I already wrote a whole article criticizing Marriott Bonvoy points and their redemption system, but now I want to pivot and continue the roast—this time focusing on their cobranded credit cards. Specifically, let’s talk about their top-tier product: the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card, which carries a hefty $650 annual fee.
Why the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Needs an Update
If you’re a die-hard Marriott loyalist for some reason and want all your spending to earn only Marriott points, here are the multipliers on the card:
- 6x at Marriott hotels
- 3x at restaurants worldwide
- 3x on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2x on all other purchases
I won’t spend too much time on the multipliers. They aren’t terrible, just unimpressive. For example, if you spend $10,000 annually at Marriott properties, you’d earn 6x from the card, 10x as a Bonvoy member, and 5x for having Platinum Elite status. That’s 21 points per dollar, or 210,000 points from $10,000 in spending. It sounds like a lot, but it falls short when compared to IHG’s 26x multiplier or Hilton’s massive 34x with the Aspire card. Hilton gives you 14x from the card itself, 10x as a Hilton Honors member, and another 10x for having Diamond status.
Hilton wins here easily. Take that same $10,000 in spending over to Hilton and you would earn you 340,000 points, which is enough for two nights at nearly any luxury Hilton property worldwide. One of the few exceptions is the Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi, which costs 200,000 points per night.
The Free Night Certificate Needs a Refresh
The biggest issue with the Brilliant card is the free night award certificate, which is capped at 85,000 points. When Marriott still had an award chart two and a half years ago, this was enough to book their top properties like St. Regis Bora Bora, which went for about 70,000 points in the low season.
Now, that same room regularly costs 120,000 points or more, which is more than a 70% increase. Meanwhile, the certificate value hasn’t changed.
If you spend $60,000 on the card in a year, you can choose one of the following:
- An additional 85,000-point free night award
- 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards
- $1,000 off a mattress or bed from a Marriott retail brand
Let’s break these down.
The 85,000-point free night isn’t worth much anymore. You’ll struggle to find a hotel where you get good points-to-cash value because of Marriott’s dynamic pricing.
Now compare that to Hilton’s free night certificate, which is valid at any Hilton property in the world without point caps. That includes places like Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi, which frequently costs $2,500+ per night in cash.
The Aspire card also gives you an additional free night when you spend $30,000, and a third when you hit $60,000. So you could end up with three unrestricted nights at some of the best hotels in the world. Meanwhile, Marriott gives you two nights at best, each capped at 85,000 points. You’re also only allowed to top off an additional 15,000 points on the certificate, which isn’t enough for top-tier properties even during the low season.
Other Perks Fall Short
The 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards are underwhelming, especially after spending $60,000. If you’re putting that much spend on Marriott stays, you’ve likely already hit Ambassador Elite status, and you’re better off hoping for complimentary upgrades at check-in.
The 50,000 points option is also weak. You’re not getting any 5-star hotel redemptions at that price point.
Then there’s the $1,000 bed discount. Honestly, who is spending $60,000 on a card just to buy a Marriott-branded bed? You can likely find a better mattress for less money elsewhere.
What Still Works
The most valuable perk of the card is the automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. This gives you a better shot at room upgrades, including suites (in theory), along with benefits like guaranteed 4 PM checkout and lounge access.
You also get a $300 dining credit, but I won’t focus on it too much. It’s issued as $25 per month as a statement credit, which feels more like a token perk added to justify the high annual fee than a true benefit. Since this card is marketed as a luxury hotel card, the real value should come from hotel-related features, not dining credits.
Final Thoughts
Right now, the Hilton Aspire completely outclasses the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. Unless Amex and Marriott step in to refresh the benefits, the card just doesn’t compete in today’s premium travel rewards space.
Unfortunately, I don’t think they’ll fix it. Marriott will likely continue to rely on the brand power of aspirational properties like Ritz-Carlton Kyoto and St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort to keep customers coming in, regardless of how frustrating the program has become for savvy travelers.
