Marriott is the world’s largest hotel chain, with over 9,000 properties in 144 countries spread across 35-plus brands. Like most hotel chains, Marriott offers an extensive family of cobranded credit cards.

Two issuers offer these credit cards: American Express and Chase. Options range from no-annual-fee, entry-level cards to premium cards and a business card.

Here are some of the most popular Marriott credit cards available to new applicants, a snapshot of each one’s welcome offer range and some guidance on the best time to apply.

We’ll only discuss publicly available welcome offers. However, you might receive targeted offers that feature better deals than those outlined below. Keep in mind that offers may change at any time, and some of the offers mentioned below may not be available at this time.

Best Marriott welcome offers

Card	Best welcome offer we’ve seen	When to apply
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first three months of card membership, plus 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.	If the offer is over 100,000 points or three or more free nights
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card	125,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months of card membership, plus 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.	If the offer is over 85,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card	Five free night awards, worth up to 50,000 points apiece, after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership. Certain hotels have resort fees.	If the offer is over 100,000 points or three or more free nights
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	Five free night awards, worth up to 50,000 points apiece, after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.	If the offer is more than three free night awards or at least 125,000 bonus points
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	60,000 bonus points plus one free night award (valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.	If the offer is more than 60,000 points

Related: Best welcome offers of the month

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Marriott’s most premium card, the Bonvoy Brilliant, has a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees) and earns 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly and 2 points per dollar spent on all other purchases.

The Brilliant offers benefits like automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual 85,000-point free night award each year after renewal (certain hotels have resort fees; terms apply) and various travel protections in case something goes awry during your travels.

Here are the offers we have seen on the Bonvoy Brilliant:

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Currently, new cardmembers can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Highest welcome offer

The highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the Bonvoy Brilliant allowed new cardmembers to earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first three months of card membership, plus 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.

When to apply

If the offer is over 100,000 bonus points, it’s a good time to consider applying.

To learn more, read our full Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant review.

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Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card

The Bonvoy Bevy is a mid-tier credit card that earns 6 points per dollar spent on Marriott hotels. It has a bevy of benefits and a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees).

The Bevy comes with perks like automatic Gold Elite status (terms apply), elite night credits and modest travel protections.

Here are the offers we have seen on the Bonvoy Bevy:

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Currently, new applicants can earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Highest welcome offer

The highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the Bonvoy Bevy allowed new cardmembers to earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months of card membership, plus 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.

When to apply

If the offer is over 85,000 points, it’s a good time to submit an application.

To learn more, read our full review of the Bonvoy Bevy.

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Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card

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Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

Small-business owners who frequently stay at Marriott’s properties will find plenty to like about the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express. The card comes with a $125 annual fee (see rates and fees), but has many perks that can help justify this fee.

This card offers a free night award of up to 35,000 points (resort fees may apply), elite night credits and solid earnings on Marriott stays.

Here are the offers we have seen on the Bonvoy Business:

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Currently, new applicants can earn 125,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Highest welcome offer

The highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the Bonvoy Business allowed new cardmembers to earn five free night awards, worth up to 50,000 points apiece, after spending $8,000 in the first six months of card membership.

When to apply

If the offer is over 100,000 points or three or more free nights, it’s a good time to fill out an application.

To learn more, read our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.

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Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is a mid-tier option from Chase with a $95 annual fee. It earns 6 points per dollar spent at Marriott properties.

The Boundless card also comes with many premium-like benefits, including an up to 35,000-point anniversary free night award, automatic Silver Elite status and elite night credits.

Here are the offers we’ve seen over the past few years:

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Currently, new cardholders can earn 125,000 bonus points and one Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. Certain hotels may have resort fees.

Highest welcome offer

The highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the Bonvoy Boundless allowed new cardholders to earn five free night awards (each night is valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

When to apply

If the offer is more than three free night awards or at least 125,000 bonus points, you should consider applying.

To learn more, read our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless.

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Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

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Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card

The no-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold from Chase is an entry-level Marriott credit card. It offers modest benefits and elitelike perks for those who don’t stay at Marriott properties frequently.

The Bold offers automatic Silver Elite status, elite night credits and modest travel protections.

Here are the offers we have seen on the Bold card:

Approximate date	Offer	Value*
September 2025 to now	Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.	$420
July 2025 to September 2025	Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.	$210
June 2025	Earn 60,000 bonus points plus one free night award (valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.	Up to $770
March 2025 to June 2025	Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.	$210
January 2025 to March 2025	Earn 60,000 bonus points plus one free night award (valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.	Up to $770
November 2024 to January 2025	Earn 30,000 bonus points after using the card to spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months from account opening.	$210
July 2024 to November 2024	Earn 60,000 bonus points plus one free night award (valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.	Up to $770
August 2023 to July 2024	Earn 30,000 bonus points after using the card to spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months from account opening.	$210
June 2023 to August 2023	Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months from account opening; plus, earn 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.	Up to $700
September 2022 to June 2023	Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months from account opening.	$420

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations and not provided by the credit card issuer.

Currently, new cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Highest welcome offer

The highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the Bonvoy Bold allowed new cardmembers to earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first three months of card membership, plus 50,000 bonus points after staying six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels.

When to apply

If the offer is over 60,000 bonus points, it’s a good time to consider applying.

To learn more, read our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold.

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Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card

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Application restrictions

Before applying for one of these Marriott credit cards, it’s imperative to make sure you’re eligible for the welcome offer.

The Marriott American Express cards only allow you to earn one bonus for each of their cards once in a lifetime, and they have strict rules, so you may not be eligible for some cards’ welcome bonuses.

Additionally, Marriott has extra rules on welcome bonus eligibility if you have previously held other Marriott or former Starwood Preferred Guest credit cards. You can use this eligibility table to see if you are eligible for a welcome bonus.

On the Marriott Chase cobranded cards side, you are subject to the 5/24 rule, which means you can’t have opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the past 24 months. This rule is in addition to the Marriott application rules if you have previously held another Marriott or former SPG credit card.

Related: Want to open a new Chase card? Here’s how to calculate your 5/24 standing

Bottom line

Using the data and offer history above can help you time applications and potentially net you many more Bonvoy points. The historical data shows that during certain months, welcome offers tend to be higher than in other months year over year.

Lastly, with this offer history, you have a baseline and threshold on the bare minimum welcome offer you should apply for. If it is higher than that threshold, that would be considered a good time to apply for a Marriott card.

Related: Best Marriott credit cards

For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, click here.
For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.
For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Business, click here.

One benefit of select tiers of Marriott elite status is complimentary, space-available room upgrades at check-in. However, for some stays, you may want to guarantee a specific view or a larger room at booking instead of hoping for an upgrade.

You can book a paid rate for the room type you want. However, you can also sometimes redeem Marriott points for upgraded room types. Here’s what you should know.

Redeeming Marriott points for upgraded rooms: What to know

Marriott Bonvoy offers two primary avenues for using points to upgrade. You may be able to use more Marriott points to book an upgraded room, or you may be able to redeem points for the standard room award cost and then pay a cash copay to upgrade. However, you won’t earn Marriott points on the cash copay, and it won’t count toward the Ambassador spending requirement.

If you want to redeem points to upgrade, you must do so at booking. And unfortunately, you won’t see the option to upgrade with Marriott points at every property. So, if you’re hoping to secure an upgraded room with points for an upcoming stay, you may need to check multiple properties before you find one that lets you redeem Marriott points for an upgraded room.

In the remainder of this guide, I’ll discuss how you can redeem Marriott points for an upgraded room. These options are available online, so you can check your options when booking on the Marriott Bonvoy website.

Related: 5 ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions

How you can use Marriott points for an upgraded room

You’ll see the option to book upgraded room types with points at some Marriott Bonvoy properties. When booking these properties, you may be able to choose whether to pay completely in points for your upgrade or redeem points for a standard room and pay a cash copay for the upgrade.

For example, consider a five-night stay next year at Marriott Mena House, Cairo in Egypt. I could book a deluxe room with a garden view and balcony for 114,000 Marriott points.

If I wanted to secure a partial pyramid view, I could pay a $500 cash copay or redeem 100,000 extra Marriott points.

I get executive lounge access as a benefit of my Titanium Elite status. But if you don’t have Marriott Platinum Elite status or higher, you may want to pay a $550 or 110,000 point copay to upgrade to a garden-view deluxe room with executive lounge access. When I stayed at Marriott Mena House, Cairo earlier this year, the executive lounge offered a modest breakfast buffet and an impressive dinner buffet with beer and wine daily.

