Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card Review 2023

Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card Review 2023

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card comes with an anniversary free night worth up to 35,000 points, elite status, and travel and purchase protections.

This is a small business credit card, meaning you'll need a business venture to qualify. This could be something as simple as selling items on eBay or dog-sitting.

Small-business owners with a credit card strategy of free hotel stays will get a lot of value from the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. Even if you own a part-time business or have a side hustle, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a great pick.

This card is currently offering a bonus of 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after making $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership. According to Insider's points and miles valuations, that's worth an average of $525 in travel.

Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card Review: Is It Worth It for You?

Aside from the intro offer, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card can help you earn lots of Marriott points from your small-business expenses. It earns 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 4x points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. shipping purchases, and 2x points on all other eligible purchases. 

While the card does have a $125 annual fee, you can easily offset the cost (and then some) with a single card perk. Each year after your card renewal month, you'll receive a free night certificate, valid at Marriott Bonvoy hotels that cost up to 35,000 points per night. 

Cardholders also receive automatic Marriott Gold elite status (which gets room upgrades upon availability at check-in), 15 elite night credits per year, and benefits like baggage insurance, car rental insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. The card also now gets you a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy® program when you book directly.

If you're looking for a Marriott card but aren't sure you can justify the $125 annual fee, there are other options. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card charges a $95 annual fee and offers the same type of anniversary free night certificate as the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. It's currently offering 3 Free Night Awards, worth up to 50,000 points each, after spending $3,000 in the first three months from account opening.

Or if you'd rather not pay an annual fee at all, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has a welcome bonus of 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening — but doesn't come with a free anniversary night.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Marriott Bonvoy Business Rewards

Marriott Bonvoy Business bonus

Currently, you can earn a bonus of 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after making $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership. 

Insider's rewards valuations estimate that Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each. That makes this bonus worth $525, on average. But you can get a lot more value if you know the best ways to redeem Marriott points.

How to earn points from the Marriott Business card

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a solid choice for small-business owners because it earns bonus points on a wide variety of common business expenses. Cardholders earn:

• 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program (this is in addition to up to 10x points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member)
• 4 points per dollar on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. shipping purchases
• 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases

How to use points from the Marriott Business card

Marriott Bonvoy® points are among the most versatile around, and they're useful even if you don't stay with Marriott. Not only can you redeem them for stays at over 7,000 hotels worldwide, but you can also transfer them to nearly 40 airline partners, including most major US airlines and dozens of international carriers.

Marriott has eliminated its award charts and moved to dynamic pricing, which means the price of an award night varies based on demand, the paid price of the room, season, and other factors. Award nights at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program start at 5,000 points for off-peak redemptions at brands like Fairfield Inn and TownePlace Suites, and go all the way up to 120,000 points for a peak season night at luxurious hotels like St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton. 

I've had the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card for several years and usually redeem points at budget-friendly hotels. For example, I used 5,000 Marriott points on a family road trip at a brand-new Fairfield Inn in Cleveland. If I'd paid cash, the room would have cost around $120, so I got a value of 2.4 cents per point — well above average. You can also get outsized value by using points for stays at pricey properties like the Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa, where nightly rates can approach $2,000.

Marriott Bonvoy brands

• AC Hotels
• Aloft
• Autograph Collection
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Delta Hotels
• Design Hotels
• EDITION
• Element
• Fairfield Inn & Suites
• Four Points by Sheraton
• Gaylord Hotels
• Homes & Villas by Marriott International
• JW Marriott
• Le Meridien
• The Luxury Collection
• Marriott Executive Apartments
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Marriott Vacation Club
• Moxy Hotels
• Protea Hotels
• Renaissance Hotels
• Residence Inn 
• The Ritz-Carlton
• Sheraton
• SpringHill Suites
• St. Regis
• TownePlace Suites
• Tribute Portfolio
• W Hotels
• Westin

If you decide to transfer your Marriott points to airlines, in most cases the ratio is 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile. However, when you transfer increments of 60,000 points, you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus with most partners (so 60,000 Marriott points become 25,000 airline miles). The exceptions to this rule are American Airlines, Avianca, Delta, and Korean Air.

Some Marriott airline partners — like Alaska Airlines — don't partner with any other major bank transferable points program. If you need a few more miles for an award, transferring points from Marriott may be one of the only ways to help reach your goal.

