Heads up! We share savvy shopping and personal finance tips to put extra cash in your wallet. Android Central may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network. Please note that the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.
Update: The offer listed below is now expired, but you can still get 75,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months, which is still pretty great!
Now through April 24th, you can earn a 100,000 point welcome bonus (valued at $900 with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express Card. To do so, you'll have to spend $5,000 in the first three months of card opening. And since this is Marriott's premium card, the Bonvoy will come with a $450 annual fee but plenty of valuable perks:
This card lets you earn 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy Hotels, 3x points at U.S. restaurants and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2x points on everything else. It also comes with a $300 annual credit towards Marriott purchases and a 1 Free Night Award on your card account anniversary (worth up to 50,000 points) at a participating hotel.
In addition to incredible earning opportunities, cardholders will also receive automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status. Just by having the card, you'll receive 25% point bonuses, priority late check outs, welcome gifts, and much more. And as with other premium cards, the Bonvoy will cover your application fee for Global Entry ($100 value) or TSA PreCheck ($85 value).
The Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card is also eligible for the 100,000 point bonus when you charge $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. The annual fee checks in at $125.
This card also earns 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Additional earn rates include 4x points at U.S. restaurants and gas stations. You'll receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary and have the opportunity to earn an additional Free Night Award when you charge $60K to your card in a calendar year. Night Awards cover redemption levels up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at participating hotels. Cardholders status begins at Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite.
The question now becomes: How do you spend all these new points? Well if you're like me and prefer the most economical route, you can stretch your points furthest by booking nights at Category 1 hotels, which include brands like Courtyard and Fairfield. A standard award for a Category 1 hotel only costs 7,500 points. Thus, you could turn your 100,000 point bonus into over a dozen free nights. On the other hand, maybe you'd like to splurge a bit. Consider a category 6 hotel which requires 50,000 points/night. You could get two nights at luxurious hotels such as the W Shanghai or the Ritz-Carlton Bali. To lock in these possibilities, act quickly as this limited time bonus offer only lasts until April 24th.
