American Express term is not as generous as Chase when it comes to credit card's anniversary free night certificate for Marriott. Chase issues a free night certificate in Marriott account once the annual fee hits and therefore you can keep the certificate should you decide to cancel the Marriott card. However this is not the case with American Express. Here’s why.

    Amex Marriott Free Night Certiticate
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      Amex Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards That Earn Free Night Award Certificate

      • American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card - $450 annual fee. Free night certificate at a redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy property. 
      • Bonvoy Amex Card - $95 annual fee. Free night certificate at a redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy property. This card is no longer available for new applicants. 
      • American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card - $125 annual fee. Free night certificate at a redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy property. 

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      How Amex Issues Marriott Free Night Certificate

      When it is the anniversary time of your card, Amex will send an email to you with the terms & conditions on when you should expect the free night award certificate, and how you qualify for that certificate. Below is the content of the email:
      "Happy Card anniversary! We wanted to remind you that you will receive one annual Free Night Award from Marriott Bonvoy each year of Card Membership within 8-12 weeks after your Card Account anniversary date.

      You can redeem the Free Night Award e-certificate for a one-night stay inclusive of room rate and applicable taxes (additional mandatory resort fees may apply) at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels with a redemption level at or under 35,000 Bonvoy points.

      You will receive an email from Marriott Bonvoy to the email address listed on your loyalty member account confirming that the Free Night Award e-certificate has been deposited into your loyalty Bonvoy member account. The email will also provide instructions on how to redeem your Free Night Award e-certificate. To qualify for the Free Night Award, your account must be open and not in default at the time of the Free Night Award e-certificate issuance."

      When Does Amex Marriott Anniversary Free Night Certificate Post?

      It does take time to receive Amex Marriott free night award certificate. Ignore the anniversary date when you applied and approved for the card, but instead pay attention to the date that when the annual fee hits your Amex account. Once it hits, you have to wait around a little over a month up to two months for the free night certificate to get deposited into your Marriott account. The timeline for one of Amex Marriott credit cards looks something like this:
      • 04/01 - Annual fee hits Marriott credit card 
      • Around 06/01 - the Marriott free night certificate should be issued by Amex. 2 months period.
      My Amex Bonvoy Business Card's Marriott free night certificate has a shorter wait time:
      • 04/23 - Annual fee hits Amex account. 
      • 06/01 - Marriott free night certificate is issued. A little over a month. 
      I picked April 1st just for a simple example, your date may be different. But whatever your annual fee's date is, factor in around extra time for at least 1 month and it can take up to 2 months before you can receive your Marriott free night certificate. Amex will send you another email letting you know that "You've Received a Free Night Award."

      Can You Keep Marriott Free Night Certificate If You Cancel Amex Marriott Credit Card?

      If you decide to keep your Amex Marriott credit card open, you will pay the annual fee and receive the free night certificate. It's just inconvenient that you have to wait for awhile to get the certificate issued and use it. So plan your travel accordingly.

      For those that do not wish to keep the card, American Express has a rule that you have 30 days after the annual fee is posted to cancel the card and request a full annual fee refund. However, the free night certificate can take up to 60 days after the annual fee is posted to be issued. Therefore, if you cancel the card within 30 days of the annual fee posted to avoid paying for the fee, you will NOT receive the free night certificate. American Express makes it clear in their terms and conditions that:

      To qualify for the Free Night Award, your account must be open and not in default at the time of the Free Night Award e-certificate issuance.

      Amex Marriott Credit Card Product Change

      This is not going to be helpful for Marriott credit cards because:
      • If you hold American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, there's no card for you to product change to.
      • If you hold a personal Bonvoy Amex Card, you can only product change to a much higher $450 annual fee American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card.

      But it's worth mentioning that American Express has another rule in regards to the annual fee. If you product change the card, American Express will prorate the annual fee's refund to you. 

      For example, say your annual fee is $95 and you product change to a different credit card. Once you receive Marriott free night certificate (60 days after the annual fee is posted), you can call to cancel the card. Amex will charge a month of annual fee and refund you the rest. They will use that $95 annual fee divides by 12 months to determine the fee for each month. This is just a hypothetical thought because in reality, product change in Amex Marriott credit card family is pretty limited to none.

      Upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant? See Also: 


      How To Find Marriott Free Night Certificate

      On Marriott Bonvoy Website:
      • Log into your Marriott account online. 
      • Click on your name on the top right hand corner and click on Activity. 
      • On the top under "Earned Award" you should see your Unused Certificate(s).

      On the Marriott Bonvoy App:
      • Launch the Marriott Bonvoy app. Sign in to your Marriott account if you are not signed in. 
      • Tap on "Account" then you see Certificates. Tap on it and your unused certificate(s) will be all listed there. 

      How To Use Marriott Free Night Certificate

      • Log into your Marriott account online. 
      • Start searching for the hotel or resort with the "Use Points/Certificates" checkbox checked. 
      • On the result page, click on the View Rates button for the specific hotel or resort you like. 
      • Before finalizing your reservation, Marriott will let you know that "You have eligible e-certificates that match your reservation." You can either wish to use the certificate or pay with points instead. 
      How To Use Marriott Free Night Certificate
      How To Use Marriott Free Night Certificate

      Conclusion

      Receiving Marriott free night certificate can take up to 60 days after Amex credit card's annual fee is posted, and you can only get a full annual fee refunded if you cancel the card within 30 days of the date that the annual fee is posted. Therefore, unfortunately you will not be able to cancel Amex Marriott Bonvoy credit card and still keep Marriott free night certificate like it works with Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card. 

      Should you decide to not keep the card, it's worth calling up American Express for retention offer to see if they can offer you any Marriott points bonus. It does not hurt to ask! If you decide to keep the card, here are some good uses: