Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Earn rates · how we got this

See how it ranks: best dining cards · best flights cards.

Signup bonus: 150,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months. We never count unearned bonuses in savings math — a bonus you don't clear is worth zero. Plus a $250 statement credit. Limited-time offer; ends 2026-09-30.

Statement credits — $430/yr on paper · how we got this

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? · how we got this

The $650 fee minus $430 in printed credits leaves $220/yr to earn back through rewards — roughly $10,477 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.

Who this card is not for

Every point below is a term the issuer prints, read off this card's own row in our database — not an opinion about the card. two things on this card rule out a kind of spender:

• Anyone who doesn't spend at Marriott. Its largest printed rate, 6x on hotels, pays only at Marriott. Anywhere else it earns its base 2x, so the headline number is a loyalty rate rather than a category rate — which is why no ranking on this site counts it.
• Anyone who won't work the statement credits. The $650 fee is argued for by $430 of printed credits, spread across 3 separate credits, 1 of them monthly or quarterly — an unused month is gone, not banked. Each one only pays if you were going to spend that way anyway; ignore them and the whole $650 has to come back through earn rates instead.

Compared head-to-head

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card vs Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — which earns more?

Don't want the fee any more?

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card can normally be product-changed to one 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? →

More from American Express

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• The Platinum Card from American Express $895/yr
• The Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab $895/yr

All American Express cards →