Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review 2023

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 The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is currently offering a limited-time elevated welcome bonus that’s extra lucrative if you have paid Marriott stays coming up. New cardholders can earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months and earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you stay 6 eligible paid nights at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy through 1/31/24 (offer ends 8/9/23).

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review: Is It the Best Credit Card for you?

If you frequently stay at Marriott hotels, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a great option for making your stays more luxurious and accelerating your points earning toward your next award stay.

Its annual fee is $650, making it the most expensive premium co-branded hotel credit card. So it’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist and stay at the chain’s properties multiple times a year, it’s not hard to get significant value from this card.

You’ll earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3 points per dollar spent on airline tickets and restaurants worldwide, and 2 points per dollar spent everywhere else. You’ll also earn a free night certificate every year after your card renewal month, which you can redeem at Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 85,000 points per night. You can get massive value from this benefit alone, especially if you use this free night at an expensive Marriott hotel.

The card also offers up to $25 in statement credits per month for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. If you max out this annual credit, you’re effectively reducing the card’s annual fee to $350.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card also provides helpful travel insurance, including baggage insurance, rental car insurance, and a host of purchase protections.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Rewards

Welcome bonus offer

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a great welcome bonus offer: 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months and earn 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you stay 6 eligible paid nights at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy through 1/31/24 (offer ends 8/9/23). That’s worth around $1,400 in stays, based on Insider’s estimate of Marriott points value.

How to earn points 

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers a straightforward earning structure, earning bonus points at eligible Marriott Bonvoy properties and in other useful categories. Cardholders earn:

• 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels (this is in addition to up to 10x points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member and up to 5x points for having Platinum elite status from the card)
• 3x points on dining at restaurants worldwide 
• 3x points on flights purchased directly from airlines
• 2x points per dollar on all other eligible purchases

How to use points

You can redeem Marriott points and free night rewards at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels in cities around the world. Marriott has eliminated its award charts and moved to dynamic pricing, which means the price of an award night will vary based on demand, the paid price of the room, season, and other factors.

Award nights start as low as 5,000 points and go up to 120,000 points per night. If you use your points to book a stay of five nights or more, you’ll get the least expensive night for free. This discount is automatically calculated when you search for a stay of five or more nights on marriott.com.

Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy allows you to convert your points into frequent flyer miles with over 40 partner airlines — more than any other loyalty program. You’ll receive 1,000 airline miles for every 3,000 points transferred, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points (so 60,000 points becomes 25,000 airline miles) in most cases. Transfers to United Airlines MileagePlus get an extra bonus — for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer to United, you’ll receive 30,000 United miles. 

You’re best off using your points to book Marriott stays, though, since you don’t have to worry about odd transfer ratios, and you can score some real deals — especially when you can lock in off-peak travel dates at high-end hotels that would cost hundreds of dollars a night if you paid in cash.

There are other redemption options available, including cashing in points for gift cards, rental cars, and experiences like concerts and events.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Benefits and Features

Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status

As long as you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you’ll receive automatic Platinum elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, which includes the following benefits:

• 50% bonus points on stays at Marriott properties
• Enhanced room upgrades (including select suites)
• Hotel lounge access and complimentary breakfast at hotel brands that have lounges
• A welcome gift on arrival (points, breakfast offering, or amenity depending on brand)
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability at resorts and convention hotels)
• Annual Choice Benefit for members with 50 elite night credits (five Suite Night Awards, 40% off a mattress and box spring from your favorite hotel brand, give the gift of Silver Elite status to a family member or friend, $100 charity donation, or five elite night credits)
• Complimentary enhanced in-room internet access

The card also helps you climb toward higher levels of elite status, providing 25 qualifying nights every year just for having the card. 

Annual free night award

Every year after your account card renewal month, you’ll receive a free night award valid at Marriott Bonvoy properties charging up to 85,000 points per night. Depending on when you travel, that could get you a night at a very upscale property. Marriott also offers the ability to top-up free night certificates with up to 15,000 Marriott points from your account, making this certificate potentially useful at hotels that cost up to 100,000 points.

Monthly $25 dining credit

The card offers up to $300 in statement credits every year toward eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (up to $25 in statement credits per month). This benefit starts as soon as you open the card, so as long as you spend at least $25 per month at restaurants, this alone offsets almost half of the card’s annual fee.

Annual Earned Choice Award

Cardholders who’ve spent at least $60,000 in a calendar year can select an Earned Choice Award from the following list:

• Five Suite Night Awards
• $1,000 off a bed from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques
• Free Night Award with a redemption value of up to 85,000 points

You can make your selection on Marriott’s Choice Benefit site after you’ve met the spending threshold for the calendar year. If you don’t choose by March 1 of the year following the qualifying year, you’ll receive five Suite Night Awards by default.

