Compare the Features and Benefits of American Express® Gold Card and
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

💳 This card earns American Express Membership Rewards points. American Express often runs transfer bonuses where you can get even more points when you transfer to airline or hotel partners at designated times. Transfer bonuses are awesome. Get 20%, 30%, 40% or more bonus miles when you transfer points at the right times. But they are easy to miss!

You can see all past Transfer Bonuses from American Express Membership Rewards here.

Even better? Get notified when a new transfer bonus comes out and again before it ends (either or both, your choice). Sign up for free alerts right here. 🔔

The American Express Gold Card (and the Rose Gold version of the Amex Gold Card) is one of my favorite credit cards on the market.

While many cards have more bonus categories or more features, the simplicity of a card that earns 4X American Express Membership Rewards points on both dining (up to $50,000 annually; 1X thereafter) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually; 1X thereafter), given how much of my monthly spend is in one of these two categories, makes it an easy top-of-wallet choice. 3X on airfare is also nice.

It helps that I have no problem at all using the included credits, living in a major metropolitan area. In fact, I’ve generally used both of the included credits at GrubHub and Uber Eats by the fifth of each month! The Resy credits are also easy to use if you live in a major metro area (although admittedly not as easy if you don’t!). And the $7 Dunkin’ credits come in handy if you live in a Dunkin’ heavy area (which we do).

While I wouldn’t make it my only credit card, it definitely complements other cards nicely. If you already have the American Express Platinum Card, for example, you’d be better off using the Platinum card for its many benefits and 5X on airfare (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), but using your Amex Gold Card for your groceries and restaurant expenses.

Keep in mind that all of your American Express Membership Rewards points accrue to one master account. As long as you have at least one card open that earns Membership Rewards points, your points will never expire.

This includes no-annual fee cards like the Blue Business Plus.

The Amex Gold is also featured in our 5 Best Credit Cards for Groceries / Supermarkets.

Rates and Fees for the American Express® Gold Card

If you’re a business owner with a Marriott Bonvoy member account, there’s only one Marriott credit card that can deliver all the benefits you’re looking for. For Marriott perks galore, the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card is a stellar option. Better yet, its annual fee that pays itself for many small business owners who can take full advantage of the benefits offered by the card – especially that annual free night.

Let’s talk about how cardholders can earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points with the card. You’ll earn 6x points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, and fortunately, there are more than 8,500 (and growing!) properties worldwide. The Bonvoy Business is one of our favorite business credit cards for small business owners that lean into Marriott for hotel stays.

You’ll also earn 4x bonus points per dollar of eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping, and 2x points on all non-bonus purchases. To tie it all together, there are no caps to the number of points you can earn from the card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are still incredibly versatile, as no other hotel chain can boast the sheer number of properties that participate in this loyalty program. Besides redeeming your Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels, you also have the flexibility to transfer them to participating airline loyalty programs and directly for eligible airfare and car rentals through Marriott’s unique Air+Car Transfer program.

Even if you decide to pay for your stay on your own accord, this business credit card unlocks a 7% room discount at participating properties. This can amount to significant savings depending on how often you’re staying at Marriott hotels.

What really makes this Marriott credit card stand out from the rest is the free nights you can earn with the card (though certain hotels have resort fees). With your card membership, you’ll pay the annual fee on every account anniversary, and in the following month you’ll receive a Marriott free night award. This has a redemption value of 35,000 points, or roughly $210 in value at hotels participating in this loyalty program. Plus, you can add on up to 15,000 of your own points if you’d like to use the certificate at a hotel costing between 25,000 and 50,000 points for the night.

You’ll get the chance to earn an additional free night award if you’re a high-roller and can meet the $60,000+ spend threshold per calendar year, and this is certainly doable for businesses with many expenses.

On site at Marriott hotels and resorts, you’ll be rewarded even further with automatic Gold elite status. You’ll earn 25% more Marriott points as a Gold member (on top of the card’s 6X earning rate!), as well as access to 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability) and room upgrades. Finally, you’ll get premium room internet access, making sure you stay connected no matter where you’re traveling.

In sum, this long-list of perks makes it one of our favorite hotel business credit cards, as earning Marriott Bonvoy points can be easier than ever from your routine business expenses.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Eligibility Rules

Note: There are some confusing eligibility rules around this card. If you have the Bonvoy American Express card, Ritz Carlton Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you are free to apply for this card.

If you have a Chase Marriott Boundless, Chase Bonvoy Bold, or Chase Bonvoy Bountiful, you will only be  eligible to apply for this card if it’s been more than 24 months since you received the bonus on that card.

Rates and Fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card