On February 13th, Marriott phased out both its Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton Rewards programs, integrating them with the new Marriott Bonvoy. This is the new name for Marriott Rewards, which now encompasses dozens of brands that had been under three separate rewards programs.
As part of the Bonvoy rebranding, both American Express and Chase have introduced newly renamed cards for Bonvoy customers. Let’s take a look at two of the most popular cards from this program:
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
This card is issued by Chase and offers new applicants 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on new purchases in their account’s first three months. Those who have the The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus card will eventually receive this version of the card. With this card, you can earn 6X Bonvoy points per dollar spent at over 6,700 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You also earn 2X Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Other benefits include a Free Night Award, valued up to 35,000 points, every year after your account anniversary. You also receive automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, plus a path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on eligible purchases in an account year. With this card, you can reach the next level of elite status even faster, with 15 night credits each calendar year. You also receive free premium Wi-fi service when you stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels. There’s a $95 annual fee for this card, and no foreign transaction fees imposed on charges processed outside of the United States.
Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card
When you take advantage of this limited time offer, you can earn 100,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after you using your card to make $5,000 of eligible purchases within the first three months of account opening. This offer ends on April 24th of 2019. This card features 6x points for purchases made at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You also earn 4x points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. Finally, you can earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
Cardholder benefits include a night’s stay awarded every year after your account anniversary. These awards can be used for one night’s stay at redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. You also receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status with your card, and you can earn Gold Elite status after making $35,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Other benefits include 15 night credits each calendar year towards the next level of elite status. You also receive free premium Wi-fi service when you stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and a membership with the Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot network. There’s a $125 annual fee for this card (if application received before 3/28/19, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95), and no foreign transaction fees imposed on charges processed outside of the United States (see rates and fees).
Intro image by Levent Konuk via Shutterstock
