If you’re searching for a hotel credit card, Marriott co-branded credit cards can be a great choice. Along with the Marriott Bonvoy® program, which allows you to earn points through hotel spending, a Marriott co-branded credit card is one of the easiest ways to earn points regularly. You can use rewards earned with Marriott credit cards in a number of different ways, including for stays at more than 7,000 hotels and resorts worldwide.
Let’s take a look at some of the best Marriott credit cards available to help you decide which is the best fit for you.
Top Marriott credit cards
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card is ideal if you want to collect Marriott Bonvoy points without forking over cash to cover an annual fee — which also makes it a good option for fee-conscious travel newbies to earn rewards on their Marriott loyalty.
Essentially, you can earn up to 14X points on Marriott stays if you are a Marriott Bonvoy member. The card has a base rate of 3X points for spending on Marriott Bonvoy properties, plus up to 10X points if you’re a Marriott Bonvoy member and an additional 1X points with Silver Elite status (which you earn automatically as a Bonvoy Bold cardmember). That’s a terrific rate for a card with no annual fee.
Pros
You can enjoy automatic Silver Elite status, which comes with benefits like additional points on stays, priority late checkout and complimentary in-room Wifi.
You receive 5 Elite Night Credits every calendar year toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status.
Cons
You won’t find a path to Gold status with this Marriott Bonvoy card.
This card does not include Free Night Awards.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card offers up to 17X points on Marriott purchases as well as rewards on grocery store, gas station and dining purchases.
Similar to the Bonvoy Bold, you’ll enjoy automatic Silver Elite status at Marriott. But unlike the Bold, each year on your cardmember anniversary, you’ll earn an annual Free Night Award (each night up to 35,000 points), a perk that more than offsets the $95 annual fee.
Pros
You earn an annual anniversary Free Night Award that could offset the annual fee.
You get 15 Elite Night credits each calendar year, plus an additional Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent.
Cons
The card has a $95 annual fee, so you’ll need to make sure you can offset it every year.
You only get Silver Elite status, which is included on the Bonvoy Bold with no annual fee.
Charging a $650 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is the priciest card on this list – but its perks more than make up for it. This card offers up to $300 in statement credits each year of card membership for eligible restaurant purchases as well as an annual credit of up to $100 for a two-night stay at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis hotels.
Other perks include complimentary Platinum Elite status, a Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month (up to 85,000 points), up to $120 in credits toward Global Entry or up to $85 through TSA PreCheck and Priority Pass Select lounge access.
Pros
You receive up to $300 Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit at restaurants worldwide and up to $100 luxury property credit at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® (terms apply).
The card includes 25 Elite Night credits each calendar year.
Cons
The card has a hefty $650 annual fee, one of the highest annual fees on the market.
The $300 statement credit was recently switched from Marriott purchases to restaurant purchases, so it might not suit you if you prefer savings on Marriott-specific spending.
What makes the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Credit Card ideal for foodies is the earning rates on eating in and dining out: 4X points on grocery store and dining purchases (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year, then 2X points) — the highest rates offered on these purchases out of all Marriott credit cards. For a $250 annual fee, you also earn up to 18.5X points on Marriott purchases with the card’s automatic Gold Elite status boosts. Additional perks include Elite Night Credits each year, a Free Night Award and more.
Pros
You receive complimentary Gold Elite status, which earns up to 18.5X points on Marriott stays.
You get a free Night Award (each night up to 50,000 points) when you spend $15,000 per year.
Cons
The card has a $250 annual fee, which might be a challenge to offset every year.
It lacks more premium travel perks like travel statement credits or lounge access, unlike similar cards.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card has an annual fee of $125 but offers a generous rewards rate on a variety of spending outside of just travel and hotel stays — making it a smart choice for business owners or entrepreneurs on the go. On top of the possible 18.5X points you can earn on Marriott purchases through the complimentary Gold Elite status, you can earn rewards on wireless telephone services, shipping, restaurants and gas.
This business credit card unlocks several perks, including automatic Gold Elite status, Free Night Awards, Elite Night Credits and more. There’s also a few business-specific perks, like the ability to connect to QuickBooks, designate an account manager, access a year-end summary and monitor employees’ card usage.
Pros
You earn on common business expenses, including telephone services and shipping.
The card includes complimentary Gold Elite status, earning up to 18.5X points on Marriott stays.
Cons
The card comes with a $125 annual fee.
While you receive a Free Night Award after renewing your card every year, you must spend $60,000 in a calendar year for the additional Free Night Award.
