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With more than 10,000 locations around the world, Marriott Bonvoy has a lot to offer frequent travelers. And if you’re looking for premium value on your Marriott hotel stays, it’s hard to beat the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express® Card.
Now, new cardholders can get a huge boost on earning points with limited-time welcome offers from these cards:
If you’re a frequent traveler who prefers staying at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, now may be a great time to consider adding a Bonvoy Brilliant or Bonvoy Bevy card to your wallet. Here’s what to know about the deals and more:
The new welcome offer from Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is one of the highest you’ll find from any card today.
For a limited time, you can earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after you spend at least $6,000 within the first six months. This new offer is worth 90,000 more bonus points than the card previously offered, with the same spending threshold.
Here’s a look at what else you can get with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card:
Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees)
Rewards:
6x points at eligible Marriott Bonvoy hotels
3x points at restaurants worldwide
3x points on flights booked directly with airlines
2x points on every other purchase
Benefits:
Up to $300 annual dining statement credits ($25 per month) for eligible restaurant spending
Up to $100 property credit at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties when you make a qualifying purchase and eligible direct booking
1 Free Night Award every year after card renewal (up to 85,000-point redemption)
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status, which offers 50% more points on eligible hotel purchases, late checkout, welcome gifts, enhanced room upgrades, and more
25 Elite Night Credits toward your next status level every calendar year
Brilliant Earned Choice Award: Choose between five nightly upgrade awards; one free night award up to 85,000 points; or $1,000 off a Marriott Bonvoy retail brand mattress after you spend $60,000 on your card each calendar year
TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee statement credit
Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership
The Bonvoy Bevy card from Marriott and American Express is a more affordable option, but it still packs a punch in rewards and benefits — including its limited-time welcome offer.
You can earn 155,000 bonus points when you spend at least $5,000 within the first six months. That’s a 70,000-point increase from the previous offer with the same minimum spend. In addition to the welcome bonus, here’s what the Bonvoy Bevy offers Marriott travelers:
Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees)
Rewards:
6x points at eligible Marriott Bonvoy hotels
4x points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (up to a combined $15,000 spent annually, then 2x)
2x points on all other purchases
Benefits: While it doesn’t have the wide range of benefits offered by the Bonvoy Brilliant, this card still has a lot of perks to help cover the annual fee cost:
Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points per paid eligible Marriott Bonvoy stay (booked directly with Marriott)
1 Free Night Award when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year (up to 50,000-point redemption)
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status (25% more bonus points on eligible hotel purchases, late checkout, and more)
15 Elite Night Credits toward your next status level every calendar year
What are these Marriott Bonvoy welcome bonuses worth?
Marriott uses dynamic award night pricing, so Marriott Bonvoy points have no standard redemption value. To help you gauge just how valuable 185,000 or 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can be, we found a few examples of how you could use your points throughout the year ahead.
Each of the examples below are accurate as of publication, but dynamic prices are always subject to change. If you’re planning a vacation, it can pay to compare prices over time before you book and keep your dates flexible for the best redemption values.
For exactly 156,000 points, you could enjoy a four-night Labor Day beach weekend in Miami.
Or maybe you want to take your family to see the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. You could use your bonus to cover three nights (Wednesday through Saturday) near Central Park over the holiday week.
If you’re looking at international destinations instead, you could spend seven nights in Athens, Greece (July 27 through August 2) and still have some points leftover.
Or, for a more tropical vacation, you could use your welcome bonus points to cover a portion of an eight-night stay at a Costa Rica beach resort in October. You’ll pay more than your bonus is worth for the total eight nights, but it could significantly cut down the cost of this longer trip.
Don’t forget: Both the Bonvoy Brilliant and Bonvoy Bevy also offer annual Free Night Awards and status benefits, plus the points you earn on purchases. You can always maximize these benefits when it’s time to book, too, and get even more value from your card.
How to choose the right Marriott Bonvoy credit card
Both the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card can help loyal Marriott customers save money while traveling — especially with the limited-time welcome offers.
Over the long term, the Bonvoy Brilliant may be better for very frequent travelers. If you regularly travel and stay with Marriott for business or want added perks at Marriott’s luxury properties, this card can help you access extra benefits and earn more on your frequent stays.
Because it has a significantly lower fee, you don’t need quite as many travel bookings to maximize the Bonvoy Bevy — though you should still travel and stay with Marriott at least a few times each year. For travelers who value elite status with Marriott and want to use their regular spending to earn more Bonvoy points toward future trips, this could be the better option.
If you’re not a frequent traveler or loyal Marriott customer, you’ll probably find it difficult to outweigh these cards’ annual fees — especially after the first year. Because most of the benefits are focused on savings with Marriott, you’ll get the most value on stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties. If you travel only once or twice per year and tend to stay with family or at vacation rentals, a more flexible rewards card may be a better value.
Before you apply for any new card, make sure to compare all of your options, including travel credit cards and rewards credit cards with more flexible rewards programs and redemptions.
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers.
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