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
Best for no annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Bankrate score
4.3
Bankrate review
Bankrate review
20.49% – 27.49% Variable
Best for entry-level Marriott loyalists
Bankrate score
4.7
Bankrate review
Bankrate review
Earn 3 Free Night Awards + 50,000 Bonus Points
20.49% – 27.49% Variable
Best for luxury hotel perks
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Bankrate score
4.5
Bankrate review
Bankrate review
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points
Best for dining
Cardholder rating
4.3
Bankrate score
4.3
Bankrate review
Bankrate review
20.99% – 27.99% variable APR
Best for business owners
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
19.99% – 28.99% Variable
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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 |
|
$0 | 670–850 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | Entry-level Marriott loyalists |
|
$95 |
670–850 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card | Luxury hotel perks |
|
$650 | Good to Excellent |
| Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card | Dining |
|
$250 | 670–850 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card | Business owners |
|
$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.
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