Does your upgrade offer require you to spend any amount of money to get the 2 Free Nights up to 35k Marriott points?
Some variations of this offer require some spend, and some upgrade offers are for only 1 FN.
Generally speaking, this is a great offer if you have an idea where you'd spend those 35k FN certificates. For example, there are several Marriott hotels around
Disneyland where an award night will cost you 35k points. The cash price of these hotels could run in the mid-$100s to $300+. I've also used a 35k FN cert at the Sheraton Universal hotel next to Universal Studios Hollywood, and iirc the cash price was in the high-$200s.
So the proposition is would you upgrade for 2 FN certs worth $300-600+, and do you think you can get more than a $95 value out of the FN certificate you'd get every year when you pay the annual fee? There are several of us who continue to hold Chase and Amex Marriott Bonvoy cards and pay the annual fee every year because we know we can redeem the FN certificates for hotel rooms that have a cash value more than the AF.
I notice you also have the Amex Bonvoy (original SPG) card. That comes with a 35k FN cert after you pay your AF too. So between the Chase Marriott Boundless and Amex Bonvoy, that's two 35k FN certs you can use every year. That's a weekend covered by FN certs.
A few things to consider:
- An upgrade to the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card will not count as a new card against 5/24.
- Marriott is planning to introduce peak and off-peak pricing to their award chart sometime this year. So while a Category 5 hotel is currently 35k Marriott points on any date of the year, peak pricing would mean that hotel goes up to 40k points at peak dates:
https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/pointsGridPopUp.mi This would devalue your 35k FN certs in that you'd be limited to using them only when the awards are at off peak or standard pricing.
- If you accept the upgrade offer, you could be ruling yourself out of the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant (formerly SPG Lux) for the next two years. The following restrictive fine print applies to the
Bonvoy Brilliant:
Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card from JPMorgan or the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card in the last 30 days, (ii)
have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase
in the last 90 days,
or (iii)
received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.
Bonvoy Business:
Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had the Marriott BonvoyTM Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii)
have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy BoundlessTM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy BoldTM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott BonvoyTM Premier Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase
in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy BoundlessTM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy BoldTM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott BonvoyTM Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase.
You should be ok to apply for the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Biz.