Should You Keep The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX After The Refresh?

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Marriott has been busy refreshing the upper end of its co-brand card portfolio. They introduced upper-mid level cards offered by both American Express and Chase, as well as made changes to the already expensive AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant, turning it into a luxury card, with a price point to match.

I was still in for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX, with its $450 annual fee, as I felt the benefits were more than what you paid for the card. I had doubts when the $300 hotel credit was changed to a monthly dining credit but I convinced myself that it was easy enough to use with a quick monthly reload of my Starbucks account.

Now that the card’s annual fee is going up to $650, is it still worth it? Here’s a look at what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.

Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status

Previously, the Bonvoy Brilliant card provided Gold Elite status, which isn’t worth all that much. Platinum status is the sweet spot of the Marriott Bonvoy program and starting in 2023, the only way to earn it is with 50 elite night credits. Here are the additional benefits for Platinum members above Gold Elite:

• Guaranteed 4 PM late checkout – except at resort and convention hotels and Design Hotels, where it is based upon availability. (vs. 2 PM non-guaranteed late checkout for Gold)
• Welcome gift of points, breakfast or amenity (vs. points for Gold)
• Enhanced Room Upgrade (including select suites for Platinum)
• Lounge access
• Guaranteed room type (cash compensation if not available)
• Annual Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or gift options)

With the reduced requirements for status for the last few years, we’ve been able to requalify with little effort. However, we were going to drop to Gold for 2023. Keeping the card will provide us with Platinum Elite status for as long as we have it.

25 Elite Night Credits

Each calendar year, cardholders will receive 25 elite night credits towards Marriott status (up from 15.) If you have a Marriott co-brand business card, which gives another 15 nights, you’d only be 10 nights away from earning Platinum status, and not that far from Titanium Elite. While the Bonvoy Brilliant already provides Platinum status, reaching the level with elite night credits provides an annual choice benefit that you wouldn’t otherwise get.

Improved Free Night Award

The Bonvoy Brilliant will now provide a free night at any property charging up to 85,000 points per night, up from the previous 50,000-point level. In addition, you’ll still be able to add up to 15,000 points to the award, bringing rooms up to 100,000 points per night into the range. This is excellent news if you’re looking to stay at some high-end Marriott properties like Ritz Carlton or  St. Regis hotels since those hotels can charge up to $1,000 a night. That could make the Brilliant card worth an extra $200.

Earned Choice Award

Big spenders get some love from AMEX and Marriott. After spending $60,000 in a calendar year, cardholders can choose an Earned Choice Award. The options are:

• Five Suite Night Awards
• $750 mattress and box spring discount from Marriott Retail Brands
• An additional 85,000 point Free Night Award

The spending towards the $60,000 threshold starts on 1/1/2023.

$300 Brilliant Dining Credit

This isn’t a new credit, but a change from the previous $300 Marriott hotel credit to a $25 monthly credit at restaurants worldwide. While it’s more challenging to use because you could forget for a month, it’s still easy to redeem.

Benefits that have remained the same as before

Some benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX haven’t changed:

• Free in-room premium internet (when booking directly through Marriott)
• Book direct using a special rate for a 2-night minimum stay at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis and get up to $100 in credit for qualifying charges
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Priority Pass Select Membership access to lounges but not good for non-lounge airport experiences.
• Free Credit for Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre-Check ($85)

Is the Bonvoy Brilliant worth keeping?

Questions like this are why we called the website Your Mileage May Vary. There’s no straightforward answer. Even if you use the $300 dining credit, the card still has to give an additional $350 in value to break even.

While we’ve liked having Platinum Elite status for the last several years, it hasn’t provided many benefits besides a better parking spot. So that makes the automatic status bump and 25 elite night credits not worth that much.

The 85,000-point free night certificate is nice, but there are few places we’d go where it would provide more value. Previously, I had to find a hotel charging more than $150 with free nights under 50K points to break even. Now I’d have to find a hotel charging over $350 for up to 85,000 points. Instead of finding a hotel room charging 50,000 points, I’ll look for more expensive hotels. Sure, we’ll be in a nicer place but I didn’t have to spend the extra money (and probably wouldn’t have if I was paying cash).

And that’s what it comes down to. Whenever you’re looking at a high annual fee card, you have to be looking to do more than break even. If you’re not, why lay out the money in advance when you can keep your options open for the best deal?

If you’re the type who would be paying for a luxury Marriott hotel that charges 85,000 points for a free night anyway, then keeping this card makes sense. If you had the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX because you were looking to redeem a free night at somewhere nicer than a roadside Residence Inn, you might want to look elsewhere.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary