Don’t miss out on a 100k bonus with these Marriott Bonvoy credit cards

Back in September, Marriott brought back 100,000-point welcome bonuses on two of its entry-level cards: the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card. Both cards are offering new applicants the ability to earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months. The offer on the Bonvoy Business American Express card is only available through Oct. 23, 2019.

TPG values Marriott points at 0.8 cents each, making this bonus worth a very respectable $800. Although Marriott has made plenty of negative changes since its merger with SPG in 2016 (most recently the rollout of peak/off-peak pricing and crippling the Points Advance program), there are still opportunities for some great redemptions with this bonus.

For example, you could splurge on one night at the St. Regis Maldives or St. Regis Bora Bora, which both start at 70,000 points per night at off-peak times and soar to 100,000 points during peak pricing periods. You can also find more affordable redemption options, such as the Mira Moon Hotel Hong Kong, which costs anywhere from 30,000 points per night during off-peak pricing to 40,000 during peak pricing.

If you luck out with off-peak pricing at the Mira Moon Hong Kong, you can stay three nights with this bonus alone. (Photo by Ethan Steinberg/The Points Guy)

The Bonvoy Business Amex and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card are incredibly similar in terms of earning rates and benefits, but there are a few key differences. Let’s take a look at how these two cards stack up against each other:

	Bonvoy Business Amex	Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
Welcome bonus	Earn 100,000 Marriott points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months (through Oct. 23, 2019). Terms apply.	Limited-time offer: Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $5k on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee	$125 (see rates and fees)	$95
Bonus categories	6x on eligible Marriott purchases 4x on U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service and on U.S. purchases for shipping 2x everywhere else	6x on eligible Marriott purchases 2x everywhere else
Anniversary free night	Worth up to 35,000 points. Earn a second 35,000 point free night by spending $60,000 a year on the card	Worth up to 35,000 points
Elite status	15 elite night credits (automatic Silver elite status) Upgrade to Gold by spending $35,000 a year	15 elite night credits (automatic Silver elite status) Upgrade to Gold by spending $35,000 a year

The Bonvoy Business Amex — formerly known as the SPG Business Amex — is one of my favorite credit cards. Despite the fact that I have four different Bonvoy cards, this is the one that I use for most of my spending. The card’s $125 annual fee (see rates and fees) is more than made up for by the anniversary free night certificate (worth up to 35,000 points). You can also earn a second 35,000-point free night certificate by spending $60,000 in a calendar year, which is why I keep this card near the top of my wallet.

It also stands out from other Bonvoy cards by offering additional bonus categories on top of the standard 6x at Marriott and 2x everywhere else. The card earns 4x points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. services and on U.S. purchases for shipping.

Still, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card can be a good choice for customers looking for a personal credit card or one with a lower annual fee. If you don’t plan on spending $60,000 a year on the card (which comes with a huge opportunity cost) and you don’t frequently shop at the Bonvoy Business’ 4x categories, then the Boundless can be a better option.

Eligibility

Since the merger, Marriott has limited eligibility for new credit card bonuses on its cobranded cards. The welcome offer on the Bonvoy Business Amex won’t be available to you if:

• You have or have had this product (or its predecessor, the SPG Business Amex) before
• You have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards^® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days
• You have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy^TMPremier Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days
• You received a new cardmember bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Credit Card from Chase

In short, you can’t earn the welcome bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex if you currently hold either of the Marriott business credit cards issued by Chase (neither of which are currently open to new applicants), or if you’ve opened the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless or the Marriott Bonvoy Premier in the last 90 days, or earned the welcome bonuses on those two cards in the last 24 months.

Also note that Amex may limit your eligibility for welcome bonuses based on your history with the issuer and the number of cards you’ve opened or closed. When you’re filling out the application, keep your eyes open for a pop-up message alerting you that you aren’t eligible for this particular bonus.

There are also separate restrictions on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. You won’t be eligible for this welcome offer if:

• You are current cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus), or Marriott Bonvoy Bold^TM credit card
• You are previous cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus), or Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card, and received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months
• You are are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of Marriott Bonvoy^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express)
• You are a current or previous cardmember of either Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^TM 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
• You applied and were approved for Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^TM American Express^® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest^® American Express Luxury Card) within the last 90 days

Note that these restrictions are in addition to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which does apply to the Bonvoy Boundless card. What this means, unfortunately, is that you’ll have to pick between one of these bonuses as you won’t be able to apply for both.

Further Reading: Am I eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? 

Bottom line

For the last several months, the standard bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card card has been 75,000 Marriott points, so this limited-time offer represents a nice 33% increase, and an extra $200 worth of points based on TPG’s valuations.

Both of these cards have pretty average annual fees, in the range of $95-$125, but you should have no problem getting $200 or more in value each year from your free night certificate.

Add in the ability for high-spending businesses to earn a second annual free night on the Bonvoy Business Amex and this is quite a compelling offer. If you don’t have a business but are looking to boost your Marriott points balance, the identical 100,000-point offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is also a great deal.

Apply here for the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, each with a 100,000-point bonus.

Additional reporting by Benet Wilson and Madison Blancaflor. Featured image by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, please click here.