Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card vs RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Both business cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

Marriott Bonvoy Business

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

4.5

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RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

2.9

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Worked out on a typical small business spending $4,000 a month. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$1,204

First-year value

$422

$602

Every year after

$302

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card is worth $782 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $300 a year.

How the first year adds up

Rewards and the welcome bonus in, the annual fee, FX fees and employee cards out, at your spending.

$931.9Better of the two
in Marriott Bonvoy points a year

Annual rewards

$481.8
cash back a year
+ $602Better of the two
first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $120.45
first year only
− $150

Annual fee

Better of the two− $0
no annual fee
− $180
2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

− $180
2.5% on $600/mo
$1,203.9Better of the two

First-year value

$422.25

Where each card earns

A year of your spending on each card, category by category, biggest spend first.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card earns more on 17 of your 17 categories.

$216.72Better of the two
at 2x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

$126
at 1%
$105.78Better of the two
at 2x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

$61.5
at 1%
$82.56Better of the two
at 2x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

$48
at 1%
$92.88Better of the two
at 3x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

$36
at 1%
$92.88Better of the two
at 3x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

$36
at 1%
$51.6Better of the two
at 2x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

$30
at 1%
$41.28Better of the two
at 2x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

$24
at 1%
$46.44Better of the two
at 3x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$30.96Better of the two
at 2x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$30.96Better of the two
at 2x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$21.16Better of the two
at 2x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

$12.3
at 1%
$20.64Better of the two
at 2x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$30.96Better of the two
at 3x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$20.64Better of the two
at 2x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$15.48Better of the two
at 3x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$15.48Better of the two
at 3x

Car Rental

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$15.48Better of the two
at 3x

Other Travel

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$931.9Better of the two

Rewards in a year

$481.8

Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it, then which milestones your spending reaches.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

  • Earn up to 80,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy® points
  • New Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Cardmembers can earn 70,000 points after you spend $5,000 on your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership
  • Plus, earn 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 on your Card in your 13th month of Cardmembership

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Earn 2% cash back on purchases* made on your card in the first three months.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

Worth $602 at your spending

70,000 points after you spend $5,000 on your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership

70,000 pts

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Worth $120.45 at your spending

Intro rate for the first 3 months

$120.45

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$150

Annual fee

Better of the two$0
$50

Employee cards

$0, max. of 1 additional card
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
Marriott Bonvoy

Rewards

Cash back
American Express

Network

Mastercard

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

Interest rates

Purchase:

21.99%1

Cash Advance:

21.99%1

1 If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
693
Fair
743⁎
Good
790⁎
Very Good
833⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on TransUnion scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Interest rates

Purchase:

19.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99%

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
560
Fair
660⁎
Good
725⁎
Very Good
760⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

  • 5x points per $1 on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
  • 3x points per $1 on eligible gas, dining and travel purchases
  • 2x points per $1 on all other purchases (everyday business expenses and more)

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

  • Earn 2% cash back on purchases* made on your card in the first three months.
  • Earn 1% cash back on purchases* made on your card after three months.
  • Once your cash back balance reaches $25 or more, you can have the full amount credited to your account at any time. Otherwise the cash back rewards will automatically be credited to your account every January.
  • Get $0 delivery fees for 3 months from DoorDash6

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days
  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $500
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    Yes
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $500,000
  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1,000
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $500
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500

Perks

  • star fall

    Status lift

    Earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status by spending $30,000 or staying 10 nights combined with 15 Elite Night Credits. Status retention depends on Marriott Bonvoy terms.
  • bed furniture

    Free Extra Night at Hotels

    Each year, 8-10 weeks after your anniversary, receive a Free Night Award for a Marriott Bonvoy room up to 35,000 points, valid for 1 year. Resort fees excluded.

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    Up to a year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

Perks

No extra perks.

Our take

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

Built for businesses that book Marriott hotels regularly. You earn 5x Bonvoy points per dollar at Marriott properties, 3x on dining and gas, and 2x on everything else — the earn structure is strong across the board. The annual free night certificate (worth up to 35,000 points) can easily cover the $150 fee on its own, and Silver Elite status means room upgrades and late checkout. The main limitations: it’s an Amex, so acceptance can be spotty in Canada, and the points are most valuable within the Marriott ecosystem. If you don’t stay at Marriott properties, this card loses its edge.

  • Generous welcome bonus
  • High hotel optimization
  • Annual free night certificate
  • Automatic Silver Elite status
  • Lower acceptance
  • Annual fee

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Flat 1% cash back on everything, no annual fee, no categories to optimize. It’s about as simple as a business rewards card gets. You won’t maximize value here — 1% is below what category-specific cards offer — but you also won’t pay a cent in fees or waste time tracking bonus spending. The 2% promotional rate for the first three months adds a small upfront sweetener. This card works best for sole proprietors or small businesses that just want to earn something on every purchase without any complexity. If your spending is high enough to justify a fee card, look elsewhere.

  • No annual fee
  • Simple cashback program
  • Interest-free grace period
  • DashPass subscription
  • Contactless payments
  • Credit card lock feature
  • Zero liability protection
  • No bonus cashback categories
  • limited additional cards
  • No travel perks
  • Foreign transaction fees
  • Annual cashback caps
  • No airport lounge access
  • Basic insurance coverage

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Legal

Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card

*Terms and conditions apply.


If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.


American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

* Annual cash back cap : $650


6 To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before September 30, 2025 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions .

Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account.

The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 3 month or 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass.

DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apply Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.

Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account.

You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. For example, if you subscribe to a 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription in on the last day of your second month of a 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription you will receive a total of 14 months of Complimentary DashPass Subscription. In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated.

12 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Avion Visa Infinite , RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Business, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business cardholder.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 12 months from the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

3 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Rewards+ Visa, Signature RBC Rewards Visa, RBC Visa Platinum, RBC Visa Cash Back, RBC Cash Back Mastercard, RBC Visa Classic Low Rate Option, RBC Visa Classic, RBC Student Visa Classic, RBC Visa Classic II Student, RBC Visa Gold, RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold, RBC Rewards Visa Gold, RBC RateAdvantage Visa, WestJet RBC Mastercard, RBC Visa Business, RBC Visa Business Gold, RBC Visa CreditLine for Small Business, or RBC Business Cash Back Mastercard.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 3 months from the date you subscribed to the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass (opens to external site). For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf.