Is Marriott Bonvoy Amex Worth It

Elite Membership Benefits At Participating Brands

4.3.a. . Silver Elite Members and above are eligible to receive the following benefits:

i.;;;;;;10% Bonus Points. Bonus Points vary by Elite membership level and are calculated based on base Points earned during a stay. Available to Elite Members at all Participating Brands except as otherwise noted in Section 1.2.a.

ii.;;;;;;Priority Late Checkout. Based on availability. Please call the front desk the morning of checkout and let them know your planned departure time. Available at all Participating Brands except Marriott Vacation Club®, Marriott Grand Residence Club®, and Vistana Network properties.

* Participating Properties outside the United States will pay the equivalent in their local currency.

The Gift Shop Discount is not offered at the following brands: Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield, AC Hotels, Aloft, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element, Design Hotels and Vistana properties.

4.3.b. . In addition to all of the benefits Silver Elite Members receive, Gold Elite Members and above are eligible to receive the following benefits:

i.;;;;;;25% Bonus Points. Bonus Points vary by Elite membership level and are calculated based on base Points earned during a stay. Available to Elite Members at all Participating Brands except as otherwise noted in Section 1.2.a.

D.;;;;;Gift Elite Status

Travel And Purchase Perks

Ponying up for the hefty annual fee could be worth it since the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card is one of the best credit cards for travel insurance. Paying with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card protects your purchases, returns and travel with money-saving perks such as:

• Access to 1,200+ Priority Pass Select lounges around the world
• Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance
• Up to $100 Global Entry and TSA Precheck application fee credit
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Baggage insurance

Complimentary Silver Elite Status

This card offers complimentary Silver Elite status, and offers the opportunity to spend up to Gold Elite. Dont get too excited about Silver Elite status it offers perks like 10% bonus points, priority late check-out, etc., but you wont get perks like free breakfast, club lounge access, or significant room upgrades.

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Priority Pass Lounge Access

One of the many luxury benefits that comes with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is Priority Pass Select membership. This perk grants access to more than 1,200 airport lounges, restaurants and Minute Suites around the world. Plus, cardholders are allowed two complimentary guests anytime they visit a lounge an added benefit for those who travel with family.

Main Benefits And Perks

The Bonvoy Boundless comes with a $95 annual fee, but it should be easy to get several hundred dollars of value out of the cards perks. In fact, of all the travel credit cards I carry, its easiest for me to justify paying an annual fee on my Bonvoy cards, including the Bonvoy Boundless.

So, lets take a closer look at the Bonvoy Boundless card perks.

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Travel And Purchase Benefits

One final component to consider is Marriott Bonvoy Boundlesss outstanding suite of;travel and purchase protections, many of which are important now more than ever. Among the ones cardholders can count on:

Trip delay reimbursement: If your trip is delayed over 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you might be covered up to $500 per ticket for things like meals and lodging.

Lost luggage coverage: Cardholders and immediate family members are eligible for up to $3,000 for checked or carry-on luggage that is damaged or lost.

Baggage delay insurance: If your bag is delayed over six hours, you might get up to $100 per person per day for up to five days for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries until your belongings arrive.

Purchase protection: If something you buy with your card is damaged or stolen within 120 days, you might be reimbursed up to $500 per item, with a maximum benefit of $50,000 per account.

Extended warranty: The card will extend warranties of three years or less by an additional year.

No foreign transaction fees: The Boundless is great for;international travel since it waives pesky foreign transaction charges that can really add up.

Earning Miles Instead Of Points

Membership Accounts are initially set up to earn Points. Members can change their earning preference to Points or Miles through their Membership profile online. When choosing to earn Miles instead of Points for Qualifying Stays, Members must also designate a participating airline frequent flyer program and corresponding account number in the Member profile to which the Members Miles will be credited. ;When this is completed, Points earned for future Qualifying Stays will be converted to Miles automatically, with the exception of Elite Welcome Gift of Points which remain in the Members Account as Points until the Member initiates the transfer to Miles. Once Miles have been awarded to the designated participating airline frequent flyer program, they may not be changed to another designated participating airline frequent flyer program or converted to Loyalty Program Points. For details on joining participating airline frequent flyer programs, please refer to the particular airlines loyalty program terms and conditions.

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What Are Marriott Points Worth

Like with many hotel loyalty programs, are a bit inflated. When redeemed for a free night award, we estimate the average Marriott point is worth 0.8 cents. While this is not quite as valuable as the average rewards currency , Marriot points are slightly more valuable than other hotel loyalty programs. For comparison, we estimate Hilton Honors points are only worth about 0.5 cents.

