Better Offer! Earn 80,000 Points With the Chase Marriott Card

November 9, 2015 By Million Mile Secrets

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Marriott recently made several positive changes to their loyalty program. And now Chase has increased the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card card to 80,000 Marriott points after completing minimum spending requirements.

That can get you Big Travel at Marriott hotels, like 2 award nights at the fancy JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, a Category 8 hotel.

The regular offer is for 50,000 Marriott points. But there are a couple of differences you should be aware of with this new offer. The annual fee is NOT waived the 1st year, and the minimum spending requirement is $1,000 more than the normal offer.

Better Offer Earn 80,000 Points With The Chase Marriott Card — You Could Use 80,000 Marriott Points for 2 Nights at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

I’ll help you decide which 1 you should apply for!

Emily and I don’t receive a commission for the 80,000 points offer. But no matter what, we’ll always tell you about the best deals!

What’s the Deal?

Link: Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Link: My Review of the Chase Marriott Premier

Link: Marriott Award Chart

You’ll earn 80,000 Marriott points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your Chase Marriott Rewards Premier card.

Marriott hotels include:

Previously, the best offer was for 50,000 points after completing minimum spending. But with that offer, the $85 annual fee is waived for the 1st year. And the minimum spending requirement is $2,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of account opening. [Expired]

With the new offer, you’ll still get:

1 free night in a category 1 to 5 hotel on your card anniversary
5X Marriott points per $1 spent at Marriott
2X Marriott points per $1 at restaurants, on car rentals, and airline tickets purchased directly from the airline
1X Marriott point per $1 spent on all other purchases
NO foreign transaction fees
15 nights credit towards elite status (so you get Marriott Silver status)

Note: With the 80,000 point offer, the $85 annual fee is NOT waived for the 1st year. 80,000 Marriott points is enough for:

2 nights at a Category 8 Marriott (40,000 Marriott points per night), like the JW Marriott New Orleans.
3 nights at a Category 5 Marriott (25,000 Marriott points per night), like the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando at SeaWorld®
Or make your points last for 8 nights at a Category 2 Marriott (10,000 Marriott points per night) like the Courtyard by Marriott Santo Domingo

And because Marriott and Ritz-Carlton are essentially the same frequent-guest program (just with different branding and marketing), you can use your Marriott points to stay at Ritz-Carlton hotels and vice versa.

Note: If you’ve already held this card, the terms and conditions say you can earn the bonus again as long as you have not received the bonus in the past 24 months.

Chase has tightened up on their approvals, especially if you’ve opened more than 5 new credit cards within the past 24 months. But some folks report success opening new Chase cards anyway. If you have a good relationship with Chase, and good credit, Chase may decide to extend new credit to you.

Folks who have had this card in the past will likely do better with the new 80,000 point offer (as long as they don’t mind the annual fee for the 1st year, and the increased minimum spending requirement).

The bonus points will post to your account on your billing statement following when you meet the minimum spending requirements.

And because this is a Visa Signature card, you’ll be eligible for Visa discounts and a 6-month membership to CLEAR.

Which Offer Should You Choose?

Even though the annual fee is NOT waived on the new offer, it’s still a better deal for most folks, especially if you don’t have trouble meeting the increased spending requirement.

That’s because the extra 30,000 Marriott points you’ll earn are enough for 2 award nights at a Marriott Category 3 hotel, like the beautiful Courtyard Albuquerque.

Two nights there for Valentine’s Day 2016 would cost ~$277. So even if you pay the $85 annual fee, you’re still coming out ahead and saving nearly ~$200. That’s a good deal!

You also get a free night certificate to use at a Marriott category 1-5 hotel after your 1st cardmember anniversary year. Marriott lower category hotels cost:

Category 1 – 7,500 Marriott points per night
Category 2 – 10,000 Marriott points per night
Category 3 – 15,000 Marriott points per night
Category 4 – 20,000 Marriott points per night
Category 5 – 25,000 Marriott points per night

So using the Category 1 to 5 free night certificate at a Category 5 hotel would save you 25,000 Marriott points!

Marriott points expire after 24 months of account inactivity. So consider your travel plans and goals before you jump into either offer. Be sure to take a screenshot when you apply for the 80,000 points offer. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting the full bonus, but it always helps to have proof if there’s any delay, or if you receive a lower amount.

And if you recently (within ~90 days) got a lower bonus on the card, you can send a Secure Message from your Chase account or call Chase and asked to be matched to higher bonus – it never hurts to ask!

Want Even More Marriott Points?

Folks with a small business are eligible for the that version of the card.

And anyone with a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Plus, or Ink Bold card can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott. Although that’s NOT my favorite transfer partner, it’s useful if you’re just short of the award stay you want.

(I generally prefer to transfer my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines and Hyatt because I like the Hyatt award chart and flying international Business and First Class on United Airlines and their partner airlines.)

Bottom Line

There’s a higher sign-up bonus on the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier card.

You’ll earn 80,000 Marriott points after completing the minimum spending requirements. That’s enough for 2 nights in a luxury Marriott hotel! But keep in mind the annual fee is NOT waived for the 1st year, and the minimum spending is $1,000 more than the regular offer of 50,000 Marriott points.

The extra 30,000 Marriott points you’ll earn is enough for 2 (or more!) award nights at Marriott hotels, which can cost a few hundred dollars. So it’s worth it to pay the annual fee the 1st year, because you can easily make up for it.

You’ll also get a free night certificate to use at a Marriott Category 1 through 5 hotel on your cardmember anniversary. Category 5 hotels usually cost 25,000 Marriott points, so this can save you money, too!

Emily and I don’t receive a commission for the 80,000 point offer on this card, but we’ll always tell you about the best deals!