Joe McConnell
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Card® Card Overview
THE Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is the most exclusive card Marriott offers. Key benefits include automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual free night at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, and up to $25 in account credits each month when you use your card at eligible restaurants worldwide. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card ratings are based on the opinion of TPG editors and are not influenced by the card issuer.
Marriott is offering new cardholders six co-branded cards, with fees ranging from zero to $650 per year.
THE Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card It’s the most expensive, at $650 per year (see rates and fees). But does that necessarily mean it’s the best?
If you’re a loyal Marriott guest, Bonvoy Brilliant has many features that make it irresistible. Note that you’ll need a credit score of 670 or higher to have the best chance of approval.
Let’s dive deeper into the card details to help you figure out if it’s right for you.
Related: Which Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Is Right for You?
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex pros and cons
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Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Welcome Offer
THE Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is currently offering new cardmembers 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card enrollment. Offer ends October 2.
Based on TPG’s August 2024 valuation of Marriott points at 0.85 cents each, those 185,000 points are worth $1,573. That’s second only to the best deal we’ve ever seen for the card.
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Please note that Amex has restrictions that limit your ability to claim a new member bonus if you have held similar Marriott products from Chase or previous Starwood Preferred Guest cards from American Express. Be sure to review the card offer details page to ensure you are eligible.
Related: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card Worth the $650 Annual Fee?
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Benefits
Where the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex shines most in the benefits it offers. These include:
- Marriott Platinum Elite Status: Primary cardholders automatically receive complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite status, which includes benefits like suite upgrades, free breakfast, and lounge access. On average, you will receive your upgraded status in less than two weeks. Enrollment required.
- Annual Free Night Award: Each year after your card renewal month, you’ll receive a free night award at participating hotels worth up to 85,000 points. That’s much more valuable than free night certificates on lower-tier Marriott cards, which are capped at 35,000 points. Some of the best uses for the certificate include luxury hotels like The Ritz-Carlton Macau and The St. Regis Langkawi, where rooms routinely top $500 per night, although Marriott’s dynamic pricing may impact your ability to book some of these properties. Some hotels have resort fees.
- Up to $300 in restaurant credits: As a cardholder, you’ll receive up to $25 in account credits each month when you use your card at eligible restaurants worldwide. That’s up to $300 in total value each year. (An American Express spokesperson confirmed that this credit applies to restaurants worldwide, is applied automatically, and does not require registration before using this benefit.)
- Home Loan Up To $100: When you book a paid stay of two or more nights at participating Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties with the special “$100 Property Credit, Luxury Credit Card Rate,” you’ll receive up to $100 in credit for incidentals.
- Priority Pass Lounge Access: As is fairly standard among premium travel rewards cards, the card comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you and two guests unlimited access to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. Additional guests are charged a per-visit fee (membership required). This membership does not include access to Priority Pass dining.
- Travel Protections: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex offers Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance* and Trip Delay Insurance* for travel delayed more than six hours for a covered reason. You must book a round-trip ticket and pay in full with your card to be covered.
- Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee: Like many other premium cards, Bonvoy Brilliant will reimburse you via statement credit when you charge your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee up to $120 to the card (up to $85 once every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck or $120 once every 4 years for Global Entry). If you already have Global Entry or PreCheck, you can use this credit to cover a friend or family member’s application fee (enrollment required for certain benefits). Remember, Global Entry includes PreCheck, so it’s usually the smarter choice.
- Purchase Protections: Purchases made with the card are eligible for an extended warranty of up to one year** and 90 days of purchase protection.**
- Elite Night Credits: Cardmembers will receive 25 elite qualifying night credits per year. This benefit can be stacked with nights earned on a Marriott small-business card, allowing you to accelerate up to 40 elite nights per year.
- Annual Earned Choice Award: You will receive an Earned Choice Award after making $60,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. This is separate from the Choice Benefits you would unlock by reaching 50 and 75 Elite Qualifying Nights. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year and you can choose from the following: 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards™an 85,000 point reward toward a free night or $1,000 off a mattress or box spring at Marriott Bonvoy boutiques.
Those who make the most of the benefits of the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant will easily justify the card’s hefty annual fee.
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company.
**Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Read more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card Worth the $650 Annual Fee?
Earn Points on Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Cardmembers earn 6 Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3 points for every dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines, as well as 2 points for every dollar spent on other eligible purchases.
BONVOY MARRIOTT
Non-Marriott earning rates are a bit low, so you’ll probably want to pair the card with one or more other cards that offer higher bonus categories, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express for airline tickets and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for dining and other travel purchases. There are also other great options for your everyday spending that could be a solid match with the Bonvoy Brilliant.
Related: Best Credit Card Matches
Redeem points on Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
The most obvious and valuable way to redeem the Marriott Rewards points you’ll earn at Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is for stays at Bonvoy properties. With the ability to book more than 7,500 properties across 30 brands in over 130 countries, you have plenty of choices. The Marriott Bonvoy portfolio has many amazing hotels, including some of the most luxurious properties in the world.
These include a number of Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties, some of which are all-suite, like the St. Regis Maldives, and others in dream destinations like the desert resort of Al Maha Resort outside Dubai. Rooms at high-end properties like these typically cost 100,000 points or more per night. That may seem like a high price in terms of points, but it’s not a bad value considering room rates for these properties can run upwards of $1,500 per night for most of the year.
TPG Credit Card Expert Chris Nelson got exceptional value by redeeming 4 nights at the JW Marriott Sao Paulo during peak season for 120,000 points.
Related: Maximize Redemptions with Marriott Bonvoy Program
Transferring Points to Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
In addition to redeeming for stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties, you can transfer your Bonvoy points to more than 35 partner airlines. However, this rarely offers good value, so we recommend avoiding it unless you need to top up an account balance for a flight redemption or access an airline’s loyalty currency.
Related: How long does it take to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points?
Which cards compete with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex?
If you’re not loyal to Marriott, there are several cards you might want to consider instead. Bonvoy Brilliant Amex:
For more options, check out our full list of the best hotel credit cards and the best Marriott credit cards.
Related: Best Premium Credit Cards: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Information for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
In conclusion
If you are a loyal Marriott customer and need a co-branded credit card or are looking to change from a different Marriott card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex It’s an ideal choice.
Its earnings rates aren’t as lucrative as some of its competitors, but the great welcome offer paired with impressive built-in perks (like up to $300 in dining credits and an annual free night certificate worth up to 85,000 points) make it easy for even a casual traveler to get tremendous value from the card.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
To learn about Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card rates and fees, click here.
For rates and fees for the Hilton Aspire Card, click here.
To learn about Amex Platinum card fees and charges, click here.
To learn about Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card rates and fees, click here.