You can also redeem Marriott points in other ways (including non-travel redemptions), but typically you'll get a lower value:

• Airfare, car rentals, or air and car packages
• Exclusive events, experiences, concerts, tours, and more through Marriott Bonvoy Moments
• Gift cards or merchandise through Marriott Shop With Points
• Charity donations for disaster relief, including the American Red Cross and Unicef

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Benefits and Features

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card comes with an array of benefits and perks geared to travelers and small-business owners that can save you money and protect you when things don't go as planned.

Annual free night award

Each year after your card renewal month, you'll receive a free night certificate valid at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program that cost up to 35,000 points — many of which can cost $200 or $300 per night. And if you spend $60,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year, you can earn a second free night award with the same maximum points limit.

Last year, Marriott Bonvoy added the option of topping up these certificates with up to 15,000 points from your account. That means you can potentially use your certificate at hotels that cost as much as 50,000 points.

I've consistently redeemed the free night certificate from my Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card at hotels where the paid rate is much more than the card's $125 annual fee, and that's one of the reasons I renew the card every year.

Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status

You'll receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status for as long as you have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, which gets you room upgrades upon availability at check-in, a 25% bonus on eligible purchases at participating hotels, 2 p.m. late checkout (when available), and enhanced Wi-Fi.

15 elite night credits per year

Each calendar year, Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardholders automatically receive 15 elite night credits that can help toward qualifying for the next level of elite status.

You can earn one set of credits from a personal card and one from a small-business card each year, so if you also have a personal Marriott card (like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card) you'll earn at least 30 elite night credits a year.

7% discount on standard room rates

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card now offers a 7% discount on standard room rates at Marriott Bonvoy properties when you book directly through Marriott. This could help you save a bit of money if you're already planning on booking a paid reservation that qualifies for this benefit.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

When you use your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card to pay for your entire car rental and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver, you'll get secondary coverage for damage due to theft and collision. Some vehicle types and countries are excluded, so be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully.

Baggage insurance plan

If you pay for a covered trip with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, you can be covered for baggage loss or damage, up to $500 per person for checked bags and $1,250 per person for carry-on luggage.

There are exclusions for high-risk items and some states have different limits, so check the terms and conditions for specific details.

Purchase protection

When you pay for an eligible item with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, purchase protection can cover theft or damage that occurs within 90 days of purchase, up to a maximum of $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per account per calendar year.

Extended warranty

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card comes with up to one additional year of extended warranty coverage for eligible new purchases in the US or its territories, on manufacturer's warranties of five years or less. 

Global Assist Hotline

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardholders can access Amex's Global Assist Hotline, which can help arrange things like passport replacement, medical referrals, and translation services when you're traveling. The service itself is complimentary, but you'll be responsible for any third-party costs incurred.

Amex Offers

American Express cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, come with targeted discounts and bonus rewards at participating merchants through Amex Offers**. Enrollment in the offer is required through your online account, then you'll receive your bonus or discount when you make a qualifying purchase.

The savings can really add up. Since opening this card, I've saved over $540 with Amex Offers — and that's not counting offers on my other Amex cards.

American Express

Small-business benefits

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card also offers benefits specifically geared toward small-business owners, including:

• Access to the American Express business app, which helps you manage receipts and expenses
• Employee cards with spending limits that you can set up online or by calling American Express

Marriott Bonvoy Business Annual Fee and Other Costs

This card has a $125 annual fee. The Marriott Bonvoy Business annual fee is worth it because it's easy to make up that cost with perks like an annual award night certificate, travel benefits, and Amex Offers. In addition, you won't pay foreign transaction fees with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, so it's a good choice if your business makes a lot of international purchases or if you travel overseas.

It's best to pay your card balance in full each month, but if you don't a 20.74% - 29.74% Variable APR applies.

There are other fees that apply in certain situations, including:

• Cash advance fee:  Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
• Late payment fee: Up to $39
• Returned payment fee: Up to $39

How the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card Compares

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business vs other Marriott credit cards

**Bonus points at Marriott hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

***The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offer an annual free night award each year after your card renewal month, for hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program that cost up to 35,000 points

****The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers an annual free night award every year after your card renewal month for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 85,000 points

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card vs other hotel credit cards

**Bonus points at Marriott, Hilton, and IHG hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

***The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers an annual free night award each year after your card renewal month for hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program that cost up to 35,000 points

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology: How we reviewed the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card

Insider rates the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card a solid 4.25 out of 5 stars. This is the card's score when matched against competing hotel credit cards — and it's above average. The card's welcome bonus is excellent, its ongoing benefits can net you hundreds of dollars per year, and its earning rates are higher than any other Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

For more about our methodology, read our guide to how we rate and review credit cards.