A new offer for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has surfaced, and it can be superior to the best available public offer or applying through a referral link. If you head to the dedicated landing page by February 28, 2023, you’ll receive a welcome offer for up to 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
In comparison, applying through a referral link will only net you up to 55,000 Bonvoy points, so this is indeed an intriguing offer.
With dynamic pricing here to stay and further changes to come any day now, now’s a great time to collect the welcome bonus on the personal Bonvoy Card to take advantage of any current sweet spots that catch your eye.
Amex Bonvoy Card: Up to 80,000 Points
After reducing its welcome bonus to a weaker 55,000 points last fall, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has bounced back with an elevated offer.
Until February 28, 2023, you can earn up to 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you apply via a dedicated landing page, broken down as follows:
- Earn 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
- Earn 15,000 Bonvoy points upon making a purchase between 14 and 17 months as a cardholder
Based on our current valuations, we’d value Bonvoy points at 0.9 cents per point (CAD) apiece, meaning that 80,000 Bonvoy points are worth $720 (CAD). And yet, they can indeed be redeemed for much higher value than that!
80,000 Bonvoy points could be enough for a one-night stay at one of Marriott’s better hotels, such as the The Bodrum EDITION or Le Méridien Maldives.
If you’d rather redeem your points towards more modest accommodations, they’d also be enough for two nights at a mid-tier or mid-market hotel, five nights at a decent hotel in an emerging market, or 17+ nights at the most affordable redemptions the Marriott Bonvoy program has to offer.
Alternatively, you’d also be able to convert 60,000 Bonvoy points into 25,000 airline miles in the program of your choosing, including Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, and 40+ other frequent flyer programs.
To maximize this offer and earn the full 80,000 points, you’ll have to pay the annual fee for the second year, which is $120 (CAD). However, there’s a strong argument to be made for keeping the card for the long term, both due to the boost of 15,000 points and the annual Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points.
For comparison the other two offers currently available for this card are as follows:
- Earn 55,000 Bonvoy points after spending $3,000 (CAD) in the first three months through a referral link.
- Earn 50,000 Bonvoy points after spending $1,500 (CAD) in the first three months through the public offer.
With three different spending thresholds to receive the welcome bonus, you’ll have to make sure you’re able to meet the requirement for whichever offer you apply for.
Ideally, you could time your application in advance of a number of hotel stays, thereby working on the minimum spending requirement while sticking with the 5x multiplier at Marriott properties.
Otherwise, it’s good to know that there are options available to you if you’re unable to meet the higher spending threshold.
If you’re able to spend $5,000 (CAD) in three months, it’s certainly worthwhile to have as a key part of your credit card travel strategy, so be sure to sign up before February 28, 2023 with this great offer.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
- Earn 80,000 Bonvoy points, upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Always earn 5x Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Annual fee: $120
Amex Bonvoy Card: 15 Elite Qualifying Nights + Anniversary Free Night Award
In terms of the card’s earning rates, you’ll earn the following:
- 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
It’s best to use Canadian Bonvoy cards purely for spending at Canadian Marriott hotels, as the 5x earnings are unbeatable there. However, you can prioritize other cards with higher earning rates for other general purchases.
(Marriott hotels outside of Canada are also not ideal, thanks to the card’s 2.5% foreign transaction fee. If you have a US-issued Bonvoy cards for foreign hotel bills, you won’t get dinged on the FX fee.)
Both the personal and business Marriott Bonvoy cards offer 15 elite qualifying nights towards your Marriott Bonvoy status every year. By holding onto one of them, you’d only need to complete 35 elite qualifying nights to reach a total of 50, where Platinum Elite status and all of its associated perks start to pay off.
Unfortunately, the two sets of 15 elite qualifying nights cannot be stacked into 30 – that’s only possible with the US-issued personal and business cards, not the Canadian ones.
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If you hold the following combination of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards… |
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Canadian personal + Canadian business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian personal + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian personal + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian business + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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Canadian business + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
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US personal + US business |
30 elite qualifying nights |
As mentioned above, the most meaningful perk on the Bonvoy card is the anniversary Free Night Award, which you’ll earn upon renewing the card for a second year.
These are worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each, so a smart redemption here would easily outweigh the card’s $120 (CAD) annual fee.
You’re also now able to top-up your Free Night Award by up to 15,000 Bonvoy points, thus booking a property that would otherwise cost up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.
Conclusion
A temporary welcome bonus offer for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has surfaced, offering up to 80,000 Bonvoy points. This comes with the caveat that you need to pay the annual fee for the second year and make a purchase between months 14 and 17 as a cardholder to maximize the offer.
This is the best available offer at the moment as long as you can meet the minimum spend, so if you haven’t already added this card to your wallet, there’s no better time than now. Head to the offer’s dedicated landing page and submit your application soon.
This unique offer ends on February 28, 2023, so make sure to take advantage before the offer expires.
