Amex Bonvoy Cards: New Offers for Summer 2022 (80,000 Points!)
As of today, there are two new elevated offers on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card.
These signup bonuses are among the better offers we’ve witnessed on the Bonvoy cards, drawing on many tantalizing elements from the all-time highs we saw back in the summer of 2021.
With dynamic pricing here as of March 2022 and further changes to come in 2023, now’s a great time to collect the welcome bonuses on the Bonvoy cards to take advantage of any current sweet spots that catch your eye.
Amex Bonvoy Card: Up to 75,000 Points!
After briefly reducing its welcome bonus to a weak 55,000 points, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card has bounced back.
Until September 20, 2022, you can earn up to 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, broken down as follows:
- Earn 65,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $1,500 in the first three months
- Earn 5x points on eats & drinks in the first three months, up to a maximum of 10,000 points (on $2,000 of spending)
Based on our current valuations, we’d value Bonvoy points at 0.9 cents per point (CAD) apiece, meaning that 75,000 Bonvoy points are worth $675. And yet, they can indeed be redeemed for much higher value than that!
75,000 Bonvoy points could be enough for a one-night stay at one of Marriott’s higher-tier hotels, such as the The Bodrum EDITION or Le Meridien Maldives.
If you’d rather redeem your points towards more modest accommodations, they’d also be enough for two nights at a mid-tier or mid-market hotel, five nights at a decent hotel in an emerging market, or 17+ nights at the most affordable redemptions the Marriott Bonvoy program has to offer.
Alternatively, you’d also be able to convert 60,000 Bonvoy points into 25,000 airline miles in the program of your choosing, including Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, and 40+ other frequent flyer programs.
You’ll particularly benefit from this offer if the bulk of your initial spending is on groceries and restaurants, including bars, cafes, and food delivery services.
To maximize this offer and earn the full 75,000 points, you’ll have to spend $2,000 on eligible eats and drinks. Naturally, your spending here would also be eligible for your progress towards the primary $1,500 threshold.
Note, however, that the 5x earn rate is in total, not cumulative: you won’t earn the usual 2 points per dollar spent while you’re working towards your cap for the 5x rate.
- Earn 50,000 65,000 Bonvoy points, upon spending $1,500 in the first three months
- Plus, earn 5x Bonvoy points on eats and drinks in the first six months, up to 10,000 points
- Always earn 5x Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Annual fee: $120
Amex Bonvoy Business Card: Up to 80,000 Points!
Meanwhile, the new offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is similar to the personal card’s welcome bonus, worth up to 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when applying via a refer-a-friend link:
- Earn 70,000 Bonvoy points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
- Earn 5x points on gas, travel, and dining in the first six months, up to a maximum of 10,000 points (on $2,000 of spending)
In a reversal of fortune for Bonvoy cards, this refer-a-friend offer is entirely better than the public offer: it has a higher bonus and a lower spending requirement!
For the Bonvoy Business Card, you’ll need to spend $2,000 on gas, travel, and dining to maximize the offer. This would contribute to your total spending requirement of $3,000.
The business version does have a $150 annual fee, $30 higher than the personal card. If you’re deciding between one or the other, the personal card would certainly be a better choice, since it has both a lower annual fee and a lower spending requirement.
In any event, I’m an advocate for applying for the Bonvoy cards at your earliest convenience. That’s because the anniversary Free Night Award doesn’t kick in until your second year with the card.
The Bonvoy cards are great choices as keeper cards, since the value of a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points will easily exceed the $120 annual fee on the personal card or the $150 annual fee on the business card. The sooner you get started with these cards, the better.
- Earn
55,00070,000 Bonvoy points, upon spending $3,000 in the first three months - Plus, earn
3x5x Bonvoy points on travel, gas, and dining purchases in the first six months, up to 10,000 points - Always earn 5x Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties
- Also, receive an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 Bonvoy points starting in your second year with the card
- Also, receive 15 elite-qualifying nights every year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- Bonus Bonvoy points for referring family and friends
- Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
- Annual fee: $150
Amex Bonvoy Cards: 15 Elite Qualifying Nights + Anniversary Free Night Award
In terms of the cards’ earning rates, you’ll earn the following:
- 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels
- Bonvoy Business Card only: 3 points per dollar spent on gas, dining, and travel
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
Personally, I tend to use my Bonvoy cards purely for spending at Canadian Marriott hotels, as the 5x earnings are unbeatable there. However, I’d prioritize other cards with higher earning rates for my general purchases.
(Marriott hotels outside of Canada are also not ideal, thanks to the card’s 2.5% foreign transaction fee. I prefer to use my US-issued Bonvoy cards for my foreign hotel bills, where I don’t get dinged on the FX fee.)
Both the personal and business Marriott Bonvoy cards offer 15 elite qualifying nights towards your Marriott Bonvoy status every year. By holding onto one of them, you’d only need to complete 35 elite qualifying nights to reach a total of 50, where Platinum Elite status and all of its associated perks start to pay off.
Unfortunately, the two sets of 15 elite qualifying nights cannot be stacked into 30 – that’s only possible with the US-issued personal and business cards, not the Canadian ones.
|
If you hold the following combination of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards... |
You will receive... |
|
Canadian personal + Canadian business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
|
Canadian personal + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
|
Canadian personal + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
|
Canadian business + US personal |
15 elite qualifying nights |
|
Canadian business + US business |
15 elite qualifying nights |
|
US personal + US business |
30 elite qualifying nights |
In my opinion, the most meaningful perk on the Bonvoy cards is the anniversary Free Night Award, which you’ll earn upon renewing the cards for a second year.
These are worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each, so a smart redemption here would easily outweigh the cards’ $120 and $150 annual fees.
You’re also now able to top-up your Free Night Award by up to 15,000 Bonvoy points, thus booking a property that would otherwise cost up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.
Conclusion
As a new welcome bonus for the summer of 2022, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card are offering 75,000–80,000 Bonvoy points, with a portion of the bonus being awarded as a 5x earning rate on eats and drinks on the personal card, or gas, dining, and travel on the business card.
With Marriott Bonvoy‘s dynamic pricing kicking in for select properties as of March 2022, and more changes looming for 2023, now’s the time to get in on the action with Marriott if you haven’t already.
The personal Bonvoy card’s offer ends on September 20, 2022, with no published end date on the business card, so make sure to take advantage in the coming months.
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