Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card Review 2025: Is It Worth It?
The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is best for frequent travellers. Cardmembers earn elevated rewards rates on both eligible bookings and everyday purchases, and there are ample opportunities to earn rewards at more than 7,000 participating hotels.
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Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card full review
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is a rewards credit card that allows cardholders to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on all purchases. Those points can be redeemed for free stays at more than 7,000 participating hotels and used to improve a cardholder’s Marriott Bonvoy status, which can unlock even more benefits.
Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
If you carry the Marriott Bonvoy Amex, you:
Annual free night award: Receive one Free Night Award every year after your membership anniversary (redeemable for stays up to 35,000 points).
Point transfers: Convert Marriott Bonvoy points to frequent flyer miles with several airlines, including Air Canada Aeroplan.
Earning rates: Earn 5 points per $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases.
Travel insurance coverage: Includes flight delay, travel accident, and lost or stolen baggage insurance.
Elite Status:
Silver Elite Status automatically, with 10% more points on eligible stays, priority late checkout, and member rates.
Gold Elite Status upgrade after $30,000 in annual card spend, or by combining 10 paid nights in a year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from the card.
Amex lifestyle perks: Access Amex Experiences™ (special dining, shopping, and wellness events) and American Express Front Of The Line presales and reserved tickets for concerts, sports, and more.
Drawbacks of the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
Some things to keep in mind about the Marriott Bonvoy American Express are:
Best for Marriott members: Only Marriott Bonvoy members will get full value from perks like the Free Night Award and elite status benefits.
Limited acceptance: American Express isn’t as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard in Canada, so earning points may not be possible everywhere.
Insurance may be lacking: While the included travel insurance is useful, coverage isn’t as extensive as what some premium travel cards provide.
Who should get the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card?
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card is best suited for:
Frequent Marriott guests: Cardholders who regularly stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels will get the most value, thanks to the 5 points per $1 earn rate on Marriott purchases and the ability to redeem points for free nights.
Travellers who want flexibility: Even if you don’t often stay at Marriott properties, you’ll still earn 2 points per $1 on everyday purchases. Points can be transferred to airline partners like Air Canada Aeroplan, United Airlines, or Cathay Pacific, or redeemed for gift cards at popular retailers.
Is the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card worth it?
If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy member who travels frequently, this card can be well worth the $120 annual fee. Between the Annual Free Night Award, elite status perks, and the 5x points earn rate at Marriott properties, you can easily unlock more value than the fee costs.
Even occasional Marriott guests may come out ahead, since the Free Night Award alone can offset the fee.
However, if you rarely stay at Marriott hotels or prefer a card with broader acceptance and richer everyday rewards, you may find better value with a general travel rewards card.
American Express customer ratings
High in customer satisfaction: American Express ranks second in overall customer satisfaction among 13 credit card issuers, according to J.D. Power’s 2024 Canada Credit Card Satisfaction Study.
Low Trustpilot rating: 1.5 out of a possible 5 stars, based on more than 4,400 reviews, at the time of this writing.
Low Better Business Bureau rating: 1 out of a possible 5 stars, according to only a few customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website, at the time of this writing.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card eligibility
Who qualifies for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card?
To apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, you must:
Be a Canadian resident and have a Canadian credit file.
Be the age of majority in the province or territory where you live.
Approximate credit score needed for approval
Canadian credit card issuers rarely disclose required credit scores, which makes it hard to know your chances of approval when comparing credit cards. What we do know is that higher scores have better chances of approval — that’s true no matter what type of credit you’re applying for.
Want to learn more? Our guide can help you figure out what credit score is typically needed for a credit card.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card rewards
New Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* cardmembers earn up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points after charging $1,500 in purchases to the Card in the first three months of Cardmembership.
How to earn ongoing rewards:
Earn 5 points for every $1 spent in eligible card purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
Earn 2 points for every $1 spent in all other card purchases.
New cardmembers could earn a welcome bonus of up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Based on NerdWallet’s analysis, each Marriott Bonvoy point is worth about 0.76 cents when redeemed for Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays. That means the full 50,000-point welcome offer would be worth approximately $380 using this redemption method. Other redemption methods may result in different point values.
Marriott Bonvoy points value breakdown
NerdWallet searched more than 50 data points analyzing the cost of Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays in 2024. Based on our analysis, the average value of 1 Marriott Bonvoy point is worth 0.76 cents.
More specifically, you can expect to get around:
0.69 cents in value per Marriott Bonvoy point when booking stays 15 days in advance.
0.80 cents in value per Marriott Bonvoy point when booking stays 60 days in advance.
0.91 cents in value per Marriott Bonvoy point when booking stays four months in advance.
However, the value of Marriott Bonvoy points increases significantly when transferred to partners. For example, you can expect a value around:
2.4 cents per point when you transfer to American Express (5 American Express Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points).
0.53 cents per point when you transfer to Aeroplan (3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Aeroplan points).
Because of the value that comes from these transfer options, we give Marriott Bonvoy points an adjusted weighted average value of 1.82 cents per point.
How to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
You can complete the application for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card from the American Express website:
Select the Apply Now button from the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card page.
Review the card’s terms and conditions and select Agree and Begin to continue.
Enter your personal details, including your full name, date of birth, phone number, email address and residential address.
Input your financial information, including your annual personal income, household income and employment details.
Choose a four-digit PIN.
Review the information you’ve supplied and submit your application.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card vs American Express Cobalt Card
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The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card offers solid earn rates on hotel stays and everyday purchases, but it may not be the right fit if:
You’re not a Marriott Bonvoy member and don’t plan to join.
You don’t travel often enough to take advantage of hotel perks like the Free Night Award or elite status.
You rarely use a credit card, making it difficult to accumulate meaningful rewards.
If you’d prefer rewards that apply more broadly — such as for flights, airport perks, or general travel spending — one of Canada’s best travel credit cards might be a better fit. And if hotel loyalty isn’t important to you, plenty of non-hotel rewards programs can offer stronger everyday value.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card facts
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card | |
|---|---|
Card type | |
Interest rates | |
Regular/purchase APR | 21.99%. |
Cash advance APR | 21.99%. |
Penalty APR | 25.99% if you miss two separate payments in any 12 month period; 29.99% if you miss three or more separate payments in any 12 month period. |
Fees | |
Annual fee | $120. |
Balance transfer | Up to 3% of the amount of each balance transfer. |
Cash advance | $2.75 per transaction. Also, a 21.99% interest rate is charged on cash advances. |
Foreign transaction | 2.5% of the transaction amount. |
Reward earn rates | |
Signup bonus or welcome offer | 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. |
Rewards and benefits | Points can be redeemed for free stays at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, merchandise and other experiences. They can also be transferred to other loyalty programs, including Aeroplan. |
Other perks |
|
Insurance coverage | |
Extended warranty | Up to one additional year. |
Purchase protection | 90 days. |
Travel accident | Up to $500,000. |
Travel medical | None. |
Flight delay | Up to $500 for necessary accommodations, restaurant expenses and sundries. |
Baggage delay | Up to $500 for essential clothing and sundry items. |
Lost or stolen baggage | Up to $500 of coverage per trip for all insured persons. |
Hotel burglary | Up to $500 of coverage for personal items (excluding cash). |
Rental car theft/damage | For up to 48 days. |
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Shannon Terrell
Shannon Terrell