Marriott Bonvoy Just Released 2 New Credit Cards — Here's How Travelers Can Use Them Effectively

Hint: These cards are going to help you quickly earn free hotel stays.

If you're considering signing up for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card, now might be the time to do it.

The hotel loyalty program just announced two new cobranded credit cards: the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase. "We have the highest demand in our company history for new Marriott Bonvoy credit cards," David Flueck, Marriott International's senior vice president of global loyalty, told Travel + Leisure.

What makes these two stand out among the crop of Marriott Bonvoy cobranded cards is that they're designed to help cardholders accumulate Marriott Bonvoy Points at an incredibly high rate with a mid-range annual fee of $250 for primary cardholders.

For example, both cards earn a whopping 6X points on stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, which total more than 8,100 properties worldwide, as well as 70,000 vacation rentals as part of Homes & Villas by Marriott International. They earn an additional 1,000 bonus points per stay, too. But they also earn 4X points on up to $15,000 spent at restaurants or grocery stores and 2X points on all other purchases.

For comparison's sake, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card earns 6X points on Marriott Bonvoy stays, too, but it has an annual fee of $450.

Now let's take a look at how those earnings will work for travelers. Say you book a three-night stay at $300 per night with one of those cards — you'd earn 5,400 points after the stay as a standard member without elite status, plus a 1,000-point bonus, for a total of 6,400 points. (Elite status members earn at an even higher rate, from 10% to 75% more points per stay.) Do that a few times a year, and you could easily earn tens of thousands of points, which can be redeemed for free nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels around the world.

Marriott eliminated its fixed award chart in favor of dynamic pricing in March 2022, so there's no easy way to figure out exactly how many points you'll need for an upcoming hotel stay. But a quick search for a one-night stay on Nov. 1 shows that rates can range from 7,500 points at the Four Points by Sheraton Oklahoma City Quail Springs to 120,000 points at The St. Regis Bora Bora. So if you're a frequent traveler, you could wind up earning free stays very quickly.

The expedited point accrual is only one of the perks of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase. Cardholders also have complimentary Gold Elite status (which actually means cardholders automatically earn 25% more points on eligible hotel purchases, potentially adding even more points to the total in the example mentioned above); a free night award that can be redeemed for up to 50,000 points (earned after spending $15,000 on the card); and 15 Elite Night credits, which go toward earning a higher tier of elite status.

Marriott Bonvoy has also announced some changes to an existing card today; the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card will now come with complimentary Platinum Elite status, which comes with hotel lounge access, room upgrades, and late check-out, based on availability.

"We all missed taking trips with family and friends and our members are again experiencing the joy of travel throughout our portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands," Flueck said. "Our refreshed credit cards make travel even more attainable with new point accelerators on everyday spend and richer travel perks. There is no better time to get a Marriott Bonvoy credit card and experience all that the world has to offer."

Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card here and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase here.