Amex is again running a terrific, limited-time welcome offer for the Bonvoy Business card: five Marriott 50K free-night certificates after a total of $9,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. In our most recent evaluation of Marriott points, we estimated that Marriott 50K free-night certificates were worth around $300 each, making the total offer worth ~$1,500.
Given that you can now top these certificates off with up to 25,000 additional points per night, this can be a great deal for anyone able to maximize the use of the certificates within the first year.
This 5x50K cert offer has come and gone several times on the personal Chase Marriott Boundless card, but this is only the third time we’ve had it on the Bonvoy Business, matching the best offer we’ve ever seen for that card. Go forth and conquer.
The Offer & Key Card Details
| Card Offer and Details |
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![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/45fd06a5-f3dc-4293-b002-7e483be16a7b.png?w=300" alt="Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card" />) ⓘ $1253 1st Yr Value Estimate5 Marriott 50K Free Nights valued at $1520 Click to learn about first year value estimates Up to 5 x 50K Free Night Certificates ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you spend $6k in purchases and an extra 2 Free Night Awards after you spend an additional $3k in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each award has a redemption level up to 50K Marriott Bonvoy® points. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$125 Annual Fee Recent better offer: 5x50K free night certificates after $8K in spend (expired 10/16/24) Earning rate: 6x at Marriott Bonvoy® properties ✦ 4x at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased from U.S. suppliers and on U.S. purchases for shipping ✦ 2x on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees) Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Earn an additional 35k free night certificate (can be topped-up with up to 15k additional points, subject to resort fees) after you spend $60K on eligible purchases in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Marriott Gold elite status ✦ 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year ✦ 35k Free Night Award every year after card renewal (subject to resort fees) ✦ Complimentary premium Internet access at Marriott properties ✦ Terms Apply (Rates & Fees) See also: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide |
Quick Thoughts
This new offer replaces one that gave 3 x 50K certs for $6K spend, so it’s obviously a significant improvement. In fact, it’s almost the best we’ve ever seen for the Bonvoy Business (there was a previous version that only required $8,000 in spend).
We typically prefer points over free night certificates, as points are more flexible and don’t have to be used within a year. That said, there’s a lot of value in these 50K certificates, especially given that they can now be used at properties costing up to 75,000 points with Marriott’s top-up feature.
Last year, we redid the estimated value of many hotel programs’ free night certificates by multiplying the points value by a somewhat subjective “fudge factor” that accounts for the certificates’ inflexibility and one-year expiration dates. The Marriott 50K certs came out to just over $300, making the five certs “worth” ~$1500. In practice, it will probably be easy to get more value than that if you put even a bit of effort into maximizing the certs.
The business card is also appealing to many because it comes with 15 annual elite night credits that stack with elite nights earned from having Marriott consumer cards. If you have at least one of each, you’ll begin the year with 30 elite night credits — just 20 nights short of Marriott Platinum status (otherwise known as “the ridiculously confusing free breakfast status“). The business card also doesn’t add to your 5/24 status.
This was the offer that finally got me to pick up the Bonvoy Business card the last time it came around, and I think it’s worth a hard look for anyone who’s been considering it.
American Express Application Tips
- Safe to Apply: Amex is usually the safest bank for trying your luck at earning a new welcome offer. Most of the time, they won’t issue a hard pull when denying your application or when approving you if you already have at least one Amex card. Plus, they’ll warn you during the application process if you’re not eligible for the bonus.
- Once in a Lifetime Rule: If you've ever had a card before, you are most likely prohibited from earning a welcome offer for that same card if you apply now. Fortunately you'll be warned during the application process if this is the case. Amex is known to "forget" that you've had a card after about 5-7 years. Note that there are frequently offers with no lifetime language (NLL) that aren't bound by this restriction.
- "Family" Rules: In addition to the "once in a lifetime" rule, Amex now applies additional "family" rules to several groups of consumer cards. These rules don't apply to business cards.
- Platinum/Gold/Green: You may not be able to get a welcome offer on the Green, Gold, Platinum, Charles Schwab Platinum or Morgan Stanley Platinum if you've previously had any of the Platinum cards previously.
- Cash back cards: You may not be able to get a welcome offer on the Blue Cash Everyday card if you've previously had the Cash Magnet, Blue Cash Preferred or Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred cards. You're not eligible for a welcome offer on the Blue Cash Preferred card if you've previously had the Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred card.
- Delta cards: You can get a welcome offer on any of the Delta cards provided you've never had a more expensive Delta card than the one you are applying for. So, for example, you're eligible for a welcome offer on the Delta Reserve if you've had the Delta Gold, but you may not be eligible for a welcome offer on the Delta Gold if you've previously had the Reserve.
- 1 per 5 days: You can get at most one credit cards within every 5 days. This rule does not apply to Pay Over Time (charge) cards.
- 2 per 90 days: You can get at most two credit cards within 90 days. This rule usually does not apply to Pay Over Time (charge) cards.
