Approval Rules Bonvoy 1/24

You're allowed only 1 personal and 1 business Bonvoy Card at the same time, and only 1 bonus in the last

Deep Dive into the Bonvoy 1/24 Rule

Bonvoy rules can be challenging to understand. Reading them is sometimes like a logic puzzle, but if you consider the history, it isn't quite so bad. Before merging into Bonvoy, both Marriott and Starwood (SPG) had each built their own brands, complete with their own loyalty cards and bank relationships. When they merged, they didn't want to abandon those relationships. But they also wanted to prevent abuse of their point system. If you think of Bonvoy as allowing you only one of several variations of a business and a personal card, things get much simpler.

To keep all of their card offerings, however, they created a myriad of rules to mimic what most other companies do by just having fewer card offerings. They also have two banks that offer co-branded cards - Chase and American Express. So that adds more confusion as you have to abide by other card rules set forth by each bank.

Basically, they don't want you to have more than one card bonus (of any kind) within 24 months. Additionally they won't let you have more than one business or one personal card. One additional layer of complexity for Bonvoy is this: You're also restricted by Amex's once per lifetime (1/10) rule, which in this case applies across similar and old versions of the cards. Put another way, you're allowed only one Amex personal and one business Bonvoy card per "lifetime".

Important to know

I’ve read these rules countless times and still have a hard time remembering the details of them all. Because there are older cards not even available today but still part of the rules and whether or not you’re eligible for the card or the bonus, it further complicates things. If you don’t load your cards into the Points Navigator and let us tell you when you’re about to violate one of these rules, the next best thing is to consult the chart below.

If you want to get any of the cards below, check under each one to see which other cards affect your eligibility of getting the card or the signup bonus.

Cards in italics are no longer available to new applicants.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold:

• This card is not available if you currently have any of the following cards or if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier
  • Marriott Rewards Premier
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus
• The signup bonus is not available to you if you have received a signup bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Business
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Amex Luxury

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless:

• This card is not available to you if you currently have any of the following cards or if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold
  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier
  • Marriott Rewards Premier
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus
• The signup bonus is not available if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Business
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Amex Luxury

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful:

• The signup bonus is not available if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant from Amex
  • Marriott Bonvoy Amex
  • Starwood Preferred Guest from Amex
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Business from Amex
  • Starwood Preferred Guest Amex Luxury

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex

• The signup bonus is not available if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold Chase

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex

• The signup bonus is not available if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold Chase

Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex

• The signup bonus is not available if you’ve received a bonus for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Chase
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold Chase

Related Rules

How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?

How much this rule affects your card strategy will depend on how loyal you are to Marriott. My wife and I have been in the hobby for 2.5 years and still don’t have any Marriott cards. That’s because we mostly travel as a family of five and Marriott isn’t our preferred choice of hotel when we stay in a hotel (we use vacation rentals more than hotels). That being said, if you are loyal to Marriott or are planning travel that will include staying at Marriott properties, then this rule is one you want to pay attention to.

Important to know:

Unfortunately this 1/24 rule isn’t the only Marriott rule you have to worry about. You have to be aware of other rules specific to both Chase (5/24, 2/30, and 4/6) and American Express (1/10, 3/90, and 4 Credit), and if you had any credit cards from before Marriott and Starwood (SPG) merged, that comes into play as well.

Here's a simple 4-part breakdown to understand the Bonvoy rule:

1. You can hold only one personal and one business Bonvoy card at a time (one of each is ok), BUT you are ineligible for the signup bonus on the business card if you’ve gotten a bonus from any of the three personal Chase cards in 24 months
2. Wait at least 30 days after cancelling one Bonvoy card before applying for another
3. Wait 24 months from the last Bonvoy BONUS (of any kind) before applying again *
4. Chase and Amex application rules also apply to their brand cards, including 5/24 for Chase and 1/10 for Amex

* If you read the actual rules, Bonvoy separately covers both the 90 days where you haven't yet received your bonus, and the 24 months after you have received it

Ok, so that is still a bit complicated, but it should keep you clear of any rules violations if you adhere to all four points. As always, if you load your card history, we'll keep track of the rules for you.

Cards Subject to This Rule

JP Morgan Chase

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Marriott Bonvoy Bold

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful

American Express

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

Marriott Bonvoy Business

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy

FAQs

Are there exceptions to this rule?

You can hold both a personal and business card at the same time, so the Marriott Bonvoy Business card is kind of an exception. We say “kind of” because if you have received a signup bonus for any of the three Chase personal cards in the last 24 months, you cannot get the signup bonus for the business card. If you have gotten either of the two Amex personal cards, though, you can get the card and signup bonus for the business card.

How do I check my status?

For convoluted rules like this, it’s easier to let us handle it. Just load your cards into the Points Navigator and we’ll let you know if you’re about to trip this rule, or any other rule, before you apply for your next card.

Do business cards count for this rule?

Kind of. See the “exceptions to this rule” question.

Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?

Yes, this is actually written out in the terms when outlining which cards make you ineligible to receive a bonus. It says or “received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for…” (the affected cards in the last 24 months. So if you have product changed and received an upgrade offer when you product changed, you will be ineligible for a welcome offer. If you downgraded and did not receive any type of offer, then you should be safe provided you are following all other rules.