Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review: Is It Worth the $650 Annual Fee?
If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you probably know that Marriott is our preferred hotel chain, which to some people in the travel hacking community, often means we’re not using our points the “best” way (for their view, check out our cents per point post).
But ever since we started seriously focusing on travel hacking a few years ago, Marriott has been the hotel chain we come back to again and again. While we have used points to stay at Hyatts (and Hiltons – very rarely) on occasion, we stay with Marriott 99% of the time.
The biggest reason is because Marriott has the largest portfolio of hotels of the major providers. Whether we’re traveling for work, taking a weekend trip, or booking a longer vacation, there is always a Marriott property where we need or want to be, which means we’re earning points that we know we can and will use in the future on our trips.
Instead of spreading our stays across a bunch of different hotel chains and accruing points here and there, we’ve been able to focus our hotel spending with Marriott, earn Bonvoy points, and work toward annual & lifetime elite status in a program we actually use.
For years, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card was our main Marriott card, and I still think it’s one of the best hotel credit cards for most travelers looking for a low annual fee with benefits ($95).
Earlier this year, we added the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, but that was primarily because of the welcome bonus. While it made sense to open for the points from the sign-up bonus, I don’t think the Bevy offers enough ongoing value for most people to justify its $250 annual fee.
Then we added the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card. At first glance, paying $650 per year for a hotel credit card sounds like a lot, and it is. It’s among the highest annual fees in our wallets (dozens of cards at this point).
But after looking at how often we stay at Marriott hotels and the benefits we would actually use, opening the card and likely keeping the card actually makes a lot of sense.
The biggest reason we opened the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant wasn’t the welcome bonus or the points. It was Marriott Platinum Elite status.
After years of staying at Marriott properties, we decided the benefits that come with Platinum status were valuable enough to pay for.
So, is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant worth the $650 annual fee? For us, yes, but I don’t think it’s the right card for everyone.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Benefits
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a hotel card designed for people who are loyal to Marriott and want elite benefits without spending dozens of nights in hotels every year. Or, if you do spend dozens of nights in hotels for work or personal reasons, they become even more rewarding with this card.
Some of the biggest benefits include:
- Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status
- 25 Elite Night Credits every calendar year
- Annual Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- Up to $25 per month in restaurant statement credits ($300 a year)
- Priority Pass Select membership
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
While all of these benefits have value, there is one that is our primary reason for having the card.
Why We Got the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
There is a big difference between opening a card for the welcome bonus and opening a card because you actually want to keep it. And I’ve opened cards for both reasons.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a card we opened with the intention of keeping. The reason is simple: we actually use Marriott.
We aren’t travelers who only stay at luxury hotels. Most of our Marriott stays are not at the fanciest brands that Marriott has. We’ll often stay at Residence Inns or Courtyards if the cost or location makes sense. Sometimes it’s a nicer Marriott property when we’re celebrating something or visiting a destination where the hotel itself feels worth it.
That’s one of the reasons Marriott works so well for us. The portfolio is large enough that we can always find a property that fits the trip.
As we’ve stayed at more Marriott hotels and earned higher status with the brand, we started realizing that having Marriott Platinum Elite status makes stays better.
For the last several years, we’ve been able to earn Platinum (and in some years Titanium) status from a combination of credit card ENCs, work travel, and personal travel. Will that always be the case? We’re not sure, but we like the benefits that have come with that status, so the Brilliant ensures we will always have it regardless of how many nights we stay.
Marriott Platinum Elite Status Is the Main Reason to Get This Card
The card gives you automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status. Instead of earning status through 50 Elite Night Credits every year, you receive Platinum status simply by holding the card. If you use no other card benefits, you’re paying $650 for Platinum status, which is much cheaper than paying for 50 nights a year.
So, what actually comes with having Platinum status and why is it worth it to us?
Complimentary Breakfast
Breakfast is one of those hotel benefits that doesn’t sound exciting at most hotels. And it’s not a huge draw for us because we’re not expecting gourmet meals at our hotels. Although we have had some nice breakfasts at different Marriotts we’ve visited, like the JW Marriott Guanacaste or the Westin Bayshore.
A hotel breakfast can easily cost $20 or more per person. If you’re traveling for several days, that expense adds up quickly, especially if you’re traveling in pairs or groups.
Depending on the Marriott brand, Platinum Elite members may receive complimentary breakfast, lounge access with breakfast, or a food and beverage credit.
When we’re traveling, we’d rather spend our mornings exploring than trying to find breakfast before starting the day, so having breakfast (with the cost covered) right at our hotel is an easy way to save money and have a convenient spot before heading out.
Marriott Lounge Access
Airport lounges get a lot of attention in the points and miles world. Hotel lounges don’t always get the same notice, but they can be a great benefit.
When a Marriott property has a lounge, it can provide breakfast, snacks throughout the day, evening appetizers, drinks, and a quiet place to relax.
Not every Marriott has a lounge, but when one is available, it’s something we’ll absolutely use, like when we were at the Copenhagen Marriott. They had extensive appetizers in the evenings that sometimes served as our dinner, allowing us to save money after exploring the city.
Late Checkout
Late checkout is one of those benefits that seems small until you have it.
Having extra time before leaving the hotel means we don’t have to immediately pack up and head out first thing in the morning. We’ve taken advantage of this when we’ve stayed at an airport hotel after flying in late before heading to our destination the next day. When checkout at the next location isn’t until 4pm, it’s nice not to have to be out early and wondering what we do in the interim.
