American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Key Features
| Annual Fee | $650.00 |
| Sign-up Bonus | Up To 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points |
| Rewards Rate | 2x-6x Marriott Bonvoy Points |
| Regular APR | 19.49% to 28.49% variable APR on purchases. |
| Network | American Express |
About this card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card earns an overall rating of 3.4, placing it in the 'Good' category. This card presents a dual value proposition: it is an outstanding choice for dedicated Marriott Bonvoy loyalists who can fully leverage its extensive premium benefits, but it is a poor option for the average consumer due to its high costs. The card excels with its 'Very Good' Rewards Rating (4.0), offering exceptional earning rates on Marriott stays, dining, and flights, alongside highly valuable perks like an annual Free Night Award (up to 85,000 points), a $300 annual dining credit, and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. American Express also bolsters the card's appeal with its 'Excellent' Reputation (4.6) for customer service and premium travel protections. However, these significant strengths are heavily weighed down by the card's 'Poor' Fees Rating (1.7) due to its substantial $650 annual fee, which requires consistent utilization of benefits to justify. Furthermore, the 'Poor' APR Rating (1.3) with rates ranging from 19.49% to 28.49% is a major drawback, making it an expensive card for anyone who carries a balance. The sign-up bonus, while offering a large point sum, also requires a high spend and is somewhat offset by the annual fee, contributing to a 'Poor' Sign-Up Bonus Rating (1.5). In summary, while the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers a luxurious and rewarding experience for its specific target audience of frequent Marriott travelers, its steep annual fee and high APR prevent it from achieving a higher overall rating for a broader audience. Its value is highly contingent on individual travel habits and spending patterns within the Marriott ecosystem.
Pros & Cons
What's great
- Generous sign-up bonus
- High rewards rate on travel and dining
- No foreign transaction fees
- Automatic elite status
- Annual free night award
- Airport lounge membership
- Statement credits for dining and expedited travel
- Valuable travel and purchase protections
Things to consider
- High annual fee
- High regular APR
What this card offers
Sign-up bonuses
- Earn Up To 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points
- Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months and an extra 50,000 bonus points after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Rewards
- 6X at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®.
- 3X at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
- 2X on all other eligible purchases.
Other features
- Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- 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.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available upon check-in at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy when booked with a Qualifying Rate.
- With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status, earn up to 5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 50% Bonus Points on stays benefit.
- Enjoy every trip abroad with no foreign transaction fees from American Express with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Card.
- 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 Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- With your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, 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 2 night minimum stay.
- Stay focused on getting where you need to go. Receive either a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or a statement credit for up to $85 for TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) for a 5-year plan. TSA PreCheck can expedite security screening and Global Entry can reduce wait time at US Customs at select airports. And if you are approved for Global Entry you will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional charge. Only one credit will be given in a 4 year period for whichever application fee is charged to your Card first. To read the full terms and conditions, visit www.americanexpress.com/expeditedtravel.
- Each calendar year, receive 25 Elite Night Credits towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- With your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you can enroll in Priority Pass, with an unlimited number of visits to over 1,300 airport lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or in-between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks and internet access in a comfortable location.
- Receive free in-room, premium Internet access. Booking requirements apply.
- Getting into your Rental Vehicle can be the start of a great vacation. When you use your Eligible Card to reserve and pay for the Entire Rental and decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) at the Rental Company counter, you can be covered for Damage to or Theft of a Rental Vehicle in a Covered Territory. Please read important exclusions and restrictions. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage.
- You can rely on 24/7 medical, legal, financial, and other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles from home. Premium Global Assist® Hotline can direct you to medical and legal professionals and help with prescription replacement coordination, emergency hotel check-ins and cash wires, missing luggage, and more. Emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost only if approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline. Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
- Travel more comfortably knowing you can be covered for lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage when you purchase the Entire Fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) on an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Please read important exclusions and restrictions.
- Despite our best efforts, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. If you purchase a round trip entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason cancels or interrupts your trip, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance can help reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Eligible Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- Booking the trip is easy. Avoiding delays is next to impossible. If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- With Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won't take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories.
- Card Members can have access to purchase Amex Presale Tickets® and Amex Reserved Tickets® to select can't miss events and moments across sports, music, and more. While supplies last, not all seats may be offered.
- Enjoy an enhanced experience at select stadiums and arenas, in the American Express Venue collection, thanks to on-site benefits including dedicated entrances or fast lanes. Plus enroll your Card and get 10% back on qualifying concessions purchases up to $250 per calendar year. Limit one enrolled Card per eligible Card Member. Learn More.
- Sometimes your favorite new purchase gets stolen, accidentally damaged, or lost. But when you use your Eligible Card for Covered Purchases, your Membership can help protect them for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. Please read important exclusions and restrictions. Up to $10,000 per Covered Purchase, up to $50,000 per calendar year.
- When you use your Eligible Card to make a Covered Purchase, you can get up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer's Warranty. Applies to warranties of 5 years or less on Covered Purchases in the United States or its territories or possessions. Please read important exclusions and restrictions.
- Amex Offers helps Card Members earn rewards on purchases for things they love. Card Members can explore the Amex Offers available to browse and add Amex Offers to their eligible Card and earn extra rewards on qualifying purchases made at select brands.
- If there is a fraudulent or incorrect charge on your statement, American Express will work with you to help resolve the issue.
- Get access to a Year-End Summary of charges so you can review your annual spending. Learn More at americanexpress.com/yes.
- Cell Phone Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership. With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage or theft up to $800 per claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period 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. Additional terms and conditions apply.
- From group dinners to concert tickets, seamlessly split your American Express purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex® App. We'll do the math to split up the amount, send out your requests, and keep track as others pay you back. You can get paid back directly to your Card as a statement credit, and you'll be the one to earn the rewards for the purchase. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
- If your application is approved and you are eligible, you can begin using your Card number online and through your digital wallet, including Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, Samsung Pay, PayPal and Amazon Pay today.
Additional Notes
Know if you’re approved with no credit score impact. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card does not currently have lounge access benefits.

