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Marriott topped NerdWallet's 2026 best hotel rankings due to their massive footprint, a solid rewards rate for paid stays and strong ratings from NerdWallet's travel team. Since Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world, Marriott Bonvoy points can truly take you almost anywhere you want to go.
If you want to rack up loads of Marriott Bonvoy points, there’s no better way than with a Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card. Here’s why the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card should be on your radar right now.
1. You can earn an especially rich bonus offer right now (limited time)
At NerdWallet, we never recommend opening a new credit card just for an enticing new cardholder welcome offer. You should choose a card based on the rewards, benefits and value you’ll earn over time. However, when we recommend opening a new credit card, we recommend the time when the offer is most valuable.
And if you’re even an occasional Marriott traveler, that right time is right now. That’s because a brand-new, super generous welcome offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card just dropped:
Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 09/30/2026. Terms Apply.
Over the past few years, this card has often offered 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for similar spending requirements. With this new offer, you can earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points plus a $250 statement credit after you meet spending requirements.
Better yet, there’s now a $250 statement credit. You don’t have to spend a certain amount in specific categories, you don’t have to shop at a particular merchant, you don’t have to jump through any hoops. You can earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $6,000 in the first 6-months on your card. Terms apply.
2. Get VIP vibes from this “status shortcut” (which can also save you a bundle)
Complimentary elite status from a credit card that’s actually worth something?! We give this a resounding yes.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status!
Marriott Platinum Elite status offers tangible, valuable benefits for me every single time I stay.
Here are your core daily benefits with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status:
- 50% Bonus Points on stays. Platinum Elite members earn up to 5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases.
- Room upgrades. Those with Platinum status are entitled to room upgrades, including suites. Subject to availability upon check-in.
- Welcome amenity. Choose from complimentary breakfast, additional points or other welcome amenities during your stay.
- Executive lounge access. Platinum Elite members receive executive lounge access regardless of the room type they book.
- Guaranteed Late checkout. You’ll receive up to a 4 p.m. checkout as a Platinum member.
(Perks like late check-out, room upgrades and lounge access are subject to availability at hotel participating in Marriot Bonvoy when booked with a Qualifying Rate.)
Personally, I choose free breakfast for two as my welcome amenity most times. That adds up to substantial savings for my family when we stay at Marriott hotels and properties, even a few times a year.
Depending on the hotel, there’s often a dedicated check-in line for Marriott elite members. Being able to skip the regular line for this “VIP” option has saved me time on countless occasions.
3. It comes with a valuable Free Night Award each year
On top of the solid amount of Marriott Bonvoy points you can rack up after you open a new card and meet spending requirements, you’ll receive another valuable benefit each year you hold the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
An up to 85,000-point Marriott Free Night Award which can be used for one night at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®, could cover nearly the entire annual fee of the card if used for good value.
Plus, you can add up to 25,000 of your Marriott Bonvoy points to it to make it worth even more. That means you can add your points to top it up to a value of up to 100,000 for really special stays – a feature often not available on other hotel chain’s annual night certificates. Resort fees and terms apply.
This is a huge perk, and one that I love to save every year for an extra special occasion stay. One such trip was to a fabulously unique Marriott hotel that our kids still talk about with excitement.
Marriott has a huge portfolio of properties that span from classic conference hotels, reliable select-service brands, over-the-top luxury, and even a roster of reimagined historic buildings. The Liberty Hotel in Boston is a national historic landmark circa 1851 and, famously, a previous jail.
We used our annual Free Night Award earned from holding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card here, at “the jail hotel” as my kids call it.
Part of the The Luxury Collection, The Liberty Hotel is decidedly posh but still showcases its past with dining outlets named “Clink” and “Alibi” in preserved jail cells. The Liberty Hotel even gives skeleton keys for the rooms.
My annual Marriott Free Night Award made it possible for our family to choose this fun and charming hotel for a special night in Boston. Cash rates were going for over $500.
My complimentary Platinum Elite status, thanks to holding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, scored us an upgrade to a Deluxe room with a fantastic view. We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast in the Clink restaurant (complimentary for two). We also really appreciated the 4pm checkout benefit on this stay, since our flight home wasn’t until the evening. Terms apply.
4. An easy-to-use $300 Brilliant Dining Credit adds even more value
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card also comes with one of the easiest credits to use, and it adds serious value to the card.
You could view the $300 credit as going a long way toward effectively helping to offset a large chunk of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card’s annual fee.
Here’s how it works:
You can earn up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (terms apply).
You can earn up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide (terms apply).
There’s nothing to activate, no hoops to jump through, no select merchants you must go through. Just visit a restaurant, grab some carry-out (in the U.S. only), pick up your morning cup of Joe or treat yourself to dessert. Pay with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, and you automatically get up to $25 in statement credits on your card each month. Terms apply.
5. You can earn boatloads of ongoing rewards, save on fees and more
Remember how I told you earlier that we don’t recommend choosing a new card based solely on a juicy new welcome offer?
Yes, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a great welcome offer right now. But the card itself offers valuable rewards and benefits far and beyond what you can earn from the new card member offer.
Here’s a glance…
Here’s a glance…
- Welcome bonus: Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 09/30/2026. Terms Apply.
- Stellar earnings: Earn 6X points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3X points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
- Fee credit: Receive either a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or a statement credit for up to $85 for TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) for a 5-year plan. If you are approved for Global Entry you will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional charge. Only one credit will be given in a 4 year period for whichever application fee is charged to your Card first.
- No foreign transaction fees.*
- Annual fee: $650.*
- Marriott property credit: Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a 2 night minimum stay.
- Free airport lounge access: When you enroll in Priority Pass, you’ll get an unlimited number of visits to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide in over 140 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying.
- Terms apply.
*See rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
⭐️ Alternate pick: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is my top pick for Marriott because the math adds up for me. Between the annual up to $300 dining credit, the up to 85,000-point annual Free Night Award (resort fees and terms apply), the complimentary Platinum Elite status and other perks, I’m able to get much more value than the cost of the annual fee each year.
If it doesn’t sound right for you, there’s another great Marriott card option called the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card. It has an annual fee of $250*, and it also has an excellent bonus for new cardholders right now:
Earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $150 statement credit after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 09/30/2026. Terms Apply.
This card earns:
- 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
- 4X Marriott Bonvoy® 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).
- 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
It also gives complimentary Gold Elite status, plus 15 Elite Night credits each calendar year toward Platinum Elite status and a Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, valid at participating properties. Terms apply.
*See rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card.
Is a Marriott American Express® Card worth it?
Yes, even if you stay at a Marriott a few nights a year, you’ll likely get enough value from the card to make it worth it.
My top pick is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Between the annual up to $300 dining credit, the up to 85,000-point annual free night award, the complimentary Platinum Elite status and other perks, I’m able to get much more value than the cost of the annual fee each year.
Plus, add in the valuable welcome bonus: Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 09/30/2026. Terms Apply.
No matter which card you choose, earning Marriott Bonvoy points to book your next trip can unlock more value, benefits and memories.
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