Because of this lower point value, the Marriott Brilliant card doesnt earn as much in rewards value as the high earning rate would suggest. Among popular hotel credit cards, the Brilliant falls toward the middle of the pack in the value of rewards earned per dollar of spending .

What Is A Marriott Bonvoy Point Worth

Based on my recent hotel redemptions, I am happy to say that you should be able to get 0.5p per point without much trouble and, on an expensive night, far more click for a longer article on this topic.

The airline conversion rate is also generous. 60,000 points is worth 25,000 miles in most of their partner schemes, including Avios and Virgin Flying Club. This puts a floor under their value if you assume airline miles are worth 1p then this gives you a floor value of 0.42p per Bonvoy point;given the conversion ratio above.

If you live in London, and makes seats with full hospitality available for points redemption for many concerts.;The Marriott Moments site shows you some of the other great experiences you can bid for with points.

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X Points At Marriott Hotels

The Bonvoy Brilliant Card offers 6x Bonvoy points for spending at Marriott hotels globally.

Since I value Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, thats the equivalent of a ~4.2% return on hotel spending. Personally, I still prefer to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for my Marriott hotel spending, as it offers 3x Ultimate Rewards points.

Welcome Bonus: As Much As $600+ In Value

The card is offering 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. With TPGs of 0.8 cents, this bonus alone is worth $600. Plus, earn up to $200 in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants within the first six months of card membership. Keep in mind that Amex has implemented restrictions that will limit your ability to collect a new-member bonus if youve had similar Marriott products from Chase or previous SPG cards from American Express. Be sure to review the cards offer details page to ensure youre eligible.

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Amex Bonvoy Cards: 15 Elite Qualifying Nights + Anniversary Free Night Award

In terms of the cards earning rates, youll earn the following:

• 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels
• Bonvoy Business Card only: 3 points per dollar spent on gas, dining, and travel
• 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases

Personally, I tend to use my Bonvoy cards purely for spending at Canadian Marriott hotels, as the 5x earnings are unbeatable there. However, Id prioritize other cards with higher earning rates for my general purchases.

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, youd 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 thats only possible with the US-issued personal and business cards, not the Canadian ones.

In my opinion, the most meaningful perk on the Bonvoy cards is the anniversary Free Night Award, which youll earn upon renewing the cards for a second year.

These are worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each, so a smart redemption here would easily outweigh the cards $120 and $150 annual fees.

How To Redeem Points

There are many lucrative ways to use Marriott Rewards points. The first and most obvious redemption is for free stays. With the ability to book at more than 7,000 properties across 30 brands in 130 countries, youve got a lot of choices. The Marriott portfolio has a number of unbelievable hotels, including some of the most over-the-top, luxurious properties in the world.

These include a number of Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties, some of which are all-suite, such as the St. Regis Maldives, and others in dreamy destinations like the Al Maha Resort in the desert outside of Dubai. Rooms at top-tier properties like these typically range from 70,000-100,000 points per night. That may seem like a hefty price in points, but it isnt that bad, considering room rates are $1,500+ per night most of the year.

Related reading:;Maximizing redemptions with the Marriott Bonvoy program

For instance, Category 1 hotels such as the modern Aloft Panama City;can be booked;for five nights for just 30,000 points total. If youd prefer something a little nicer, you can book a five-night stay at a Category 2 hotel like the;JW Marriott Shenzhen Baoan for just 40,000 points total.

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Annual Free Night Reward

The real perk that makes this card worthwhile on an ongoing basis is that you get a free night award every year on your account anniversary, valid for a one-night hotel stay at a property costing up to 35,000 points.

This is an exceptional deal and the reason that I think this card is worth having. Marriott is the worlds largest hotel chain, so regardless of what your preferred hotel program is, just about everyone may find themselves in a situation where this could come in handy. I consistently redeem this certificate at hotels costing $250+ per night, more than double the cards annual fee.

Note that these free night awards are separate from the two free night awards you get as part of the welcome bonus, as those two are even valid at properties costing up to 50,000 points.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginners card 30,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card offers 30,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up and is free for the first year. These convert to 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. 30,000 points is a special offer which runs to 9th November 2021.

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Airline Frequent Flyer Programs And Other Affiliated Loyalty Programs

3.11.a. Members may redeem Points with participating airline frequent flyer programs and other airline-affiliated loyalty programs at a designated Points to Miles conversion ratio as indicated . If applicable, to achieve a bonus for transferred Points to a frequent-flyer program, or other airline-affiliated loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy Points must be transferred through a single transaction at the noted threshold for bonus achievement.

