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The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card has an intro offer for 150,000 bonus points and a bonus Free Night Award after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. For the Free Night, resort fees may apply. We value the 150k bonus points at around $1,350. Terms apply. This offer expires 11/3/2021.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is a great option for loyalists to the hotel chain. It offers 6x points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program and comes with a variety of premium travel benefits. You’ll find the card worth the annual fee if you stay at Marriott Bonvoy properties often and enjoy the premium card perks.
The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program was formed from the combined Marriott Rewards, SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards programs. They are now the world’s largest hotel chain, with over 7,000 participating hotels in 130 countries. Luxury properties include The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, W Hotels and more.
If you’re not a huge Marriott fan, or you don’t stay at hotels often, then you’d be better off with a general rewards credit card.
Premium benefits not important? The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase might be a good fit with its much lower annual fee. American Express also has the business version, the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card. The annual fee is also much lower and you can apply even without a small business EIN. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply. Apply with your SSN if you have a side gig like being a seller on eBay or Amazon.
Here’s a comparison of these three Marriott Bonvoy cards:
| Card Name | Welcome Offer/ Annual Fee | Top Features |
| Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card | Earn 60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual Fee $0 | 14 points per $1 at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 2 points per $1 on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains), 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | Earn 125,000 bonus points and 1 Free Night (worth up to 50k bonus points) when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. Annual Fee $95 | 17 points per $1 at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 2 points per $1 all other purchases. 1 Free Night Award up to 35,000 points value each year. Automatic Silver Elite status and path to Gold Status with 35k spending. 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | 150,000 Bonus Points and 1 Free Night Award after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. The offer expires 11/3/2021. Resort fees may apply. Annual Fee $450 (See Rates & Fees) | 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program, 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, 2 points all other purchases. 1 Free Night Award up to 50,000 redemption level each year. Up to $300 in statement credits yearly for eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card | 125,000 bonus points plus 2 bonus Free Night Awards (redemption value worth up to 50k points each) after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Resort fees may apply. Offer expires 11/3/2021. Annual Fee $125 (See Rates & Fees) | 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program; 4 points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services, shipping; 2 points all other purchases. Up to 2 Free Night Awards up to 35,000 points in value each. Automatic Silver Elite status. |
*Terms Apply
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 50,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,000 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 50k points are redeemable for $750 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as 5X points on air travel, 10x points spent on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit, access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, 3X points on all other travel and dining, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For all other purchases, it’s 1 point per dollar spent.
Other nice features include an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, and complimentary Lyft Pink and complimentary DashPass subscription from DoorDash. Also, with Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
You’ll earn Ultimate Rewards points with this card, which can be pooled together with certain other Chase cards. Examples include the Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and all the Chase Ink Business cards. Read more on this here.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Up To 150,000 Points Welcome Offer
Take advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card’s introductory offer: 150,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points and 1 Free Award Night. Our valuation puts these points at around $1,350 in value (more on this below) excluding the value of the Award Night.
To qualify, you have to charge at least $5,000 to your card within the first 3 months of opening your account.
Compare this offer to other top card bonuses here.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement.
What Are Marriott Bonvoy Points Worth?
Like many other hotel-branded credit cards, your points’ worth depends on how you use them. Redemption values range from $0.0013 to $0.01. On average, a Marriott Bonvoy point is worth $0.009. Using this figure, 150k points have an approximate $1,350 value.
You can use your Marriott Bonvoy points towards:
- Hotel stays
- Travel packages
- Destination-specific activities
- Gift cards
- Merchandise
Hotel stays and travel packages will yield decent value for your points. You can also choose to transfer your points to any of Marriott Bonvoy’s 44 airline partners.
Keep in mind, the transfer ratios to these loyalty programs vary.
Bottom Line
Although it comes at a high cost, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is certainly worth it for loyalists of this expanded hotel chain.
The rewards card comes with a variety of value-added perks and fee credits that frequent Marriott Bonvoy guests will take full advantage of. You’ll more than come out on top if you use the card’s feature benefits.
But if you’re not loyal to Marriott Bonvoy hotels, or you’re not a big spender when it comes to hotel stays, you’ll want to consider a general rewards travel card instead.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.