Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Credit Card review: Luxury perks at a steep price

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (terms apply, rates & fees) is packed with luxury perks that can improve your travel experience. But a steep annual fee of $650 will likely make it a tough sell for some Marriott loyalists.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

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BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Rates & fees / Terms apply

Rates & fees / Terms apply

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BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Welcome bonus

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earn 95,000 points

Annual fee

$650

Regular APR

20.99%-29.99% Variable

Credit score

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

(700 – 749) Good, Excellent

Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.

Editor’s take

Pros

• Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points every year after Card renewal month.
• Up to $300 annual dining statement credit for eligible purchases.
• Up to $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit for qualifying charges.

Cons

• $650 annual fee.
• Potentially high APR.

The steep annual fee means the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is not for the casual traveler. It is ideal, however, for the frequent Marriott patron who values luxury benefits. With perks including top-level elite status and dining statement credits, this card is for those who make Marriott hotels their home away from home.

Card details

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

About the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is a premium travel rewards card designed to provide exclusive benefits, rewards, and experiences. Cardholders earn generous rewards on Marriott hotel stays, eligible airline purchases and restaurant dining. With complimentary Platinum Elite status and up to $300 statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is an ideal choice for frequent travelers looking to maximize their rewards.

This card offers a welcome bonus of 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. The annual fee is $650, but it includes an annual Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points at Marriott hotels every year after your card renewal month. There are no foreign transaction fees when using this card abroad.

The only significant drawback of this card is its high annual fee, which may not be worth it if you don’t stay at Marriott hotels frequently enough to take advantage of all its benefits. Also, be aware that there is no 0% introductory APR period on either purchases or balance transfers.

Finally, some other cards offer more rewards and better bonuses than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, so it may not be the best choice for those looking to extract maximum rewards from their credit cards. We’ll break down everything you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card to decide whether it’s a good fit for your travel needs.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant basics

• Annual fee: $650.
• Welcome bonus: Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• Rewards: 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 3 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• Regular APR: 20.99% to 29.99% variable APR.
• Other perks and benefits: Annual Free Night Award (valid on hotels at or under 85,000 points per night), Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, annual 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next status tier, Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), up to $300 dining statement credit on eligible restaurant purchases per calendar year,  up to $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property credit at select properties on two-night bookings, up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years, Earned Choice Award after spending $60,000 in a calendar year, premium internet access, secondary rental car insurance¹, baggage insurance², trip cancellation and interruption insurance³, trip delay insurance³, no foreign transaction fees.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? Yes.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant other details

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant rewards

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card offers many opportunities to stock up on rewards. Cardmembers receive 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. You can earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 3 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Marriott has more than 8,000 hotels worldwide, providing plenty of opportunities to redeem your points. While the program no longer publishes an award chart, free nights generally range from 5,000 – 130,000 points per night, depending on the property and demand. 

And, on longer award stays, you can stretch your points even further by booking five consecutive nights at the same property and enjoying Marriott’s fifth-night free benefit. 

Alternatively, you can transfer your Marriott points to airline miles. Marriott partners with nearly 40 airlines and most transfers are 3:1, with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred (with a few exclusions) and a 10,000-mile bonus on United MileagePlus transfers.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant rewards potential

All the card perks in the world might not matter to you if you’re not earning lots of points every year. We’ve done the math to determine how rewarding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card may be. Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card.

Here’s how that spending could work out with the Bonvoy Brilliant:

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	POINTS PER DOLLAR	POINTS EARNED
Hotels	$1,736	6	10,416
Restaurants	$3,526	3	10,578
Airfare	$1,188	3	3,564
Other	$18,637	2	37,274

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That comes to a total of 61,832 points annually, plus the first-year welcome bonus. You can use these for potentially up to 12 free nights at Marriott hotels by our estimate — more if you take advantage of Marriott’s fifth-night free benefit. That’s a solid number, but you’ll want to compare your potential earnings against what other credit cards are offering.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant APR 

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant has a 20.99% to 29.99% variable APR, with no introductory offer. We don’t recommend getting this card if you plan on carrying a balance, since the interest negates the value of the points you’ve earned.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant pros

• Generous travel statement credits and perks: The card offers an annual up to $300 dining statement credit on eligible restaurant purchases, an up to $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit at select hotels for two-night bookings and an up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years. 
• Annual Free Night Award: The annual Free Night Award is valid for a Marriott booking requiring 85,000 points per night or lower, which is quite generous. 
• Elite status: Cardholders get automatic Platinum Elite status and 25 annual Elite Night Credits toward the next status tier (which is Titanium Elite).

