Why You Should Get the Marriott Credit Card….And Keep It!

Hopefully if you are reading this article you have read some of the other posts from the Teachers Traveling on Points website. I cannot tell you the amount of people who did not believe traveling for free could actually happen until they started seeing pictures of us staying at hotels that it’s pretty obvious we couldn’t afford without using points. This article is going to discuss why the Marriott Credit Card from Chase is one of the credit cards that is a must-have if you are a traveler, and I will explain why keeping the card long-term is a fabulous idea!

If you are interested in getting started with Marriott, please use my referral link so that we both get 2,000 points as a bonus every time you stay with Marriott in the first year! Also, read my review on Marriott hotels so that you have a good idea of the system used.

This card offers an 80,000 point sign-up bonus after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of having the card. The spend requirement is pretty typical and can be accomplished by making all normal expenses with your card instead of with a check or debit card. If you want more information on how to use credit cards for travel and how to reach sign-up bonus requirements, read this.

Typically I want to know exactly what 80,000 points will get me, so let’s look at some ways to redeem 80,000 points.

3 night stay at a category 5 Marriott (25,000 points per night)

You can stay at a category 5 Marriott for 3 nights just by signing up for this card and meeting the spend requirement. That means if you sign up now, you will have enough points for a 3 night stay in only 3 months!

Here are some category 5 properties that make for great redemptions:

SpringHill Suites Memphis DowntownSpringHill Suites Memphis Downtown

Courtyard St. Augustine BeachCourtyard St. Augustine Beach (across the street from ocean

Residence Inn Atlanta DowntownResidence Inn Atlanta Downtown

JW Marriott HoustonJW Marriott Houston

SpringHill Suites Phoenix DowntownSpringHill Suites Phoenix Downtown

Residence Inn Secaucus Meadowlands (New Jersey)Residence Inn Secaucus Meadowlands

This is by no means a comprehensive list of category 5 hotels, but it does give you an idea of the type of hotel you’d be getting. Also notice that these hotels are found all over the country. There are some options around the world as well!

2 night stay at a category 8 hotel (40,000 points per night

Category 8 hotels are extremely nice hotels usually found in cities or big time tourist destinations like a beachfront or ski resort. Below are a few category 8 hotels, but you can find more of where you wish to go at the Marriott website. There are tons of category 8 hotels worldwide!

Playa Largo Resort and Spa in Key Largo, FloridaPlaya Largo Resort and Spa

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa in Honolulu, HawaiiWaikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa

Coronado Island Marriott Resort and Spa in Coronado, CaliforniaCoronado Island Marriott Resort and Spa

The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in Denver, ColoradoThe Brown Palace Hotel and Spa

The Lexington Hotel in New York CityThe Lexington Hotel, NYC

The Marriott Credit card through Chase earns points in the following categories:

-5x points per dollar spent at Marriott and Starwood hotels (this is in addition to the 10 points you get by being a member of Marriott Rewards when you stay at Marriott hotels)

-2x points per dollar spent on airline tickets, car rental agencies, and at restaurants

-1x point per dollar spent everywhere else

As you can see from the points categories, the Marriott card is good in some areas and not great in others. There are better cards out there for spending on gas and supermarkets, but those cards may not offer the perks of the Marriott card.

–Marriott Silver Elite status as long as you have the card

-Points don’t expire as long as you make a qualifying purchase every 2 years

-15 elite night credits toward getting Gold Elite Status

-Match your status with Starwood Hotels

-$85 annual fee

I hear from lots of readers that are willing to sign up for credit cards that have no annual fees, but they don’t see the point of getting an annual fee card. I completely understand the reticence and have resisted applying for annual fee cards unless they give me something annually that offsets the fee.

Possibly my favorite perk of having this card is that every year on your cardmember anniversary you get a certificate for a FREE NIGHT at any Marriott hotel that is in Category 1-5. As you noticed above, there are some really good category 5 hotels in desirable places.

So, yes, we pay $85 per year for the card, but we use our free night certificate every year for at least a $200 hotel redemption. I will say that this card is not for you if you never travel and stay at hotels, but I can’t imagine you’d be reading this if that’s the case. Even better, if you and your spouse both get this card (which is what I would recommend after you get the sign-up bonus for the first card because then you have at least 160,000 combined points) then you can book your free yearly certificate on back to back nights. That gives you a full weekend trip for free just for having the card and paying your 2 $85 annual fees, plus you got 160,000 points out of getting the cards.

By the way, 160,000 Marriott Rewards Points will get you 5 nights (redeem 4 consecutive nights get the 5th night free) at a category 8 property listed above!

The Marriott Rewards credit card from Chase is a card I frequently recommend for someone wanting to get started in traveling for free. I also recommend it to people that only have used no annual fee cards because you are DEFINITELY going to make up your annual fee with this card!

If you are interested in getting the card, I am placing the referral link below. As always, please let us know if you have questions and we will respond ASAP. You can also email us at teacherstravelingonpoints@gmail.com.

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Marriott Rewards credit card from Chase