The Credit Card Combo You’ve Been Sleeping On
We just got back from Scotland – a trip that involved epic hiking in the Highlands, duck-feeding along Loch Ness, and a quick stop in Glasgow so our daughter could “manifest” her future university choice. We covered nearly 500 miles in a rental car, used our umbrellas exactly once, and, thanks to some smart credit card perks, stayed in some very nice hotels without paying a dime at check-in.
One of the best-kept secrets in Canadian travel rewards? A pairing of two Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards – the personal card and the business card. Right now, both have elevated welcome bonuses until August 18th.
The Offers (and Where the Real Value Is)
Here’s the breakdown:
Marriott Bonvoy American Express® Card (personal)
- 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy points:
- 65,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
- 30,000 points after $20,000 total spend in the first 12 months
- 15,000 points with a purchase between months 15–17
- Annual fee: $120
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card
- 130,000 Marriott Bonvoy points:
- 75,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months
- 40,000 points after $30,000 total spend in the first 12 months
- 15,000 points with a purchase between months 15–17
- Annual fee: $150
Here’s my take: the first chunk of the bonus – the points you get in the first 3 months – is the sweet spot. The “plus” offers that require $20k–$30k in spend? Not worth it unless you’re already spending that much organically. Don’t stretch your budget just to chase points.
How Much Are Bonvoy Points Worth?
A Marriott Bonvoy point is worth about 0.9 cents each on average – maybe 1.0 to 1.2 cents if you get lucky.
Example: the Calgary Marriott in-terminal airport hotel often charges up to $400 per night, or 40,000 points. That’s a 1¢ value right there.
And here’s a killer Bonvoy perk for longer stays – book five consecutive nights with points and pay for only four.
The Real Reason These Cards Stay in Our Wallets
Lindsay and I have played this game for six+ years:
- We each hold the personal and the business Bonvoy cards.
- That’s four Bonvoy cards total for our household.
- We’ve never charged a dime to them after meeting the initial spend for the welcome bonus.
- We gladly pay the annual fees ($120 personal, $150 business) every year.
Why? The Free Night Award.
Each card gives you one Free Night Award every year, redeemable at hotels costing up to 35,000 points. That’s the real value.
Pro tip: Don’t hold a supplementary (or spousal) card on the same account – there’s no value in that. Each of you should have your own account and card to take advantage of the bonus points and free night perks.
Our 2025 Travel Example
This year’s free night certificates covered:
- Two nights at the Calgary Marriott in-terminal hotel before our flight to Cancun in February. Paying $120 (personal card fee) for a $400 room? That’s a no-brainer.
- Two nights at the AC Hotel Glasgow on our return, which also goes for ~$400 CAD per night. Even paying the $150 annual fee for the business card, that’s still $400 value for $150 out-of-pocket.
That’s $1,600 worth of hotels for $540 in annual fees.
The Platinum Card Cherry on Top
We also each hold the American Express Platinum Card, which gives complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status. That means:
- Room upgrades (when available)
- 25% bonus on points earned during stays
- Late checkout (subject to availability)
- Welcome gift of points
We’ve been Gold Elite for six years now, and in Glasgow we were treated like royalty. Plus, the Platinum card’s airport lounge access makes family travel much smoother – all four of us get in to almost any lounge without paying a cent.
And yes, the Platinum card also has an elevated welcome bonus until August 18th (180,000 Membership Rewards points), but like the Bonvoy cards, the real magic is in the perks if you keep it year after year.
Final Thoughts
If you travel even once a year, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express personal and business cards are worth holding for the free night certificates alone. Stack them in a two-player household and you’re looking at multiple free nights in nice hotels every year, without ongoing spend requirements.
- Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card (Personal) – Check out the offer
- Marriott Bonvoy Amex (Business) – Check out the offer
- Amex Platinum (Personal) – Check out the offer
The current welcome offers make now the best time to jump in – just don’t get sucked into the extra-spend trap. Earn the initial bonus, keep the card for the annual certificate, and watch your travel budget thank you.
I’m leaving for japan shortly. My amex from bns has no exchange charge but is it worthwhile to cash advance there instead of buying YEN here? They seem to be cash not cc people and not sure amex is accepted much there.
Hi Denis, credit and debit are widely accepted and used in Japan. Like in most countries, VISA and MC are accepted pretty much everywhere, while Amex is less frequently accepted but still fine to use in major cities and larger establishments.
Still, cash remains essential, especially in small, rural, traditional, or family-run businesses, temples, street food stalls, and certain transit and vending machines.
Personally, we did not bring any cash on our recent trip to Scotland and did not have any need for it. In fact, most shops, even in smaller towns, had signs that said “card only”.
We used the Scotia Gold Amex for the first week, and then I was approved for the new Wealthsimple Visa mid-trip. They gave me access via Apple Wallet and the nice thing is no fx markup AND no tap limits for the card. I just left my wallet home on most excursions after testing it out.
Thanks Robb
My real question is whether I can use cash advance on scotia amex , worth it. Not clear on fees that would make it onerous. Maybe your new wealth simple better on fees. Using the amex “charge” in london and paris had great exchange last year, better than I expected.
I don’t think you want to cash advance from your Amex. It’s expensive if you don’t have a positive balance, and there’s no guarantee you find an ATM that allows Amex withdrawals.
A better solution – Bring a debit card tied to a no-fee chequing account (Wise, EQ Bank, HSBC Global, etc.) and withdraw yen directly – Japan Post ATMs and 7-Eleven ATMs are everywhere.
Just want to make sure I have read this correctly. You each got the personal and business card 6+ years ago (four cards) and spent the minimum $3000 on each card ($12,000 total in the first 3 months) and have not used them since other than paying the annual fee ($540 total for the two of you) and redeeming your one-night stay (four nights total). The only thing you now use these cards for is redeeming four hotel stays. What happens if you don’t make the minimum spend in those first 3 months? Do you just lose the bonus welcome points but still get your free hotel stay every year? Do you get a free hotel in the first year or only after you have had the card for one year? Also, in case we don’t make the deadline on this bonus offer, do they make this kind of an offer every year?
Hi Phyllis, that’s correct – we got the cards 6+ years ago and spent whatever the minimum requirement was in the first three months to get the bonus. We have not put another dollar on those cards since, just paid the annual fee and made sure to redeem the free night certificates.
If you don’t meet the minimum spend then you just would not receive the welcome bonus. That’s not ideal, because you don’t get the free night certificate until you’ve had the card for a year (on or around your card anniversary date). It’s an incentive to keep the card rather than cancelling it after a year.
The free night certificate is worth the equivalent of 35,000 points, whereas the bonus is worth 65,000 points once you’ve spent $3k on the card in the first three months, and you get another 15,000 points if you make ANY purchase (basically use the card once for a pack of gum) between months’ 15-17.
Also wondering if your free nights can be booked on fairly short notice or do you need to book them well in advance. When we are on road trips we often book only one day ahead of time or even the same day.
If you have a free night certificate and you make a reservation (whether it’s for tonight, tomorrow, or a year from now) you can apply the free night certificate to the reservation.
Thanks so much for this information!
Do you have separate Bonvoy accounts or do all the cards contribute to single account?