Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Card Review

The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is the new co-branded card from Chase and the newly-merged Marriott/Starwood/Ritz-Carlton rewards program. The current bonus is 75,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Here are the card highlights:

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months.
• 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• 6X points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Rewards & SPG hotels.
• 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year.
• Get upgraded to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
• Free in-room, premium internet access while staying at participating Marriott Rewards® and SPG® Hotels.*
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $95 Annual Fee.

Note the following:

The product is not available to either:

(1) current cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards® Premier or Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus credit card, or
(2) previous cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards Premier or Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.

The Marriott and Starwood merger is now complete, and you can use these points at either Marriott properties (Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites) or Starwood Properties (Westin, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, Aloft).

Here’s the new award chart information:

You could use 70,000 points on two free nights at a Category 5 hotel like the Courtyard Waikiki Beach in Hawaii on a standard date, or you could get 4 free nights at a Category 3 hotel like the Residence Inn Austin Arboretum.

You can still turn your points into airline miles with a bonus. 60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 airline miles. Similar to the old Starwood bonus structure, they will add 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer to airline miles.

Finally, Marriott points are also convertible to gift cards, but it takes 60,000 points to redeem for a $200 gift card for Marriott or retailers like Best Buy, Home Depot, or Nordstrom. That ratio isn’t all that great so you’ll definitely get the most value via hotel night redemptions or airline miles transfer.

After your account anniversary and paying the $95 annual fee, you’ll get an Anniversary Free Night Award automatically deposited into your account within 8 weeks. The Anniversary Free Night Award is valid for a one night hotel stay at a property with a redemption level up to 35,000 points. Getting $95 value out of hotel night is pretty easy to achieve, as long as you use it before it expires after 12 months.

Bottom line. The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is an updated version of their Premier card and is currently offering 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. As with all hotel cards, the value is dependent on your unique travel preferences. If you stay at Marriott/Starwood properties regularly, the free annual night award should easily cover the annual fee. If you have the old card you may be able to get a bonus for upgrading.