Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card Review [2024]: Valuable Rewards and a Free Night Each Year

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card is the highest-end credit card in the Marriott credit card lineup. With a hefty annual fee of $650, I urge you to ensure you at least break even with the card’s rewards; otherwise, there are many other travel credit cards to consider.

That being said, if you are a Marriott Bonvoy enthusiast and travel frequently, you may want to consider it. The annual fee may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the rewards and benefits you can earn.

Who should get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card?

It can be challenging to determine when a travel card is right for you, especially if this is one of your first travel credit cards, but this one is simple.

Ask yourself, do I frequently visit Marriott properties?

If you answer ‘no,’ then consider your alternatives, including no-annual fee travel credit cards.

If you answer’ yes,’ then calculate the total rewards you think you’d earn based on your annual spending and the basic benefits and perks the card offers (more on this below) and compare it to the annual fee to ensure it makes sense.

Card benefits & perks

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
• Up to $300 dining credit: Receive up to $300 in dining statement credits (up to $25 per month) for eligible spending at restaurants worldwide at card renewal annually.
• Annual free night award: Earn a free night worth up to 85,000 points each year after your card renewal month. To get the best value out of this award, be sure to save it for a more luxurious property. Resort fees may apply.
• Property credit: Receive a $100 property credit for 2-night minimum stays at the Ritz Carlton® or St. Regis® hotel.
• Annual Earned Choice Award: Receive one Earned Choice Award annually after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases.
• Complimentary Platinum Elite status: Receive complimentary Platinum Elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy program, which usually requires 50 night stays annually. Platinum Elite status includes room upgrades when available, lounge access, a dedicated reservation line for Elite members, 50% bonus points on stays, and late checkout when available.
• Elite Night Credits: Receive 25 Elite Night Credits each year to help you on your way to higher elite status levels.
• Priority Pass lounge access: Get a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership and access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world for you and up to two guests.
• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee credit: Get reimbursed up to $85 for TSA PreCheck 5-year membership every 4.5 years, or up to $120 for Global Entry every four years.
• Baggage insurance: Receive up to $3,000 per covered trip for lost, damaged, or stolen luggage.
• Car rental coverage: Receive car rental insurance for loss or damage to a covered vehicle.
• Extended warranty: Receive up to one year of extended warranty coverage beyond the manufacturer's warranty for qualifying purchases.
• Purchase protection: Get 90 days of purchase protection on covered items, up to $10,000 per claim or $50,000 per calendar year.
• Travel protection: Receive travel protection including trip cancellation, delay, or interruption insurance, and Premium Global Assist® hotline assistance for medical or legal emergencies while traveling.

Note: Select benefits require enrollment

Earning & redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points

I always ensure I know how to maximize my earnings and redemptions on travel credit cards, especially when they have a hefty annual fee like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card has.

Best ways to earn

Thanks to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s generous rewards structure, there are a few ways to rack up major points with this card. First, you can earn the welcome offer. Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.

While earning your welcome offer, the best way to maximize your points is to book hotel stays at Marriott properties with your Bonvoy Brilliant® card where you can earn 6X points on hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. You can supplement those points with points earned on dining out or booking flights directly with the airlines, as you can earn 3X points by using your Bonvoy Brilliant card. All other eligible purchases will net you 2X points. I’d only use this option if you don’t have any other reward credit cards that pay better rewards on things like groceries and gas, or streaming services.

Potential earnings in year one

Before I apply for a new credit card, I like to determine my potential earnings in years one and two, especially if there’s an annual fee.

Unfortunately, the point value for Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t worth as much as other hotel-branded credit card points. On average, points are worth 0.76 cents.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,075

Year two earnings: $603

These values use the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Note that the values above only account for general travel spending, not the 6X bonus points you'll earn at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. They also don't account for the value of the statement credits or free night award. If you factor these in, you could get hundreds of dollars more in value from this card.

Maximizing your redemptions

Knowing how to maximize your redemptions is just as important as understanding how to earn the most points. I know how exciting it feels to get a ‘free night at a hotel,’ but you should determine its dollar value to ensure it’s the best use of your points.

Just like the dollars in your wallet, your Marriott Bonvoy points also have a set value. While Marriott doesn’t reveal their points' “true” value, many credit card rewards experts estimate that Marriott Bonvoy is valued at 0.76 cents per point. Use this as a threshold when calculating points value versus paying cash for a hotel stay or other reward.

To calculate a hotel room’s value, simply use this formula:

Cash price of a hotel room with taxes and fees divided by the number of points needed:

Points Value = (Cash Price + Taxes + Fees) / Number of Points

If the number you end up with is near or above 0.76 cents per point, it could be a great opportunity to use your points. If it is significantly lower, you may be better off saving your points for another time.

I suggest comparing your options on hotel booking sites such as Expedia or Hotels.com to see if their rates are significantly lower. Remember that paying cash isn’t always the worst-case scenario if you want to maximize your points.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card transfer partners

The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program has 39 airline partners, providing flexibility with how you redeem your rewards.

Callout box: Bonvoy points typically transfer at a 3:1 ratio to airline partners so it’s not the most valuable redemption option.

If you're interested in using your Bonvoy points to offset the cost of airfare, you can transfer them to one of their 39 airline partners.

FAQs

Other cards to consider

If the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card’s high annual fee doesn’t make sense for you, there are other credit cards to consider.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

If you're a Marriott loyalist but a large annual fee isn’t suitable, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card could be a great alternative. The card comes with a $0 annual fee, but you can still earn valuable points. 

With the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card, you can earn up to 14X total points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 2X points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services; and 1X points on all other purchases. In addition, you can earn 60,000 bonus points plus 1 Free Night Award after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (free night valued at 50,000 points; certain hotels have resort fees).

Check out the Marriott Bonvoy Bold review.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a great card for frequent travelers who want to earn flexible rewards that can be used in several ways. You can give your points balance a boost with the sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card has a distinct audience. If you aren’t loyal to Marriott Bonvoy hotels, there are many better hotel credit cards to consider.

I’d only recommend the card to anyone who frequents Marriott hotels and travels a lot. At $650 a year, the rewards aren’t over-the-top with a redemption value of 0.76 cents per point. However, the card includes many great additional perks that if you use most of them, can make the card worth it for frequent travelers.

Luxury Hotel Benefits

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

4.6

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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

Learn How to Apply

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$650

Rewards Rate

6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3X points at worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Awards one free night at Marriott annually when you renew your card
• Provides automatic Platinum Elite status, which is great for frequent Marriott guests
• Includes free Priority Pass™ Select membership with access to 1,200 airport lounges for you and two guests

Drawbacks

• High annual fee that depletes the reward value
• Low transfer rate to partner airlines

Card Details

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3X points at worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply