American Express is changing its Marriott Bonvoy cards. Soon you will need $3,000 in spending each year to get the Free Night Award, and the personal card's annual fee is going up to $150. Gold Elite status and a new no fee Bright card are part of the update, but the big change is simple: the free night is no longer something you get just for paying the fee.
What exactly is changing on the Marriott Bonvoy Amex cards?
Three things are changing: a spending rule for the free night, a higher fee on the personal card, and a couple of new pieces added on top. Prince of Travel reported the update on November 10, 2026.
Here is the short list:
- The Free Night Award will need $3,000 in spending each year.
- The personal card's annual fee goes up to $150.
- Gold Elite status is part of the update.
- A new no fee card called Bright is joining the lineup.
The report does not give a start date for each change. Watch for the notice from American Express before your next renewal, and read it closely.
Is this a devaluation?
Yes, mostly. Honestly, this one is a devaluation dressed up as news.
For years, the pitch on hotel cards has been easy to follow. You pay the fee, you get a free night, and the night is worth more than the fee. That math is the main reason a lot of people keep a Marriott card at all. Now the night comes with a spending bar, and the personal card costs more to hold. That is two steps back for the same reward.
The Gold Elite status and the new Bright card are real additions. Gold Elite can be nice to have if you stay at Marriott hotels often. But the summary we have does not spell out who gets the status or what the Bright card earns. So do not count those pieces as a win until you see the details for your own card.
Who should keep the card, and who should rethink it?
If you already put $250 or more a month on it, keep it and move on. That is all $3,000 a year works out to. For a business owner, one regular bill can clear that without any effort. A software plan, a phone bill, a supplier you pay every month. Set it on this card and forget it.
If the card lives in a drawer, this change is aimed right at you. You now have two choices. Move some spending to it, or let it go.
Our view: be careful about moving spending just to save a free night. Every dollar you move off a card that earns more, like a card with transferable points, has a cost. If your main card earns better points, those points can add up to more than one hotel night. Do the math for your own spending before you shift anything.
What should I do before my next renewal?
Check how much you put on the card in the last year. That one number tells you almost everything.
Then do this:
- Note your renewal month, so the new fee does not surprise you.
- If you are over $3,000, do nothing. You keep the night.
- If you are under, pick one regular bill to move to the card, or plan to drop it.
- When American Express shares the details on the Bright card and Gold Elite, check if they change your answer.
The worst outcome here is the quiet one. You pay $150, you miss the $3,000, and the free night never shows up. A few minutes now avoids that.
If you are a business owner, your company spending is likely already buying more travel than you think. You can see what your spending buys in business class trips, based on what you already spend.