Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card 2024 Review: For Earning Free Hotel Nights
Marriott Bonvoy Business® from American Express® Card
When booking hotel stays for business travel, your choice of credit card can make a difference.
The is designed for Marriott enthusiasts who are interested in earning free nights faster.
In addition to earning rewards for Marriott stays and other purchases, you can also unlock valuable loyalty perks.
For example, that includes automatic Gold Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program. Plus, you can enjoy on-property benefits and the flexibility of transferring points to travel partners.
This card has a $125 annual fee (see Rates & Fees; terms apply), which is important to weigh in the balance.
If you're on the hunt for a new hotel rewards card, learn more about what this card has to offer.
*See Rates & Fees. Terms apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Pros & Cons
Earn Free Nights Faster
The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is designed for maximizing your rewards value at Marriott hotels.
Here's how the rewards program breaks down:
- Restaurants worldwide
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. shipping providers
- Wireless phone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
Straightaway, you'll see that this card offers the most bang for your buck when you book Marriott hotel stays.
So, charging $1,000 for a three-night business trip would net you 60,000 points.
In terms of the secondary rewards tiers, this card is pretty generous when it comes to earning points on everyday business purchases. If you spend $50,000 a year on gas, restaurants, shipping and cell phone services, you'd rack up another 200,000 points toward free nights.
If you spend $50,000 a year on gas, restaurants, shipping and cell phone services, you'd rack up another 200,000 points toward free nights.
Not to mention:
Eligible new cardmembers can earn a generous welcome bonus. If you meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the bonus, you could easily score some free nights right away.
Redemptions
In terms of redeeming your Marriott Bonvoy points, they're most valuable when used to book hotel stays.
You can use them for free nights at over 6,900 hotel and resort properties in the Marriott Bonvoy collection.
Redemptions for off-peak stays at Category 1 hotels start at just 5,000 points.
The maximum amount of rewards needed for a free night is 100,000 points. That will get you a peak night at a Category 8 hotel, which includes luxury properties like Ritz-Carlton and the St. Regis.
Other ways to redeem points include:
While these options give you flexibility, they don't offer as much value as using points for award nights.
Keep in mind that you can also redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for flights on over 300 airlines and more than 40 frequent flyer programs.
Most points transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
When you transfer 60,000 points or more to a participating frequent flyer program, you can get a 5,000-mile bonus.
Premium Travel Benefits as a Marriott Bonvoy Member
As a cardmember, you're automatically enrolled in the Marriott Bonvoy program with Gold Elite status. That comes with its own perks, including:
All of those features make the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card more valuable. Of course, those benefits are going to be most attractive if you prefer Marriott to other hotel brands.
And if you stay frequently with Marriott, you can easily work your way up to higher tiers in the Bonvoy loyalty program. The higher your tier, the more benefits you can enjoy.
Other Card Benefits
The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card includes some valuable travel benefits.
Those include:
In addition to these benefits, you also get helpful tools to manage your account.
Those include employee spending controls if you're adding employee cards and Vendor Pay by Bill.com.
Fees
The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card doesn't have a ton of fees--the most important one to know is the annual fee.
Consider what you could earn in rewards and how much redemption value you could get to determine if the fee is worth it.
Compared to Other Business Credit Cards
The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card could be great for hotel stays. But consider these other rewards card options.
American Express Business Gold Card
gives you multiple ways to earn rewards.
You earn four Membership Rewards points per dollar on the two categories your business spends the most in each month.
The four points per dollar applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases each year. After that, you earn one point per dollar but it's unlimited. There's a $295 annual fee ($375 if application is received on or after 2/1/24) (see Rates & Fees; terms apply) for this card.
*See Rates & Fees. Terms apply.
Read the American Express Business Gold Card editor's review.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
is a premium travel rewards card.
This card offers five Membership Rewards points per dollar on flights and hotels booked through amextravel.com. Qualifying purchases over $5,000 earn 1.5 points per dollar, up to 2 million additional points per year. All other eligible purchases earn one point per dollar.
Where this card shines is its perks. Benefits include American Express Global Lounge Collection access, a 35% of redeemed points paid back when you use Pay With Points to book flights through American Express Travel (up to 500,000 points paid back per calendar year) and various credits towards popular brands and services. The catch, of course, is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees; terms apply).
*See Rates & Fees. Terms apply.
Read the American Express Business Platinum Card editor's review.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
The lets you earn three points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in these categories annually:
All other purchases earn unlimited one point per dollar. There's a $95 annual fee for this one.
What makes this card unique is what you can get when redeeming your points. When you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you get 25% more points value.
Read the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card editor's review.
Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards
Business and personal credit cards aren't the same and it's important to note how they differ.
For example, business credit cards offer rewards that are tailored to how a business spends. Personal cards feature rewards that are designed for everyday spending and travel.
Personal and business credit cards can also vary when it comes to card perks, interest rates and fees. And in terms of credit score impact, they're also different.
A business credit card can show up on your business credit history and influence your business credit scores. But it can also affect your personal credit score.
Applying for a business credit card may mean supplying your social security number. That can lead to a hard pull of your personal credit history.
A business credit card can affect your personal score in another way If it's tied to your social security number. Defaulting on the card could lead to a black mark on your personal credit reports.
How to apply for a business credit card
Applying for a business credit card is a simple enough process. You need to give the credit card company your personal and business information, including:
Can you get a business credit card if you have a brand-new business? The short answer is yes.
Rather than looking at your business finances, the credit card company can approve you based on your personal credit score and income.
Final Verdict
The is suited to business travelers who frequent Marriott Bonvoy hotels and want to maximize rewards.
This card could be a good fit if you travel often and you want to earn free nights as quickly as possible.
You may want to choose a different travel rewards card if you don't always stay exclusively with Marriott Bonvoy or you want to earn rewards on flights.
Overall, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card could be best if saving on hotel stays is a priority for your business.
See the rates & fees for the mentioned American Express cards: The Business Platinum Card from American Express (Rates & Fees; terms apply) and American Express Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees; terms apply).