Room Upgrades
I never expect an upgrade every time we check in. That’s not realistic, and I wouldn’t say we’re frequently upgraded. But there have been occasions where we’ve gotten a room on a higher floor, with a better view, or a more spacious layout thanks to our loyalty and status.
If you’re hoping room upgrades are a given with this card, they’re not, at least in our experience. But they’re nice when they happen.
The 25 Elite Night Credits Are an Underrated Benefit
One benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant that deserves more attention is the 25 Elite Night Credits (ENC) that come with the card every calendar year.
These nights are automatically added to your Marriott Bonvoy account in January. That means you start every year with half of the nights needed to earn Platinum Elite status through stays alone. Even though you already have Platinum status through the card, those 25 ENCs give you a head start towards Titanium (75 nights in a year).
These Elite Night Credits and your Platinum status for the year of the card also count towards Marriott Lifetime Status. If Marriott is a program you plan to stick with long term, these credits become more valuable every year.
How the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Helps With Lifetime Platinum
Lifetime status is one of the biggest reasons I think the Brilliant makes sense for long-term Marriott travelers.
Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite requires:
- 600 lifetime nights
- 10 years as Platinum Elite or higher
The Brilliant helps with both parts of that equation.
First, the 25 Elite Night Credits each year help you build toward the lifetime night requirement.
Second, because the card provides automatic Platinum Elite status, each year you hold the card can count as another qualifying Platinum year toward Lifetime Platinum. I’d say we’re about halfway to Lifetime Platinum.
But since Marriott is already the program we naturally use, we like that this card helps us make progress toward a long-term goal without changing how we travel.
The $25 Monthly Restaurant Credit Is Easy to Use
One of my favorite things about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is that the monthly dining credit is actually really easy to use.
The card gives you up to $25 back each month when you use it at restaurants. For us, that’s frequently dinner delivery through DoorDash. The credit is given when you use the card towards the first $25 that codes as dining on the card a month. It’s pretty simple, and we never have to wait long to see it on our statement.
If you maximize the full credit (and we’d assume most people do), that’s $300 back each year. That brings the effective annual fee down from $650 to $350.
And realistically, most people eat at restaurants, get coffee, or order takeout & delivery regularly, so this is one of the easier premium card credits to actually use.
The Annual Free Night Award Helps Offset the Annual Fee
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant also comes with an annual Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Depending on where you redeem it, you can easily cover a hotel night that would otherwise cost several hundred dollars.
Marriott also allows you to add additional points (up to 25,000) if the hotel night costs more than the certificate value, giving you more flexibility.
Use it for a trip you’re already taking. If you are looking into this card, I’m assuming you stay at Marriotts every so often, so it should be easy to use this Free Night Award. While it can be appealing to see just how far you can stretch it, make sure you use it or lose it. You can’t save Free Night Awards to stack, you must use them in the year you’re granted it or it disappears.
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Worth the $650 Annual Fee?
The answer really depends on how often you stay at Marriott.
If Marriott is just an occasional hotel option for you, I don’t think this card makes sense. A $650 annual fee is difficult to justify if you won’t use the benefits.
In that case, I think the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is a much better option if you’re looking for an easy Free Night Award (although this one has a lower points cap).
But if Marriott is your primary hotel program, the advantages are different. The monthly dining credits reduce the effective annual fee.
The annual Free Night Award provides significant value and is easy to use alongside your planned travel. The 25 Elite Night Credits help with status progression.
And Platinum Elite status improves your stays throughout the year. Those are benefits we know we’ll use and that make the card an easy one to keep.
Who Should Get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant?
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant makes sense if you:
- Stay at Marriott hotels regularly
- Want Platinum Elite status with ease
- Value benefits like breakfast, lounge access, and late checkout
- Will use the monthly restaurant credit
- Want to work toward Marriott Lifetime Platinum
I would probably skip it if you:
- Rarely stay at Marriott hotels
- Are only interested in the welcome bonus
- Won’t use the elite benefits
- Are uncomfortable paying a high annual fee
Final Thoughts: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Worth It?
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant isn’t a card I would recommend to everyone.
The $650 annual fee is a lot, and if you don’t stay at Marriott hotels regularly, I don’t think you’ll get enough value from it.
For us, though, Marriott is already the hotel program we use the most. Because we stay at Marriott properties the majority of the time, the benefits from this card are things we know we’ll actually use.
The monthly restaurant credit is easy to maximize, the annual Free Night Award gives us another opportunity to offset the annual fee, and having Platinum Elite status means our Marriott stays are better.
The 25 Elite Night Credits are something that are more valuable than they initially appear. Since we plan to continue staying with Marriott, those nights help us make progress toward future Bonvoy status and Lifetime Platinum.
I still think the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is the better choice for most people, especially if you’re just getting started with Marriott or travel hacking. The $95 annual fee is much easier to justify, and the free night certificate provides a lot of value.
But if Marriott is your primary hotel chain and you know you’ll take advantage of the elite benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a card worth considering.
For us, it made sense because we weren’t just looking for another way to earn Marriott points. We wanted the benefits that come with Marriott Platinum Elite status, and this card gives us that without having to spend 50 nights in hotels every year.