Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Households that already book Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, Courtyard, or other Bonvoy banners often enough for 5x hotel spend to matter.
- People who will also put dining, groceries, and shopping on this Amex for the 2x catch-all — a stronger baseline than Green’s 1x, in a hotel currency.
- Travellers who want extra cards at no annual fee (a stack of supplementary cards is currently listed at $0) so a partner can feed the same Bonvoy account.
- New cardmembers who can put at least $3,000 in net purchases on the card in the first 3 months, and who will keep it into year two for the 10,000-point slice in month 13 and the annual free night.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who hotels at Hilton, Hyatt, or Airbnbs. Bonvoy points sitting unused are a $120-class fee with a logo.
- Membership Rewards collectors who want transferable airline points. This card pays Bonvoy, not MR — Gold Rewards is the mid-fee MR card.
- Air Canada regulars who think in Aeroplan. Compare the American Express Aeroplan Card rather than converting hotel points into flights.
- Current or former Marriott Bonvoy American Express cardmembers chasing the welcome bonus. Amex may approve you and still withhold the offers.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 5 points per $1 on eligible purchases charged directly with participating Marriott Bonvoy properties, standalone Marriott Bonvoy retail, and Marriott Bonvoy online stores is the cobrand rate that justifies putting the hotel folio on this card.
- 2 points per $1 on everything else is a usable everyday rate if you already live in Bonvoy, not a 1x leftover.
- Supplementary cards currently list no annual fee, with room for several extras — a household perk Gold-style cobrands do not always match.
- The current welcome is up to 70,000 Bonvoy points: 60,000 after at least $3,000 in net purchases in the first 3 months, then 10,000 after at least $500 in month 13 if you keep the card into the second year.
- After the first year you get an Annual Free Night Award (room redemption rate up to 35,000 points), 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, and automatic Silver Elite status.
Cons
- It is still American Express. Canadian hotels in the Marriott family generally take it; plenty of restaurants and grocers will not. You need a backup card.
- The free-night award starts after the first year of Cardmembership, and the room rate is capped at 35,000 points. It is not an uncapped suite certificate in year one.
- The “up to 70,000” total needs both the first-three-months spend and the month-13 purchase, and you must keep the card into the second year. The second-year annual fee applies. Leave at month 12 and you miss the second slice.
- Gold Elite is not automatic. It follows $30,000 in net purchases in a card year. Silver Elite and the 15 elite-night credits are the benefits you get without that spend.
- Amex does not publish a dollar value for the 70,000 points. What a Bonvoy point is worth depends on the award night. Do not treat a points total as a cash bonus.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $120
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- Varies by redemption
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- —
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
Use the fee table. The headline annual fee and the detail line currently agree at a mid-fee travel-card number, cheaper than Platinum or Reserve, in the same band as Gold Rewards.
Extra cards currently cost $0, which matters if two people stay in Marriott hotels. Amex does not give a dollar value for the welcome points, so this page does not print one either — “up to 70,000 points” is not a cash figure.
Year one matches the brochure if you post at least $3,000 in net purchases in the first 3 months (60,000 points). The extra 10,000 points need at least $500 in net purchases in month 13, and you have to keep the card into the second year, when the annual fee applies again.
Year two is that fee versus 5x hotel spend, 2x everything else, and an Annual Free Night Award at up to 35,000 points. If you barely stay in Marriott properties, a $0 Green Card or a cash-back Mastercard will annoy you less at renewal.
Offers change. Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Marriott Bonvoy Points
This card earns Marriott Bonvoy points, not Membership Rewards and not Aeroplan. Eligible purchases charged directly with participating Marriott Bonvoy properties, standalone Marriott Bonvoy retail establishments, and Marriott Bonvoy online stores earn 5 points per $1.
All other eligible purchases earn 2 points per $1. Those multipliers follow American Express merchant category codes and Marriott’s own posting, not your folio’s marketing name: a restaurant inside a Marriott that processes as a third-party outlet, a third-party prepaid rate, or a timeshare charge can miss 5x.
After your first year of Cardmembership you receive an Annual Free Night Award (room redemption rate up to 35,000 points). You also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
Gold Elite status follows $30,000 in net purchases in a card year. Insurance includes car rental theft and damage (MSRP up to $85,000, rentals of 48 days or less), flight delay and baggage delay up to $500 combined, lost or stolen baggage up to $500 per trip, hotel burglary up to $500, $500,000 travel accident, Purchase Protection for 90 days up to $1,000 per occurrence, and Buyer’s Assurance for up to one extra year on a manufacturer’s warranty.
Read the Certificate of Insurance. If you wanted transferable airline points, you picked the wrong cobrand.
If you wanted WestJet nights in Alberta, that is the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, not a Marriott Amex.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
The current offer is up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, in two gates. Earn 60,000 points when you have at least $3,000 in net purchases posted in your first 3 months of Cardmembership.
Earn another 10,000 points when you have at least $500 in net purchases charged in your 13th month. You must keep the card into the second year for that second slice, and the second-year annual fee applies.
You need both gates to match the “up to” total. Amex does not publish a dollar value for the points, and this review does not invent one.
The offers are only available to new Marriott Bonvoy American Express cardmembers. Current or former cardmembers may be approved and are not eligible.
Do not force hotel spend to clear $3,000 if those nights were not already in the calendar, and do not cancel in month 12 if you were counting on the month-13 points.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Only available to new Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cardmembers. Current or former Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cardmembers may be approved but are not eligible for the offers.
FAQ
Is the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when you already stay at Marriott-family hotels, will use the 2x catch-all, can hit $3,000 in the first 3 months, and will keep the card for the month-13 points and the free night after year one. It is not worth it as a Membership Rewards card, an Air Canada cobrand, or a card you revolve.
Marriott Bonvoy Amex vs American Express Gold Rewards?
Gold Rewards pays Membership Rewards with 2x groceries, gas, drugstores, and travel. This card pays Bonvoy with 5 points per $1 at participating Marriott properties and 2 points per $1 everywhere else, plus an annual free night after the first year.
Choose Gold if you want airline-flexible points. Choose Marriott if the next dozen nights are already in that loyalty program.
Does this card include Marriott elite status or a free night?
Yes. After your first year of Cardmembership, American Express lists an Annual Free Night Award at a room redemption rate of up to 35,000 points. You also get 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Silver Elite status. Gold Elite status follows $30,000 in net purchases in a card year. Confirm the certificate on American Express’s Marriott benefits page before you count on a specific hotel.
Does the Marriott Bonvoy Amex charge foreign-exchange fees?
Assume yes. American Express Canada’s cardmember agreements add a currency conversion commission on purchases in other currencies, at the rate set out in the card’s information box. Treat this as a card that charges FX and confirm the current rate before a trip. You will still need a Visa or Mastercard where hotels or restaurants abroad skip Amex.
Marriott Bonvoy vs an airline cobrand?
Hotel points and airline points are different wallets. If Air Canada is the trip, compare the American Express Aeroplan Card. If WestJet is the trip, compare WestJet RBC World Elite. Choose this Marriott card when the expensive part of the trip is the room, not the flight.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- American Express Gold Rewards Card review · American Express · $250 annual fee
- American Express Aeroplan Card review · American Express · $120 annual fee
- WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard review · RBC · $139 annual fee
