Amex and Marriott recently upped the ante on the co-branded *bonvoy business* by introducing a new welcome offer that has the potential to be quite lucrative.
If you've got a small business – and trust us, you likely do – this offer is worth your attention … even if you're not a die-hard Marriott fan. Here is what's at stake with the current offer: bonus_miles_full
This card also includes additional perks like Marriott Gold elite status, an annual free night award, and bonus elite night credits which make it a keeper for the long term.
If you've had your eyes on this card, now's a good time to apply.
Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. You should never apply for a credit card if you're already in debt, and never charge more to a credit card than you can afford to pay off immediately. However many Marriott points you can earn, they're not worth it.
Read on to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card and its current welcome offer.
Check out our full list of the best business credit card offers!
Marriott Bonvoy Business Card Overview
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Welcome Offer: *bonvoy business bonus*
- Free Night Certificate: Get a free night certificate each year on your cardmember anniversary, eligible at properties that cost up to 35,000 points. This benefit starts in your second year of card membership.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. wireless telephone services, and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Get a 7% discount on standard room rates at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- $125 Annual Fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the *bonvoy business*.
Annual Free Night Certificate
After holding the Bonvoy Business Card for a year, and each year thereafter, you'll get an annual free night certificate that can be used at any Marriott Bonvoy property costing up to 35,000 points per night.
The value of this annual free night award really can't be overstated. Since Marriott made the move to fully dynamic award pricing last year, there's no telling exactly what an award night will cost at a given property. But even so, having a free night award good for properties costing up to 35,000 points per night means that many Marriott properties will be at your disposal.
And given that you can add up to 15,000 additional Bonvoy points to your certificate, that means that this free night award can really be used at properties costing up to 50,000 points per night.
With how expensive hotels have gotten, this benefit alone is enough reason to get the card and keep renewing it year after year.
Marriott Gold Elite Status
Bonvoy Business cardholders get automatic Marriott Gold Elite status for as long as they hold the card. What does that mean?
Gold Elite status will get you a welcome gift of up to 500 Bonvoy points, a 25% bonus point earning on paid stays, a 2 p.m. late checkout, and space-available room upgrades (though I wouldn't count on it).
Elite Night Credits
You'll get 15 elite night credits each year that you hold the Bonvoy Business Card. This means that even though you also get automatic Gold Elite status, you'll be able to climb the status ladder even faster on your way to Platinum (50 elite nights) and Titanium status.
Best of all, if you've got a personal Bonvoy credit card in addition to the Bonvoy Business Card, your elite night credits will stack – up to a maximum of 40 elite night credits per year.
Discount on Paid Stays
With the Bonvoy Business card, you'll get a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. While a 7% savings doesn't sound like much, if you're on the road a lot for work, that savings can add up over time and help to offset the card's $125 annual fee.
Looking for a different Bonvoy Card instead? Check out the full Marriott Bonvoy Card portfolio and their current welcome offers.
Are You Eligible for the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card?
Since this is a business card, you'll need to have a business in order to apply. This might scare a lot of people off, but it shouldn't – many Americans have what the banks would consider a small business and don't even realize it.
Do you have any income from freelance work, or plans to start freelance work? You have a business. Have you ever sold an item on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, or other platforms, or have plans to do so in the future? You have a business.
At the end of the day, if you are selling any goods or services, or contracting with a company to do so in an attempt to make a profit, you have a small business and thus are typically eligible to apply for a small business credit card. That makes it possible for just about anybody to apply for a business credit card.
After determining whether or not your small business is eligible for this new welcome offer you'll also want to make sure you're able to get a new Marriott Card in general. Marriott has some really convoluted card eligibility rules thanks in part to the hotel chain's relationship with both Chase and American Express.
We'll break it down in greater detail below.
Marriott Credit Card Application Rules
First off, if you've never had a Marriott or Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, you're good to go. Don't bother yourself with trying to decipher the rest of these rules.