3.11.c. Once Points have been redeemed for Miles with a participating airline frequent flyer program or other airline-affiliated loyalty program, Miles will automatically be transferred to the Members frequent flyer or airline-affiliated loyalty program account. In most cases, Miles will be posted to your account within one week.

3.11.d. Once Miles are ordered to a Members frequent flyer or other airline-affiliated loyalty program account, changes, reissuance and/or re-credit of Points are not allowed.

3.11.e. The terms and conditions of the airline frequent flyer program or other airline-affiliated loyalty program control the redemption and distribution of the Miles earned through the Loyalty Program.

Solid Travel Insurance And Coverages For A No Annual Fee Card

In the past, Ive taken advantage of the trip-delay coverage that comes with my;Chase Sapphire Preferred Card;and;Ink Business Preferred Credit Card;to get reimbursed for hundreds of dollars in expenses I incurred as a result of flight delays.;

The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold card has the exact same trip-delay coverage as those two cards you can be reimbursed up to $500 per person for reasonable expenses you incur when your trip is delayed overnight or 12+ hours. Thats a stellar benefit to have on a no-annual-fee card

The card also has lost and delayed baggage coverage and purchase protection.

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Is This Marriott Transfer Bonus Worth It

This Marriott transfer bonus doesn’t provide a compelling opportunity for many travelers. Based on recent AwardWallet user redemptions, . So, even after the transfer bonus, you’re only getting 1.3 cents in value per Membership Rewards point. There are a lot of other uses for Membership Rewards points that provide a higher value.

However, transferring points can make sense depending on your situation. If you have an immediate need for Marriott pointsor are using your Marriott points for very high valueit can make sense to take advantage of this promotion.

If you get about as far away from the U.S. as possible, you can use your Marriott Bonvoy points at one of six Marriott properties in the Maldives:

You’ll need to transfer at least 39k Membership Rewards points per night to book the least expensive property. That’s not bad for an overwater villa. However, you’ll want to do the math to see if it makes more sense to book with cash or use points through Amex Travel instead.

$300 Marriott Bonvoy Statement Credit

Just for having the card, you get a $300 statement credit every cardmember year for spending at Marriott properties. This benefit is available the first year, and all subsequent years.

This really couldnt be easier to use just use this card at any Marriott property globally, and your first $300 in eligible spending will automatically be reimbursed. This can be on room rates, meals, or just about anything else purchased directly with the hotel.

Assuming you spend at least $300 per year at Marriott hotels, then Id say this is more or less worth face value, and lowers the real out of pocket on this card to $150 per year.

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Spend To Platinum Elite Status

You can earn Platinum Elite status if you spend $75,000 on the card in a calendar year.

This status ordinarily requires 50 elite nights. Platinum Elite status gets you the following benefits:

• 50% bonus points on hotel stays
• 4PM late check-out
• A room upgrade, including to a standard suite
• Welcome gift, including breakfast at many brands

Platinum status is potentially really worthwhile. Whether or not it makes sense to spend $75,000 on the card in the future to earn this very much depends on your travel patterns.

Trip And Baggage Insurance Coverage

The Bonvoy Boundless card also comes with a robust set of travel and baggage protection benefits that can help save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. These are perks that you dont feel like you need until something goes wrong.;

With baggage delay insurance, Chase may reimburse you for essential purchases up to $100 a day for five days. And if a bag is lost, Chase may cover you for up to a whopping $3,000 per passenger.;With trip delay reimbursement, if you are delayed by more than 12 hours or required to stay overnight by an airline, Chase may reimburse you for up to $500 per ticket.;

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Head Start On Marriott Elite Status

The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold card also comes with 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, which is enough for Silver . Silver elite status gets you perks like 10% bonus points on eligible Marriott hotel purchases and;late checkout .

Its not much and by itself doesnt make the card a keeper, but you can earn Marriott Gold status after 25 nights and Marriott Platinum at 50 nights. Platinum status is the sweet spot when it comes to Marriott elite status perks. With it youll get 50% bonus on;on eligible Marriott purchases, upgrades , lounge access and free breakfast at most Marriott hotels.

Each year you keep the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold youll only need to earn 35 elite night credits to qualify for Marriott Platinum status. You dont have to be a road warrior to achieve that, especially when you consider that there are often;;which allow you to earn double elite-night credits.