Card benefits change often, and this page may be out of date by the time you read it. Always check the bank’s page and your card’s guide to benefits for the current terms before you rely on a benefit.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is Amex’s premium Marriott card: a $650 annual fee, a $300 dining credit paid at $25 a month, a Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points every year after renewal, automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status, 25 Elite Night Credits, Priority Pass lounges and 6x at Marriott.
There are two very different offers on this card right now, so I cover both. Below is how it earns, what each credit takes, the lounge and status benefits, the insurance in Amex’s own numbers, the Amex and Chase Marriott rules, and my verdict.
Marriott Brilliant at a glance
- Annual fee: $650; No fee for additional cards
- Current public offer: 150,000 points plus a $250 statement credit after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months, through Doctor of Credit’s direct link; Amex’s public page shows 100,000 points after the same $6,000 (as of October 14, 2026, per Doctor of Credit)
- Is it the best ever?: No. It was 200,000 points until May 2026 and 185,000 in 2025. Doctor of Credit says the 150,000 + $250 link technically still has lifetime language but has been working without a pop-up for people who’ve had the card; Frequent Miler and Amex’s page show only the standard 100,000.
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Best for: Marriott loyalists who’ll use the $25 dining credit every month and the 85,000-point free night every year, and who value Platinum Elite status.
- Skip it if: You stay at Marriott only occasionally or wouldn’t eat out on the card every month; the Bevy or Chase’s Boundless covers most of the points earning for far less.
- Bank’s page: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant on americanexpress.com
Jump to: Highlights · Earning · Credits · Status and lounges · Insurance · Transfers · Application rules · My take · The catch · Keep it? · Offer history · Quick Answers
The highlights
- 6x at Marriott; 3x at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines; 2x elsewhere
- $300 dining credit: up to $25 a month at restaurants worldwide
- Free Night Award every year after your renewal month, for one night costing up to 85,000 points
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status and 25 Elite Night Credits a year
- $100 property credit on 2-night Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis stays booked direct at the special rate
- Marriott points transfer to 38+ airlines, mostly at 3:1 with a 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points
- Global Entry ($120) or TSA PreCheck (up to $85) credit every 4 years
- Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits and two free guests (enrollment required); Earned Choice Award after $60,000 in a calendar year
- Trip delay at 6 hours, trip cancellation, $3,000 baggage coverage, cell phone, purchase and return protection; secondary rental car coverage; no foreign transaction fees
How it earns
| Category | Rate | Caps and fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy | 6x | No cap. Platinum status adds a 50% bonus on base points from Marriott. |
| Restaurants worldwide | 3x | No cap. |
| Flights booked directly with airlines | 3x | Direct bookings only. |
| Everything else | 2x | No cap. |
Marriott points are worth well under a cent each in my eyes, so 6x is roughly 4 to 5% back at Marriott and 2x is about 1.5%. Amex says you can earn up to 21x total at Marriott once you add the base points and the Platinum bonus from the program itself.
Credits and how to use them
The dining credit is easy if you eat out monthly; the free night is the reason most people keep the card.
| Credit | Amount | How often | Where / how | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brilliant dining credit | Up to $25 a month ($300 a year) | Monthly | Eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide; automatic, no enrollment | Bars, nightclubs, convenience stores, grocery stores and cafés inside other stores don’t count, and an unused month is gone. |
| Free Night Award | 1 night up to 85,000 points | Every year after your renewal month | Deposited in your Marriott account; one standard room night at participating hotels | Not in year one, valid for one year, and resort fees may apply. Marriott itself lets you top a certificate up with points (not on Amex’s page). |
| Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis property credit | Up to $100 | Per stay | Book direct at the “$100 Property Credit, Luxury Credit Card Rate” for 2+ nights and pay with the card | Only on that rate, which may be higher than other rates. |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck | $120 or up to $85 | Once every 4 years | Pay the application fee with the card | — |
| Earned Choice Award | One award of your choice | Calendar year | Spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year; options include a Free Night Award up to 85,000 points or 50,000 points | A lot of spending at 2x. |
| Venue Collection | 10% back, up to $250 | Calendar year | Concessions at participating stadiums and arenas; enroll one card | Only if you go to those venues. |
Marriott status, lounges and other perks
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status: room upgrades (including suites when available at check-in on qualifying rates) and a 50% bonus on base points. Marriott’s own Platinum benefits also include a welcome gift and lounge access at many brands, though how much you get varies a lot by brand.
- 25 Elite Night Credits each calendar year toward the next status level. They’re per Marriott account, so they don’t stack with the 15 from a Chase Marriott card.
- Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits to 1,300+ airport lounges, and per Amex’s terms you can bring two guests free. Amex’s own FAQ says the card has no lounge access, but the benefit list and the terms both include it; you have to enroll through your Amex account.
- Free premium in-room internet at Marriott hotels (booking requirements apply).
- Premium Global Assist Hotline: 24/7 emergency coordination when you’re more than 100 miles from home, with emergency medical transportation at no cost only if the hotline arranges it.
