Opened the Amex business credit card yesterday and I had a few questions I’m confused about. Would love your thoughts on these.

• do we get the 15 elite night credits each year? If not, what’s the real benefit of keeping the card open.

• I’m currently at 18 nights so far this year, and the card will get me another 15. I also have some more travel planned for the year. By the end of the year, I expect to hit 50 nights, and platinum will kick in. How long does this status last?

• This might be answered through the question above, what is the time period for status eligibility lty consideration? Is it calendar year or rolling 12 months?

• Is there a way to earn elite night credits faster other than staying or opening a credit card?

The cards have a few differences aside from price and the Chase consumer card only getting you silver status, but as a once-a-year traveler maybe I feel like I'm just pre-paying for the free overnight. Now, I will point out that it seems like the consumer card features a free overnight starting in year 1 while the business card makes you wait for your first anniversary.

Any thoughts from the seasoned Marriott travelers here?

Thank you.

*** UPDATE ***

I just want to clarify that I view this card as a vehicle to purchase one overnight per year as a subscription, so I'm paying probably less than the cost of an overnight without a Bonvoy card. So I'm contrasting $125/night at the gold tier vs. $95/night at the silver tier, in both cases limited to 35K/night rooms. What I'm essentially asking is, is the extra $20 going to get me $20+ worth of value? Thank you!

I am currently Lifetime Bonvoy Platinum and received an email from Marriott today saying:

Add the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Amex® Card to Your Wallet Get Titanium Elite Status (My name), receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.1 Stack these with your current 65 Elite Night Credits (as of 11/10/2025) and automatically achieve Titanium Elite status — unlocking these great benefits through the next calendar year: ….

Boost Your Status and Your Points With This Elevated Welcome Offer Earn up to 125,000 Bonus Points 75K Bonus Points after spending $6K on eligible purchases on the Card + 50K Bonus Points after an additional $3K on eligible purchases on the Card All within first 6 months of account opening

So I will get Titanium status through the end of 2026 (without this card I will not get the nights I still need for Titanium) plus 125,000 points (I can definitely meet the spending requirement) all for a $125 annual fee. Seems like a great deal; is there anything I am missing? I don’t actually have any “business” and have never before opened a “business” credit card account, any issue here?

I'm considering applying for the AMEX Marriott Business card. I don't travel for business, but I do book tour groups and their hotels. Looking at Marriott cards because last year we discovered a wonderful Courtyard near my in-law's. Perfect place to stay when we visit them (annually, but 2 weeks' stay). That said, the current business card's SUB is 3 FNA up to 50k redemption level per night. If valued at the max value, the SUB is better than Brilliant's current 95k points SUB offer. I think I saw something like 150k points one time or another, but can't recall the card type. So, should I apply now (2025 tour season is starting and will be booking hotels very soon), or wait for better SUB?

Probably been discussed before. I need to crunch some numbers, but I assume these are standard offers - https://imgur.com/a/Gu9rdTg

• Brilliant - $650/yr, 95k after spending $6k, 21x points, $300/yr dining credit, platinum, free night/ up to 85k, 25 elite nights, precheck credit

• Bevy - $250/yr, 85k after spending $5k, 18.5x points, 1k/stay, gold, free night up to 50k(have to spend 15k), 15 elite nights

• Business - $125/yr, after spending $8k, 18.5x points, gold, free night up to 35k, 7% disc, 15 elite nights

I already have a Marriott Visa, so I get a 35k/year free night and whatever points multiplier(have to look it up). I have platinum via that and actual stays this week(9 months in).

• Brilliant - still looking to see if there are restrictions on the $300(25/month) dining credit. that's easy to meet. So then I'd be paying $350 for platinum, an 85k/night, 25 elite nights and global entry($25/yr, 4 years). So $325.

• Bevy - downside seems to be spending the $15k. I almost definitely will, but its a gate to the free night.

• Business - a 35k night isn't much.

Any strong thoughts?

