The Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card is a really good card for people that spent a lot of nights at Marriott properties and give you a boost into the benefits of status.

Annual Fee & Signup Bonus

• $120 Annual Fee
• 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points when you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months

Earning rates + Bonuses

• 5x Bonvoy Points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties
• 2x Bonvoy Points per dollar on everything else
• Annual Free Night Award (Room value up to 35,000 Points)
• Instant 15 nights that automatically give you Marriott Silver Elite
• Upgrade to Marriott Gold Elite after spending $30,000 in one calender year or stay 10 additional nights

Redemption Options

• Redeem for free hotel nights
• Transfer to airline at a rate of 3 points per mile except for Air New Zealand at 200:1 and United that has a 10% bonus promotion

Insurance

• Flight Delay Insurance up to $500
• Baggage Delay Insurance up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Flight Delay Insurance)
• Flight Delay Insurance up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay Insurance)
• Hotel Burglary Insurance up to $500
• Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance up to $500
• Travel Accident Insurance up to $500,000
• Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance
• Travel Emergency Assistance
• Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan
• Purchase Protection Plan

Thoughts

You can stay at Marriott properties for free based on an award chart that is dived into 3 sections based on if it is peak, standard, or off peak dates.

There is also another chart for a  hotels that are at a discount that are rotated during the year.

You can also transfer your Marriott Bonvoy Points to airline partners: AEGEAN Miles+Bonus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Aeroflot Bonus, Aeromexico ClubPremier, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Alitalia MilleMiglia, American Airlines AAdvantage, ANA Mileage Club, Asiana Airlines Asiana Club, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Copa Airlines ConnectMiles, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, FRONTIER Miles, Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles, Iberia Plus, InterMiles, Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank, Korean Air SKYPASS, LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass, Multiplus Fidelidade, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Saudia Alfursan, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Rapid Rewards, TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer, and Vueling Club at a rate of 3:1. United MileagePlus at a rate of 3:1.1. Air New Zealand Airpoints at a rate of 200:1. JetBlue TrueBlue at a rate of 6:1. If you trasfer 60,000 Marriott points Marriott will give you 15,000 extra Bonvoy Points.

If you spend more then 10 nights a year in Marriott hotels this might be a card for you as every year you get 15 qualifying nights added to your account automatically giving you Marriott Silver. By spend 10 more nights at Marriott properties you get Marriott Gold is better but you truly only get the best perks at Platinum Elite. Being Silver Elite you get 10% extra points at Marriott properties giving you a true earning rate of 5.5x Bonvoy Points per dollar spend at Marriott. Or if you are Gold Elite you get a 25% bonus points so a earnings rate of 6.25x Bonvoy Points per dollar spend. Both Marriott Silver and Gold give you free WIFI, Member Rates, Ultimate Reservation Guaranteed (If they can't fit your booking they will pay for an equivalent hotel nearby), 10%-75% bonus points depending on level, Late Checkout (Silver if available, Gold at 2 pm), Gold an up gets in hotel gifts, and Gold also gets Enhanced Room Upgrades, while Silver will get Room Upgrades but they will be to worse rooms.

Marriott status through Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card vs Amex The Platinum Card? There are a few major differences in the way status works. The Bonvoy card gives you 15 nights every year that automatically gives you Marriott Silver Status and  so if you spend more nights you can get to higher status levels. While The Platinum Card gives you Marriott Gold automatically but dose not give you the nights so you can't get to higher status levels. So How should you chose? If you spend less then 35 nights a year at Marriott then The Platinum Card makes more sense as you will spend more of your nights as Gold status while if you spend more then 35 nights a year it makes more sense to use the Bonvoy Card's status as you will spend nights as Marriott Platinum.