Insurance and protections
| Benefit | What the bank says |
|---|---|
| Trip delay | Up to $500 per trip after a delay of more than 6 hours, max 2 claims per card per 12 months (6 hours ties the shortest wait of the cards I review, but the round-trip rule makes it harder to use than Chase’s or Capital One’s) One-way and award tickets: One-ways only as part of a round trip: Amex’s terms require round-trip travel paid entirely with the card; it can be made of one-way tickets, but a trip with no return isn’t covered. Award tickets: the terms let you pay with the card in combination with points, so award taxes paid on the card should count (The Points Guy reads it the same way). |
| Trip cancellation / interruption | Up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per card per 12 months for non-refundable expenses One-way and award tickets: Same rule: a round trip (one-way tickets are fine if you return to where you started) paid with the card, alone or combined with points; the terms don’t address award taxes directly, but The Points Guy says paying them on the card should provide coverage. |
| Lost luggage (Baggage Insurance Plan) | Up to $2,000 for checked bags and $3,000 combined with carry-on per trip, above what the airline pays One-way and award tickets: One-ways are fine: the plan needs the Entire Fare of the ticket on the card, with no round-trip rule. Award tickets probably don’t count, because paying only the taxes isn’t the entire fare (The Points Guy reads Amex’s “Entire Fare” wording the same way). |
| Cell phone protection | Up to $800 per claim, 2 claims per 12 months, $50 deductible, when the prior month’s wireless bill was paid with the card |
| Car rental loss and damage | Secondary coverage for damage or theft when you decline the rental company’s CDW; not available in Australia, Italy or New Zealand, and no liability coverage |
| Purchase protection | Theft, accidental damage or loss within 90 days, up to $10,000 per purchase and $50,000 per calendar year |
| Return protection | Within 90 days if the store won’t take it back, up to $300 per item and $1,000 per calendar year (U.S. purchases) |
| Extended warranty | Up to one extra year on U.S. warranties of 5 years or less |
Amounts are from Amex’s card page, checked October 14, 2026; trip delay and trip cancellation are insured by New Hampshire Insurance Company (AIG). No baggage delay coverage is listed.
For how this compares with other cards, see my card travel benefits comparison.
Transfer partners
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to 38+ airline programs, most at 3 points to 1 mile with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points (so 60,000 points become 25,000 miles); United adds 10,000 per 60,000, and American and Delta get no bonus. That’s a weak ratio, so I’d only transfer to top off an award. Ratios and transfer times for every partner are in my transfer partners guide.
Application rules for this card
- The bonus is generally once per lifetime: Amex’s terms say you may not be eligible if you have or have had this card or the old Starwood Preferred Guest Amex Luxury card (the Amex lifetime rule). Amex shows a pop-up before any hard pull if you’re not eligible. Doctor of Credit’s 150,000 + $250 link reportedly hasn’t shown that pop-up to past cardholders, but that’s based on reports, not a guarantee.
- Amex Marriott family: the Bevy’s bonus is blocked if you have or have had the Brilliant, but the Brilliant’s isn’t blocked by the Bevy, so get the Bevy first if you want both.
- Chase Marriott cards matter too. Per Amex’s terms, you won’t get the bonus if you’ve had a Ritz-Carlton card from J.P. Morgan in the last 30 days, opened a Chase Marriott Boundless, Bold or Bountiful in the last 90 days, or received a bonus or upgrade offer on one of those in the last 24 months (Amex rules). Chase’s Marriott cards have the same kind of rule in reverse.
- Amex generally limits you to 5 Amex credit cards at once and approves about 1 credit card every 5 days and 2 every 90 days (Amex rules).
The full rules for every bank are in my credit card application rules guide.
My take
A $650 fee, but the $25 monthly dining credit is easy if you eat at a restaurant on the card at least once a month, which brings it to $350 in my eyes. The free night, good at hotels costing up to 85,000 points, can be worth $350 or more on its own at the right hotel, so for a Marriott regular the card roughly breaks even before Platinum status, the 25 Elite Night Credits and Priority Pass.
That breakeven depends on using both every year, and Marriott keeps raising award prices with dynamic pricing, so the 85,000-point certificate buys less than it used to. Platinum’s breakfast and lounge benefits vary so much by brand that I wouldn’t pay for status alone.
On the offer, if Doctor of Credit’s 150,000 + $250 link is still working when you apply, it’s far better than the public 100,000. In any case, I personally would hate to sign up at 100,000 (or even 150,000) when 200,000 was available as recently as May 2026.
The catch
The dining credit is $25 a month, not $300 a year: miss a month and it’s gone, and bars and grocery stores don’t count. The free night doesn’t arrive until after your first renewal, and it’s capped at 85,000 points.
Marriott points are weak currency (well under a cent each) and transfer to airlines at 3:1, Platinum benefits are inconsistent across brands, and the cross-issuer rules with Chase’s Marriott cards can block the bonus for up to 24 months.
The monthly dining credit only helps if you already eat out on the card. Amex, like other banks with similar hard-to-use credits, is counting on people forgetting to use it.
Keep it after year one?
The fee to me is $650 minus the $300 dining credit (if you eat out monthly anyway), which equals $350. If the free night saves you more than $350 on a stay you’d book anyway, keep it; Platinum status and Priority Pass are on top. If it won’t, Frequent Miler lists the Bevy and the older $95 Marriott Bonvoy Amex (closed to new applicants, but still a product-change option, with a 35,000-point free night) as downgrade paths.
Offer history
| Offer | Ended |
|---|---|
| 200K after $6K in 6 months (best ever) | 2026-05 |
| 185K after $6K in 6 months | 2025 |
Quick Answers
$650 a year, with no fee for additional cards, as of October 2026.
As of October 14, 2026 Amex’s public page shows 100,000 points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Doctor of Credit lists a 150,000 points + $250 credit link for the same $6,000, which reportedly works even if you’ve had the card.
Yes, per Amex’s benefit list and terms: an enrolled Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits and two free guests. Amex’s FAQ on the same page says the card has no lounge access, so enroll and confirm in your account.
You get up to $25 back each month on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, $300 a year. It doesn’t roll over, and bars, nightclubs, grocery stores and convenience stores don’t count.
Not if you opened a Chase Marriott Boundless, Bold or Bountiful in the last 90 days or got a bonus on one in the last 24 months, per Amex’s terms.
Last checked: October 14, 2026. Card terms change often, so confirm on the bank’s page before you apply. There are no affiliate or referral links on this site, ever; links go to the bank’s own page.