The anniversary free night award, good for a standard room at a redemption level up to 85,000 points, is the core of this card, and on the right Marriott property it can justify most of the $450 annual fee by itself. Add the $300 annual credit on airline charges like bag fees, seat upgrades, and lounge day passes, and the fee is largely defused before you count Priority Pass Select access, automatic Gold Elite status, 15 elite night credits a year, and a $120 Global Entry credit every four years. Earning is solid rather than exceptional: 6x at participating Marriott hotels, 3x on dining, airlines, and car rentals, 2x on everything else, and no foreign transaction fees. The catch is that this is a card you have to work, since the airline credit and the $100 property credit on two night stays at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis only pay out if your travel actually looks like that. There is also no signup bonus attached, so year one value has to come from the credits and the free night rather than a welcome haul.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Hotels Marriott Bonvoy participating hotels (card portion; Gold Elite bonus points are a program rate, not a card rate) | 6x |
Dining | 3x |
Airlines | 3x |
Car Rentals | 3x |
Everything Else | 2x |
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
Annual Travel Credit Up to $300 in statement credits each year on qualifying airline purchases such as baggage fees, seat upgrades, and lounge memberships or day passes | $300 /yr |
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit Up to $120 statement credit toward a Global Entry application fee, which also confers TSA PreCheck privileges | $120 |
Hotel Credit Up to $100 in property credit for qualifying dining, spa, or recreation charges on stays of two nights or more at The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties | $100 |
| Total annual credits | $300 |
Card details
Foreign transaction fee | None |