How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Due to its high annual fee of $650, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card isn’t for the casual traveler who occasionally stays with the Marriott brand. Instead, this card is well worth it for frequent Marriott guests who want to enhance their overall travel experience at Marriott hotels — and at the airport when they fly.
We estimate that the card’s benefits are worth almost $4,000 in the first year:
Recommended credit score: Good / Excellent
You’ll get a mountain of perks in return for the $650 annual fee. That includes up to $300 in dining credits per year (up to $25 quarterly), Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership* and Priority Pass Select membership* (retail value of $469), to name a few. Cardholders also get a free night award worth up to 85,000 points after they renew their card each year.
However, if you’re an economy traveler on a tighter budget, you may have a hard time accessing all these perks, some of which come with substantial spending requirements.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
|
The best hotel perks of any Marriott credit card
|
150,000 points
Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
| 2X - 6X points
| $650 | |
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*
|
Free night award and a large sign-up bonus for a much lower annual fee
|
250,000 points
Earn 5 Free Night Awards after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening. Each Free Night Award valued up to 50,000 points - that's a total value of up to 250,000 points! Certain hotels have resort fees.
| 2X - 17X points
| $95 | |
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
Automatic Gold status with Hilton
|
As high as 175,000 points
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
| 5X points
| $695 | |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®*
|
Valuable, flexible points that you can use with any hotel chain
|
100,000 points
Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1X - 8X points
| $795 |
Welcome offer
Our rating: 4.7 out of 5 starsEarn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
How does it compare to other cards?
While the welcome offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can be worth several nights at Marriott hotels, it’s possible to get a bigger bonus with other Marriott cards. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers a similarly valuable welcome offer for a lower $95 annual fee (although it comes with minimal benefits in comparison).
There are also some flexible travel credit cards that have competitive bonuses and let users transfer their rewards to the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
→ Compare the best credit card sign-up bonuses.
Is it a good time to apply?
The current welcome offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is very generous and the highest it has been in a while. Since American Express has a once-in-a-lifetime policy on its welcome offers, this may be a good time to apply.
Recent offers for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
| Date | Number of points |
|---|---|
| May-25 | 150,000 |
| March-25 | 185,000 |
| Oct-24 | 95,000 |
| Aug-24 | 185,000 |
| May-24 | 95,000 |
Earning points
Our rating: 4.1 out of 5 starsEarn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
How does it compare to other cards?
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is hard to beat for earning points on Marriott purchases. It advertises an earning rate of 6X points on Marriott stays. But it also boosts your base point earnings from 10X to 15X points at most brands thanks to Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status — so cardholders actually earn 21X points overall with Marriott.
However, Marriott Bonvoy® points are worth a bit less than the average rewards program point (around 0.9 cents per point by our estimates) and considerably less flexible. If you’re strictly interested in earning rewards for free hotel nights, you may be better off with a flexible travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You can redeem Chase points for travel through Chase or point transfers to a range of airline or hotel programs (including Marriott) for a much higher point value and higher overall earning rate.
Estimated rewards earned per $1 spent*
→ Learn more: Cash back vs. points vs. miles
Redeeming points
Our rating: 1 out of 5 stars+ Tons of redemption options with the world’s largest hotel network
– You’re restricted to using points for Marriott hotel stays to get the best value.
– Marriott points are worth slightly less than the average rewards program point.
– Award nights start at around 15,000 points and can run over 100,000 points for luxury properties.
– Blackout dates can apply.
– Points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
– You can’t redeem points for cash back.
How does it compare to other cards?
Like other hotel credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers limited redemption options outside of stays with the Marriott hotel brand. And since the program uses dynamic pricing for its award nights, you may have to fork over more points for an award night than you want to — especially for peak travel dates.
If you want more flexibility with your rewards, consider a premium travel credit card that lets you redeem your points for travel through a portal or point transfers to a selection of airline and hotel partners. The Platinum Card® from American Express, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are all good options in this realm.
→ Learn more about redeeming Marriott Bonvoy® points
Other benefits
Our rating: 4 out of 5 starsHow does it compare to other cards?
While the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a high annual fee of $650, it comes with more valuable benefits than any other hotel card from the brand. Even the $300 annual dining credit on the card is easier to use than many other statement credit offers from Amex, since it applies to an restaurant purchase worldwide. Cardholders who travel often and dine out should easily be able to justify the annual fee.
→ See the best American Express credit cards
You’ll miss out on all the fancy hotel perks that you get with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, but you’ll still earn a pretty generous rewards rate on hotel stays with the brand.
→See the best Marriott credit cards
It offers similar perks to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card for a similarly steep $695 fee (see rates & fees). This includes global airport lounge access for eligible cardmembers and a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership* as well as a CLEAR credit* (subject to auto-renewal). It even comes with automatic Gold Elite status* with both Marriott Bonvoy® and Hilton Honors, plus more than $1,500 in value through statement credits and related perks.
While this card doesn’t offer any hotel-related benefits, it does come with Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership and a fee credit for Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA PreCheck. It also offers a $300 flexible travel credit toward practically any travel purchase each year, which can help cover the annual fee.
We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data:
1. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
2. 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.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
Apply Now 
