Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Brilliar American Express Card Overview
this Marriott Hotel It is the best card product for Marriott Hotels. Outstanding benefits include automatic Platinum Elite status, free night certificates per year, and a declared credit of up to $300 per year when using cards at qualified restaurants worldwide. The terms apply. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card ratings are based on the opinions of TPG editors and are not affected by the card issuer.
The Marriott offers six common cards with a wide range of additional benefits and annual fees.
this Bonvoy’s brilliant is the most expensive annual fee, with an annual fee of $650 (see rates and fees). But does this necessarily mean the best?
It is recommended that you get a good credit score to increase your chances of getting approval.
Let’s dig into the details of the card to help you determine if it’s right for you.
Bonvoy’s brilliant Amex Pros and Cons
| advantage | shortcoming |
|---|---|
|
|
Bonvoy Brillirt Amex Welcome Quotes
New Bonvoy Brillirt Applicants spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership and earn 185,000 bonus points. The offer ends on September 24.
Based on TPG’s valuation of Marriott Points in July 2025, each 185,000 bonus points are worth $1,295.
Since this offer earns over 100,000 bonus points, it meets the application threshold we recommend. It is also one of the highest in the card’s history as it provides the most points for its spending requirements.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with TPG Daily Newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts
Another best offer is spending $6,000 in the first three months of the card member, plus 50,000 bonus points plus 50,000 bonus points, after 6 qualified paid nights with the Marriott Hotel (no longer available).
The current offer gives you twice the time to meet your spending requirements and provides more points to reaching that threshold, you don’t have to complete any Marriott hotels to earn a bonus.
Remember that if you have similar Marriott products from the Starwood guest card for Chase or American Express, Amex’s restrictions limit your ability to get new welcome bonuses. If you have won at Bonvoy Brilliant before, you may not be able to get this welcome offer.
Be sure to check the quotation details page for this card to make sure you are eligible.
Related: Is the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex at Marriott worth an annual fee of $650?
Bonvoy’s excellent Amex benefits
Where Bonvoy Brilliant Amex The biggest thing about glowing is the allowance it provides (enrollment is required to obtain certain benefits; terms and conditions apply). These include:
- Free Nighttime Award of the Year: After the renewal month of each year, you will receive a free night reward at participating hotels worth up to 85,000 points. This is more valuable than the free night certificate that comes with some lower-level Marriott brands than the free night certificate at 35,000. Best uses for certificates include luxury hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, Berlin and Regis Langkawi, with rooms typically $500 per night. Marriott’s dynamic pricing may affect your ability to book some of these attributes. (Certain hotels have job seeking fees.)
- Marriott Platinum Elite Identity: Main card members receive free automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status, which includes privileges like upgrading to suites, late checkout at 4 p.m. (availability available) and lounge access. You should get upgraded status in less than two weeks.
- Up to $300 Restaurant Credit: As a card person, you can earn up to $25 per month of declaration points when you use your card at a globally qualified restaurant, equivalent to a total value of up to $300 per calendar year. (A spokesperson for American Express confirms that this credit is available for restaurants around the world, is automatically applied, and no registration is required before using this benefit.)
- Property Credit up to $100: When you book directly at a special rate to stay at a Ritz-Carlton or Regis property for at least two nights, you will receive a maximum of $100 in incidental charges.
- Priority access to lounges: As is fairly standard in the Advanced Travel Rewards Card, the card has a preferred pass select membership, giving you unlimited access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide for two guests. Other guests will be charged a visit fee. This membership does not include entry to a priority restaurant.
- Application Fee Global Entry or TSA Precheck: Like many other premium cards, when you charge a global admission fee or TSA Precheck application fee of $120, Bonvoy Brilliant will reimburse you via a statement credit (TSA Precheck every 4½ years, every four years every four years every 4.85 years, every four years). If you already have Global Entry or Precheck, you can use this credit to pay for your loved one’s application fee. Remember that global entries include TSA Precheck, so it is usually a better choice.
- Elite Night Points: Card members will receive 25 Elite Night Points per year. You can stack this benefit with nights earned with Marriott Small Business Cards. When you combine Elite Night Points with Elite Night Points earned on Marriott’s business card, you’ll reach 40 Elite Nights a year without any accommodation.
