Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
$650 annual fee · $430/yr in printed statement credits · 2x on everything else · no foreign transaction fees
Earn rates
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 3x | uncapped |
| Flights | 3x | uncapped |
| Everything else | 2x | uncapped |
| Hotels at Marriott only — anywhere else in this category the card earns its base rate, so it is excluded from every ranking on this site |
6x | uncapped |
See how it ranks: best dining cards · best flights cards.
Signup bonus: 95,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months. We never count unearned bonuses in savings math — a bonus you don't clear is worth zero.
Statement credits — $430/yr on paper
| Credit | Value | How it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Brilliant Dining Credit | $300/year | monthly |
| Ritz-Carlton / St. Regis Property Credit | $100/year | annual |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Fee Credit | $30/year | once every 4 years |
Monthly and quarterly credits expire if unused — that's where most of their printed value quietly disappears.
Non-cash perks
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status (50% bonus points on stays, room upgrades)
- Brilliant Earned Choice Award each calendar year after $60,000 spend
- 25 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
- Priority Pass membership (unlimited visits, enrollment required)
- Premium in-room Internet Access (booking requirements apply)
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance (secondary)
- Premium Global Assist Hotline
Does the fee earn out?
The $650 fee minus $430 in printed credits leaves $220/yr to earn back through rewards — roughly $8,628 of dining spending at 3x (valuing Marriott Bonvoy points at the same mid-range value the optimizer uses). Whether that clears depends on your actual spending.
Is this $650 fee worth it? See the break-even math →
Check the current offer on the issuer's site → Where a card link will appear once available — no link on this page pays us today.
Don't want the fee any more?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card can normally be product-changed to 1 lower-fee card in the American Express Marriott Bonvoy family instead of being closed — which keeps the account, its age and its credit line.
What does Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card downgrade to? →
Comparing cards in the same currency? See the best cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy points →
More from American Express
Which card should this spending actually be on? The demo re-scores a year of realistic spending against every card in a wallet — free, no signup. See it on sample data →
Verified 2026-08-21 against issuer terms · sources: www.americanexpress.com · thepointsguy.com. Spot an error? Tell us.