Hi all,

Right now we have these credit cards:

Personal:
Amex Platinum
Delta Gold Amex

Apple Card

Business:
Amex Blue Business (2% rewards, no AF)

I travel for work every month (sometimes twice) and have been focusing on Marriott hotels. The 2% is nice with the Amex Blue, but maybe it makes more sense to get the Bonvoy Business card? Any thoughts? I already have Gold status via Amex Platinum.

Hey all! I’ve been staying at more high-end hotels lately (like the Ritz and St. Regis), and I’m looking to hold both the Amex Brilliant and the Ritz-Carlton cards to get two 85K certs per year. However, I want to make sure my approach is within all the terms and conditions. Could someone confirm if my strategy makes sense?

Current situation:

• Applied and received the SUB for Amex Brilliant back in 2021. I downgraded to the Amex Bonvoy 10 months ago since I wasn’t traveling as much.

• I’ve held the Amex Bonvoy Business since 2021 and don’t plan on canceling or changing it.

• Never applied for any Bonvoy cards from Chase. No 5/24 restrictions.

• Recent SUBs/Promos: I’ve received retention offers for the Amex Brilliant for two consecutive years, but I think they were in the form of Amex Credits (not entirely sure how to confirm this).

Proposed strategy:

1. Wait until 1 year passes on the Amex Bonvoy, then upgrade it back to Amex Brilliant.

2. Wait 30 days.

3. Apply for Chase Boundless and claim the SUB.

4. After 1 year of Chase Boundless, upgrade the Chase Boundless to the Ritz-Carlton card.

My Questions:

1. Does this sound like a solid plan? Any potential issues I should be aware of?

2. Is it possible to add a 4th card after RC? (e.g. Chase Boundless, Bold or Bountiful)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Sorry for the clickbait title, I stumbled on this post and the associated video (not in that order) and I read the terms myself and it sure seems to come down to SUB eligibility, and since I have never had Marriott cards, and assuming they would even grant me the cards, it seems like I should be able to get all three of these cards and all three sign up bonuses this year, although I haven't found any DPs saying it actually works, and I can't imagine how the call would play out with customer service if it doesn't (probably would be "please cancel Bonvoy Business" and I'd just suck it up for whatever else failed).

I'm curious what people think of this "loophole" and what people think my chances are of approval given some high utilization on my part and some recently opened cards with limited business credit history. I'm also wondering if there is a reason for me not to go for the Bonvoy Business as well, and whether people think I am missing out on some better opportunity, or if there is more nuance to the timing that I should be aware of.

In my situation, it is a bit more complicated than the youtubers want to say since I'm at 5/24 now and, like normal people, I have bills and expenses that don't uniformly fit the year. Unless you all talk me out of it, I think I'm going to sign up for the AmEx Bonvoy Brilliant (a card I really want) and then the Bonvoy Business within the next few days. Then more than 90 days later (I'll refer to my credit reports for the account opened date to be safe), and before satisfying any SUB(s), I'll apply for the Chase Boundless (and I should be under 5/24 by then). If I can open the Chase card between mid-October and the end of the year, I should have no problem satisfying all three SUBs easily. If not until November or December, it will be annoying, but I can still do it.

What cards do I really want?

In the long-term, I'm interested in having both the Brilliant and Ritz Carlton cards. I don't care about the Bonvoy Business for on-going use, the FNR isn't worth the annual fee and associated headache to me. The Brilliant should be useful to me for Platinum status; I treat the FNR and the dining credits as a necessary nuisance to offset the AF. I probably wouldn't use it at all otherwise. The RC card would be useful to me for the Sapphire Lounge access and priority pass accounts for authorized users (two AUs on-going plus one different AU each year or so) plus global entry credits for the entire family (in 2027); the incidental airline credit would be easily obtained by an airline lounge membership and combined with the FNR they would also be a necessary nuisance to offset the AF. I also probably wouldn't use this card at all.

What are the timing issues?

Other than the 90 day issue, I have some larger than normal expenses coming up:

1. $2700 payment due by 8/2/2025 that cannot be split

2. $7000 payment due by 10/31/2025 that cannot be split

3. $8000 payment due 1/2/2026 that probably can be split

4. Various medical fees not yet processed in the $1,000 to $6,000 range (unknown how much Insurance will cover) for expenses already incurred.

5. P2 has $50k at 0% which will turn into rediculous % in late August ($20k) and mid September ($30k), I have 0% offers on some unused cards so I could take that debt on for cheap instead of cashing out some of our investment account. This would put my utilization up substantially.

Also, I'm at 5/24, but if I'm looking at it right, I'll be down to 2/24 by October 1st (absent other activity).

What does my Credit Card Template data look like?

My current cards less than 24 months old:

1. Citi AAdvantage Executive ($27k, Sept 2023) - P2 is an AU

2. Amex Hilton Honors Aspire ($25k, October 2023) - P2 is an AU

3. Barclays Aviator Red ($15k, Oct 2023) - AF to be wavied in 2025

4. BofA PRE ($20k, Aug 2024)

5. Barclays Hawaiian ($15k, April 2025)

6. Chase Ink Business Preferred ($6k, March 2025)

7. Amex Blue Business Cash ($25k, May 2025)

My current cards that are more than 24 months old:

1. Amex BCP (11.5k, ~2016) - P2 is an AU - upgraded from BCE on 2025-06-01 for PC bonus

2. Amex Platinum (Pay Over Time limit is $30k, March 2022) - P2 is an AU

3. BECU ($30k, 2011)

4. BofA Alaska Airlines Signature ($21k, Jan 2019)

5. BofA CCR MC ($13k, 2000) - converted from MBNA - P2 is an AU

6. Barclays Ring ($6k, ~2010)

7. CapitalOne QuickSilver ($18k, 1999)

8. CapitalOne Savor (was SavorOne) ($20k, Dec 2022)

9. CapitalOne VentureX ($30k, March 2022) - P2 is an AU

10. Chase Freedom Flex ($17k, June 2021)

11. Chase Freedom ($19k, 2016) - was CSR - P2 is an AU

12. Chase Sapphire Reserve ($19k, 2011) (was OG Freedom PC'd on 6/22/2025)

13. Chase Sapphire Reserve ($35k, November 2022) - P2 is an AU

14. Citi AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards ($22k, 2011) - P2 is an AU

15. Citi Costco Anywhere ($16k, 2002) - converted from amex - P2 is an AU

16. Citi American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp ($11k, 2007) - P2 is an AU

17. Citi DoubleCash ($13k, 1999)

18. Discover ($30k, 1999) - P2 is an AU

19. Fidelity (Elan) Visa ($16k, 2013) - P2 is an AU

20. USAA ($21k, 2002)

21. USBank Cash+ ($15k, 2018)

P2 current cards less than 24 months old:

1. Barclays Aviator [not red] ($1k, August 2023)

2. Chase Freedom Flex ($21k, May 2024)

3. Citi Simplicity ($500, March 2025)

4. NFCU cashRewards Plus ($5k, March 2025)

5. AmEx Hilton Honors Surpass ($25k, March 2025)

6. Barclays Hawaiian Airlines ($35k, April 2025)

P2 current cards more than 24 months old:

1. AmEx BCE ($11k, 2021) - Just downgraded from BCP via chat on day 29 after AF, got prorated AF ($95 * 336 / 365) returned the next day.

2. BECU ($31k, 2020)

3. BofA Alaska Airlines Signature ($32k, 2018)

4. BofA CCR ($16k, 2013) - I was an AU until April 2025

5. CapitalOne Quicksilver ($10k, 2004) - I am an AU

6. CapitalOne UnionPlus ($11k, 2014)

7. Chase Prime ($11k, 2017)

8. Chase Freedom ($18k, April 2021) - just changed to Freedom from Sapphire, was Sapphire Preferred initially.

9. Chase Disney [not premier] ($10k, Dec 2022)

10. Citi American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp ($23k, 2014) - I am an AU

11. Citi Custom Cash ($13k, prior to 2000)

12. Citi DoubleCash ($27k, prior to 2000) - I am an AU

13. Discover ($10k, May 2021)

14. USBank Cash+ ($4k, October 2021)

15. USBank Altitude Reserve ($24k, Oct 2019) - I am an AU

Weird (to me) credit Report notes:

1. P2 BofA CCR shows "terminated" on my report.

2. AmEx Costco shows on my report but says "purchased by another lender"

3. P2's report shows Capital One Savor (not former SavorOne) as closed; Cap1 rep refused to allow P2 to downgrade to SaverOne - we didn't think to HUCB. It was opened in 2018 and closed in November 2020.

