Marriott debuts two new rewards credit cards, offers welcome bonuses of up to 125,000 points

The offer mentioned below for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card is no longer available. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty program of the largest hotel chain in the world, offers a diverse lineup of cobranded credit cards, ranging from no-annual-fee to premium options that come with a variety of travel perks. Still, it's adding two new cards to the mix, one issued by Chase and the other by American Express.

Enter the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase. The cards are almost identical — both cards have annual fees of $250 (see rates and fees) and provide the same high-end benefits like automatic Marriott elite status and the opportunity to earn free night awards — and are each offering welcome bonuses of up to a staggering 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which is plenty of points to jumpstart your travels.

With the same welcome bonuses across the two new cards and overlapping benefits, you might be wondering how they differ. Select details everything you need to know about the new cards and how to take advantage of their elevated welcome bonuses.

The new Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is offering a welcome bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases on their card in the first three months. This elevated welcome bonus is available through Jan. 11, 2023.

For ongoing spend, cardholders earn points at the following rates:

• 6X points at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties
• 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

The card comes with a number of Marriott-focused benefits, including the following:

• 1,000 bonus points with each qualifying stay
• Complimentary Gold Elite status
• A Free Night Award (redeemable for a stay of up to 50,000 points) after making $15,000 in purchases per year
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year to use toward achieving your next level of elite status

It carries a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees) and does not charge foreign transaction fees, which makes it great for international travel.

The welcome bonus for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card is identical to the Bevy Card: Earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases on their card in the first three months. Although it will also be available into January 2023, there's no exact end date to this promotional bonus yet.

The earning rates and benefits of the Bountiful Card are the same as the Bevy:

• 6X points at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties
• 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases
• 1,000 bonus points with each qualifying stay
• Complimentary Gold Elite status
• A Free Night Award (redeemable for a stay of up to 50,000 points) after making $15,000 in purchases per year
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year to use toward achieving your next level of elite status

As a Visa Signature card, it offers a few additional perks:

• Baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement and purchase protection when you pay for travel and other large purchases with the card
• Complimentary access to 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge Service

The card also has a $250 annual fee and doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

The main difference between the new Bevy and Bountiful cards and Marriott's other cards are the benefits — and not the earning rates. After all, you can get the same 6X return on Marriott stays with both the mid-tier Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card ($95 per year) and the much pricier Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 per year, see rates and fees). Similarly, the new cards also offer 2X points on all other purchases like the other Marriott cards. The main difference is the 4X bonus points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets — which is slightly higher than the 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines offered by the Brilliant. Unfortunately you'll be capped to $15,000 in spend for the 4X categories.

The lower-end Boundless Card confers entry-level Silver Elite status, while the more premium Brilliant Card provides upper-tier Platinum Elite status, making the Bevy and Bountiful cards ideal for the occasional traveler who only needs mid-level Gold Elite status. It's a bit odd, though, that the less-expensive Boundless card comes with an automatic free night award, while the Bevy and Bountiful have a spend requirement to earn it. Although the new cards' potential free night award is more valuable (worth up to 50,000 points vs 35,000 points), it would've been nice if they provided the free night award outright. The Bevy and Bountiful Cards' 1,000 bonus points on stays is a unique benefit not offered by any of the other cards, although not incredibly valuable, it's a nice-to-have.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase are identical in their price tags and benefits, with the only difference being their issuers. So which card should you choose? Well, it depends on where you fall with these issuer's application rules.

American Express 2-in-90 rule

This Amex-focused rule means that you cannot sign up for more than two American Express credit cards within a 90-day period. The best way to check this is to reach out to American Express customer service and simply ask how many cards you've signed up for.

Chase 5/24 rule

Chase's 5/24 rule is a bit more encompassing of your entire credit activity. If you have been approved for more than five credit cards (from any issuer) in the last 24 months, you will be declined for any credit card from Chase.

Additionally, there are limitations on who is eligible to earn the welcome bonuses if you currently have or had certain Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.

These rules are in place to prevent people from signing up for too many cards within a short period of time. So if you regularly like applying for a new credit card, it makes more sense to sign up for the Bountiful Chase Card. And then if you really enjoy the card, you can then move on to the Bevy Amex Card.

With the addition of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase, there are now a whopping six Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit cards to choose from.

The other four cards offer a wide variety of features and benefits, so be sure to also check them out to see if they fit your needs:

The new Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase can be excellent choices for those who regularly stay at Marriott properties. With annual fees of $250, they are the perfect "in-between" cards for those seeking luxury travel benefits, but can't justify the cost of a true premium card. Plus, with elevated welcome bonuses of up to 125,000 points, now's an even better time to apply.

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For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.  Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details.  Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.