Can I transfer Marriott Bonvoy® Points to airlines?

Yes, it is possible to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy® points to other frequent flyer programs. In fact, you'll get a 15,000 point bonus from the Marriott Bonvoy® program when you transfer 60,000 points to a frequent flyer program. For Aeroplan, the transfer rate is one Aeroplan point for every three Marriott Bonvoy™ points. However, it's far faster to earn Aeroplan points by using one of the best Aeroplan cards in Canada. It’s easy to rack up the rewards: earn Aeroplan Miles for every dollar spent on your credit card, plus you’ll earn twice the Miles for purchases made at Aeroplan-affiliated partners when you use your Aeroplan credit card and present your Aeroplan membership.

How do you redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points?

Redemption is easy and flexible. Login to the Marriott Bonvoy™ portal and you can redeem your points a number of ways: search and book free nights at participating properties, bid on exclusive events with Marriott Bonvoy Moments™, transfer points to another frequent flyer program, and more. You can also swipe and pay with points at major retailers, or redeem Marriott Bonvoy® points on 200+ global airlines and car suppliers around the world. There's even an Instant Redemption Award -- a benefit that allows you to redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points as a credit against your bill upon check-out at participating properties. The choice is yours!

What do you need to get approved for a Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card?

At a minimum, you must be a Canadian resident and have a Canadian credit file. You must also be the age of majority in the province or territory where you live.

How many points does it take for a free night at Marriott?

It depends on the hotel tier and season. If it's a Category 8 Hotel that you're booking the peak season, it could cost as much as 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points. But a Category 1 Hotel in the off-season could be as little as 5,000 points. However, in 2023, this system will end and Flexible Point Redemption Rates will completely replace Previous Hotel Categories (1-8) and Redemption Rates classified as Off-Peak, Peak, or Standard. This means the amount of Marriott Bonvoy® Points needed to reserve a Stay is more flexible and more closely aligned with Hotel Rates — based on availability, seasonality, etc.

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The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card Review

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* review

Name: Sandra MacGregor
Item: Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card
Rating: 4
Author: Sandra MacGregor

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4.3

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Welcome Offer

Earn 50,000 Welcome Bonus Marriott Bonvoy® points

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5x points for every dollar in eligible Card purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®

2x points for every $1 in all other Card purchases

1 Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary

1 Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status membership

15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.

21.99% Purchase APR

21.99% Cash Advance APR

$120 Annual Fee No annual fee on supplementary cards

2.5% Foreign Transaction Fee 2.5% of the transaction in CDN

Good Recommended Credit Score

$0 Required Annual Personal Income

$0 Required Annual Household Income

4.3

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* review

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By Sandra MacGregor

🗓️

Updated: December 13, 2024

While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.

Quick overview of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

Travel to new heights with the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card. Right off the bat, it’s important to note that this is a travel rewards card. Cardholders earn Marriott Bonvoy® points, which can be redeemed for free stays with no blackout dates at over 7,000+ of the world’s most desired hotels. You can also transfer points to frequent flyer miles with a wide selection of airlines, including Aeroplan. The potential for those who travel frequently is obvious. Plus, with a reasonable $120 annual fee, the bar isn’t too high for applicants with a good credit score.

Who's it for?

This card is perfect for travelers who frequently book stays within the Marriott Bonvoy® brand family and seek additional travel perks such as complimentary hotel upgrades, comprehensive travel insurance and more.

Pros and cons

Pros

Annual free night award — Receive an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points†
Earn points with every eligible card purchase
Complimentary upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
Flexibility to transfer to other frequent flyer programs
Includes travel accident insurance†
Generous welcome bonus

Cons

Annual fee—$120
Travel medical insurance not included

Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card welcome offer

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card comes with a super generous Welcome Bonus:

Earn 50,000 Welcome Bonus Marriott Bonvoy® points

How to earn points with the Marriott Bonvoy^® Amex Card

The biggest selling feature of this credit card is the potential to earn points that can be used towards free nights at over 7,000+ of the world’s most desired hotels. Here’s the earning structure:

Earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 spent on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
Earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy points on everything else

When you charge purchases to this card, your points can add up quickly—and exponentially when you use the card to purchase at Marriott Bonvoy®* properties.

How to redeem Marriott Bonvoy^® Points

Unlike some rewards programs, there isn’t a straightforward points-to-dollars equation to share. This is because, although there are no blackout dates, there are differently rated properties (hotels on a scale of 1 to 8 categories), and standard, peak, and off-peak seasons. In other words, your points are going to go further at certain times of the year and spent on certain things at certain properties. That said, it doesn’t take a calculus degree to see that Marriott Bonvoy^® points have a fair value.

