Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Review
Is Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant worth it?
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card is worth it if you travel frequently and always stay at Marriott, and if you dine out often enough to earn a statement credit of up to $25 per month on your restaurant spending.
The card has a steep annual fee ($650), so it’s not worth it if you plan to use it for everyday purchases instead of maximizing your hotel and dining benefits.
▶︎ See more: Best credit cards for restaurants and dining
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® Card: Highlights
- The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card has a $650 annual fee.
- New cardholders can earn 95,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.
- Bonvoy Brilliant earns 6X points per dollar spent at participating hotels, 3X points at restaurants worldwide, 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points on other eligible purchases.
- With the Bonvoy Brilliant, cardholders can take advantage of perks like complimentary Platinum Elite status, a Free Night Award, Priority Pass lounge access (enrollment required), and more. Terms apply.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a metal credit card, a testament to its premium annual fee and luxurious benefits.
Who is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® Card best for?
The Bonvoy Brilliant card is best for people who travel frequently and prefer to stay at Marriott properties rather than booking with other hotel brands. You’ll earn the most points by staying at participating Marriott hotels, using your card at restaurants and purchasing airfare with your Bonvoy Brilliant card. If you don’t travel much or don’t stay at Marriott often, you may not earn enough points to make the $650 annual fee worthwhile.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Rewards
Welcome bonus
If you spend $6,000 on your card within your first six months of membership, you can earn 95,000 points. The value of Marriott Bonvoy Points changes from time to time, but you can usually get 0.7 to 0.9 cents per point, making the welcome bonus worth $665 to $855.
Earning points
With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, you can earn:
- 6X points per dollar spent at participating hotels (up to 21X points if you pair with your Marriott Elite membership)
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on other eligible purchases
Redeeming points
As a Bonvoy Brilliant cardholder, you have access to the following redemption methods:
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Free nights. You can use your points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels for free nights. Considering this is a premium Marriott credit card, this redemption option makes the most logical sense and is often the most valuable way to spend your points.
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Booking travel. American Express allows you to use your points to pay for airfare and car rentals from more than 250 participating companies. With the Cruise With Points program, you can use your points to book a cruise. You can even convert your Marriott Bonvoy Points into airline miles. Most loyalty programs have a 3-to-1 transfer ratio, making it easier to get free and discounted airfare. Participating programs include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, American Airlines AAdvantage®, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles® and FRONTIER Miles.
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Purchasing gift cards. If you’re not in the mood to travel, buy a gift card from one of nearly 100 participating retailers. Victoria’s Secret, Zappos, Amazon, Crate & Barrel and Domino’s are just a few of the available choices.
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Buying products. American Express also allows you to use your Marriott Bonvoy Points to buy products from top brands. The redemption website even has a tool that allows you to search for products that cost less than 10,000 points, making it easier to find something you like.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Benefits
Marriott perks
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Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. Cardholders automatically receive Platinum Elite status at Marriott hotels. Platinum Elite members receive complimentary room upgrades, when available, at qualifying properties.
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25 Elite Night Credits. As a member, you’re eligible for 25 Elite Night Credits per year, making it easier to reach the next tier status. For example, if you start out with Platinum Elite status, you can use your 25 Elite Night Credits to reach the Titanium Elite tier.
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$100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit. When you book directly with St. Regis or The Ritz-Carlton, you’ll receive up to $100 in property credit to use toward qualifying charges. You must use your Brilliant card to book the reservation.
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Free Night Award. You’ll receive one Free Night Award every year for as long as you keep the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. The award covers a one-night stay at the 85,000-point redemption level or below. Note that the Free Night Award doesn’t cover resort fees.
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Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. If you spend $60,000 or more in a calendar year, you’ll receive an Earned Choice Award. You may choose five nightly upgrade awards, one Free Night Award valued at up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points or a $1,000 discount off a bed from any Marriott Bonvoy retail brand.
Other perks
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$300 Brilliant Dining Credit. Every calendar year, you get up to $300 ($25 per month) in statement credits based on your purchases at eligible restaurants.
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Priority Pass Select lounge access. Your Bonvoy Brilliant membership comes with Priority Pass Select, which gives you access to more than 1,200 airport lounges in 130 countries.
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Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit. If you sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, American Express will give you a statement credit of up to $85 for TSA PreCheck or $100 for Global Entry. You can get the PreCheck credit every 4.5 years or the Global Entry credit every four years. To get the credit, you must use your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card to pay the application fee.
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ShopRunner membership. Every Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholder also receives a complimentary ShopRunner membership. ShopRunner gives you access to exclusive deals, shipping discounts and other perks.
Cardholder protections
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Premium Global Assist® Hotline. If you need help while you’re traveling more than 100 miles from your home, Bonvoy Brilliant gives you access to the American Express Premium Global Assist Hotline. Trained agents are available 24/7 to answer questions about customs requirements, foreign exchange rates, weather and more. Global Assist agents can also arrange for emergency translation services, missing luggage assistance, embassy referrals, legal referrals and emergency cash wiring services.