- 1 of same product per 90 days: Amex will only approve you for the same card once every 90 days; this primarily comes into play when applying for "no-lifetime-language" (NLL) links.
- It seems that Amex considers the Marriott Bevy and Brilliant cards as the same product, which means that you would have to wait 90 days after applying for the Bevy before being able to be approved for the Brilliant.
- Marriott cards: Approval for any Marriott card is governed by a labyrinthine set of unintuitive rules. You can see the full eligibility chart here.
- Card Limits: Amex normally only allows customers to have five credit cards and ten Pay Over Time (charge) cards at one time. Both personal and business cards count towards the respective five and ten card limits. There are some instances where certain customers have been allowed to go above those limits.
- Application Status: Call (877) 239-3491 to check your application status or use this link.
- Reconsideration: If denied, you can call (800) 567-1083 and ask for your application to be reconsidered.
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Really exciting news for folks looking to vacation in fabulous Tulsa, OK at the recently renovated Springhill suites there. Sometimes, Saturday nights will require a top off though. That’s about the quality you’ll get with this offer in North America.
[…] the larger, tiered 3 + 2 certificate model for a total of five nights at the 50k level, which Frequent Miler notes as a limited-time elevated welcome […]
Had this card for two years, canceled it a year ago. I was just approved for the same card without the pop-up.
Never had a Chase Marriott card.
If I have P2 sign up for this, can I use them when she’s not traveling with me?
bonus does not work if you have marriott bonvoy cards:
you are not eligible to receive the welcome offer because of certain limitations associated with previously or currently having the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or a Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase.
It’s more complicated than that. If you have opened and received a bonus on any Chase Marriott credit card in the last 24 months, you’d be ineligible. These’s always a 24 month cool down period if you want to switch between Chase and AmEx Marriott cards in either direction to earn a new welcome bonus. It’s not just for holding a personal Chase credit card. If you have an open Bold, Boundless, or Bountiful card from Chase and it has been more than 24 months since you received a welcome bonus on any of those cards, you will in fact be eligible for this welcome offer.
The only cards that will prevent eligibility for this particular AmEx bonus just for holding them are the old Chase biz cards that haven’t been open to new applicants in a small eternity.
Very helpful thank you
I would have been all over this in the past, but this last devaluation has made it where I’d still need 10-30k more points per night to be able to book the main hotels that I’d want to use these for.
A good deal if you have a very specific redemption in mind, but much harder to get value out of than before.
Thing is, you can add only up to 15k points to the cert to book a night. If the night costs more than 65k points, you’re out of luck. I’ve looked at a hotel at Hawaii we were interested in, and the particular block of time was pricing at 65.5k points a night. Thought that was odd, most of the time I see Marriott round up point price to thousands, but also felt that the only reason for that pricing was to prevent people from using these 50k certs at this property.
If you have the old Chase Marriott Bonvoy Business CC that is no longer available, you can get this AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business CC, but you need to close the Chase Biz CC first, wait 30+ days and apply for the AMEX Biz CC. I did that a few months ago and I am almost done with meeting the $8K minimum spending requirement.
If you don’t have an immediate need for the 5x 50K FNCs, you can spend slowly on the AMEX Biz CC since you have 6 months to complete the spending requirement. After you meet the spending requirement, you should receive the 5x 50K FNCs on your next statement closing date.
these expire in 12 months. if you dont have a plan to use them right away, you’ll get skunked! personally, i think this isnt that great of a deal.
decent combination with the Brilliant to get to Titanium status if you like Marriot properties. 40 elite nights is a pretty good combo.
[…] the sign up bonus to an amazing 5 x 50K Marriott FNCs after spending $8,000 in 6 months. See this Frequent Miler post for more details. This card had an expiration date of July 10, 2024, so I had about 1.5 months to apply. I […]
I just applied for this card 2 weeks ago, spend a couple of hundred and now they say (via chat) that they will not match the new offer. I am annoyed enough to cancel the card (and P2’s). I will call directly now, but do you have any suggestions?
Don’t do it since it’ll put you in the bad books of Amex (i.e. if you close account before a year) and might impact your future approvals.
Good advice, but the days of 5 Business Platinum cards in 1 year are over, I fear.
Tim, I have had the Amex Marriott card and closed it within the last few months. Can I submit a application for a new Marriott business card with a different business with an EIN and be eligible for a SUB?
What is an elite night credit? What does it give me?
Elite nights toward Marriott yearly and lifetime status.
Applied using your affiliate link and was approved yesterday March 18th for the Bonvoy Business. Been a while since I used one of your links…or any affiliate link for that matter.
so i applied for this card and now it’s giving me only 3 free nights when i know i apply for the 5 free nights. What should i do ? I have contacted amex twice about this and as of today i only have the 3 nights…..wondering is someone else is dealing with this issue. thank you.
Did they fix it? Do you recall how quickly your free night certificates posted after meeting the minimum spend requirement?