Do you stay at Marriott properties with any frequency? This is the card for you.

Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

Quick Facts

Welcome Offer: Earn 95,000 points each after spending $6,000 in six months.

Points Earned: Marriott Bonvoy Points.

Earnings Structure:
6x on purchases at Marriott hotels worldwide
3x on restaurants
3x on flights booked through airlines or AmexTravel.com
2x on all other purchases

Annual Fee: $650 Rates & Fees

Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Annual Dining Credit: $300

Free Night Award: Earn an 85,000 point free night award each card year

Marriott has a ton of co-branded cards from American Express and Chase. This card is their top-tier card that comes with tons of great benefits but also a hefty annual fee.

Complimentary Marriott Platinum Status

Once you get approved for the card you will be upgraded to Marriott Platinum just for holding the card. This is Marriott’s third of five elite status levels which is where things start to get good. This is valid in the first year and every year you keep the card with no spending requirement.

• 50% bonus points on stays

• Room upgrades, including suites

• Welcome amenity at check in. Choose from free breakfast, bonus points, or other amenities

• Executive lounge access

• Late checkout at 4pm

$300 Annual Dining Credit

The dining credit comes as up to a $25 per month statement credit when making an eligible purchase at a restaurant.

Things to note:

• This credit is valid if the primary cardholder or an authorize user makes the purchase, however you won’t get multiple statement credits if both parties make an eligible purchase.

• Their terms state that this isn’t valid for gift card purchases however, anecdotally this will still trigger the credit.

• Valid only for purchases in the United states

Annual 85k Point Free Night Award

Every year after you renew your card you will receive an 85k point free night award. This is a huge perk as it can be topped up with up to another 15k points to book a night. This gives you access to hotels costing up to 100k points per night. While some of their most exclusive properties can cost over 150k per night, you should still find great value from this. This perk alone is worth $595 a year at a value of 0.7 cents per point.

Choice Reward at $60,000 of Spending

After spending at least $60,000 on the card you will be allowed to choose a Choice Reward benefit which you also get after staying 50 and 75 nights a year at Marriott. You can choose one of the following:

• Five Suite Night Awards which let you confirm a suite upgrade for one night up to five nights before arrival.

• A free night award up to 85k points.

• $1,000 of a bed at Marriott Bonvoy boutique.

My personal choice would be the free night award. At 0.7 cents per point this is worth at least $595. While the suite night awards sound nice, I’ve historically haven’t had much luck with them and when they do clear, I probably would have gotten the upgrade anyway thanks to my status. I wouldn’t recommend spending $60,000 a year just for this benefit as it is the equivalent of just a 1% return. There are a lot better cards out there to put that kind of spend on.

25 Elite Nights Per Year Towards Status

If you frequently stay at Marriott properties and chase after status, this perk is a huge boost towards your quest for status. However, it really is only beneficial if you are going for Titanium or Ambassador status as this card already comes with Platinum status. Several other co-branded cards offer additional nights towards status but this is the only one that gives you 25. You can only get this benefit on one personal and one business card. So at most you can only get up to 40 additional nights from holding their co-branded personal and business card. That puts you on track to only need to stay 35 more nights a year to hit Titanium.

Priority Pass Select Membership

One of the other perks of this card is a complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership which gets you lounge access at over 1,300 lounges worldwide. This makes the travel experience much nicer when flying. You can also bring up to two guests with you into the lounge, space permitting. Priority Pass lounges can be hit or miss but for the most part they’re an enjoyable place to spend a long layover. One thing to note is this membership does not allow for credits at Priority Pass restaurants. This is the same for all Priority Pass memberships you get from Amex cards.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit

This card offers a statement credit for Global Entry once every 4 years or for TSA PreCheck once every 4.5 years. Global Entry comes with TSA PreCheck and has the benefit of expedited customs on your way home from abroad. This has saved me countless hours over the years and is something I cannot imagine having. To use this credit you just have to use this card to pay the fee. It does not have to be for yourself so you can use it for a friend or a family member.

Access to Amex Offers

This is a fantastic benefit to all American Express cards. I’ve gone over the basics of Amex Offers here. Even if you didn’t use the $240 in annual credits, having access to Amex Offers can pay for the card itself with all the savings you can receive. I’ve saved over $680 on this card alone since I’ve had it. I have a full write up on Amex Offers here.

Is it Worth It?

Absolutely. If you stay with Marriott with any frequency, having Platinum status is extremely beneficial. While the annual fee is quite steep, the $300 restaurant credit coupled with the 85k point free night award easily makes up for it. That’s not even factoring in the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, Priority Pass membership, and 25 nights towards status. This is a card I have had for a number of years and will continue to keep it for as long as I can.

Want to Apply?

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brillaint

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.