Marriott Bonvoy has partnerships with Chase and American Express to offer a range of co-branded credit cards. These cards cater to different needs and preferences, with four personal cards and one business card currently available for application. These options include the Bonvoy Bold card, which has no annual fee, and the top-tier Bonvoy Brilliant card, which grants automatic Platinum Elite status and costs $650. Despite being discontinued, some individuals still possess the Ritz Carlton Card, Marriott Bonvoy AMEX, and Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business card.
By paying the annual fee, many of these cards offer a complimentary night each year. with a value ranging from 25,000 to 85,000 points. Furthermore, Marriott Bonvoy permits up to 15,000 points to be added to a free night award, granting access to previously unavailable hotels. We have several cards that grant free nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, and I wanted to see the value I receive from each card.
One thing I didn’t realize was over the last year, we’ve added points to the certificates twice. I have to account for this additional expense when calculating the value of the free night.
I’ve used most of our free night certificates for hotels in Cape Canaveral. That’s so Sharon can stay overnight before leaving early in the morning for her fishing excursions. Marriott has three properties close to Port Canaveral which include a Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites.
Room rates at Cape Canaveral, FL have been consistently rising as the cruise ships that depart from the port have gotten busier. In addition, rates over Spring Break and holiday weekends are more expensive.
I redeemed three free night awards over the past year:
- 35,000 free night
- 35,000 free night plus 4,000 points
- 25,000 free night plus 8,000 points
For one night in April, cash prices were going for $322/night, when a free night cost 39,000 points.
Looking at dates in September, rates range from $150 to $300 a night but consider that all schools have started by then, so weeknights are going to be less crowded than over the summer. Rates in November and December go back up and are already listed as $250 to $400 per night.
For our other 35K point free night award, we stayed for a night at the Courtyard Miami Downtown before our first cruise on Virgin Voyages. The hotel was close to the Port of Miami and served its purpose. I didn’t price out the hotel for our stay but rates run from $170 to $300+.
I’ll use an average and say each hotel night would have cost $225. For the four nights, I would have paid $900 if I didn’t have the free nights. Instead, I paid less than $400 in annual fees.
Our last free night was from the Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX card. I had a 50,000 point free night which was expiring so I used it to book Sharon a room at a Residence Inn in Delray Beach, FL. The hotel has since left Marriott Bonvoy. It wasn’t the best use of a 50K free night but sometimes it’s better to use a free night instead of waiting for the perfect time that may never come before it expires.
Are these free nights worth it?
Determining the worth of something is subjective and varies from person to person. In my case, I find the annual fees for my Marriott Bonvoy co-brand cards to be worth it. For $100, I pre-pay for a hotel room that typically costs between $150 and $300. This eliminates the need for me to worry about hotels raising prices during peak season.
I canceled the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX because I couldn’t justify the higher annual fee. I replaced it with the Ritz Carlton Card. I have to see if I’m able to get value from an 85,000-point free night award but I won’t get that until I pay the annual fee next year.
If our situation changes and I no longer need to book single-night stays at Marriott properties costing around 35,000 points a night, I’ll reconsider. But for now, I’m getting my money’s worth for the Marriott Bonvoy co-brand card annual fees.
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