New Summer 2023 offers for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card have surfaced, and they’re definitely worth considering if you’re eligible for the elevated welcome bonuses of up to 75,000 and 85,000 points, respectively.
With dynamic pricing here to stay, now’s a great time to collect the welcome bonuses on the personal and business Marriott Bonvoy Amex cards to take advantage of any current sweet spots that catch your eye.
Amex Bonvoy Card: Up to 75,000 Points
After resting on a weaker welcome bonus of 55,000 points over the past few months, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has bounced back with an elevated offer.
Until July 24, 2023, you can earn up to 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, broken down as follows:
- Earn 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Earn 10,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase between 14 and 17 months as a cardholder
Based on our current valuations, we’d value Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point (CAD) apiece, meaning that 75,000 Bonvoy points are worth $600 (CAD). And yet, they can indeed be redeemed for much higher value than that!
75,000 Bonvoy points could be enough for a one-night stay at one of Marriott’s better hotels, such as the The Bodrum EDITION or Le Méridien Maldives.
If you’d rather redeem your points towards more modest accommodations, they’d also be enough for two nights at a mid-tier or mid-market hotel, five nights at a decent hotel in an emerging market, or 10+ nights at the most affordable redemptions the Marriott Bonvoy program has to offer.
Alternatively, you’d also be able to convert 60,000 Bonvoy points into 25,000 airline miles in the program of your choosing, including Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, and 40+ other frequent flyer programs.
To maximize this offer and earn the full 75,000 points, you’ll have to pay the annual fee for the second year, which is $120 (CAD). However, there’s a strong argument to be made for keeping the card for the long term, both due to the boost of 10,000 points and the annual Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points.
Ideally, you could time your application in advance of a number of hotel stays, thereby working on the minimum spending requirement while sticking with the 5x multiplier at Marriott properties.
If you’re able to spend $3,000 (CAD) in three months, it’s certainly worthwhile to have as a key part of your credit card travel strategy, so be sure to sign up before July 24, 2023 with this offer.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
- Earn 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Plus, earn 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Annual fee: $120
Amex Bonvoy Business Card: Up to 85,000 Points!
Meanwhile, the new offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is similar to the personal card’s welcome bonus, except it’s worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
This great offer is broken down as follows:
- Earn 75,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
- Earn 10,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase between 14 and 17 months as a cardholder
The business version has a $150 annual fee, $30 higher than the personal card. When deciding between one or the other, if you can meet the higher spending requirement on the business card, you’ll come away with an extra 10,000 points, which should easily offset the difference in annual fees.
In any event, I’m an advocate for applying for the Bonvoy cards at your earliest convenience. That’s because the anniversary Free Night Award doesn’t kick in until your second year with the card.
The Bonvoy cards are great choices as keeper cards, since the value of a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points will easily exceed the $120 annual fee on the personal card or the $150 annual fee on the business card. The sooner you get started with these cards, the better.
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
- Earn 75,000 Bonvoy points, upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
- Plus, earn 10,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
- Always earn 5x Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
- Annual fee: $150
Amex Bonvoy Cards: 15 Elite Qualifying Nights + Anniversary Free Night Award
In terms of the cards’ earning rates, you’ll earn the following:
- 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
On the business card, you’ll also earn 3 points per dollar spent on gas, dining, and travel purchases.
It’s best to use Canadian Bonvoy cards purely for spending at Canadian Marriott hotels, as the 5x earnings are unbeatable there. However, you can prioritize other cards with higher earning rates for other general purchases.
(Marriott hotels outside of Canada are also not ideal, thanks to the card’s 2.5% foreign transaction fee. If you have a US-issued Bonvoy cards for foreign hotel bills, you won’t get dinged on the FX fee.)
Both the personal and business Marriott Bonvoy cards offer 15 elite qualifying nights towards your Marriott Bonvoy status every year. By holding onto one of them, you’d only need to complete 35 elite qualifying nights to reach a total of 50, where Platinum Elite status and all of its associated perks start to pay off.
Unfortunately, the two sets of 15 elite qualifying nights cannot be stacked into 30 – that’s only possible with the US-issued personal and business cards, not the Canadian ones.
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If you hold the following combination of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards… |
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Canadian personal + Canadian business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian personal + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian personal + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian business + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian business + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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US personal + US business |
30 elite qualifying nights |
As mentioned above, the most meaningful perk on the Bonvoy card is the anniversary Free Night Award, which you’ll earn upon renewing the card for a second year.
These are worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each, so a smart redemption here would easily outweigh the card’s $120 (CAD) annual fee.
You’re also able to top-up your Free Night Award by up to 15,000 Bonvoy points, thus booking a property that would otherwise cost up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.
Conclusion
The Summer 2023 welcome offers for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card have surfaced, offering up to 75,000 and 85,000 Bonvoy points, respectively. This comes with the caveat that you need to pay the annual fee for the second year and make a purchase between months 14 and 17 as a cardholder to maximize the offers.
These are some of the stronger offers we’ve seen with the cards in the recent past, and both cards are worth keeping for the long-term. These offers end on July 24, 2023, so make sure to take advantage before they expire.
