The Best Hotel Card in Canada (American Express Marriott Bonvoy Review)

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card is the easiest way to rack up Marriott points for the purposes of free hotel stays. 

While there are certainly more hotel chains in Canada (Wyndham, IHG, Choice Hotels, Hilton), the ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points through their branded credit cards gives the program a level of appeal not seen with other chain. In my opinion, Marriott Bonvoy is the top hotel program in the country, as you can earn points directly through numerous credit cards, and can redeem these points at one of Marriott’s 6,500 global properties.

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The Basics 

Annual Fee: $120

Sign up Bonus: 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points

First Year Free: No

GCR Rebate: $60

Referral Bonus: 10,000 Bonvoy Points per referral

Lounge Access: No

First Year Value: $650

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American Express Marriott Bonvoy Sign up Bonus 

New cardholders will earn 65,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points points after charging $3,000 in net purchases to their card in the first 3 months.

You’ll also earn 3 Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible gas and travel purchases in the first 6 months (up to 15,000 points)

• Total of 80,000 Bonvoy Points

If you’re currently an American Express Marriott Bonvoy cardholder (either personal or business), You can earn 10,000 Bonvoy points by referring a friend or family member to the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card, or the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card.

Earning Rewards

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card has a solid earning rate for a Canadian credit card, especially at Marriott Hotels. The earn rates are as followed: 

5 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 spent at Marriott properties 

2 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 spent everywhere else.

While other cards have higher earning rates for particular categories (the American Express Cobalt Card offers 5 MR per dollar spent on food & beverage), the Marriott Bonvoy card has a decent earning rate of 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent. 

One of the downsides with the earning rate of this card is the lack of flexibility with Marriott Bonvoy points. Bonvoy points can be used at Marriott Hotels, but have a limited number of transfer partners. Some American Express cards allow you to earn Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to hotels AND airline partners. If you’re looking redeem your points for flights, it is in your best interest to use other cards.

Read: Your Complete Guide to Membership Rewards

Naturally, this is the card you should be using at Marriott Properties.

Redeeming Your Rewards

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card allows you to earn Marriott Bonvoy cards.

Marriott has a large number of properties under their umbrella. These range from high end establishments like the Ritz Carlton to more economical options like the Fairfield Inn. 

Marriott Bonvoy has a dynamic award chard, meaning the cost of redeeming your Bonvoy points will vary throughout the year. As a whole, you can expect to redeem your Bonvoy points at the following rates: 

Higher-tier hotels: 75,000+ Bonvoy points per night

Mid-tier hotels: 20,000 Bonvoy Points – 75,000 Bonvoy Points per night

Lower-tier hotels: : 5,000 Bonvoy Points points – 20,000 points per night

Fifth Night Free Promotion

For those booking their vacation stay with points, Marriott offers a “fifth night free” promotion, which can go a long way in enhancing the value of your vacation.

4 nights paid for with points = 5th night free.

If your goal is to use Bonvoy points for the entire duration of your hotel stay, staying 5 nights enhances your redemption by 20%. It’s something you should seriously consider if you’re going the points route. 

Airline Transfers 

For those who are flush with Bonvoy points, you are able to transfer them out to other airline loyalty programs including Alaska Air Miles and Aeroplan. These transfers typically fall somewhere in the 3:1 range, so the value is not optimal. 

Here is the full list of transfer partners.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card Benefits

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card comes with a number of benefits, which can more than offset the $120 annual fee. These perks include

15 Elite Qualifying Nights 

Marriot rewards those who frequently stay at their properties. 

This is called “Elite Status.” The more nights you stay at Marriott Hotels, the higher your status. Staying one night at a Marriott hotel earns you 1 “qualifying night.”

Elite status has 5 tiers. 

1. Silver
2. Gold
3. Platinum
4. Titanium 
5. Ambassador

Cardholders receive 15 Elite Qualifying Nights, which gives you instant Silver Elite status, and can propel you way towards earning higher-tier status levels. 

Silver Status is achieved when you reach 15 qualifying nights 

Gold Status is achieved when you reach 25 qualifying notes

Platinum status is achieved when you reach 50 qualifying nights 

Titanium status is achieved when you reach 75 qualifying nights 

Ambassador status is achieved when you reach 100 qualifying nights, and meet a 20K minimum spend

You’ll notice that the perks & benefits really increase at the platinum level, although that can be difficult to achieve unless you are regularly traveling.

Free Night Anniversary Award

Cardholders receive a free night at a Marriott property worth up to 35,000 points on every card anniversary date. The free annual night stay essentially offsets the $120 annual fee, so there is no need to cancel this card after the first year.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Insurance Coverage

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card is a mid-tier travel credit card, and naturally comes with mid-tier insurance coverage. 

• Travel Accident Insurance – up to $500,000 
• Car rental damage insurance 
• Flight Delay Insurance – up to $500
• Hotel Burglary insurance – up to $500
• Baggage delay insurance – up to $500
• Lost or stolen baggage insurance – up to $500

Summary

If you regularly stay at Marriott hotels, or intend to stay at a Marriott property over the next 12 months, this card is kind of a no brainer. The ability to earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points as a sign up bonus can save you hundreds of dollars on hotel costs. 

The annual free night award pretty much offsets the annual fee, so there is no reason to ever cancel this card assuming you spend at least one night at a Marriott property.