Amex Pushes Forward with Contactless

As of February 12, Marriott and SPG Amex cards not only rebranded to Bonvoy but also became part of the payment world’s push to go contactless. This is noteworthy as American Express heats up its contactless focus, having already converted Hilton Honors and Gold Amex. This past November, Chase and Visa highly publicized their mutual commitment to contactless enablement. And now, Amex appears to be “in it to win it,” as well.
Contactless aside, there are plenty of changes to digest about the Marriott Bonvoy brand – a revamped loyalty program, acquisition bonus offers and consumer and small business benefits. Admittedly, it is a bit of a challenge to track the card conversions of the SPG/ Marriott Amex and Visa portfolios to the new suite of credit cards. We’ve included a cheat-sheet assembled by The Points Guy to navigate the rebranding of the old to the new plastics. All cards are contactless-enabled with the exception of Premier Plus Business.
 
 
[SOURCE: The Points Guy, 2/12/19.]
Although cardholders and prospects may view these cards as new, Marriot and Amex are not necessarily treating these cards as such. The welcome offer is not available to applicants who have or have had the previous version of the card.
While the relaunch of the Bonvoy cards gives Amex an opportunity t