You could also pay an upgrade copay of $1,050 or 210,000 points to secure a room with a partial pyramid view and access to the executive lounge.

Marriott knows that many guests stay at Marriott Mena House, Cairo for its pyramid views. So, although rooms with premium pyramid views don’t come cheap, you can pay a cash or points copay to secure one when redeeming points for your stay.

It’s nice that Marriott lets its members redeem extra points or pay a cash upgrade rate when redeeming points. However, the rates are incredibly high compared to paid rates at some properties and for some room types. Plus, many Marriott properties don’t offer the ability to redeem points with a cash or points upgrade option.

Related: Your complete guide to earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Use Nightly Upgrade Awards on your Marriott award stay

If the upgrade rates are too high, or the property doesn’t offer redemptions with cash or points upgrades, another option is to book a standard award stay and then request to use Nightly Upgrade Awards.

However, using Nightly Upgrade Awards instead of booking the upgraded room type you want has several downsides. First, there’s no guarantee your Nightly Upgrade Awards will clear for your stay. Second, you won’t find out until within five days of your stay (three days for stays at Edition, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties) whether you’ll get the upgrade. You also can’t request Nightly Upgrade Awards at every Marriott property, so this might not even be an option.

You can earn Nightly Upgrade Awards as Marriott Choice Benefits each time you accrue 50 or 75 elite night credits per calendar year. If you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you can also choose Nightly Upgrade Awards as your Earned Choice Award each calendar year you spend at least $60,000 on eligible purchases with your card.

Related: 7 ways to get a hotel room upgrade

Bottom line

As a Marriott Titanium Elite member, I’ve never redeemed Marriott points for an upgraded room. Instead, I’ve always hoped for an upgrade based on my Marriott elite status or via Nightly Upgrade Awards. I’ve had decent luck with Nightly Upgrade Awards clearing when traveling overseas, and I’ve often lucked into at least a better-located room as a perk of my Marriott status.

But if I wanted to reserve an upgraded room with Marriott points, it’s good to know that points or cash upgrades may be available.

When I first got into the credit card rewards hobby, transferable points made the most sense to me.

My travel style has always been flexible. I don’t necessarily love any hotel chain more than another, and I’ve lived near hub cities for multiple airlines.

Rewards that I could use anywhere, any time — by transferring to a loyalty partner or booking through a travel portal — were my natural choice. I didn’t see how a cobranded card fit into my strategy.

That changed when I decided to apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Despite what you might think, I didn’t apply because I’m now a Hilton loyalist.

Since I hadn’t booked hotels yet for trips I’d planned this year, I was curious about how the card’s benefits could elevate my upcoming travel. What if I tested out loyalty to a worldwide chain with thousands of properties across multiple price points?

Here are six reasons why the Hilton Surpass finally won me over as someone who wasn’t interested in cobranded cards.

An annual fee that’s right for me

I could’ve picked up the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees). However, I didn’t want to simply dip my toes into a cobranded card membership.

Instead, I wanted to see how the Surpass’ elite status and statement credits could elevate my travel experience. The card’s $0 introductory annual fee for the first year then $150 annual fee (offer ends Aug. 13; see rates and fees) seemed like a completely reasonable rate to me considering its benefits.

Sure, it wouldn’t have as many perks as the top-tier Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which charges a $550 annual fee, but I don’t have the appetite for such a high annual fee at this point.

The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

I also wasn’t as impressed with the similar cards offered by competing hotel chains at comparable annual fee rates, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (see rates and fees), the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) and the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees).

Thus, I landed on the Surpass.

Related: Is the Hilton Surpass Amex card worth the annual fee?

My first elite status

Because I’ve historically been a free agent, I’ve never experienced elite status perks with any program. Receiving automatic mid-tier Hilton Gold status from a card with a modest annual fee was attractive to me.

Hilton Gold status comes with the following perks:

• A daily food-and-beverage credit or continental breakfast (depending on where you stay)
• Elite rollover nights
• The fifth night free on reward stays
• Space-available room upgrades
• An 80% points earning bonus on stays
• 10,000 bonus points every 10 nights after you’ve stayed 40 nights in a calendar year

I saw myself enjoying the bonus points, daily food-and-beverage credits and space-available room upgrades the most. The fifth-night-free perk intrigued me, too, even though it also comes with lower-level Silver status.