4. P1 Scores

   • 787 (FICO Score 8 - 7/6/2025 - AmEx - Experian)

   • 807 (FICO Score 8 - 6/20/2025 - BofA - TransUnion)

   • 803 (FICO Score 8 - 6/22/2025 - Barclays - TransUnion)

   • 803 (FICO Score 8 - 6/23/2025 - BECU - TransUnion)

   • 785 (FICO Score 8 - 7/6/2025 - Capital One - TransUnion)

   • 734 (VantageScore 3.0 - 7/5/2025 - Chase - Experian)

   • 814 (FICO Score 8 - 6/24/2025 - Citi - Equifax)

   • 803 (FICO Score 8 - 6/14/2025 - Discover - TransUnion)

   • 735 (VantageScore 3.0 - 6/16/2025 - NFCU - ??)

   • 734 (VantageScore 3.0 - 6/30/2025 - USAA - ??)

   • 735 (VantageScore 3.0 - 6/30/2025 - USBank - TransUnion)

• P2 Scores

  • 729 (FICO Score 8 - 7/6/2025 - AmEx - Experian)

  • 710 (FICO Score 8 - 6/19/2025 - BofA - TransUnion)

  • 710 (FICO Score 8 - 6/8/2025 - Barclays - TransUnion)

  • 715 (FICO Score 8 - 6/23/2025 - BECU - TransUnion)

  • 733 (FICO Score 8 - 7/6/2025 - Capital One - TransUnion)

  • 608 (VantageScore 3.0 - 7/7/2025 - Chase - Experian)

  • 731 (FICO Score 8 - 6/24/2025 - Citi - Equifax)

  • 733 (FICO Score 8 - 6/28/2025 - Discover - TransUnion)

  • 609 (VantageScore 3.0 - 6/23/2025 - NFCU - ??)

  • 609 (VantageScore 3.0 - 7/3/2025 - USBank - TransUnion)

• Oldest account age: 20+ years

• Chase 5/24 status: 5/24 for me, 6/24 for P2

• Household Income: $450,000

• Average monthly spend and categories (this fluctuates wildly)

  • dining: $1500

  • travel: $2500

  • travel agencies: $1000

  • amazon: $1000

  • gas: $200

  • non-warehouse groceries: $300-$900

  • costco: $200-$800

• P1 Utilization ("B" according to WalletHub)

  • 1 card > 95%

  • 1 other card > 70%

  • 1 other card > 30%

  • 3 between 10% and 30%

  • 4 between 1% and 10%

  • rest at (or very near) 0

  • total: 10.49% I can get all but the top three to zero by the next cycle if required.

• P2 Utiliization (also "B" according to WalletHub)

  • 3 below 99% but above 95%

  • 3 between 90% and 95%

  • 1 at 83%

  • 1 at 31%

  • 7 at or below 10% which will be zero by the next cycle.

  • others at zero and will stay there

  • total: 21.8%

• Open to Business Cards: Certainly for me. Maybe for P2.

• What's the purpose of your next card? Other than Ritz/Brilliant explained above, I am interested in low APR offers and SUBs, for long term I am interested in benefits cards (e.g. PenFed Pathfinder, but not coupon-book cards)

• Are you OK with category spending or do you want a general spending card? I don't care, I doubt I'll change spending patterns except for SUBs and coupons/rebates, mostly just looking for benefits, SUB, or low rate

Here is how we typically use the cards (absent some SUB or PC Bonus):

• USBAR for everything we can use our phone for, and for hotels and cars except Hilton.

