Before you apply for this hotel rewards card, read this!

Are you someone who travels frequently and likes to stay at the Marriott chain of hotels? If so, you might want to consider the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase, which is a fancier version of the standard Marriott Rewards credit card also issued by JPMorgan Chase. It is a hotel rewards credit card especially designed for people who travel a lot and are fans of Marriott and want to earn more reward points for every dollar spent at Marriott hotels worldwide.

Here we do a detailed review of the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase, one of the more popular travel rewards credit card offers in the US, and tell you how we rate this card.

Things We Like About This Card

Earn 50,000 bonus points after your first purchase/first use of the card. This is a very good offer only for first-time cardmembers. 50,000 points can be redeemed for 6 free nights at a category 1 Marriott hotel. You earn these bonus points either when making your first purchase, balance transfer or check that has access to your account. The standard Marriott Rewards Credit Card, on the other hand, gives you 30,000 bonus points in this case (or 4 free nights at a category 1 Marriott hotel).

1 Free Night Stay e-certificate after opening your account. With this e-certificate, you can spend 1 night for free in eligible category 1-4 hotels worldwide. This e-certificate expires after 6 months, so be sure to use it before then.

Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Marriott locations. This includes staying at any of the 3,300 Marriott locations around the world. So if you like to stay at Marriott hotels, this will benefit you the most. The standard Marriott Rewards Credit Card, on the other hand, gives you 3 points per $1 in this case.

Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on dining, car rental and airline. This means you earn double points on your travel experience, a benefit you won’t find in the standard Marriott Rewards card. Note that this doesn’t apply if you make your purchases online.

Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases everywhere else. This does not include balance transfers, cash advances, etc. Only net purchases count towards these points, which allow you to earn basically as many points as the amount of dollars spent.

Redeem your points for airline miles, hotel stays (at Marriott or The Ritz-Carlton hotels worldwide) or merchandise from their online SkyMall.  You can also redeem for car rentals, cruise certificates or travel packages.

No limit to the amount of points you can earn. The sky’s the limit, so the more you spend, the more points you can accumulate.

Earn 1 night credit toward Elite status each time you spend $3,000 in net purchases. There is no limit to the amount of night credits you can earn toward Elite status. Elite membership has 3 levels: Gold, Silver and Platinum. This benefit is the same for the standard Marriott Rewards credit card.

Earn 15 nights credit towards Elite status yearly, which gives you Silver Elite status or better. As an Elite member, you get to enjoy all the exclusive benefits of membership such as Elite Only Rewards, Priority Late Checkout, exclusive Guest Services Line, and more. Do note that if you are the primary cardholder of various Marriott Rewards cards, you will only be eligible to earn 10 nights Elite status credit in total between all your Marriott accounts. On the other hand, the standard Marriott Rewards credit card only gives you 10 nights credit.

One free night stay e-certificate at a hotel in category 1-5 every year. This is a nice benefit you won’t find in the standard Marriott Rewards credit card. This e-certificate will automatically be added to your Marriott Rewards Account 6 to 8 weeks from your account anniversary. You must redeem this e-certificate within 6 months from date of issue, so make sure to plan your travel in advance!

Our Least Favorite Things About This Card

$85 annual fee which you must pay every year. This annual fee is not waived for the first year, unlike that for the standard Marriott Rewards credit card. You pay $40 more for the Marriott Rewards Premier credit card than the Marriott Rewards credit card, but considering all the many additional benefits, it is worth it if you travel a lot.

It takes from 6 to 8 weeks for bonus points, certificates and rewards to be added or sent to your account. This prevents you from using your bonus points and rewards immediately and so you have to think and plan ahead when planning your vacations or any other occasion where you would want to use your bonus points.

If your account is closed within the first 6 months of having the card, Chase and Marriott can legally deduct your bonus points from your account. This won’t be a problem for you as long as you maintain your account open for more than 6 months.

Our Verdict: 4.4/5 Stars

The Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase is ideal for people who travel often and like to stay at the Marriott chain of hotels worldwide. With an annual fee of $85, this card costs $40 more than the standard Marriott Rewards Credit Card (read our Marriott Rewards Credit Card review), but it is totally worth it if you travel frequently since it gives you a free night stay e-certificate at a hotel in category 1-5 every year, and you get to earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Marriott locations and 2 points for every $1 spent on dining, car rental and airline.

Plus, as a new cardmember, you get a total of 7 free nights for the first year, which pays for itself many times over. With so many ways to earn points, your points earned through the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase will really add up if you travel frequently, and you will be able to redeem your points for vacation packages, airline miles or hotel stays which would save you a lot of money when planning a family vacation.

Click here to go to Chase’s official application to apply online now for the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Alternatively, if you prefer to have a non-hotel specific travel rewards card that lets you redeem points for a wider range of rewards (cash, merchandise, gift cards or travel), we highly recommend the no-fee Chase Sapphire Card (read our review of Chase Sapphire card), a card that’s highly rated by DailyMarkets.com.

Click here to go to Chase’s official application to apply online now for the Chase Sapphire Credit Card now.

• Chase Sapphire℠ Card
• Points
• No Introductory Rate Available
• 15.24% Variable
• $0

• Earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $500 in the first 3 months - that's $100 toward travel or any other reward!
• 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
• Points never expire and there are no limits on how many points you can earn
• Redeem points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash back and more
• Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
• No annual fee!

• Point Details: Earn one point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Additional Points: 2 points per dollar spent on restaurants and dining; PLUS - earn an additional point per dollar spent when you book airfare & hotel accommodations online through Ultimate Rewards(SM)*
• Other Bonus: 10,000 bonus points after you spend $500 in the first 3 months.

• No Introductory Rate Available

• APR For Purchases: 15.24% Variable
• APR For Cash Advances: 19.24% (V)

• Annual Fee: $0
• Cash Advance Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Late Payment Fee: Up to $15 if the balance is less than $100; up to $25 if the balance is $100 to less than $250; up to $35 if the balance is $250 or more.

Read Our Review Of Chase Sapphire℠ Card