Marriott Restricts Access to Welcome Bonuses

These new restrictions are in addition to Chase and American Express bonus limitations. Here's how they affect you.
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Updated · 1 min read
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Written by Claire Tsosie
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Edited by Kenley Young
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It’s about to get a lot harder to earn multiple bonuses on credit cards associated with the Marriott International hotel network.

Marriott announced that starting Aug. 26, 2018, new credit card applicants may not be eligible for a new-cardholder bonus if they have or have had an existing credit card relationship or have recently received a bonus on a card associated with one of Marriott’s three programs. Those programs are:

  • Marriott Rewards

  • Ritz-Carlton Rewards

  • Starwood Preferred Guest

Before that, on Aug. 18, these three programs will become one.

What it means for you

If you've already earned a bonus on a card associated with one of these three loyalty programs, it will soon be harder to qualify for another one. These new restrictions are in addition to the limitations on bonuses that Chase and American Express have in place. For example, according to Chase’s terms, you can’t qualify for a Marriott bonus if you already have a Marriott consumer card or have received a welcome bonus for one of the Marriott consumer cards in the past 24 months.

Likewise, AmEx generally only allows you to earn a new-cardholder bonus once on each card.

These new policies take those restrictions a step further, making it more difficult to earn multiple bonuses within the Marriott hotel program even with different issuers.

You can still earn multiple bonuses on select cards for now. Keep in mind, these restrictions don’t take effect until Aug. 26. Until then, it’s still possible to qualify for multiple credit cards and bonuses in the Marriott program, as long as you qualify under the existing restrictions.

Each card will come with specific restrictions. Find out which bonuses you’ll be ineligible for starting Aug. 26 by using the guide below.

Information about The Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, the Ritz-Carlton® Rewards Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, and Marriott Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of these cards.

Hotel Cards from Our Partners
IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card

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IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
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Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

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140,000

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World Of Hyatt Credit Card

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World of Hyatt Credit Card
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1x-9x

Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member. Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships.

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Up to 60,000 Points

Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card

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Our best points offer! Earn 125,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!

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