$100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit

Holding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card also gives you access to an exclusive rate for stays of two nights or more at The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels and resorts, which includes a $100 credit toward room service, spa treatments, and other qualifying purchases.

25 elite night credits each calendar year

As mentioned above, in addition to offering complimentary Platinum elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with 25 elite night credits each year. If you’re working toward Titanium elite status, which requires 75 elite night credits, these credits will get you 25 nights closer. 

Priority Pass Select membership

The card includes a complimentary membership to the Priority Pass network of airport lounges, with more than 1,300 locations around the world (activation is required).

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck enrollment credit

The primary card member receives a credit toward enrollment in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, making your travel experience easier. This credit can be used once every 4 or 4.5 years (exact dates vary by program) so as long as you have the card you’ll never have to pay to maintain your membership in these trusted traveler programs.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

When you use your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to reserve and pay for a car rental, you may be covered against loss or damage to the vehicle. This coverage is secondary, and does not provide liability insurance.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

If you paid for a covered trip with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and it’s canceled or cut short for a covered reason, you could be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per card per consecutive 12-month period.

Baggage insurance plan

When you purchase a ticket on an airline or other common carrier with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you’ll be covered for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage up to $3,000 per trip.

Trip delay insurance

The card’s trip delay insurance can reimburse you up to $500 for meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal items if you’ve paid for a covered trip with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and it’s delayed by six hours or more, up to two times per consecutive 12-month period.

Travel accident insurance

If the unthinkable happens to you or a loved one on a trip you booked with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you’ll be eligible for up to $500,000 in death and dismemberment insurance for you and each of your additional cardmembers, the spouse or domestic partner of each cardholder, and any of their children under age 23.

Purchase protection

Your eligible purchases are covered by purchase protection against accidental damage or theft for 120 days, up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account. 

Extended warranty

Cardholders can also get an extended warranty on eligible items when they use their Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to pay — up to one additional year added to eligible US manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less.

Return protection

If you purchased an eligible item with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and the merchant won’t accept your return, you may get a refund of the full purchase price (excluding shipping and handling), up to $300 per item, and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year.

Premium Global Assist Hotline

Cardholders get access to Amex’s Premium Global Assist Hotline, which can help arrange things like passport replacement, medical referrals, and translation services.

The service itself is complimentary, but you may be responsible for any third-party costs. One big difference from the regular (versus premium) Global Assist Hotline is emergency medical evacuation coverage — Amex may provide emergency medical transportation assistance at no cost if it’s approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a $650 annual fee. While that’s high, it’s easy to get a ton of value out of the card if you stay with Marriott frequently. It also has no foreign transaction fees, so using this card is a great way to avoid extra charges when traveling abroad.

Beyond that, you can avoid most other fees on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card by paying your balance in full each month so you don’t accrue any interest. If you do carry a balance, you’re looking at a 20.74% – 29.74% Variable APR. That adds up quickly, so consider a balance transfer credit card or a zero-interest credit card offer if you need some time to pay off your credit card balance.

Like most other cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card charges fees in other situations, including:

• Cash advance fees
• Late payment fees
• Returned payment fees

How the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Compares

Amex Bonvoy Brilliant vs other Marriott credit cards

*Bonus points at Marriott hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

***the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers an annual free night award each year after your card renewal month for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 85,000 points

****the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers an annual free night award each year after your account anniversary for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 35,000 points

*****the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card offers a free night award after you spend at least $15,000 in a calendar year for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 50,000 points

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex vs other premium cards

*Bonus points at Marriott and Hilton hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

***the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers an annual free night award each year after your card renewal month for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 85,000 points

****starting January 1, 2021, the Platinum Card earns 5x points on up to $500,000 spent on eligible flights per year

******Eligible digital subscriptions include Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, SiriusXM, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Methodology: How We Reviewed the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

Insider’s credit cards team evaluated the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card in comparison to other Marriott credit cards and to competing premium credit cards from other banks. We looked at several factors, including:

• Ease of use — Does the card come with benefits that are easy to use and activate? Is using rewards straightforward, or are there complicated award charts to navigate?
• Earning potential — Is the card’s welcome bonus and earning structure competitive compared to similar cards (especially premium cards)? Are any of the bonus categories capped at a maximum amount of spending?
• Benefits — Are the card’s benefits useful for travel, and can they save you money or make your journey more comfortable? Do the perks help offset the annual fee?
• Annual fee — If the card has a high annual fee, is it justified by the rewards and benefits you receive? 

For a closer look at our methodology, read about how we rate credit cards at Insider.

Jasmin Baron, CEPF

Editor

Angela Fung

Marketing Compliance Manager