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cons

• High annual fee: The $650 annual fee is extremely high for a co-branded credit card. You might be better off getting a transferable rewards card that provides more points flexibility and potentially a lower annual fee too.
• Points are limited in use: Marriott points are less valuable than some other rewards currencies. And you’re limited to using them for hotel bookings or transferring them to airline miles at a lackluster ratio.
• High APR: The 20.99% to 29.99% variable APR is steep and will negate the value of your rewards if you don’t pay your balance in full every month to avoid interest charges.

How the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant compares to other cards 

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card (terms apply, rates & fees) offers generous rewards at a much lower $250 annual fee. Cardholders earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 4 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2 points) and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. The Bonvoy Bevy is better for maximizing dining spending as it offers a higher earning rate at restaurants worldwide (as opposed to the Brilliant) as well as U.S. supermarkets. 

Cardholders earn a similar welcome bonus and receive Bonvoy Gold elite status, 15 annual Elite Night Credits and an annual Free Night Award (redemption level of 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or less) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy® after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year. In these ways, it’s a much better card at a lower annual fee than the $650-per-year Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card * The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For a $95 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card * The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. from Chase is a great value. It comes with the following welcome offer: earn three Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. 

Cardholders receive an annual free night (for a stay worth up to 35,000 points) just for having the card, along with Silver Elite status, 15 annual Elite Night Credits toward the next status level and the ability to earn an additional Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent. 

You can also upgrade to Gold Elite by spending $35,000 in a calendar year. Spending is generously rewarded with 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3 points per $1 each year on combined grocery stores, gas stations and dining purchases (up to $6,000 spent) and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a better option if you want a premium credit card at a lower annual fee that still lets you transfer points to Marriott. The card has a $550 annual fee that’s partially offset with a $300 annual travel credit and an up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years. Cardholders also get Priority Pass Select membership when they enroll, which includes restaurant access (something the Bonvoy Brilliant lacks). 

The Sapphire Reserve has many similar travel protections to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. Cardholders get primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption coverage, trip delay reimbursement and lost luggage reimbursement.

Rewards are as follows with the Sapphire Reserve: You’ll earn 5 points per $1 on flights and 10 points per $1 on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠ after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Points can be transferred at a 1:1 rate to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners.

Should you get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant?

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is best for travelers who stay at Marriott hotels frequently. You can likely benefit from getting the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant if you’ll take advantage of the statement credits, automatic Platinum Elite status and Priority Pass Select airport lounge access (enrollment required). 

But if you’re not staying at Marriott hotels enough to justify the steep $650 annual fee, you might be better off with a lower-annual-fee Marriott card or a transferable rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve. You’ll enjoy some of the same rewards and travel benefits at a more reasonable price point.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant summary

MARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT DETAILS
Annual fee	$650
Welcome bonus	Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
Rewards	6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 3 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases
APR	20.99% to 29.99% variable APR
Foreign transaction fees	None
Major perks and benefits	Annual Free Night Award (valid on hotels at or under 85,000 points per night; certain hotels have resort fees.); Bonvoy Platinum Elite status; annual 25 Elite Night Credits towards the next status tier; Priority Pass Select membership; up to $300 dining statement credit; up to $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property credit at select properties on two-night bookings; up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years; Earned Choice Award after spending $60,000 in a calendar year; secondary rental car insurance; baggage insurance; trip cancellation and interruption insurance; trip delay insurance

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card please visit this page.}

^{For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card please visit this page.}

^{¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.}

^{²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}

^{³Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.}