Originally Posted by pinniped

To add to NDN's correct observation, there's *almost* no reason to ever use the Marriott Visa outside of a Marriott hotel. Perhaps there's a case for using it at foreign hotels, airlines, and rental agencies if it's the only FX-free card you hold, but I'd probably respond to that by saying "get a better FX-free card."

I suppose there's also a *very* niche case of being 1 night short of an elite tier, and spending $3,000 on the card (costing you $60 or so vs. using a better card) beats a mattress run.

The MR Visa is primarily for use at the hotels. For that, it's fantastic. Given that a Cat 5 free night is still worth (IMHO) about $85 or perhaps a little more, it's basically a free card to have. It nudges you along towards Gold/Plat more quickly and bumps your earnings on stays a healthy amount.

But basing calculations on 1pt-per-dollar spend it kind of meaningless. You shouldn't be doing that to begin with. Use your SPG Amex (or something else if you don't like SPG).