Last year, Chase Card Services and Marriott International, a leading global hotel brand, renewed their co-branding credit card agreement, and this year they're launching a new rewards card that has a limited-time 100,000-point new cardmember bonus.
The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card launches in May and will provide a way for Marriott hotel lovers to capitalize on earning rewards at their favorite hotel brands--and this card covers 6,500 properties in 127 countries.
Marriott has also recently unified its three disparate hotel brand rewards programs--Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)--to have one set of benefits. According to Marriott's website, in 2019, they'll also be unified under one name.
"The new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is a catalyst to the full potential of our loyalty programs," said David Flueck, senior vice president of global loyalty, Marriott International, in a statement. "The strong value proposition of the card, along with the enhancement to Marriott’s loyalty programs, makes the Premier Plus card a must-have travel rewards card."
The card is set up as a tiered rewards card, giving cardholders six points per dollar spent at participating Marriott International hotels and two points per dollar spent on all other purchases. Points are transferred to your Marriott Rewards account at the end of every billing cycle. They won't expire as long as you keep earning or redeeming points, but if you go 24 months without any activity, points will start to expire.
While the companies have teased a limited time 100,000 bonus point introductory offer, they are keeping mum about the specifics of it until the card launches on May 3.
The card has a host of other benefits as well, including a free night at an eligible hotel awarded on every annual anniversary. This is good for an overnight stay valued at up to 35,000 points, and cardholders have a year to use it before it expires.
Cardholders will also get a maximum of 15 Elite Night credits on their account every year. This guarantees that cardholders will have Silver Elite Status with Marriott, which includes complimentary in-room Internet access, member rates, mobile check-in, Marriott's "Ultimate Reservation Guarantee," priority late checkout, a dedication reservation line and a 10% point bonus.
The free nights also count toward earning Marriott Gold Elite Status, which includes those basic benefits, plus an in-hotel points bonus gift, room upgrades and a 25% point bonus. The track to Gold involves spending $35,000 every year you have the account.
Other perks include access to exclusive events and free in-room premium Wi-Fi, a benefit that will kick in starting this August.
"Travel is all about creating memorable experiences – whether that comes from a self-discovery journey or the opportunity to reconnect with those who matter most," said Leslie Gillin, Chase co-brand cards president, in a statement. "We have designed this new card with that in mind and are giving cardmembers the opportunity to experience more – more points on all your spend, more places to stay and more perks to elevate your travel experience."
The card also offers no foreign transaction fees, purchase protection and trip delay reimbursement.
The annual fee for the card is $95. Purchases and balance transfers have the same APR range, a variable 17.49% to 24.49%. Balance transfers will also have a fee of five percent of the amount of each transaction, with the minimum fee being $5. The cash advance APR is a variable 26.49%, and cash advance fees are five percent of the advance amount, or a minimum of $10.