However, a points program is only as good as its redemption process. After all, who cares how many points you accumulate if you can’t redeem them easily? Because these points are Marriott Bonvoy^® branded, redemption is a breeze. Simply go to Marriot.com and use your points when you reserve (and don’t forget to earn 5 points on the dollar by putting that reservation on your card!). You can also use points to buy travel experiences, merchandise, gift cards, tickets to events and more. Or instantly redeem points for dining out, spa experiences, drinks, and more. It’s an incredibly flexible program, allowing you to put points towards almost whatever you want.

It is worth noting that the points are also transferable to more than 40 different airline partners, so if you want to offset a flight cost, you can do that too. The transfer ratio is 3:1 for Aeroplan but it will depend on the airline. As an incentive, you’ll get an additional 15,000 points per 60,000 points transferred.

Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card insurance coverage

Travel accident insurance: You get up to $500,000 in Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage when you fully charge your plane, train, ship or bus tickets to your card.
Car rental theft and damage: You are covered for theft, loss and damage of your rental car with an MSRP of up to $85,000 for rentals of 48 days or less.
Flight delay: If your experience a flight delay or are denied boarding for 4 hours or more, you are eligible for up to $500 in coverage (combined maximum with Baggage Delay Insurance) for essential and reasonable accommodations.
Baggage delay: If your checked-in baggage on your outbound trip is delayed for six or more hours, you can receive up to $500 in coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: If your checked-in or carry-on baggage gets lost or stolen, you are eligible for coverage of up to $500 per trip.
Hotel/motel burglary insurance: If your hotel room is burglarized, you can receive coverage of up to $500 for the loss of your personal items (excluding cash).
Buyer's Assurance and Purchase Protection: American Express Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to 1 year on many purchases, while the Purchase Protection Plan gives up to 90 days of protection from damage or theft on many retail items.†

Note that travel emergency medical insurance is not included, so that will be an extra expense.†

Other perks of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card also carries other perks of value to the frequent traveller. As a cardholder, you receive:

An Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide every year after your first anniversary.

Complimentary upgrade to membership, which offers big benefits to cardholders.

Exclusive entertainment access: American Express Invites and Front of the Line benefits give cardholders exclusive access to pre-sales and special events.†

Marriott Bonvoy^® Points hotel redemption rates (subject to change)

Hotel category

Off-peak

Standard

Peak

5,000 points

7,500 points

10,000 points

12,500 points

15,000 points

17,500 points

20,000 points

25,000 points

30,000 points

35,000 points

40,000 points

50,000 points

60,000 points

50,000 points

60,000 points

70,000 points

85,000 points

100,000 point

How the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card compares

Scotiabank Gold American Express®

4.8

up to 45K pts

Welcome offer

Very Good

Suggested credit score

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Earn up to $950* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 45,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waived.

Expires

Jan 3, 2025

Earn up to $950* in value in the first 12 months, including up to 45,000 bonus Scene+ points and first year annual fee waived.

Expires

Jan 3, 2025

Apply now

Pros

Lots of daily spend options to earn multiplied point bonuses
Swanky Amex perks like Front of the Line presale concert tickets
Save on foreign transaction fees when abroad
Fantastic insurance coverage, especially for travel

Cons

Relatively low-value welcome bonus
$120 annual fee that chews into your point value substantially
Scene points redeem poorly for travel

Eligibility

Very Good

Recommended Credit Score

Very Good

Scene+ points¹ on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend in Canada eligible entertainment purposes. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options. Includes rideshares, buses, subway, taxis and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible select streaming services

Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases

Scene+ points¹ on every $1 you spend at Sobeys, Safeway, Freshco, Foodland and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend on dining, food delivery and other eligible grocery stores. Includes popular food delivery and food subscriptions.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 you spend in Canada eligible entertainment purposes. Includes movies, theatre and ticket agencies stores.

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible gas and daily transit options. Includes rideshares, buses, subway, taxis and more

Scene+ points¹ for every $1 CAD you spend in Canada on eligible select streaming services

Scene+ point for every $1 spent on all other eligible everyday purchases

20.99%

Purchase APR

22.99%

Balance Transfer Rate

22.99%

Cash Advance APR

$120

Annual Fee $29 for each supplementary card

Foreign Transaction Fee

Purchase APR

20.99%

Balance Transfer Rate

22.99%

Cash Advance APR

22.99%

Annual Fee

$120

Foreign Transaction Fee

Pros

Lots of daily spend options to earn multiplied point bonuses
Swanky Amex perks like Front of the Line presale concert tickets
Save on foreign transaction fees when abroad
Fantastic insurance coverage, especially for travel

Cons

Relatively low-value welcome bonus
$120 annual fee that chews into your point value substantially
Scene points redeem poorly for travel