Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
American Express$650 a yearNo foreign transaction feeIssuer's page
Wait for a bigger offer if you can: a higher one ran recently.
Already have it? Keep it.
Welcome bonus
100,000points
after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
Lower than the 200,000-point offer we last recorded in July 2026.
Once in a Lifetime Rule, 1 per 5 Days and 3 more. Am I eligible?
A typical spender, at Miles' point values; a gated item counts only if its condition is met.
| First-year value | Amount |
|---|---|
| Welcome bonus100,000 points at 0.73¢ | $730 |
| Rewards above a 2% no-fee cardvs Double Cash, on $32,500 typical spend | +$10 |
| Credits you'll likely useof $330 face value | +$231 |
| Marriott Bonvoy free nightEarned after $60,000 in card spend in a calendar year | $0 |
| Annual fee | −$650 |
| Meeting the $6,000 minimumearns 1.46% here vs 2% on Double Cash | −$33 |
| First year | $288 |
| Each year after | +$689 |
Not counted in the first year: lounge access, status, anniversary free nights and protections (each year after counts them).
Earning
| Rate | Category | Return |
|---|---|---|
| 3X | Dining | 2.2% |
| 3X | Flights booked directly with airlines | 2.2% |
| 6X | Marriott purchases | 4.4% |
| 2X | Everything else | 1.5% |
Noteworthy perks
- Marriott Bonvoy free nightArrives on your card anniversary, after the first year
- Dining$300 a year
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
- Priority Pass Select
Personal card · Earns Marriott Bonvoy · Authorized user fee $0
Benefits
Credits & Perks (3)
- Dining: $25 (Monthly)
Up to $25 per month in statement credits for dining at restaurants worldwide
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck: $120 (Every 4 Years)
Covers application fee. Credit applies automatically when charged to card.
- Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis: $100 (Per Use)
$100 credit per booking for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties. Must book using the "$100 Property Credit, Luxury Credit Card Rate" and pay with card at checkout. Can be used multiple times per year.
Lounge Access (1)
- Priority Pass Select (Unlimited): 2 free guests, paid guests allowed
Elite status (2)
- Marriott Bonvoy: Platinum
- Marriott Bonvoy: 25 elite night credits per year
Protections (9)
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption, up to $10,000, Coverage for trip cancellation and interruption. Pay for round trip travel in full with your card to be eligible for this benefit. This includes award ticket fees or points.
- Trip Delay, up to $500, Up to $500 per trip delayed more than 6 hours. Maximum 2 claims per card per 12-month period.
- Lost Luggage, up to $3,000, Coverage for luggage and contents lost/stolen by common carrier up to $3,000 per person per trip. $2K for checked bags. Pay for the full cost of transportation with your Amex card to be eligible for this benefit.
- Emergency Evacuation, Emergency medical evacuation coverage with no limit. There is no requirement to pay for any part of your trip with your Amex card to use this benefit.
- Purchase Protection, up to $10,000, Coverage against damage or theft for 90 days, up to $10,000 per occurrence, $50,000 per year
- Extended Warranty, Extends warranty by up to 1 year
- Return Protection, up to $300, Return items within 90 days for a refund up to $300 per item if the merchant won't accept the return
- Car Rental Insurance (secondary), up to $75,000, Secondary coverage up to $75,000 for rental car damage/theft (primary coverage available for additional fee). Pay for the full cost on your card to be eligible for this benefit. Coverage is not available in Australia, Italy, New Zealand.
- Cell Phone Protection, up to $800, Up to $800 per claim, $1,600 per year with $50 deductible. Maximum 2 claims per 12-month period. Must pay monthly cell phone bill with card. Excludes cosmetic damage.
Other Perks
- Annual 85K Free Night Award after renewal
- Earned Choice Award after $60K annual spend: choose 50K points, 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards, or 1 Free Night Award (up to 85K). Note: the $1K Marriott Bonvoy brand bed option is no longer offered (confirmed 08/06/26 on Amex's own Earned Choice Award benefit page).
- Free in-room premium internet access at Marriott properties
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex family
Sources and methodology
First-year value is Miles' estimate for a typical spender: the welcome bonus at Miles' point values, plus the rewards this card earns above the best no-annual-fee card's everyday rate on a typical year of spending, plus credits at the share a typical holder uses rather than their face value, plus any certificate or free night earned in that year, minus the first-year fee and the cost of putting the minimum spend on this card instead of that one.
Lounge access, elite status, other benefits, purchase and travel protections, and a certificate or free night that arrives on the card's anniversary are listed beside the first-year figure, not in it. Each year after counts them, with the rewards and credits, less the annual fee. A credit or benefit that needs a spend or a stay counts only where its condition is printed beside it, and credits gated on spend most people never reach are left out.
The fee, offer, earning rates, credits and protections come from the card's record in the Miles dataset, kept against the issuer's own terms. The verdict line is chosen from a fixed set of sentences by Miles' analysis of the offer and the card; nothing on this page is written by hand for one card.
Recent changes
- changed from null to Bonvoy BrilliantOct 8, 2026
- changed from 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 months to 100K bonus points after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 monthsOct 1, 2026
- changed from null to creditSep 2, 2026
- changed from null to 6000Aug 13, 2026
- changed from null to 180Aug 13, 2026
- changed from 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Offer expires 09/30/26. to 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 monthsAug 7, 2026
- was 2026-09-30, removedAug 7, 2026
- changed from 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 months to 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Offer expires 09/30/26.Aug 7, 2026
- changed from null to 2026-09-30Aug 7, 2026
- changed from 100K bonus points after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 months and an extra 50K bonus points after you make an additional $2K in purchases within the first 6 months to 150K bonus points and a $250 statement credit after $6K in eligible purchases within the first 6 monthsAug 6, 2026