AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 100,000-Point Welcome Offer; Complimentary Platinum Status for Cardholders

The current welcome bonus on this card is 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in six months. The biggest feature of this card is that simply holding it gives you Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, which can get you free breakfast for two, lounge access, and room upgrades. On top of that, the card itself comes with a $300 annual dining credit + an 85,000-point free night certificate every year, which basically offsets the $650 annual fee, so it can be worth considering as a long-term keeper card.

• Marriott Brilliant application link

This bonus is pretty good, so I have added it to the ranking.

• Best Credit Card Welcome Bonus Rankings in the U.S. (Personal Cards) [Updated Monthly]

AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card

Highlights

• High welcome bonus and highly useful: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can be converted into about 40,000 AA miles or BA Avios and used to redeem award flights — see this article for details. For hotel redemptions, they can be used across hotels from the three hotel groups, ranging from luxury to practical properties, so the selection is very broad.
• $300 dining credit, $25 per month: Starting September 22, 2022, this was replaced by a $25 monthly dining credit, valid at restaurants worldwide. Personally, I feel that if you already have dining expenses every month, this credit is relatively easy to use.
• Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status just for holding the card: Marriott Platinum Elite status is still pretty good. At some hotels, you can get upgraded to a suite, and you can also enjoy free breakfast and complimentary lounge benefits.
• 25 elite nights every year: These can be used to help qualify for elite status. These 25 nights can be stacked with the elite nights from the business card, though they probably cannot be stacked with those from another personal card.
• $100 Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis credit: You need to book a room on the official website that is labeled with the $100 credit and stay at least two nights. This benefit is similar to FHR.
• 85,000-point free night certificate every year: Starting in the second year, after paying the annual fee, you receive one free night certificate worth up to 85,000 points every year. It should basically be enough for stays at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis. However, using it in China may be a bit less worthwhile; it can be useful at city-center hotels in the U.S. and Europe.
• Spend $60,000 and choose one of three benefits: After spending $60,000 each year, you can choose one of three options: 5 suite upgrade awards, a $750 mattress discount, or an 85,000-point free night certificate. I think the 85,000-point certificate is the obvious choice. Detailed introduction
• No foreign transaction fees: AMEX credit cards do not have DCC issues for overseas card purchases, meaning the conversion rate is the same whether you pay in local currency or in U.S. dollars. You do not need to worry about getting a poor exchange rate when settling in local currency like you might with Visa. No more worries about booking hotels outside the U.S.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Members can enter Priority Pass partner airport lounges for free. Basically every airport has one, and in China you can use most Air China lounges.
• High-spend reward: After annual spending reaches $60,000, cardholders can get an additional 50,000-point option. The latest selectable benefits are:
  • 5 suite upgrade awards (formerly known as Suite Night Awards™)
  • 1 free night award, usable for a room costing up to 85,000 points
  • [New] 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
  • $1,000 off the cost of a mattress from any Marriott Bonvoy retail brand

AMEX Card Benefits

• AMEX Offers: Spend $20 at Amazon and get $20 back, Walmart $15-$5, phone bill $75-$10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders good offers that let you earn cash rewards while spending. For details, see: Recent Good AMEX Offers, Summary of Past Good AMEX Offers, and AMEX Offers Explained
• Small Business Day: AMEX credit cards can participate every year in Small Business Day promotions, with extra rewards for spending at designated merchants. See: Small Business Day Promotion Introduction
• High credit limits: AMEX is very generous to customers and often gives much higher credit limits than other banks.
• Triple credit limit increase: After holding an AMEX card for 61 days, you can request a credit limit increase through the official website up to three times the original limit.
• Free ShopRunner membership: You can enjoy free two-day shipping when shopping online at many retailers. For details, see: official link
• Extended warranty: Items paid in full with an AMEX card automatically receive one additional year of manufacturer warranty coverage.
• Free report: Cardholders can check their credit score from the Experian credit bureau for free. See: Comparison of free credit scores

Drawbacks

• The points you earn cannot be directly redeemed for cash, and the annual fee is a bit high.

Introduction to the Points System

• Point value: Average value is 0.8 c/p, 100 Marriott points = $0.80 (Point value and analysis)
• Hotel redemptions: Marriott points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott hotels, Ritz-Carlton, and hotels that were previously part of SPG. Marriott now uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points required depends on the room rate. You can also redeem using cash+points. All-points bookings qualify for a stay 5, pay for 4 offer.
• Point transfers: Marriott points can be transferred to the following airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, with an additional 10% bonus when transferring to UA. In addition, every 60,000 points transferred earns an extra 5,000-mile bonus, which means a maximum transfer ratio of 3:1.25 for miles (eligible miles only). Air Canada Aeroplan (AC) miles (domestic U.S. flights, one-way economy tickets between the U.S. and China, emergency flights, and infant tickets on two-cabin itineraries); Alaska Airlines (AS) miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, U.S.-China two-cabin itineraries, free one-way Stop Over); ANA miles (U.S.-China flights, round-trip economy for just 60,000, business class for 95,000); AA miles (U.S.-China CX and JL two-cabin itineraries, no fuel surcharges); BA miles (domestic U.S. flights and short nonstop flights between China and Japan, very low change/cancellation fees, emergency tickets); Delta miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, can be redeemed at 1 c/p); UA miles (U.S.-China economy, domestic U.S.)
• Point characteristics: Points can be transferred between different accounts, with an annual limit of 100,000 points. When booking rooms, you can combine your family members' points with no limit. Points expire after 24 months with no activity.
• My quick take: Marriott inherited SPG's extremely strong flexibility and can be transferred to many very useful airline miles, with pretty good transfer ratios as well. Point value for hotel redemptions is not as high as Hyatt points, but it is still decent. The ability to pool points for the whole family is also a big plus.
• Detailed analysis: Marriott points guide

My Take:

After the September 22, 2022 refresh, this card has firmly become a premium card. The most important benefits are Platinum Elite status and the 85,000-point free night certificate. If you enjoy a higher-end travel experience, these benefits are quite worthwhile. Stays at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis also come with a $100 credit. However, if you only want to hold this card purely for the free night certificate, the value proposition is a bit weaker. Also, this dining credit is rather annoying: $25 per month, the same kind of monthly-credit structure that just will not go away.

Marriott has co-branded credit cards with both AMEX and Chase. You can read the article below to choose the one that fits you best.

• How Should You Choose Among the 8 Marriott Co-Branded Credit Cards?

Application:

This card is a Marriott co-branded credit card. If you already have a Marriott number, you can enter it during the application process. If not, one will be automatically assigned, but I still recommend registering for a Marriott membership first.

In the following situations, you will not be able to get the welcome bonus, so please pay special attention:

• You have or have had within the past 30 days a Chase Ritz-Carlton credit card, Chase Marriott Bountiful, Marriott Boundless, Marriott Bold, or other Chase Marriott co-branded credit card.
• You obtained a Chase Marriott Bountiful, Marriott Boundless, or Marriott Bold within the past 90 days;
• You received a welcome bonus or upgrade bonus for the Chase Marriott Bountiful, Marriott Boundless, or Marriott Bold credit card within the past 24 months.

Other application notes:

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application Link