Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Review: Ho-Hum for a High Price
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3.9
The welcome bonus is generous, but for the pricey annual fee, you don't get much else, perk-wise.
Pros
New cardholder bonus offer
Bonus categories
No foreign transaction fees
Cons
Has annual fee
Spending caps on bonus rewards
No annual free night certificate
on American Express' website
Compare to Other Cards
Annual fee$250 | Annual fee$95 | Annual fee$0 |
Regular APR20.74%-27.74% Variable APR | Regular APR20.74%-27.74% Variable APR | |
Intro APRN/A | Intro APRN/A | Intro APRN/A |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Detailed review: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
Marriott Bonvoy is growing its credit card collection with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, a $250-annual-fee card that offers a sizable welcome offer, but not much else that makes it stand apart from other members of the Bonvoy card family.
Cardholders can benefit from perks like automatic Gold Elite status, along with travel protections that include trip delay insurance and coverage for lost or damaged luggage. But ultimately, you don’t get double the value compared to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, with a $95 annual fee, which is slightly less than half the price. Terms apply.
Marriott launched another co-branded card at the same time as this one: the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card, issued by Chase. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is on the American Express payment network, while the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card is a Visa, but otherwise the cards’ features are identical.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Basics
Card type: Hotel.
Annual fee: $250.
Welcome offer: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you make $4,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. Terms Apply.
Ongoing rewards:
6 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
4 points per $1 spent at U.S. supermarkets, at restaurants worldwide and on delivery and takeout in the U.S., on up to $15,000 in combined spending (then 2 points per $1).
2 points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Rewards earned by using the credit card are in addition to points you earn as a member of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
NerdWallet values Marriott points at 0.7 cent each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 0.7 cent or more in value from your Marriott points.
Redemption options:
At Marriott Bonvoy hotels. If your dates are flexible, you might be able to find PointSavers rates, or discounted award nights, for some properties. You can also combine points with cash to redeem for standard stays starting at $55 plus 3,500 points. When you redeem four nights' worth of points, you get the fifth night for free.
For flights or car rentals.
For travel by transferring points to multiple airline partners, usually at a 3-to-1 ratio (for every 3 Bonvoy points, you'll get 1 airline mile).
For gift cards or merchandise.
For experiences through Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other benefits:
Earn 1,000 points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott Bonvoy at participating properties.
Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
Automatic Gold Elite status, plus 15 Elite Night credits each year toward Platinum Elite status.
Terms apply.
How the Marriott Bonvoy cards compare
Marriott Bonvoy offers a suite of co-branded cards that come with varying perks at an array of price points.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (from Chase, $0 annual fee) |
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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (from Chase, $95 annual fee) |
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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card ($250 annual fee) |
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Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card (from Chase, $250 annual fee) |
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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee) |
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Benefits and perks
Generous welcome bonus
The main draw of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is what you get as a new cardholder: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you make $4,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. Terms Apply.
Elevated earnings on dining and groceries
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card earns more than other Marriott Bonvoy card options on some everyday spending categories like dining at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. You’ll earn 4 points per $1 spent in combined spending up to $15,000 per calendar year. After that cap is reached, you’ll earn 2 points per $1 spent in those categories. Terms apply.
Travel protections
In an age of flight delays and lost luggage, it’s always nice when you already have the coverage you need. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card comes not just with rental car damage insurance, but also reimbursements if your trip is substantially delayed and you incur unexpected costs, along with reimbursements for lost, damaged or stolen luggage.
Automatic Gold Elite status
With the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, you’ll automatically attain Gold Elite status. That gets you room upgrades when available, 2 p.m. checkout and 25% more bonus points on eligible hotel purchases (which includes not just room booking, but also spa and room service charges).
You also get 15 Elite Night credits, which get you part of the way toward Platinum Elite, the next status tier. You’d need to stay in a Marriott Bonvoy hotel 35 more times in a year to reach Platinum. Elite night credits also count toward lifetime status with Marriott. Terms apply.
Drawbacks and considerations
High annual fee
WIth some ultra-premium travel cards inching toward annual fees north of $600, $250 seems like a relative bargain. But it’s still pricey when many other travel cards offer impressive benefits for less than $100 a year. For the price, you don’t get much more luxury than you would with a less expensive card, like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
“Free” night award isn’t free
To earn the free night award for hotel rooms worth up to 50,000 points, you have to spend a whopping $15,000 in a calendar year, making just paying for the hotel stay a significantly better deal unless you plan to use this card pretty much exclusively.
Two other Marriott Bonvoy cards offer free night awards without the annual spending requirement, so using this perk would actually offset annual fees in those cases. With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, you get a free night’s stay worth up to 35,000 points every year for a $95 annual fee. The high-end Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card grants cardholders a free night worth up to 85,000 points. Terms apply.
Ongoing rewards are just OK
A base earnings rate of 6 points per $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties is the same as you’d get with most other cards in the Bonvoy family, so to truly compare, you’ll have to look at what else each card offers for the price. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card provides good value, while the expensive Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers lots of extras.
Yes, you also earn 1,000 bonus points whenever you book a stay through Marriott Bonvoy directly, but that’s only a $7 value.
Limited worldwide acceptance
There’s no foreign transaction fee, which is always a plus for a card that will vacation with you. But note that American Express acceptance worldwide still lags behind Visa and Mastercard. If this is your go-to card, bring a backup second card when you travel internationally.
Earn the same 6 points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, and enjoy a Free Night Award without having to spend $15,000 on the card, all for a more modest annual fee.
How to decide if it's right for you
Loyal Marriott Bonvoy guests who seek a large welcome offer will enjoy what the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card offers. However, you may find more value with a lower-cost Bonvoy card. And if you’re willing to pay top dollar for more benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has more to offer.
on American Express' website
