could stack the 15 elite nights offered by this card with the 15-25 elite nights offered by another card. For example, if you have this card in conjunction with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review), you’d get 40 elite nights annually.

Now, the Bonvoy Brilliant Card actually outright offers Platinum Elite for as long as you have the card, but that doesn’t get you any Choice Benefits, which you do get when passing 50 elite nights, even if they’re earned through credit cards.

Work your way to Platinum Elite status with the card

6x Bonvoy points on Marriott spending

If you stay at Marriott properties with any frequency, the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex offers 6x Bonvoy points per eligible dollar spent with Marriott. Your points can rack up quickly this way, and that makes this one of the best cards for Marriott spending.

As far as the card’s rewards structure otherwise goes, the card offers 4x points for purchases at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, with wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping. The card then offers 2x points on all other purchases.

Earn 6x points on Marriott spending with the card

Access to the Amex Offers program

One of the reasons to hold onto Amex cards long term is because of the amazing value of Amex Offers. With this program, you can receive statement credits or earn bonus points with all kinds of retailers.

The more Amex cards you have, the more offers you’ll potentially be eligible for. In many cases, Amex Offers alone more than justifies the annual fees on some of my cards. That’s another reason to consider picking up the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.

Anecdotally easy approval

Many people are understandably worried if they’ll get approved for a new card when they apply. For those with excellent credit, I find that Amex cards (including business cards) are among the easiest to be approved for, much more so than with Chase and Citi. Just keep in mind the card’s eligibility requirements.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is Marriott’s only business credit card in the United States. If you stay at Marriott properties with any frequency, then this card should be a no-brainer. The card has a generous welcome offer, and the annual fee is easy to justify based on the anniversary free night award plus the elite nights toward status.

If you don’t yet have the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex and are eligible, I’d highly recommend applying.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees).

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  1. TD Guest

    Ben I realize this story is not the correct place to post this but wanted to let you know of another Marriott property not honoring Platinum+ breakfast benefit. Autograph Collection hotel The Jay in San Francisco (which just rebranded from a Le Meridien) is now playing the same card the St Regis Chicago tried using, aka the restaurant is owned/operated by another entity therefore we cannot offer the breakfast benefit, they also do not offer...

    Ben I realize this story is not the correct place to post this but wanted to let you know of another Marriott property not honoring Platinum+ breakfast benefit. Autograph Collection hotel The Jay in San Francisco (which just rebranded from a Le Meridien) is now playing the same card the St Regis Chicago tried using, aka the restaurant is owned/operated by another entity therefore we cannot offer the breakfast benefit, they also do not offer any sort of F&B credit as compensation. The only benefit they offer is $10 or 1,000 points welcome gift.

  2. Daniel M Guest

    Ben: please stop lying about this being Marriott’s only business credit card in the U.S. See my comment from your post yesterday. Chase has the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business credit card.

    1. Lee Guest

      Ben is talking about GETTING a Marriott business credit card. And, the Amex Marriott Business card is the only one still available. A person can't GET the Chase business version and a person can't product change into the Chase business version. Consider such things before you post such a critical comment.

    2. Daniel M Guest

      Sorry but you’re an idiot. He wrote “The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is Marriott’s only business credit card in the United States.” I stand by my statement. He didn’t say that this AMEX card is the only card you can apply for.

    3. Lee Guest

      Let's ignore the context of the article. And, let's say the correct statement is: "The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is Marriott’s only business credit card in the United States THAT IS STILL AVAILABLE." Might it be that Ben simply made a mistake as opposed to lying (which implies intention)? Would a better comment not have been to correct that mistake rather than state that he is lying? How sad your perspective is.

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The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Lee Guest

Ben is talking about GETTING a Marriott business credit card. And, the Amex Marriott Business card is the only one still available. A person can't GET the Chase business version and a person can't product change into the Chase business version. Consider such things before you post such a critical comment.

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TD Guest

Ben I realize this story is not the correct place to post this but wanted to let you know of another Marriott property not honoring Platinum+ breakfast benefit. Autograph Collection hotel The Jay in San Francisco (which just rebranded from a Le Meridien) is now playing the same card the St Regis Chicago tried using, aka the restaurant is owned/operated by another entity therefore we cannot offer the breakfast benefit, they also do not offer any sort of F&B credit as compensation. The only benefit they offer is $10 or 1,000 points welcome gift.

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Lee Guest

Let's ignore the context of the article. And, let's say the correct statement is: "The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is Marriott’s only business credit card in the United States THAT IS STILL AVAILABLE." Might it be that Ben simply made a mistake as opposed to lying (which implies intention)? Would a better comment not have been to correct that mistake rather than state that he is lying? How sad your perspective is.

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