If you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you also get upgraded to Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. While I don’t plan to spend that on this card, I still think spend-incentivized status for people who spend that much in a year is a nice perk.

Hilton statement credit

Statement credits are a major part of the credit card rewards hobby, and maximizing them is the best way to ensure you’re getting the most value for the annual fee. The Hilton Surpass is no exception.

The card’s up to $50 quarterly Hilton statement credit (up to $200 each calendar year) covers a wide range of purchases made directly with Hilton, including room rates, incidental charges, room service, restaurant and spa purchases and other charges at establishments within a property, like gift shops.

I felt that would be easy for me to use, and it would essentially wipe away the card’s annual fee before the year was over. I got the card in early March and already had plans to take a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, this spring, so my credit in the first quarter went toward booking three nights at Tempo by Hilton Louisville Downtown NuLu with cash.

I’m taking a trip to Europe later this spring and plan on using the second quarter’s credit on dining and drinks at the Canopy by Hilton London City. In the fall, I’m going to Las Vegas and will use my credit at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World.

Related: How to maximize the statement credits on the Hilton cobranded credit cards

Bonus categories not covered by my other cards 

I love maximizing bonus categories. I use my American Express® Gold Card to buy groceries, my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) for streaming subscriptions and my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to cover purchases outside of bonus categories.

Though my wallet covers many bonus categories, I didn’t have a card that earned extra on gas or online retailers. Lucky for me, the Hilton Surpass earns 6 points per dollar spent on gas purchases at U.S. gas stations and 4 points per dollar spent on U.S. online retail purchases.

TPG’s July 2025 valuations place Hilton points at 0.5 cents per point. The points earned with my transferable rewards cards are more valuable, so I won’t be using the Surpass to pay for purchases where I earn bonus points by using other cards (such as dining and grocery purchases).

However, since I regularly spend on gas and online purchases, I’m excited to now earn more than 2 points per dollar in those categories.

Related: 5 reasons to get the Hilton Surpass Card

National Car Rental status

One of the card’s more underrated perks is its complimentary National Rental Car Emerald Club Executive status. Enrollment is required, and terms apply.

Since I often travel domestically, I see value in Executive status perks, like access to the Executive Area for full-size reservations and above in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, the status grants guaranteed upgrades and no second driver fees, which is another solid benefit for me since I often travel with another person.

I rent cars multiple times a year, so I’m excited about how this perk could amplify those experiences.

Related: Best rental car rewards programs you need to know about

Welcome bonus and redemption options

While the welcome offer varies depending on when you apply for the card, I ultimately applied when the card offered an enticing limited-time offer.

At the time, new cardmembers could earn 130,000 bonus points plus a free night reward after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. This offer is no longer available.

Currently, new cardmembers earn 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. There is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, and a $150 annual fee after (see rates and fees).

TPG’s July 2025 valuations place the current bonus at $650. I easily decided that this was an outsize value for the annual fee.

Once I met the minimum spending requirement to earn the bonus, I started daydreaming about how I would redeem these rewards for an upcoming two-night stay in London. I used the Points Explorer tool to search for availability for properties with rates up to 65,000 points per night. Two nights would use up the 130,000-point bonus.

Because Hilton uses dynamic pricing, the value of your points can vary greatly depending on when you’re planning to take a trip. However, there is plenty of value to be found in the Hilton Honors program, especially if you have some flexibility.

For instance, I used all 130,000 bonus points from my Surpass’ welcome offer to book two nights at the Canopy by Hilton London City this spring. Then, I held onto the free night reward and decided to use it to book one night at Cosmopolita Hotel Rome, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. The standard room I booked with this certificate was worth almost $629 or 80,000 Hilton Honors points.

Related: Current Hilton Amex card offers

Bottom line

A few years ago, I wasn’t sure I could ever be convinced to apply for a cobranded card. Multiple factors, such as the ones I outlined above, made the Hilton Surpass the best option for me.

In this process, I learned you don’t have to be fiercely loyal to a particular brand to find value in a cobranded card’s benefits. You just have to see how they fit into your overall card strategy.

Consider your priorities and spending habits before applying for a new card. At TPG, we encourage you to earn transferable points thanks to their value and flexibility, but you don’t have to prioritize earning this currency all the time. Diversifying your rewards portfolio is just as important.

To learn more, check out our full review of the Hilton American Express Surpass Card.

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Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

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For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex card, click here.