• Apsire for Hilton (except when we need the Surpass credits) - may switch to USBAR

• Amex Platinum ONLY for airline tickets, incidental charges, and for their coupon book items - may switch to USBAR for airline tickets.

• Alaska card for in-flight purchases and companion fare (these are grandfathered cards)

• AA Exec for AA (low usage)

• USBank Cash+ for utilities and cell phone

• Prime card for Amazon

• BofA CCR for online stuff that isn't Amazon

• CSR for non-travel travel (i.e. travel agencies and AirBnB that don't get 3x at USBank)

• Amex BCP for groceries - we used P2's BCP until the annual fee finally posted and I took the No-AF-for-a-year-plus-$125 incentive to upgrade my BCE to BCP and downgraded P2's BCP to BCE. If we cannot continue to flip-flop BCE/BCP then we'll switch to USBAR for groceries because 4.5% is ALWAYS greater than 6% minus $95 (when capped at $360).

• All the Barclays ones will be downgraded/canceled the next time they try to charge an annual fee.

• We use enough of the benefits of the Alaska, Hilton, and high annual fee cards (>$200) to keep them all for now, even in combination with all the other cards we have. That is, except for the CSR with the new AF.

• The VX will be worthless but still effectively free, so no urgency there.

• BofA PRE is primarily for airport restaurant benefit (and credits) for me and family, well worth it to us.

• AmEx Platinum is annoying (but comes out positive) and MR points are not worth much for me, so I am looking at replacing the biggest value the AmEx still provides (~7 GE/precheck credits coming up in two years, 10 used since 2022) with the Ritz. We used to get a lot of value out of Hilton Gold status from AmEx Platinum but now I'm diamond and P2 is gold through Hilton cards. Clear is about half price for us through a group arrangement, I wouldn't pay for it if it weren't free, and Aspire will cover it anyway; we don't use Walmart+ at all and we get Paramount+ through another means.

I am a Costco member and use Amazon Prime and subscribe to Netflix and Disney+/Hulu. P2 and I have checking accounts with Wells Fargo, USBank, Bank of America (closing soon), KeyBank (closing soon), USAA, Navy Federal, and BECU. I have a savings account with PenFed. We each have family connections to the military but neither are active nor veterans.

The upcoming plan is to downgrade each CSR when the new AF hits (November 2025 and sometime in Summer/Fall 2026), All other high AF cards serve a purpose and/or offset the AF easily enough to keep. I'll re-evaluate Hilton at some point (likely either go with double Aspire or double Surpass instead of one of each). I'd like to get the PenFed Pathfinder for ongoing airline credit after all this Marriott stuff is sorted out.

Also separate from the Marriott situation, P2 got the Citi Simplicity for the 21 months of 0%, but only received a $500 CL, it was maxed long enough to report, but now has a zero balance, we're considering requesting a CLI, not sure if there is any timing considerations there (during 4th month, before 0% APR offer expires).

Thank you in advance for any thoughtful feedback you are willing to share.

I currently have a Chase Bonvoy Bold which I got in June 2023. (Btw I regret not getting the boundless and I cannot upgrade until June next year due to the 12 month rule from Chase)

I am now thinking of getting an Amex Bonvoy Business even if I would forfeit the sign up bonus.

Two questions:

1. Do I currently qualify to get the Amex Bonvoy Business?

2. Is it worth to get the Amex Bonvoy Business even if I don’t get the signup bonus?

Reason is that I would get the head start of 30 elite nights and this year I will most likely have 20 Marriott nights due to work travel to get to platinum status.

Any other thoughts to consider?

Thanks!

Currently Amex running a 5 free night offer on this card after 8k in spend in 6 months. 9 days left. However, before I submitted the application I read the terms below.

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase, in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase.

The part that made me stop is #3. I opened a personal Chase Boundless card in August of 2022.

Anyone have experience or insight with how strict Amex is with this? How will they even know? I assume through Marriot sharing my member information, right? This welcome offer expires in 9 days so I obviously can’t wait until August to apply.

I see on the listing for the Bonvoy Business Amex card that it states you can receive up to 18.5x points if you meet the 3 criteria. I am Titanium Elite and am looking to get a Marriott card because I’m switching jobs and will begin booking my business travel with my own card. Am I reading into this correctly that if I would normally earn 10,000 Marriott points from a stay, booking with this card would turn that into 185,000 points? It almost seems too good to be true, so I just wanted to verify.

Ok, so for $125, I get 15 nights (I already have the chase personal card). The application asks about legal business name and monthly business spend, etc. Do I need to have a registered business? How much revenue are they looking for?

I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to earn 40 elite night credits with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card (for 25 nights) and the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card (for 15 nights), or that only possible using the Brilliant card along with the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Card instead?

Any insights or experiences to share?

Does any business card give you elite night credits and can you get them In addition to regular card credits?

I was trying to do the 4Yr Marriott Bonvoy strategy but messed up since I got the chase boundless in September 2023 making the 24 month waiting period end September 2025. However I messed up and got the Marriot Bonvoy Business Card from Amex March 2025 not realizing I wouldn’t qualify for the sign up Bonus. If I were to cancel the business card and reapply for it again after September 2025 would I qualify for the sign up bonus then?

Hello all,

I started a business and decided on Marriott Bonvoy for my travel card. I felt better about building hotel status than accumulating airline miles, especially if I have to spend my own money working on status instead of a corporation's.

The benefits are amazing compared to my consumer cards, but I've struggled to understand the game of maximizing points earned on hotel $ spend. Between the property, elite status, and promotion offers, I've really struggled to calculate what my all-in points earned will look like as I spend.

Any advice, either yours or from others, on identifying and booking hotels primarily for point-earning potential? It's really nice but otherwise overwhelming to plan around. Thanks so much!

I am trying to choose between the Amex Marriot Business or Amex Marriot Brilliant. I was hoping to have platinum status from the brilliant for my vacay in July with my family so we could hopefully get free breakfast (~572 if we pay out of pocket for the trip) this would offset the fee.

for context: i have the chase boundless and just cleared my 24 month bonus period.

I have a 5 day vacation planned/reserved but not paid for at a marriot property in July.

I really wanted to get 185k amex brilliant offer but my 24mos from my chase bonus ended on may 27 and the offer expired on May 1st. the offer is back down to 95k and platinum status which is not terrible but feeling like i really missed out. I would also only get 10 elite night credits from this card because of my other personal card.

I think I should qualify for the amex marriot business bonvoy card which gives gold status and I would get full 15 elite night benefit (would put me at 30 off the bat each year and has a lower annual fee but i would need to ensure i make it to the 50 nights for platinum status which wont be possible before my vacation in July (i can accept that since the offer comes with 5 free night credits on 8k spend which i should be able to get to pretty fast by putting the balance for my vacation on this card and prepaying my hoa fees for the year. I also have cash savings to pay down the vacation portion of the balance so not worried about carrying a big balance.

While i could swing both annual fees, it is a lot of fees especially on the brilliant and i am bit worried about the 6k and 8k spend on a combined basis which is why i think i would need to choose one or the other unless I could find a way to put a big normal course expense on one.

if you were in my shoes and had to pick one which would you pick and why? part of me wants to wait on the brilliant until there is another offer but who knows when that will be.

a note hotel is autograph collection so platinum would generally get a welcome gift i understand (officially it is member +1 but hopefully since its 4 of us and i prebooked at lot at the hotel and if i am really polite they will extend to my mom and dad. which is where 572 number comes from technically though i am only required to get half or like 286.)

Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything... If I have both the Bonvoy Brilliant and Bonvoy Business, just having Platinum status via the Brilliant means my earning rate will be boosted on both cards, so the extra 7% on the Business card is strictly better...right?

(To confirm, these cards are not and would not be used for anything other than Marriott stays and I would never be hitting the $60k annual spend on either card for the earned choice award or additional free night award.)

I have to get hotel rooms for talent that performs at my venue. Obviously I'd like to be racking up points while booking these stays, but if it's under my Bonvoy account it seems I personally have to be the guest. Anyone know the instructions and outs of this? Any tips or tricks to be able to get the points/status/upgrades?