New limited-time offer. The is a travel rewards card that arose from the merger of Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott hotels. Here are the highlights:
- 100,000 bonus points after you $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Up to 17X total Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
. - 2X Bonvoy points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
- 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
- $95 annual fee.
Keep in mind the following:
The bonus is not available to you if you:
(1) are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express);
(2) are a current or previous cardmember of either Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card), and received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus in the last 24 months; or
(3) applied and were approved for Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card) within the last 90 days.
That’s a lot of long card names, but note the different 30-day, 90-day, and 24-month waiting periods that may now include Marriott business cards. (See my .) This is why you should be looking to get the best possible bonus (like a limited-time offer) if you do apply.
The Marriott and Starwood merger is now complete, and you can use these points at either Marriott properties (Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites) or former Starwood Properties (Westin, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, Aloft).
Here’s the new award chart information:
50,000 points will get you a free night at a Category 5 hotel (any time including peak), Category 6 hotel (off-peak or standard), or Category 7 (off-peak). A sample Category 5 hotel is the Courtyard Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. A sample Category 6 hotel is the Sheraton Kauai Resort or Residence Inn Maui Wailea. A sample Category 7 hotel is the Westin Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, Honolulu or the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas.
Points can also be transferred to airline miles with a bonus. 60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 airline miles. Similar to the old Starwood bonus structure, they will add 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer to airline miles.
Finally, Marriott points are also convertible to gift cards, but it takes 60,000 points to redeem for a $200 gift card for Marriott or retailers like Best Buy, Home Depot, or Nordstrom. That ratio isn’t all that great so you’ll definitely get the most value via hotel night redemptions or airline miles transfer.
Free Night Award. At your card anniversary (when you pay the annual fee), you will receive a Free Night Award that is good for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel. This excludes the very top properties, but for regular travelers it will be very easy to get your $95 value. Many W Hotels, Westin, and even some Ritz-Carltons worldwide are included. Here are some sample hotels that qualify under the 35,000 point limit:
- Sheraton Kona Resort (Big Island, Hawaii)
- Westin Hapuna Beach Resort (Big Island, Hawaii)
- Courtyard Waikiki Beach (Honolulu, Oahu)
- Sheraton Kauai Resort (Kauai, Hawaii)
- W Atlanta
- New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
- W Chicago
- The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing, China
- The S. Regis Bangkok, Thailand
No annual fee alternative. The is also running a limited-time offer of 50,000 bonus points after $1,000 in purchases within 3 months of account opening, all with no annual fee (but lesser ongoing rewards).
Bottom line. The (formerly the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card) is currently offering 100,000 bonus points for new cardholders. As with all hotel cards, the value is dependent on your unique travel preferences. If you stay at Marriott/Starwood properties regularly, the free annual night award should easily cover the annual fee.
Also see: .
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