- Annual bonus selection award: After earning $60,000 in a qualified purchase in one calendar year, you will receive a bonus. This is different from the choice you canceled at night when you will reach 50 and 75 elite qualifications. You can only receive one winning option award per calendar year and you can choose from five night upgrades, 85,000 free night rewards, or $1,000 from any Marriott Bonvoy retail brand mattress or Box Spring.
- Shopping protection: Purchases made with cards can receive an extended warranty of up to one year* and 90 days of purchase protection.
- Travel protection: Bonvoy Brilliant Amex at Marriott offers travel cancellation and interruption insurance** and travel delay insurance****Travel delays for more than six hours due to covered reasons. To cover, you must book a roundtrip ticket and pay entirely with your card.
Those who can maximize the full value of Bonvoy Brillible Amex benefits will easily prove that the card’s annual charge is justified.
*Qualifications and income levels vary from card to card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. For more information, visit AmericaneXpress.com/benefitsguide. The policy is underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
**Qualifications and income levels vary from card to card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. For more information, visit AmericaneXpress.com/benefitsguide. The policy is insured by AIG New Hampshire Insurance Company.
Related: How to Use Marriott Bonvoy Brillibly’s $25 Month Dining Credit
Win points on Bonvoy Brilliard Amex
Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card members earn points from Dr. Marriott at the following rates:
- 6 points per dollar for purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Hotel Program
- Global restaurants 3 o’clock per dollar
- Flights booked directly with airlines 3 p.m. per dollar
- Other qualified purchases of 2 points per dollar
The non-Mariott earns a little low, so you may need to pair your card with one or more cards that offer quality bonus categories, e.g. American Express Platinum Card® For flights and Chase SapphireReserve® (See rates and fees) Catering purchases.
There are some other good options for your daily expenses that can be paired stably with Bonvoy Brilliant.
Related: The Best Credit Card Pairing
Redemption Points on Bonvoy Brillirt Amex
The most obvious and valuable way to redeem the Marriott Rewards points you will receive Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Used for accommodation in Marriott hotels.
However, what Marriott Bonvoy plans need to pay attention to is its dynamic reward pricing. This means the number of points you need to book a room in any property may vary depending on your needs (even daily).
For example, if you are looking for reward prices on the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort in October 2025, you can pay up to 71,500 points in one night, while the other can pay 118,000 points.
The rate at which you lock depends on your flexibility. It is worth noting that the Bonvoy Marriott Hotel has also devalued its views in recent months. On average, you now need more points to book a room, not before these changes take effect.
However, with the ability to book 10,000 global destinations in over 30 hotel brands, you have a lot to choose from. The Marriott Hotel has many wonderful hotels, including some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
Some of the more luxurious hotels and resorts you can book at Bonvoy Marter Points include many Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Properties. Some are all suites, such as St Regis Maldives, while others are dreamy destinations such as Al Maha Resort in the outer desert of Dubai.
Rooms with top-level properties like this usually cost 100,000 points per night (or more). This seems like a high price, but considering that these houses can reach $1,500 per night for most of the year, that’s not a bad value.
TPG credit card writer Chris Nelson made outstanding value bookings for four nights at JW Marriott Sao Paulo during peak season.
Related: Maximize redemption through Marriott Hotel Program
Transfer points on Bonvoy Brillirt Amex
In addition to redeeming your Bonvoy points for accommodation in Marriott Bonvoy Properties, you can transfer points to more than 35 airline partners.
However, this rarely provides good value, so we recommend you avoid it unless you need to lower your redeemed account balance or need access to the airline’s loyalty currency.
Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott Points to airlines?
Which cards compete with Bonvoy Brilliant Amex?
If you are unfaithful to Marriott, you may consider many cards Bonvoy Brilliant Amex:
For additional options, check out our full list of our best hotel credit cards.
Related: Best Quality Credit Cards: Side by side comparison
Information on the Hilton Honors ASPIRE card has been collected independently by Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
If you are a big Marriott fan, need a common branded credit card or want to change from other Marriott cards, then the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is ideal.
Its revenue rate is not as profitable as some of its competitors. But the valuable welcome bonus plus impressive built-in privileges—such as restaurant credits up to $300 per calendar year, with a maximum of 85,000 points per year in the Free Night Certificate (some hotels have resort fees)—makes Marriott loyalists easy to get huge value.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy’s brilliant
For rates and fees at Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.
