Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Card® Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is Marriott’s premium card offering. Standout benefits include automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual free night at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, and up to $25 in statement credits per month when you use your card at eligible restaurants worldwide. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Marriott offers new cardholders six co-branded cards with fees ranging from zero to $650 per year.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is the most expensive at $650 per year (see plans and fees). But is that necessarily the best?
If you’re a loyal Marriott guest, Bonvoy Brilliant offers many attractive features. Note that for the best chance of approval, you’ll need a credit score of 670 or higher.
Let’s dive deeper into the details of the card to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Related: Which Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card is Right for You?
Advantages and disadvantages of Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
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Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Welcome Offer
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is currently offering new cardmembers 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when they spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. Offer ends October 2.
Based on TPG’s valuation of Marriott points in August 2024 at 0.85 cents each, those 185,000 points are worth $1,573. This offer is the second-best deal we’ve ever seen for the card.
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Keep in mind that Amex has restrictions that limit your ability to receive a new customer bonus if you have had similar Marriott products from Chase or previous Starwood Preferred Guest cards from American Express. Be sure to read the card’s offer details page to make sure you are eligible.
Related: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex worth the $650 annual fee?
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Benefits
Where the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex shines most in the perks it offers. These include:
- Marriott Platinum Elite Status: Primary cardholders automatically receive Marriott Platinum Elite status for free, which includes perks like upgrades to suites, free breakfast and lounge access. On average, you’ll receive your upgrade status in less than two weeks. Registration required.
- Annual free night bonus: Each year after the month you renewed your card, you’ll receive a free night at participating hotels worth up to 85,000 points. That’s much more valuable than the free night certificates offered on lower-end 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 regularly cost over $500 per night — though Marriott’s dynamic pricing may affect the ability to book some of these hotels. Certain hotels charge resort fees.
- Up to $300 restaurant credit: As a cardholder, you’ll receive up to $25 in statement credit each month when you use your card at eligible restaurants worldwide, for a total value of up to $300 per year. (An American Express spokesperson confirmed that this statement credit is valid for restaurants worldwide, is applied automatically, and no registration is required prior to using this benefit.)
- Real estate loan of up to $100: When you book a paid stay of two nights or more at participating Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis hotels using the special “$100 Hotel Credit, Luxury Credit Card Rate,” you’ll receive up to $100 in credit toward incidentals.
- Access to the Priority Pass Lounge: As is typical with 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 subject to the visit fee (registration required). This membership does not include access to Priority Pass restaurants.
- Travel protection: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex offers Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance* and Trip Delay Insurance* for trips delayed more than six hours for a covered reason. You must book a round-trip ticket and pay the full amount with your card to be covered.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Like many other premium cards, the Bonvoy Brilliant will reimburse you via account credit when you put the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee on the card up to $120 (up to $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck or $120 every 4 years for Global Entry). If you already have Global Entry or PreCheck, you can use that credit to cover a friend or family member’s application fee (enrollment required for select benefits). Remember, Global Entry includes PreCheck, so it’s usually the smarter choice.
- Purchase protection: For purchases made with the card, you can benefit from up to one year of extended warranty coverage** and 90 days of purchase protection.**
- Elite Night Credit: Cardholders earn 25 elite night credits annually. This benefit can be combined with nights earned on a Marriott Small Business card, allowing you to earn up to 40 elite nights per year.
- Annual Earned Choice Award: You will earn an Earned Choice Award after you make $60,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. This is separate from the Choice Benefits you unlock when you reach 50 and 75 Elite Qualifying Nights. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year and have the choice of the following: 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards™a free night worth 85,000 points or $1,000 off a mattress or box spring from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques.
Those who can get the full value of the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex benefits will easily justify the card’s high annual fee.
*Eligibility and benefits vary by card. Terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. For more information, visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company.
**Eligibility and benefits vary by card. Terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. For more information, visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Read more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex worth the $650 annual fee?
Collect points at Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Cardholders earn 6 Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.
MARRIOTT BONVOY
The non-Marriott earning rates are a bit low, so you’ll probably want to combine the card with one or more other cards that offer superior 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 some other great options for your everyday spending that would make a good complement to the Bonvoy Brilliant.
Related topics: The best credit card combinations
Redeem points at Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
The most obvious and valuable way to redeem the Marriott Rewards points you earn on the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is for stays at Bonvoy hotels. With the ability to book more than 7,500 hotels from 30 brands in over 130 countries, you have plenty of choice. The Marriott Bonvoy portfolio includes many fantastic hotels, including some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
These include a number of Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties, some of which are suites-only, like the St. Regis Maldives, and others in dreamy locations like the Al Maha resort in the desert outside Dubai. Rooms at top-tier hotels like these typically cost 100,000 points (or even more) per night. That may seem like a hefty price in points terms, but it’s not a bad value considering those room rates can be over $1,500 per night most of the year.
TPG Credit Card Writer Chris Nelson received an excellent deal when he exchanged 4 nights at the JW Marriott Sao Paulo for 120,000 points during peak season.
Related: Maximize redemptions with the Marriott Bonvoy program
Transferring points to the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex
In addition to redeeming your Bonvoy points for stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, you can also transfer them to more than 35 airline partners. However, this is rarely a good value, so we recommend avoiding it unless you need to top up your 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 are not loyal to Marriott, there are a number of cards that you can use instead of the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex:
For more options, check out our full list of the best hotel credit cards and the best Marriott credit cards.
Related topics: The best premium credit cards: A direct comparison
Hilton Honors Aspire Card information was collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Conclusion
If you are a loyal Marriott customer and need a co-branded credit card or want to switch from another Marriott card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is an ideal choice.
Earning rates aren’t as high as some competitors, but the generous 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 casual travelers to get tremendous value from the card.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
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Click here to view Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex rates and fees.
