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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.The information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
Our take: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a great option for frequent Marriott travelers looking for luxury perks like TSA PreCheck, airport lounge access and Marriott Elite status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card could be worth it for those who frequently stay at Marriott throughout the year and can take advantage of the card’s many perks and credits.
While Marriott offers several cards to a diverse range of travelers, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is the most rewarding pick for luxury and international travelers. With statement credits and annual free night awards that well exceed the $650 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ranks well among the top luxury travel cards on the market.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
N/A
Annual Fee
$650
Cash Advance Fee
Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
Balance Transfer Fee
N/A
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers plenty of ways to earn points.
For starters, you’ll earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.09 cents each. Coupled with automatic Platinum Elite status, this offer could be a top choice for a very frequent traveler.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a solid rewards rate, especially on Marriott and restaurant purchases:
Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® program. 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
Even though Marriott Bonvoy points are a bit inflated, you’ll still get a higher-than-average return on your purchases: 5.4% on dollars spent with the hotel chain, 2.7% on restaurants and flights and a 1.8% rewards rate on everyday spending.
However, the real value lies in the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card‘s benefits — and they’re not just limited to Marriott. Overall, these ongoing features make this card a solid pick for luxury travelers.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with a $650 annual fee, but it also has a long list of excellent benefits. From a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit to multiple Marriott Bonvoy statement credits and an annual free night award, you may be able to find value with little effort if you maximize the offers on the card.
Marriott Bonvoy statement credits
With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you can earn a couple of Bonvoy-specific statement credits that could provide long-term value:
If you stay at Marriott’s luxury properties often, you can leverage the latter statement credit to your advantage. You can use this credit for charges such as dining, spa services, room service and hotel recreational activities that aren’t managed by a third party. This credit cannot be applied to the actual cost of your room. Again, this card is best suited for luxury travelers, as there’s no limit to how many times you use this credit.
With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you’ll receive automatic Platinum status, plus 25 elite night credits each calendar year to expedite your way to the next level of elite status. Some of the valuable features of Platinum Elite status include a 50% bonus on stays, an annual choice benefit when you reach 50 Elite Night credits, 4 p.m. late checkout and more. If you frequent Marriotts and take advantage of the status benefits, then you can justify the annual fee.
As a refresher, here are the Marriott Bonvoy elite status requirements:
| Status | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Member | 0-9 nights per year |
| Silver Elite | 10-24 nights per year |
| Gold Elite | 25-49 nights per year |
| Platinum Elite | 50-74 nights per year |
| Titanium Elite | 75-99 nights per year |
| Ambassador Elite | 100+ nights per year and $23,000 in annual qualifying spend |
Here’s what you can expect from being a Platinum Elite member or a Titanium Elite member, which is the next tier up:
| Status | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Platinum Elite | Premium internet access Member rates Mobile check-in Ultimate Reservation Guarantee 50% points bonus 4 p.m. late checkout, based on availability In-hotel welcome gift (points, breakfast offering or amenity) Enhanced room upgrade, based on availability (including select suites) Lounge access Guaranteed room type Annual choice benefit: Five suite night awards or gift options |
| Titanium Elite | Premium internet access Member rates Mobile check-in Ultimate Reservation Guarantee 75% points bonus Guaranteed room if you book by 3 p.m. 48 hours prior to arrival 4 p.m. late checkout, based on availability In-hotel welcome gift (points, breakfast offering or amenity) Enhanced room upgrade, based on availability (including select suites) Lounge access Complimentary United MileagePlus Premier Silver Status Guaranteed room type Annual choice benefit: Five suite night awards or gift options |
Cardholders of Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card will receive one free night award every year on their renewal month. This credit is redeemable for award stays at properties worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at participating hotels.
Since Marriott Bonvoy points cost $0.009 each and you can use up to 85,000 points, then this benefit can be worth up to around $765 — which more than justifies the annual fee.
Be aware that some hotels have resort fees, which may not be covered with your free night award.
If you spend $60,000 on eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you can choose from one of several valuable awards. The award options include:
You can only redeem one award per calendar year.
From the tangible benefits like the Priority Pass Select™ membership (enrollment required), to the extensive list of available travel coverage options, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with other great premium travel perks. It rivals other luxury cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card or The Platinum Card® from American Express.
We’ve put together a few alternatives to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card if you want more travel rewards flexibility or just prefer not to pay a $650 fee. You can also check out our list of top rewards cards or top hotel cards.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
|
$650 | Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® program. 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2x points on all other eligible purchases. | Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. | ||
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card*
Learn More
on Chase's secure site |
$0 | Earn up to 14X total points for every $1 spent at 7,000+ hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains). Plus, earn 1X point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases. | Earn 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. |
Learn More
on Chase's secure site |
|
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
 Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
$550 | Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase TravelSM. |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
$695 | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. | Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. |
For Marriott Bonvoy members who aren’t convinced to shell out a $650 annual fee each year, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase is one worth considering. With a $95 annual fee, you’ll earn the following: Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. You can also get 50,000 points after you stay six eligible paid nights at participating hotels through Jan. 1, 2024. You’ll receive automatic Silver Elite status, with the ability to upgrade with 15 elite night credits each calendar year. And by spending $35,000 on purchases each account year, you’ll receive Gold Elite status.
While you’ll also receive one free night award on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, it only has a redemption value of up to 35,000 points. Therefore, this card may be best for middle-of-the-road travelers who don’t need ultra-luxurious travel benefits.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is often heralded as the best premium travel card — with good reason. For a $550 annual fee, you’ll earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. The Chase Sapphire earns Ultimate Rewards points, worth much more than Marriott Bonvoy points and with more flexibility. You’ll get 50% more value when redeeming your Ultimate Rewards points on the Chase Travel portal, earning an excellent 4.5% rewards rate on travel and dining purchases.
You’ll get similar perks with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, like Priority Pass lounge access and a Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck fee credit. You can’t go wrong with either option, so you’ll have to decide between Marriott Bonvoy perks or travel flexibility and figure out what’s more important to you.
Luxury with flexibility
The Platinum Card® from American Express, like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, is geared toward people who like to travel often — and luxuriously. The Platinum Card® from American Express might be better for you if you want more flexible rewards and transfer options instead of just being tied to Marriott rewards.
The Platinum Card® from American Express lets you earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. On all other purchases, you’ll earn just 1X Membership Rewards points. It also offers a similar, but larger annual fee of $695.
However, you can get many of the same perks — and more, including:
Marriott Bonvoy is an American Express transfer partner, so you can always use your points for Marriott stays. If you don’t see yourself staying at other hotels or utilizing transfer partners, then the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card might be best for you.
Despite the high annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is worth it for Marriott Bonvoy members who spend a lot of money at the chain. The card comes loaded with perks and credits designed to improve the travel experience for Marriott loyalists. However, if you stay at multiple hotel chains or don’t spend that much on hotel stays, you’ll be better off with a general rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card or The Platinum Card® from American Express.
