The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Has a New 100K Bonus Point Welcome Offer
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card just rolled out a new 100,000-point welcome offer.
Now when you’re approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, you can get 100,000 bonus points plus one Free Night Award toward a future stay after spending $5,000 within the first three months of account opening. That’s a significant increase from the card’s standard welcome offer, for 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 within the first three months.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is the most premium of Marriott’s co-branded rewards options. It has a $450 annual fee, but comes with plenty of perks, benefits, and annual credits for frequent travelers who prefer to stay with Marriott.
Here are a few ways to make the most of the 100,000-point offer, and how you can decide if the Bonvoy Brilliant card is right for you.
-
Intro offer:
100,000 points
-
Annual fee:
$450
-
Regular APR:
15.99%-24.99% Variable
-
Recommended credit score:
670-850 (Good to Excellent)
Rewards rate:
Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program. 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
NextAdvisor’s Take
Pros
- Generous welcome offer and rewards on Marriott purchases
- Value of added benefits and credits can far exceed the annual fee
- Qualify for automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- Comes with travel insurance and purchase protections
Cons
- High annual fee
- High APR
- Marriott award nights use dynamic pricing, so redemption value can vary depending on your travel plans
- Rewards aren’t that flexible
The Bottom Line
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Credit Card is a luxury hotel credit card with high value perks for regular travelers and fans of the hotel chain. While it does require a $450 annual fee, frequent travelers can surpass the cost with major benefits, which include a $300 annual Marriott Bonvoy statement credit, a free night award each card renewal month (up to 50,000 points), automatic Gold Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, and more.
Additional Card Details
- Up to $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit annually
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit when you book an eligible stay of two nights or longer at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
- Free night award each card renewal month (worth up to 50,000 points)
- 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
- Automatic Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy
- Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership
- Eligible for Amex Offers
- Travel protections
- Purchase protection and extended warranties on eligible items
How to Use 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy
Points
Book Marriott Hotel Stays
The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program switched to dynamic pricing model earlier this year — meaning Bonvoy redemption rates vary and can change based on availability, seasonality, and your travel itinerary.
But 100,000 bonus points can go a long way regardless of your travel plans.
Here’s an example: Say you want to book a weekend trip to Los Angeles for three nights in the next few weeks.
Here’s how many points you would use to book a three-night stay at the Westin or Sheraton Grand between April 29 and May 2:
If you choose to book either hotel on different dates, however the price can be drastically different. Between May 20 and May 23, both properties cost significantly more:
Still, the card’s new welcome offer ensures at least a majority of either trip would be covered with your bonus points — and 100,000 points can go a long way. Here are a few more examples of how you can use your points for Marriott hotel stays:
If you wanted to book a five-night stay in Charleston, SC over the holiday weekend between June 30 and July 5, you could redeem your points to cover the majority of your stay at the Residence Inn:
Or, you could cover a three-night stay at the Courtyard Marriott between Aug. 26 and 29 without even spending the entire welcome offer:
These examples are all popular travel times and destinations, but the more flexibility you have, the better your chances of maximizing your points when redeeming them for hotel stays. Even though Marriott doesn’t categorize its hotels anymore, you may find that if you stay at a more affordable property, choose a location more distant from heart of a city or major attraction, and travel during off-peak times, you may be able to stretch your points further.
Also don’t forget about the Free Night Award you’ll get with the welcome offer. You can redeem it for a one-night stay at any participating hotel with a value up to 85,000 points.
Transfer Your Points to Airline Partners
Marriott has 39 airline partners that you can transfer your points to. In general, points transfer at a 3:1 ratio, but this ratio varies by airline. For instance, if you’re a Delta SkyMiles member, you’ll get 30,000 Delta SkyMiles for every 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer. This is generally not the best redemption option, since you’ll get much more value when you redeem points for future hotel stays.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is the most premium co-branded option from Marriott. It has a $450 annual fee, so it’s best for frequent travelers who often stay at Marriott properties. Here’s how you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points with the card:
- 6X points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 3X points on dining at U.S. restaurants
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
The greatest value of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is in all the added travel perks and benefits. You’ll get $300 in Marriott Bonvoy statement credits each year to use at Marriott Bonvoy properties, an annual Free Night Award, automatic Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, and a $100 Marriott Bonvoy property credit when you book two nights or more at the Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis. Plus, get Priority Pass airport lounge membership, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit worth up to $100 every four years, and travel and purchase protections.
How to Qualify for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant requires good-to-excellent credit for the best chances of qualifying for the card. Once you’re approved remember to pay your balances off in full and on time each month to avoid high-interest debt that could offset your rewards value.
