Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review 2023

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The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Insider’s Rating

A five pointed star

4.3/5

Regular APR

20.99% – 29.99% Variable

Limited Time Offer: Earn two Free Night Awards (each with a redemption level of up to 85,000 points)

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

Pros

Check mark icon
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Annual statement credits can save you money on Marriott stays

Check mark icon
A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.

You get a free reward night each year after your renewal month

Cons

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High annual fee

con icon
Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’.

Other cards are more rewarding for earning points on your spending

Insider’s Take

If you’re loyal to Marriott, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can help you save money and improve your stays, thanks to automatic Marriott Platinum elite status and lots of opportunities to earn additional points.

Product Details

Earn two 85K Free Night Awards after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card in your first 6 months. Each award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Card Members could enjoy a value of up to $1,200 when redeeming each reward. Certain hotels have resort fees. Offer ends 11/1/2023.
$300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 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.
Marriott Brilliant 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 an 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 PassTM Select, which offers unlimited access 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.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review

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.

If you’re considering the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to earn lifetime elite status with Marriott, also note that you may not be able to downgrade the card to a less-expensive option if you decide you no longer want to pay the annual fee; you may have to cancel the card outright in this situation.

See our picks for the best credit cards »

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Earn 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out. Earn 3x points on select streaming services. Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs). Earn 2x points on other travel. Earn 1x point per dollar on everything else.

Earn 5x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase.

Earn unlimited 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Earn 1x points on other purchases.

Limited Time Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points

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

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a great welcome bonus offer: two Free Night Awards, each with a redemption level of up to 85,000 points, after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card in your first six months of card membership (offer ends 11/01/2023). That’s worth around $1,190 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 airlines2x 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 propertiesEnhanced room upgrades (including select suites)Hotel lounge access and complimentary breakfast at hotel brands that have loungesA 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.

Even better, holding this card can help you earn lifetime Marriott elite status. To earn lifetime Marriott Platinum elite status, for example, you need to rack up 600 qualifying nights and 10 years as a Platinum elite or higher. Holding the card for 10 years will accomplish half of the requirements, while the elite night credits (more about those below) you earn each year as a cardholder count toward the qualifying nights you need.

If 600 qualifying nights doesn’t sound possible between the card’s annual qualifying nights and your planned stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties, keep in mind you can also use this strategy to qualify for the lower levels of Marriott lifetime elite status: Gold (400 qualifying nights and seven years with Gold status or higher) and Silver (250 qualifying nights, five years as Silver status or higher).

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 BoutiquesFree 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.

You can even stack the elite night credits from this card with those from the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card to earn nights toward elite status (including lifetime elite status) faster.

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® American Express® Card

Insider’s Rating

A five pointed star

4.3/5

Regular APR

20.99% – 29.99% Variable

Limited Time Offer: Earn two Free Night Awards (each with a redemption level of up to 85,000 points)

Recommended Credit

Good to Excellent

Pros

Check mark icon
A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.

Annual statement credits can save you money on Marriott stays

Check mark icon
A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.

You get a free reward night each year after your renewal month

Cons

con icon
Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’.

High annual fee

con icon
Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’.

Other cards are more rewarding for earning points on your spending

Insider’s Take

Product Details

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 20.99% – 29.99% 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 advances, late payments, and returned payments

How the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Compares

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a more premium card than the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
(with a $650 annual fee compared to $95).

While the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with complimentary Platinum elite status and 25 elite night credits a year, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers complimentary Gold elite status and 15 elite night credits per year.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card doesn’t offer a Free Night Award automatically; you have to spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year to earn one, and it’s good at properties that cost up to 35,000 points per night (as opposed to the Free Night Award on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which is valid at Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 85,000 points per night).

Read our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card review.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card vs. the Amex Platinum

The Platinum Card® from American Express has an even higher annual fee than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($695 compared to $650), but it does offer plenty of perks. The right card for you really depends on whether you mostly want Marriott-related benefits or a wider array of travel perks.

The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status (as opposed to Platinum on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card), but that’s its only Marriott-specific perk. It also offers up $200 in credits per year toward prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection (minimum two-night stay), access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program, and a wide range of statement credits and airport lounge access options.

Read our Amex Platinum card review.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Most people who are approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card have a credit score in the good to excellent range, which means a FICO score of at least 670.

Because both Amex and Chase issue Marriott co-branded cards, the rules for who can get approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card are a little more complicated than other cards.

To start, if you already have (or have had) the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (or the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, which isn’t available to new applicants), you aren’t eligible for the welcome bonus offer.

You also aren’t eligible for the welcome bonus offer on this card if any of the following apply to you:

You are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card from JPMorgan or J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card

You’ve opened the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
, or Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card
in the last 90 days

In the last 24 months, you’ve received a new cardmember bonus offer or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card

For frequent Marriott travelers, especially those who spend at least $25 per month on dining and can take advantage of Platinum elite status, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is very much worth it. Perks like airport lounge access can make your travels more comfortable, and earning a free night award each year worth up to 85,000 points can offset most (or all) of the card’s annual fee.

However, if you don’t stay with Marriott that often or aren’t sure you can use the card’s premium benefits, you’re likely better served by cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card ($95 annual fee) or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card ($125 annual fee). There are also two mid-range Marriott cards to consider (Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card) which both have a $250 annual fee).

If you’re opposed to paying an annual fee, there’s the no-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. It doesn’t come with an anniversary free night or a ton of extra Marriott benefits, but it does have a decent welcome bonus offer: 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Here’s our Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit review with the details.

Yes, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a metal credit card and weighs about 15 grams.

There’s no additional fee to add authorized users to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Keep in mind additional card members don’t receive most of the premium perks offered to the primary cardholder. One exception is the $100 property credit on qualifying stays of two nights or more at The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels and resorts, which both the basic cardholder and any authorized users can use.

Why You Should Trust Us: 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 was an editor at Insider, responsible for credit card coverage on Personal Finance Insider. Before joining the Insider team, she was a senior editor at The Points Guy and Million Mile Secrets, covering credit cards, points and miles, and loyalty programs.
Her expertise in maximizing travel rewards grew from over two decades of experience in the aviation industry, including 18 years working as a pilot and flight instructor in her native Canada.
Learn more about how Personal Finance Insider chooses, rates, and covers financial products and services »

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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review 2023

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Rewards

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Benefits and Features

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Annual Fee and Other Costs

How the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Compares

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Review 2023

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