Free nights and easy status: Why I have 3 Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and pay over $1,200 in annual fees

Many friends and family members often ask me if airline and hotel cobranded cards are worth it. The short answer is that they often are — especially if you're a semi-frequent customer of a given travel provider. But in some cases, you may actually want to have multiple cards associated with a single loyalty program.

That's exactly the situation I'm in with Marriott Bonvoy. In fact, I currently have three active Marriott credit cards, and I pay $1,225 in annual fees to keep them open.

That may seem like a steep price, but I easily recoup that value (and then some) each and every year.

Here's why I have these cards — and why you may want to consider a similar strategy.

Overview of Marriott credit cards

Let's start with a quick overview of the portfolio of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. Right now, there are six available to new applicants. Three are from American Express, and the other three are from Chase:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn up to 125,000 bonus points. Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership and an additional 50,000 bonus points after spending an additional $3,000 in the first six months of card membership.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn three free night awards (valued at up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Beyond these six cards, there are still some legacy products from before the integration of Marriott, Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton — including the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card, which isn't available to new applicants but may be an option for a product change.

The information for the Bonvoy Bountiful card and Ritz-Carlton card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

My three Marriott cards

From this list, I have the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex with a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Bonvoy Business Amex with a $125 annual fee (see rates and fees) and the Ritz-Carlton card with a $450 annual fee.

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In addition, it's worth noting that none of these are new. The two Amex cards were originally SPG-branded, and I got the Ritz-Carlton card in 2018, just days before it closed to new applicants.

When you add those fees together, I fork over $1,225 per year just to keep the cards open; here's why.

Earning elite status

I travel a decent amount during the year but like to keep my options open. That's why I love how these cards make it easy to not only enjoy Marriott Bonvoy elite status but also unlock even more perks.

In September 2022, the Bonvoy Brilliant underwent a significant overhaul, including an upgrade to the card's automatic status. Cardmembers now enjoy Marriott Platinum Elite status instead of Gold Elite. This includes perks like complimentary breakfast and space-available room upgrades.

However, it doesn't come with the Marriott Choice Benefit selection that's granted for reaching 50 nights in a calendar year — which is why the other status-related benefits on these cards are so valuable to me.

In addition to automatic Platinum Elite status, the Bonvoy Brilliant comes with 25 elite night credits every year. Meanwhile, the Bonvoy Business Amex comes with 15 — and you can stack credits from a personal and business card. That means I start every year with 40 elite nights, just with these two cards. (The Ritz-Carlton card also includes 15 nights, but those don't stack with other personal cards.)

In other words, after just 10 nights in Marriott properties during a calendar year, I reach Platinum Elite status the "hard way" and can select a Choice Benefit — which for me is almost always five Nightly Upgrade Awards. And with just 35 nights, I can reach Titanium Elite status and unlock another Choice Benefit.

In essence, these cards offer a shortcut to unlocking higher tiers of status, more elite perks or both.

Related: Here's why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card

Redeeming free nights

But it's not just elite status that keeps these cards in my wallet. The main value I get yearly comes from their annual free night certificates.

On both the Bonvoy Brilliant and Ritz-Carlton cards, I receive a free-night award valid for up to 85,000 points every year when I renew my card. Meanwhile, the Bonvoy Business Amex includes a free night valid for up to 35,000 points upon renewal, and I also have the chance to earn a second by spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year (certain hotels have resort fees).

In 2022, Marriott even added the ability to top up these certificates with up to 15,000 additional points — offering even more flexibility to book high-end properties.

Over the next year, I have reservations booked using these certificates at the following properties:

• St. Regis Bal Harbour: A standard room on the date I'm traveling was $984 (excluding the $55 resort fee), and my 85,000-point certificate covered the entire stay.
• Sheraton Miami Airport: A standard room on the date I'm traveling (with a late-night flight arrival) was $231, and my 35,000-point certificate covered the entire stay.

After my cards renew this fall, I will have another two 85,000-point certificates, and I'm looking forward to planning another luxury stay (or two) with them.

Other perks

Finally, each of these cards features at least one other perk that makes them worth keeping:

• Up to $25 monthly dining statement credit on the Bonvoy Brilliant: While this isn't as easy to use as the $300 annual Marriott credit it replaced, it nevertheless gets me $25 off worldwide restaurant purchases every month. I try to use it on inexpensive, fast-casual meals or for a round of pre-dinner drinks to get as close to my $25 statement credit as possible since I prefer earning 4 points per dollar spent on restaurant purchases with my American Express® Gold Card (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar).
• $300 annual travel credit on the Ritz-Carlton card: Every year, I enjoy $300 off qualifying airline incidental purchases — including in-fight Wi-Fi, snacks, drinks or seat assignment fees.
• Discounted room rate on the Bonvoy Business Amex: As a Bonvoy Business cardholder, I can enjoy a 7% discount on eligible bookings made directly with Marriott at participating properties worldwide when using the card.
• While I've sometimes found that AAA rates are slightly cheaper, I've used this twice in the past year to save a total of ~$50 off paid stays.

Finally, I can add authorized users to my Ritz-Carlton card for no additional annual fee — which I've done with my wife. This grants her an individual Priority Pass Select membership but also unlocks primary car rental coverage when renting a car in her name.

Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access

Bottom line

It may be shocking to hear that I'm paying over $1,200 per year in annual fees just for three Marriott Bonvoy credit cards — but as you can see from the above, I get a ton of value. Whether leveraging the elite status perks, saving hundreds of dollars with free-night certificates or utilizing other perks on the cards, I have very little trouble justifying this out-of-pocket expense. And I'll be keeping these three cards in my wallet for years to come.

With multiple Marriott cards currently offering lucrative welcome bonuses and summer travel prices remaining high, now could be a great time to unlock some of the above perks by adding a new Marriott credit card to your wallet.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, click here.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card