Originally Posted by
MasterGeek
The alternative is to earn points with the SPG card or Cobalt card from AMEX. The $120 fee for the SPG card are worth it in my opinion, as you get the equivalent of 60K Marriott Rewards points as a welcome bonus.
I second this. I've applied for an SPG Biz and self-referred to an SPG Personal. All of my points transferred to Marriott at x3 were enough to book a free week in Maui at the Wailea Marriott. Not bad for the measly annual fees on two cards!
I also applied for a Cobalt card, and this is what I am going to use going forward for my grocery/dining spends to earn Marriott points (and stop using my Marriott Visa on dining, for those that accept Amex).
As far as a no foreign txn fee card, it's a bit of a pickle at the moment, since there doesn't seem to be any no AF option for this. I'm clinging onto my Amazon and Marriott cards for dear life, until their untimely deaths are announced (probably in the spring, I'm hearing...).