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Car rental insurance. Cardholders receive complimentary insurance coverage for rental vehicles booked with the Bonvoy Brilliant. To use the insurance, you must decline the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company and use your eligible Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card to cover the cost of the rental.
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American Express travel insurance. The Bonvoy Brilliant comes with several types of travel insurance, including coverage for cancellations, trip delays and trip interruptions. Members also have access to a baggage insurance plan, which covers lost, stolen or damaged baggage when traveling on a ship, train, airplane or bus.
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Purchase protections. If you use the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant to buy an eligible item, you get 90 days of purchase protection at no cost. Purchase protection reimburses you up to $10,000 per item for every covered event, up to a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year, with one exception. If the item is damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, American Express will only reimburse you up to $500.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: The fine print
Fees
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Annual fee: $650
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Balance transfer fee: N/A (No balance transfers allowed)
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Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the advance amount, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee: $0
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Late payment fee: Up to $40
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Returned payment fee: Up to $40
Interest rates
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Regular APR: 20.99% to 29.99% variable
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Purchase intro APR: N/A
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Balance transfer intro APR: N/A (No balance transfers available)
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Cash advance APR: 29.99% variable
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Penalty APR: 29.99% variable
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Credit limit
The minimum credit limit for the Bonvoy Brilliant is around $3,000, but some cardholders have reported limits of over $20,000. Your limit is set depending on your income and credit history and may be able to be increased over time.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Drawbacks
Insanely high annual fee
At $650 per year, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card’s annual fee is overwhelming. For the Marriott super-loyalist, perks like an annual free night, Platinum Elite status, and an annual property credit can easily help justify that cost. Moreover, if you can maximize the $300 annual dining credit, that almost cuts the fee in half. However, if you’re not set on Marriott, you don’t travel much, or you don’t go out to eat often, it could be difficult to get enough value out of this card.
▶︎ For other Marriott options, see: Best Marriott credit cards
Little value outside of Marriott
The most bang for your buck comes from booking Marriott stays, as you can earn 6X points per dollar. Outside of that, it falls short, only earning 3X points on flights, 3X at restaurants, and 2X on other eligible purchases. These points are also less valuable than many hotel or travel cards, at only 0.7 to 0.9 cents apiece, so you have to rack up significantly more to redeem them for anything worthwhile.
If you do earn enough points, it makes the most sense to redeem them for free nights at eligible Marriott properties. While this is good for the Marriott loyalist, if you prefer to change up where you stay and don’t want to be locked into one specific hotel brand, this may feel limiting. In that case, you may want to look at general travel cards with hotel perks.
How Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant compares
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
Both the Bonvoy Brilliant and the Bonvoy Bevy give you 6X points on Marriott hotel stays, but the Bonvoy Brilliant is better for people who fly frequently, as it gives you 3X back on airfare. In contrast, the Bonvoy Bevy prioritizes dining and grocery purchases, giving you 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined restaurant and U.S. supermarket spending each year. Bevy cardholders get 2X back on all other purchases, including flights (see rates and fees).
Another difference between the two rewards credit cards is that you can earn a little more by combining your Bonvoy Brilliant benefits with your Marriott Elite benefits. With Bevy, you get complimentary Gold Elite Status, which gives you access to 25% bonus points on Marriott hotel stays. Bonvoy Brilliant comes with Platinum Elite Status, increasing the bonus to 50%. Therefore, you can earn up to 18.5X with Bevy and 21X with Brilliant.
Both cards come with plenty of perks, but the best credit card for you depends on your spending habits. If you travel frequently, stick with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant to maximize your earnings on flights and hotel stays. If you’re a homebody, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy is ideal for earning rewards on your everyday purchases.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a card for Marriott loyalists, with a ton of Marriott-centric perks to help make the exorbitant annual fee worthwhile. In the same class is The Platinum Card® from American Express, with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees) and a ton of valuable credits and benefits. The Platinum Card is a general travel card, so it doesn’t specifically favor Marriott, but it still comes with Marriott Gold Elite status.
Cardholders can also take advantage of a $200 annual hotel statement credit for eligible bookings, complimentary exclusive airport lounge access, over $1,500 worth of statement credits, and more. If you’re still in the market for a premium travel credit card but want to open up your options to more than just Marriott, The Platinum Card® from American Express is worth considering.
▶︎ Read more: Amex Platinum Card review
Should you get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® Card?
If you:
- Travel a lot and prefer to stay at Marriott hotels when you do
- Can take advantage of Platinum Elite status, an annual Free Night Award, and various statement credits
- Are willing to pay a $650 annual fee
- Have a high (good to excellent) credit score
Then yes, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card seems like it could make a worthy addition to your wallet. However, if you said no to even one of those bullet points, you may want to keep looking.
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