In 2019, the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business card from Chase joined the ranks of our other discontinued cards. It’s no longer available to new applicants because Marriott consolidated its credit card portfolio under the Bonvoy name and eliminated overlapping cards issued by both Chase and American Express. From then on, American Express has had the right to issue the Marriott Bonvoy Business card, but since we’re current cardholders we can keep our card and the current benefits, if we’d like.
If you’re looking to sign up for any of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, we’d appreciate it if you’d use our referral links (we do get a referral bonus if you sign up using our links):
The question is if this card is worth keeping when the next annual fee comes due.
Here are the benefits of the card now that it’s the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase (boy, that’s a mouthful):
Annual Fee
The Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card From Chase has a $99 annual fee.
Spending Bonus Categories
The Chase Marriott Business Card (I’m not writing the full name over and over) [Note from Sharon: Meh, just call it the MBPPBCCfC] has a good selection of bonus categories:
- Earn 6 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants, and on shipping, internet, cable and phone service purchases
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Free Night Award
Every year, after your account anniversary, you receive a free night at any Marriott hotel valued at up to 35,000 points.
If you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year, you’ll get an additional 35,000 point free night certificate.
Hotel Status
Just having the Chase Marriott Business card gives you automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver status, which provides the following benefits:
- 10% bonus points on eligible stays
- Complimentary in-room internet (if booking with Marriott)
- Priority late checkout based on availability
If you spend $35,000 on the card per calendar year, you’ll be upgraded to Gold status. Here are the additional benefits you get for being a Bonvoy Gold:
- 25% bonus points on eligible stays
- Enhanced room upgrade, based on availability at check-in.
- 2 P.M. late checkout, based on availability
- Welcome gift of points (250 to 500 points depending on the property)
- Complimentary enhanced in-room internet (if booking with Marriott)
Night Credits Toward Higher Status Levels
Each calendar year, your Marriott Bonvoy account will be credited with 15 nights towards reaching higher levels of status. You’re currently able to stack the 15 nights from a business card with the 15 nights you get with a personal card. Holding both cards automatically puts you at Gold Elite, only 20 nights from Platinum. Here are the levels and how many nights are required for each one:
- Silver – 10 nights
- Gold – 25 nights
- Platinum – 50 nights
- Titanium – 75 nights
- Ambassador – 100 nights
Travel Protections
The Chase Marriott Business card provides some basic travel protections:
- Primary Loss Damage Waiver coverage for car rentals when renting for business purposes and charging the entire rental cost to the card.
- Lost/Damaged Luggage coverage
- Baggage Delay coverage
- Trip Delay coverage, for delays over 12 hours or overnight
So, is the card worth keeping?
Knowing the facts about the card, a decision about whether or not to keep it is more subjective. What value do I give to each of these benefits? Here’s my take:
Looking at the spending categories, I have to consider that I’d rather earn flexible point currencies instead of having my points locked into Marriott. I’ve been able to get some good value for Marriott points, like for our hotel stay over Thanksgiving in New York where the redemption was worth 2.25 cents per point compared to the cash price. That value was more due to the excessive cash prices the hotel was charging for the holiday but that’s part of the advantage of having points. With Marriott doing away with points charts, it’s doubtful I’d be able to replicate that again.
Earning 6X points on Marriott stays is the best multiplier I have for hotel charges. The next best I can do is 5X with my Citi Prestige card or 3X with the Sapphire Reserve. I don’t have many stays at Marriott hotels where I pay for the room so this isn’t a blockbuster for me.
Here’s the problem – while the Marriott Premier Plus Business Card might have great multiplier categories, Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t worth as much as those other currencies. I value Ultimate Rewards at least double that of a Bonvoy point. To even things out, take those multipliers and divide them by two to get a real value.
Marriott Silver status isn’t really worth anything. Getting automatic Gold status with a personal and business card gives holding a business card additional value.
I get better car rental coverage and travel insurance coverage with my Chase Sapphire cards.
I decided to keep the card
The main reason is the free night certificate. For paying the $99 annual fee, I get a free night at a hotel that costs up to 35,000 points a night. We have a few hotels we stay at regularly that charge $150-$200 for a room where we can use the free night certificates.
Final Thoughts
I hope that by looking at the card benefits, you’re able to see how to make a decision about keeping or canceling a card that makes sense for you. If you don’t have the same cards that I do or if your travel goals are different, you might come up with a different decision than I did. Heck, I’m not even sure about my decision. I’m taking a gamble that I’ll be able to use the free nights for a good value and not just have to use them up before they expire.
Having a card that’s being discontinued throws yet another variable into the mix. Since you’re not going to be able to get the card ever again, does it have any special benefits that you want to keep? I think the Chase Marriott Business card [Note from Sharon: a.k.a. the MBPPBCCfC] has some great bonus earning categories that can make sense for someone who doesn’t have other cards or wants to concentrate on a few programs for a specific redemption. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
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2 comments
I’d also keep it because of the new Amex “4 card” limitations. If you want the multiplier from a personal & business card from Marriott, in order to get the 30 nights + 2 free night certs, I’d rather have the Chase Marriott biz rather than the Amex, because I can only have 4 Amex cards now. Unfortunately for me, I can’t get this card, since I’ve never had it and it’s closed. Keep it because you don’t want to give up 1 of your 4 Amex slots for this.
The AMEX card is$125. I’d rather keep this card for $30/year savings.