Comparing the best Marriott credit cards
Card name
Best for
Rewards highlight
Annual fee
Recommended credit score
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
No annual fee
3X points for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties (up to 14X points through the Bonvoy loyalty program with Silver Elite status)
2X points on grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable and phone services
1X points on other eligible purchases
$0
670–850
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Entry-level Marriott loyalists
6X total points for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties (up to 17X points with Silver Elite status)
3X points on grocery store, gas station and dining purchases (up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year, then 2X points)
2X points on all other purchases
$95
670–850
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Luxury hotel perks
6X points for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties (up to 21X points with Platinum Elite status)
3X points at worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines
2X points on all other purchases
$650
Good to Excellent
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card
Dining
6X points for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties (up to 18.5X points with Gold Elite status)
4X points on grocery store and dining purchases (up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year, then 2X points)
2X points on all other purchases
$250
670–850
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Business owners
6X points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program (up to 18.5X points with Gold Elite status)
4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. gas stations
4X points on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
2X points on all other purchases
$125
Good to Excellent
How to choose a Marriott credit card
It’s important to choose your first Marriott credit card wisely, as Chase and American Express have notoriously tricky rules for being eligible for multiple Marriott cards. Assuming you won’t apply for more than one or two Marriott cards in your life, here are some tips for choosing the best one for you:
Compare Free Night Award redemption caps
Some Marriott cards have cardholder benefits like free nights and automatic elite status, which usually come with an annual fee. Check the fine print of these perks to make sure they align with your travel goals.
For example, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card’s Free Night Award (after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year) has a redemption cap of 50,000 points and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card’s Free Night Award each card account anniversary has a redemption cap of 35,000 points.
Make sure the free nights you might earn with a card can be redeemed at properties you want to book. If you’d like to stay at mid- to high-level Marriott properties, then the Bonvoy Bevy card may be the better option because it has a higher free night award redemption cap.
Check other perks and automatic status
Marriott cards give you at least Silver Status automatically, but the more expensive cards have Gold or Platinum automatic status perks. If you spend less than 25 nights at Marriott properties per year, then a card that gives you Gold Status (which requires 25 nights per calendar year) can help you get the perks that come with that status tier.
Look at other card benefits that Marriott cards offer, like free status-qualifying nights, bonus points per stay, dining credits, property credits and more. Determine which ones matter the most when shopping for the best Marriott credit card for you.
Determine if an annual fee is worth it
Marriott has one no-annual-fee credit card: the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. While it has plenty of benefits, it doesn’t come with all the perks or super-charged rewards that other Marriott cards do.
A Marriott card with an annual fee may be worth it if you can easily offset that cost with credits, elite status perks and other cardholder benefits. So the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card might be worth its $650 annual fee if you use the dining credit, the property credit, the free night award and earn and redeem enough points to equal more than $650. If you don’t think you can take advantage of all the card offers, then a Marriott card with a lower or no annual fee might be the better option.
Maximizing your Marriott credit card rewards
Once you get a Marriott credit card, you’ll need to know the best way to earn and use rewards for the most value. Here are some tips:
Earn the welcome offer: Like many rewards credit cards, Marriott cards typically have lucrative sign-up bonuses that can jumpstart your points balance. Make sure you meet the spending requirement within the timeframe (without spending more than you regularly do) to earn points and — depending on the card — a free night award.
Transfer to United MileagePlus®: If you’ve built up a stash of Marriott Bonvoy points and need to book a flight, consider transferring some of your points to your United MileagePlus account. You’ll get 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer, which is more than the normal 5,000-mile bonus Marriott offers with other partners.
Understand your true rewards rates: Depending on your Marriott status, you’ll get 10 percent to 75 percent more points on eligible Marriott bookings. So if you’re earning 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card, you’re earning another 10X points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member and another 2.5X points (25 percent more) with Gold Elite Status tier’s boost. All together, you can earn 18.5X points on eligible Marriott bookings with this card.
What’s next?
The bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy credit cards have some great benefits to unlock for loyalists of the hotel program. And with any of the Marriott credit cards above, you can earn elite status just for being a cardholder, unlocking benefits to make your stay more enjoyable.
That being said, if you’re on the fence about any of the options above, take the time to look through our list of the best hotel credit cards — which include cards outside of the co-branded landscape.
*The information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Frequently asked questions
No. Only the Bonvoy Bountiful or the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card offer Gold Elite status, and each includes a pretty high annual fee. If you don’t want to spend a lot on an annual fee or want more premium rewards, you should look at the other Marriott Bonvoy cards.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is the only Marriott card that includes airport lounge access. It’s also the most expensive of all the Marriott Bonvoy cards, so it might be best to look at other premium travel cards for this particular perk.
Marriott has 35 airline partners in which you can earn and transfer points for flights, including:
