Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card Review: Why It's Not the Best Option for Marriott Loyalists

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card can be worth it for Marriott loyalists looking to earn a solid welcome offer and rack up points quickly. But with several other Marriott credit cards to choose from, this may not be the best choice. If you stay at Marriott properties only on occasion, lower-annual-fee options, including the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card, likely make more sense for you, as the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card is light on perks.

On the other hand, if you’re a hardcore Marriott fan, you might want to consider the higher-tier Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card. Despite its $650 annual fee (see rates & fees), it comes with several other perks and credits that the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card lacks. These perks can help you cover the cost of the annual fee.

Annual fee: $250

Regular purchase APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable (see rates & fees)

Foreign transaction fee: None (see rates & fees)

Welcome offer: Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Rewards: Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points). Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® Card.

Other benefits:

• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits
• 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points per eligible stay
• Free night award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
• Terms apply

Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Valuable rewards rate

  You can earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points). Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® Card.

  The card’s elevated rate on Marriott stays and other common spending categories lets you earn points quickly. Just be aware that some of its reward categories have a spending cap.

• Generous welcome offer

  The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card lets you earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

  This can cover anywhere from two to five nights or more at certain properties and locations. Make sure to time your application for the card so you’re able to earn and redeem the welcome offer before you book your next trip.

• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite status

  You’ll get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card. That comes with perks including 25% more points on every eligible hotel purchase, priority late checkout as late as 2 p.m. pending availability and enhanced room upgrades, also pending availability (terms apply).

  → Learn more about Marriott Bonvoy Elite status

• 15 Elite Night Credits

  You’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (terms apply). Earning Elite Night Credits helps you reach the next elite status tier. With 15 Elite Night Credits and the card’s Gold Elite status, you’ll need 10 more eligible nights to reach Platinum Elite status.

  Platinum Elite status comes with perks such as 50% more points on every eligible hotel purchase, enhanced room upgrades (including select suites) pending availability and a welcome gift of your choice upon arrival. Options for your welcome gift may include points, breakfast offerings or an amenity.

• 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points per stay

  Earn an extra 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per paid eligible stay (terms apply). Nights must be booked directly with Marriott Bonvoy properties. If you stay frequently enough, this can help you rack up even more points.

• Free night award after spending

  Although the card doesn’t come with an automatic free night perk, you can earn a free night award at a Marriott Bonvoy property after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year. The free night award has a cap of 50,000 points. Keep in mind that some hotels may have resort fees you need to cover.

• $250 annual fee

  The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card has a high $250 annual fee. This may not be worth it for infrequent travelers. If you’re looking for Marriott perks with a $0 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card would be a better choice.

• No automatic free night

  Unlike some other hotel credit cards with high annual fees, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card doesn’t come with an automatic free night. Instead, you have to spend $15,000 to earn the free night award — and even when you do earn it, there is a maximum 50,000 points cap.

• Limited ways to redeem points

  The most valuable way to use your Marriott points is on Marriott stays. There are other options to redeem your points, such as cruises, car rentals, gift cards and more, but this option may mean your points decrease in value.

  If you want to have more flexibility with your points in case you take a hiatus from staying at Marriott properties, you may want to consider a general travel credit card instead of a co-branded card.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card is a great choice if you’re looking for a way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and perks without dishing out a huge annual fee. It has a $95 annual fee and comes with a valuable sign-up bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Awards worth up to 50,000 points each after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening.

You’ll also get an annual free night award every year after your account anniversary (with a maximum of 35,000 points). The card comes with complimentary Silver Elite status — plus you can earn one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend for up to 15 Elite Night Credits per year. You can reach Gold Elite status after you spend $35,000 with the card each calendar year.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card is a $0-annual-fee card that’s light on perks but can still help you earn points quickly. You can earn up to 14X total points for every $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and 2X points for every $1 spent at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, and cable and phone services. Plus, earn 1X point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases.

You’ll also receive automatic Silver Elite status and a generous sign-up bonus: Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a $95-annual-fee general travel credit card, but it includes Marriott as a transfer partner. This means you can transfer your valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards^® points over to Marriott Bonvoy, as well as other hotel partners such as IHG One Rewards and World of Hyatt.

On top of the card’s flexibility, you’ll receive valuable perks, including a $50 annual hotel credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel^SM and a strong lineup of travel protections. You’ll also receive a generous sign-up bonus that you could use for Marriott stays by transferring your points to Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card could be right for you if you stay at Marriott properties frequently enough to take advantage of the card perks. Casual travelers will likely get more value out of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card, a $0-annual-fee card that features a generous welcome offer and rewards rate with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite status as well.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card may also be a good fit if you’re OK with your points being mostly limited toward Marriott stays. The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, on the other hand, may be right for you if you want to use points toward Marriott stays and also have the option to transfer your points to airlines or other hotel brands.