For those that previously had, or currently have a Marriott co-branded credit card, you'll want to ensure you're eligible before applying for this increased offer. Since Marriott and their bank partners have made it a challenge to know exactly which card you're eligible for, we created a handy card eligibility matrix to help make sense of it all.
Below you'll find the specific terms and limitations for the current welcome offer.
- Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase, in the last 90 days or received a bonus offer in the last 24 months.
So what does all this mean? If you currently have a Marriott Business Card from Chase, you're out of luck. Additionally, you won't be eligible for the increased welcome offer if you've had a Marriott Business Card from Chase in the past 30 days.
If you currently have any of the personal Bonvoy cards from Chase, or if you've had one in the past, it needs to be more than 24 months since you received a new cardmember welcome bonus in order to be eligible for the Bonvoy Business Card.
Related reading: Which Marriott Credit Card Am I Eligible For?
Best Uses for Marriott Points & Free Night Awards
There are plenty of ways to use your Marriott points and Free Night Awards. Whether you want to book a few free nights at a Marriott property or transfer your points to airlines, you'll discover Marriott points and Free Night Awards yield incredible value for travelers.
Book a Marriott Hotel Stay
Years ago, Marriott ditched their award chart in favor of dynamic pricing, so it's anyone's guess as to what a property will charge for an award stay. That said, there's still plenty of value when using Marriott Bonvoy points for a free night around the globe.
Take an aspirational property like the Le Méridien Maldives for example. Thrifty Traveler co-founder Nick had a chance to stay at this property recently and found the overwater villas, spa treatments, and mile after mile of uninterrupted ocean views to be a solid choice for anyone checking the Maldives off their bucket list for a bargain.
Although Nick was able to book his stay before Marriott completely scrapped their award chart, it's not uncommon to find dates at this property for under 50,000 Bonvoy points per night. With the current offer on the *bonvoy business* you could use those points to spend three nights in the Maldives!
By timing it right, you may even be able to use the cards's annual 35,000-point free night certificate – plus some additional points – to spend an extra day in paradise.
If the beach isn't your style, maybe you'll feel more at home in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. This hotel offers dramatic views of the Andes Mountains and is situated along the Incan Path, providing the perfect gateway to the royal city of Machu Picchu.
As of publication, there are many nights this fall bookable for just 43,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. This means that you'd be able to use the current welcome offer on the Bonvoy Business to book three free nights at this mountain oasis. Not bad for a hotel that often goes for $500 or more per night.
Thrifty Tip: Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa property, has a private train station for anyone starting the journey between Urubamba and Machu Picchu.
Turn Your Bonvoy Points into Airline Miles!
Although not a credit company like Chase or Amex, Marriott Bonvoy surpasses the banks with a whopping 40-plus airline transfer partners. You could argue that Bonvoy points are some of the most flexible in the points and miles world. And that only increases their value.
The only caveat is that they transfer at a 3:1 ratio to most airlines. Still, this one of the few (if not the only) hotel point currencies that can make sense to transfer to airlines. Marriott goes further by adding a 5,000-mile bonus for every transfer of 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.
However, a few airlines won't provide that 5,000-mile bonus. If you are transferring points to American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, or Avianca LifeMiles, you won't get that bonus.
If you have some extra Marriott points laying around and need another way to earn airline miles, this is a highly underrated method that has become one of my favorite way to keep earning miles.
Bottom Line
Marriott and American Express are out with a new limited-time offer on the *bonvoy business*, allowing new card members to earn three free nights (up to $50,000 points each) after spending $6,000 in the first six months. In addition to the bonus points, the card comes with perks like elite status, an annual free night certificate, and a discount on paid stays that make it a keeper for the long haul.
If you've got a good use in mind for Marriott points and this card has been on your radar, now could be the time to apply!
Learn more about the *bonvoy business*.
Hotel photos courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy
