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Perhaps you’ve joined the Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty program and have a few Marriott stays booked on the calendar — or maybe this is the first time you’ve considered Marriott loyalty.
Getting a dedicated credit card can help you ramp up your rewards earning rates so you can earn free stays more quickly. But the road to getting a Marriott credit card isn’t all sparkles, upgrades and Marriott Bonvoy® points.
» Learn more: Things to know before getting a Marriott credit card
Here’s what you need to know to add a Marriott credit card to your lineup.
Marriott credit cards that are available to new applicants
When it comes to co-branded credit cards, Marriott partners with two issuers: American Express and Chase. Each bank offers two Marriott credit cards to Bonvoy members, for a total of four credit cards available to consumers and small-business owners.
★ LIMITED TIME OFFER
Select Marriott Bonvoy credit cards have pushed out limited-time bonus offers for new cardholders. They include the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase as well as the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. With the Boundless card, you can earn up to four free nights if you hit the required spending threshold. With the AmEx cards, you can earn at least twice as many points as under the previous offers. Terms apply. Get the full details and apply here.
Here are some key differences:
- Welcome offer: Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026. Terms Apply.
- Earning rates: 6X at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3X on dining at restaurants worldwide, 3X on airfare booked directly with airlines and 2X on all other purchases.
- Automatic elite status: Platinum Elite.
- Free nights: An 85,000-point free night certificate every year after your card renewal month.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: Up to $300 statement credit for eligible spending at restaurants worldwide, 25 elite night credits, Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment fee credit, and a $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit for a two-night minimum stay at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis. Terms apply.
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- Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you spend $6,000 in purchases and an extra 2 Free Night Awards after you spend an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.
- Earning rates: 6x at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program; 4x at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. shipping purchases and U.S. cell phone services; 2x on all other purchases.
- Automatic elite status: Gold Elite.
- Free night certificates: Beyond the welcome offer, cardholders automatically receive an annual free night certificate for redemption up to 35,000 points. Cardholders who spend $60,000 in a calendar year are eligible for a bonus free night certificate. Terms apply.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Annual fee: $125 (see rates and fees).
- Other benefits: 15 elite night credits annually.
Terms apply.
- Welcome offer: Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
- Earning rates: 3x at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 2x on grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, internet, cable and phone services and 1x on all other purchases.
- Automatic elite status: Silver Elite.
- Elite status with annual spend: None.
- Free night certificate: None.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Other benefits: 5 elite night credits annually.
- Welcome offer: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening, and an additional 1 Free Night Award after spending $4,000 total on eligible purchases within 4 months of account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Redeem your Free Night Awards for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 200,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Earning rates: 17x at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3X Bonvoy points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations and dining, and 2x on all other purchases.
- Automatic elite status: Silver Elite.
- Elite status with annual spend: 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. Gold Elite after $35,000.
- Free night certificate: Yes, one per year, limited to 35,000 points per night.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Annual fee: $95.
- Other benefits: 15 elite credit nights annually.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Casual Marriott guests will likely be fine with either the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Small-business owners will find value in the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, and frequent Marriott guests will benefit from holding the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Learn more about how to choose between the Marriott credit cards. Things to ask before you apply for a Marriott rewards card
Getting a brand-specific travel credit card can be a significant step towards determining your hotel rewards program loyalty. Before you make that decision and select a hotel credit card, ask yourself the following questions.
Which issuer meets your needs?
Before you apply for a Marriott rewards card, figure out which issuer suits your needs best — American Express or Chase — and whether you qualify for one of its credit cards. Keep in mind the unwritten 5/24 rule from Chase that limits the number of credit cards you can be approved for in any 24-month span (max five).
Also, consider which cards you’ve had in the past. For instance, American Express cardholders are only allowed to earn a welcome bonus on a specific card once in a lifetime. If you’ve already had the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card in the past, you might consider one of the Chase-issued options instead.
Do you want to pay an annual fee? How much?
Examine your recent travels to decide which card has an annual fee you can justify. We recommend thinking through which cards have a fee you’re comfortable paying (if any) that offer benefits you expect to use. The goal is to extract enough benefits from card membership to offset the fees.
Which card has bonus categories that overlap with your frequent expenses?
Consider each card’s bonus categories and whether your existing (or anticipated) spending patterns will result in a lot of Bonvoy points. If you rarely eat out, a card that offers extensive bonus points on dining might not be of use to you.
Is brand loyalty the right decision or should you opt for a more generic travel credit card?
While the ability to earn Bonvoy points at an accelerated rate can be attractive to some, it’s worth doing a gut-check about whether going “all-in” on a single hotel brand is the right choice for you.
A more generic travel credit card that isn’t tied to a specific brand, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, could give you more flexibility in booking not just accommodations with points, but flights, too. If you anticipate traveling to destinations where Marriott properties are harder to come by, a card like this can come in handy.
» Learn more: The beginner’s guide to travel credit cards
How hard is it to get a Marriott credit card?
If you currently don’t hold a Marriott card and haven’t applied for too many credit cards in the last 24 months, getting a Marriott credit card shouldn’t be too difficult. However, you need to be aware of some restrictions that can preclude you from obtaining a Marriott Bonvoy card.
Potential barriers include:
- The Chase 5/24 rule. As aforementioned, Chase bank’s unwritten 5/24 rule could prevent anyone from opening a new Chase credit card if they have opened five or more credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months. If your new card count is higher than that, Marriott cards issued by Chase won’t be a good fit right now.
- The AmEx once-per-lifetime rule. Though American Express is more lenient when it comes to your recent card counts, it’s stricter about earning multiple welcome offers on the same cards. If you’ve received a bonus on a specific AmEx card in the past, you can’t get another bonus on the same AmEx card again.
- Your credit score. What credit score is needed for a Marriott rewards card? Although card approvals are based on multiple factors and not a credit score alone, the recommended credit score needed for Marriott Bonvoy is in the good to excellent range. The higher the score, the better your approval odds will be. More on this below.
- Existing Marriott cards in your wallet. Several restrictions are in place for individuals who have recently added other Chase- or AmEx-issued Marriott cards to their wallet. For instance, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase isn’t available to current holders of the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus credit card (no longer available) or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. You’ll also be denied if you’ve received a sign-up bonus on any of these cards in the last 24 months. American Express has similar restrictions that vary by card type. In other words: It could be difficult to get approved (again) for a Marriott credit card if you already hold one.
How to apply for a Marriott Rewards credit card
You can easily apply for the Marriott credit card of your choice by clicking the Apply Now button on each card's review page:
The application process is fairly straightforward, and the application questions will differ depending on if you're applying for a personal card or a business credit card. For instance, American Express asks Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card applicants to provide the legal business name, the company Doing Business As name and the business’s physical address.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card applicants on the Chase website will need to provide information like name, mailing address, gross annual income and primary source of income.
If you’re looking to apply for a Marriott credit card …
Co-branded Marriott cards help accelerate the speed with which you earn rewards in the Marriott Bonvoy program. However, the ongoing perks, such as elite status, elite night credits and free night certificates are also worth considering.
Based on how often you stay at Marriott properties, pick a card that suits your needs best, and use it to keep earning rewards in between hotel stays.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, see this page.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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