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

The Marriott Bonvoy program offers five different co-branded credit card options, from both American Express and Chase. If we start from the top, there’s the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, with a considerable $650 annual fee. But the luxury hotel card comes with a substantial number of perks that make sense for the ultra-Marriott loyalist.

For starters, the card offers complimentary Platinum elite status, which typically requires 50+ nights at Marriott hotels per year. At this elite tier level, you’ll enjoy 50% bonus points at Marriott hotels (on top of the card’s earning rate), room upgrades up to select suites upon availability at most brands, and a welcome gift like amenities, points, or even breakfast. Enjoy a guaranteed late checkout of 4pm at most properties (resorts and convention centers are excluded). You’ll also get 25 annual elite night credits which can help you qualify for that next tier of Marriott status — Titanium or Ambassador Elite, anyone?

Even more interesting is that if you also have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Card, you’ll earn 15 more elite nights on that card for a total of 40 elite night credits. With Titanium status, which also confers United Airlines Silver elite status, available at 75 nights, you’ll need to stay just 35 nights to achieve it.

As you can expect, this card is quite rewarding for hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, offering 6x points at Bonvoy properties. The card’s rewards rate is easy to memorize as it also provides 3x points at restaurants worldwide and 2x points on all other eligible purchases, but unfortunately it falls flat compared to other luxury cards on the market with those rates, given that we peg the value of a Bonvoy point around 0.6 cents each.

Still, if you’re a heavy spender, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card offers another unique benefit. Once you spend $60,000+ on the card per calendar year, you’ll get access to the Earned Choice Award Benefit. From here, there are some incredibly valuable options like 5 Suite Night Awards, an additional free night award (worth up to 85,000 points), or a $1,000 off a bed from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Perhaps the most lucrative awards are the former two options, as the suite night awards and free night certificate can be of excellent use at some of Marriott’s most bespoke properties.

Even if you don’t anticipate $60,000+ of card spend per year, don’t fret. You’ll still get a free night award just by renewing the card and paying the annual fee on your account anniversary. This free night award will land in your account after the card renewal month, and is worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. You can “top off” with up to 15,000 more points from your account if you want to book a night that costs between 85,000 and 100,000 points.

As mentioned above, we estimate Marriott Bonvoy points to be worth about 0.6 cents each so with the 85,000 point certificate, you’re expected to receive at least a $510 value (or more!) for a property of your choice. Use your free night awards wisely, and you can land free nights at some of the most luxurious properties in Marriott’s expansive portfolio.

Not to mention, the card also comes with an up to $300 dining credit, which is distributed in up to $25 monthly credits. You’ll get a reimbursement for restaurants worldwide, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be getting this $300 rebate on your favorite eateries. (Terms apply.)

Finally, the Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application credit (terms apply), up to a $100 Marriott property credit for eligible stays (terms apply), and a swathe of essential travel and purchase protections to boot.

Simply put, if you have a Marriott Bonvoy member account and want top-notch perks when staying at Marriott properties, look no further than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card.

Rates and Fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card