Why you need a Marriott personal and business card

One of the best perks of the Marriott Bonvoy credit card family is the free elite night points you get every year – anywhere from 15 to 25 nights, depending on which card you have.

Even better, if you hold both a personal and business credit card, you can earn up to 40 Elite Night points per year, giving you a sizable head start toward elite status each year.

Let’s explore the value you get when you have both a Marriott consumer and business card.

Accelerate your path to Platinum status and enjoy annual select benefits

Since you can accrue elite stay points, it’s worth it to have the personal and business Marriott cards if you qualify. Enjoy 15 elite nights per year with select Marriott credit cards, including Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (See Rates and Fees).

However, the higher the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Offering 25 Elite Stay Points per year, this might be worth it if you’re looking for the quickest route to elite status.

You may be wondering why this is relevant since there are several Marriott cards and American Express Platinum Card® Also offers Gold Elite status (registration required; terms apply) or the ability to earn higher status based on spend.

The big difference is that this automatic status doesn’t come with Elite Night points, which means you still need to meet the standard eligibility thresholds if you want to take advantage of the program’s annual option benefits or reach a higher status level.

RELATED: Your Complete Guide to Using Your Credit Card to Get Marriott Elite Status

If you frequently stay at Marriott hotels, you can stack those 15 to 25 Elite Stay points onto your own travel to upgrade to the next elite level faster.

When you stack points between a business card and a personal card, each card comes with 15 Elite Night points – e.g. Boundless and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — At the beginning of each year, you will receive 30 Elite Night Points.

Reaching Platinum Elite level requires 50 nights per year, which means you have completed 60% of the mission. To reach the next level, you just need to stay an additional 20 nights (or earn nights through credit purchases on your Boundless card).

Once you reach Platinum Elite status, you’ll enjoy invaluable benefits, including lounge access and nightly upgrade rewards.

those who have Outstanding As a benefit of the card, you get free Platinum Elite status every year. You can enjoy benefits such as room upgrades and free breakfast. However, you will not have the necessary points (50 nights) to earn the annual select benefits associated with Platinum status, which are:

That means the 25 Elite Stay Points you earn with the Bonvoy Brilliant Card can be stacked with the 15 Elite Stay Points you earn with the Bonvoy Brilliant Card. Travel Bonvoy Businessallowing you to earn 40 Elite Night points each year.

TPG Senior Editorial Director Nick Ewen took advantage of this option and stayed at the Marriott for just four nights in 2024.

That’s 80% of the cost of your first Select Benefit (50 nights) and more than half the cost of the 75 nights required for Titanium Elite status. Reaching Titanium level unlocks another annual select offer, as well as additional perks such as the ability to upgrade to a standard suite at a Ritz-Carlton property.

annual awards night

If you want to achieve status faster, you may want to consider more than two Marriott cards. In fact, there are several reasons to have as many Marriott credit cards as possible. That’s because you get incredible value from your Anniversary Awards Night certificate.

both Boundless and Business The credit card offers anniversary stay rewards worth up to 35,000 points. However, the premium Outstanding — Annual fee is $650 (see Rates & Fees) — Offers annual award nights up to 85,000 points per night (resort fees apply at some hotels).

According to TPG’s October 2025 valuation, Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each, meaning 35,000 points are worth $245.

Depending on how you travel, you may be able to get a higher return on these award nights. A former TPG employee took their suite at Sydney’s Sheraton Hyde Park Hotel and upgraded it to a spacious terrace suite during peak tourist season, while staying at the St. Regis Beijing for more than $300 a night.

Even with Marriott’s dynamic pricing, you can still redeem these rewards for more than the card’s annual fee, which means this benefit alone may justify keeping your Marriott credit card year after year.

There are two exceptions: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card do not automatically provide free night bonuses every year. With both cards, you need to spend $15,000 per year to earn free night bonuses worth up to 50,000 points. (Some hotels charge mandatory resort fees.)

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Spending Category Bonuses

In addition to annual award night and elite night points, having a personal and business Marriott card can help you earn more points across multiple spending categories.

All Marriott cards listed below earn 2 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases and 6 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. But other bonus categories (most of which don’t overlap) can help you maximize your earnings:

• Boundless: Earn 3 points per $1 spent on the first $6,000 in combined purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants each year (and 2 points per $1 spent thereafter).
• Bevi: Earn 4 points per $1 spent each calendar year on the first $15,000 in total purchases at global restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (and 2 points per $1 spent thereafter).
• Rich: Earn 4 points per $1 spent on the first $15,000 in grocery and restaurant purchases each year (and 2 points per $1 spent thereafter).
• Outstanding: Earn 3 points for every $1 spent at restaurants around the world and on flights booked directly with the airline.
• Business: Earn 4 points per $1 spent at global restaurants and U.S. gas stations, when purchasing wireless phone service directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. shipping purchases.

So if you’re a Marriott fan and want to focus your earning strategy solely on Marriott Bonvoy points, you can have multiple cards and maximize your earnings in multiple categories.

Related: Are you eligible for the new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no

bottom line

Marriott makes it easier to earn elite status by allowing customers with personal and business credit cards to earn two sets of elite stay points each year. In fact, many TPG employees started the year with 40 Elite Night points. When you add that to these credit cards’ annual reward night certificates, having both a personal and business Marriott card in your wallet is almost a given.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Bayview
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Hotel
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Business Class

For Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex rates and fees, click here.
For Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex rates and fees, click here.
For rates and fees on the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, click here.