American Express has sent out a survey about potential changes to the Marriott business card. Currently there is one business card, but this survey suggests that could change with the business portfolio mirroring the personal portfolio and there being three cards:
Contents
American Express Marriott Business
- 6x Marriott
- 4x Global dining, US Gas, US Shipping, US wireless
- 2x other
- $160 Marriott property credit per year ($80 twice a year) to be used on Marriott properties or on-property activities
- Gold status
- 15 Elite Night
- 10% Points Booking Discount
- Annual Fee: $150
American Express Marriott Brilliant Business
- 6x Marriott
- 3x Global dining, US gas station, US shipping, transit
- 2x other
- Platinum Status
- 85k Free Night Award on card anniversary
- 25 Elite night
- 1 Elight night per $5k spend
- $160 Marriott property credit per year ($80 twice a year)
- Choice Award unchanged
- $120 transit credit ($10 per month)
- $120 wireless credit ($10 per month)
- PPS
- GE/TSA
- Annual Fee:$695
American Express Marriott Bevy Business
- 6x Marriott
- 4x Global dining, US Gas, US Shipping, US wireless
- 2x other
- Gold status
- 65k Free Night after spending $25k in a calendar year
- 20 Elite night
- 1 Elite night per $5k spend
- $120 transit credit
- $120 wireless credit
- Annual Fee:$350
Our Verdict
Currently the annual fee on the Marriott business card is $125 and has the following benefits:
- Anniversary free night award up to 35,000 points (this is a free night certificated that can be used on properties costing up to 35,000 points)
- $125 annual fee (not waived first year)
- Card earns at the following rates:
- Six Marriott rewards points per dollar spent at participating hotels
- Four Marriott rewards points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- Two points per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Gold status
- Receive 15 nights towards elite status
- Premium in room internet access at participating properties
- No foreign transaction fees
Pretty big charge if they do introduce these new business cards.
Hat tip to reader H XU
No free night certificate, won’t keep the card. Garbage changes
But you won’t be able to open a new business card if you’ve previously held any Marriott card in the past 13 moons, or earned a bonus since the last solar eclipse, or closed any AMEX card since Mercury was last in retrograde.
I will definitely drop this like my Hilton business card after they changed it to the coupon book. The only reason to keep this card in the first place is the cert will easily cover the fee.
This term is for the chase Marriott card. Amex Marriott business currently offer Gold status just by owning the card.
Fixed, thanks
I am surprised people are saying Marriott points are worthless. I am currently in an overwater bungalow booked using points. About 4.5 cpp value for Marriott points with this redemption.
Sure there are bad redemptions, and its not as easy to get good redemptions like with Hyatt, but there are also exceptional redemptions.
Overall my opinion on the possible Amex Marriott business card changes.
Indeed. Those who say they’re worthless seem to not want to put in the work to find the sweet spots. That seems to be the case with other loyalty programs as well. People complain about Delta’s Sky Pesos but there are ways to redeem them at superior values.
general rule in this game: n00bs stay n00bs for a reason (eg TPGarbage)
“cHaSe iS tHe MoSt vAluAblE cUrRenCy cUz TPG vAluE 1.5CPP”
Brilliant business + brilliant consumer is a SOLID combo – especially if uber add funds counts as transit, and Marriott gift cards can trigger 80usd credit. This brings down AF to 350 or so USD. And it is 50 elite night credits allowing 5 SNA upgrades EVERY YEAR.
The consumer version is another 350 USD net fee with Priority pass
2 85K night with 5 SNAs is a deadly combo for 700 USD. Great if you havebusiness to tax deduct the fee.
Better if you have multiple Ritz-Carlton cards you can have 3 or even 4 85K certs in a row.
I’m not certain that a person receives the fifth night free when using four FNCs. I can’t remember where I came across this exclusion. Perhaps I’m wrong.
I was told in no uncertain terms by multiple reps on the phone that 5th night free cannot be stacked with FNCs – points only.
10 night minimum BiHENC required each year for credit card holders.
BiHENC = Butt in Hotel Elight Night Credit
You wont require – with this combo, and hence the method.
Also a protip to DoC author – You can cancel combo on Jan 2 with 50 ENC and remain platinum for 2 years
The math doesn’t seem correct here, ” especially if uber add funds counts as transit, and Marriott gift cards can trigger 80usd credit. This brings down AF to 350 or so USD”
$695- (Transit ($120) + Marriott credit ($160)) = $415, not $350.
Also personally it doesn’t make much sense to me for people to pay $695 + $650 in AF each year for the Nightly upgrade awards/NUA (SNA is the previous awards they used to give until 2024).
If you’re not staying in Marriotts enough to hit 50 ENC annually with the 40 ENC boost from the personal and consumer cards, then you probably shouldn’t be paying $1345 in AFs.
I currently have the Bonvoy Brilliant and business Bonvoy cards for the 40 ENC. The double stacking Platinum status from a consumer and business Bonvoy Brilliant seems redundant. The 85k certificate is nice, but not sure if its worth paying an effective $415 for it. The consumer Bonvoy Brilliant has a much lower effective AF with the $25 monthly food credit, priority pass, and lower AF ($350 effective AF).
If the transit credit is like that of the Delta cards, I believe adding funds to Uber Cash doesn’t work . . . it must be an actual ride. Regarding the Marriott credit, actual data points will tell the story but I believe this is a property credit and gift cards might not work.
As for SNAs, perhaps you are blessed. I never had a successful redemption of an SNA.
I wonder if Uber eats would work?
If it’s transit and not rideshare, it should be possible to just reload a tollpass account if you’re in a tollway state. Tolls generally code within transit types.
I will definitely close my card if this change is made. The card is barely a keeper as the 35K FNCs are getting harder to use. I use it to stack with FNC from a personal card. But I have lifetime plat status so I don’t need the nights anymore and if they strip the FNCs , I’m gone.
Has Marriott offered points booking discounts before, and has that resulted in FNCs becoming more usable? Turning a 35k FNC into an effective 38.9k or an 85k into 94.4k could help the base business card justify itself for those with the full complement of Marriott cards getting 3 other FNCs, though I still think it would be a net loss vs an extra FNC.
And if that doesn’t work then it’s an easy close for all but the most sunk-cost invested Marriott loyalists.
While technically Marriott does offer “points saver” rates at times, it doesn’t seem to mean much in practice since pricing is now dynamic and points redemption rates can change on a day to day basis.
I have the current Amex Marriott Biz card and it is worth it for the free night. I can typically get a minimum of $200 in value from it. I’ve gotten as high as $400 in European capitals.
The offer for the new compatible card is maxed out at $160 and a 10% Points Booking Discount, which would only be worth maybe 30K per year for me. I typically book with points only for the 5th night free and when the room rates are over $300 per night.
So, it is just more hassle, but probably still a sock drawer card.
The existing card was already a marginal keeper, with Marriott steadily cutting away at the value. Looks like I may be freeing up an Amex slot.