Big changes are on the way for Marriott's massive suite of co-branded credit cards.
The hotel chain's top-tier card is getting even better (and pricier). Marriott is introducing not one but two new card offerings – one with Amex, one with Chase. And to top it all off, many Marriott Bonvoy credit cards are out with bigger welcome bonuses for a limited time.
The biggest headline here is the introduction of two new Marriott cards: The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase are officially available starting Thursday. Aside from the banks behind them, the cards offer identical benefits at a $250 annual fee (see rates & fees), slotting into the middle of Marriott's dizzying array of co-branded cards.
But it's arguably bigger news that the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is taking yet another step up, now offering automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status and a new $300 annual credit for restaurants worldwide, divvied up into $25 monthly installments. It doesn't come free: The card's annual fee is going up by $200 to a whopping $650 a year (see rates & fees).
Read on for everything you need to know about the changes to Marriott's co-branded credit card portfolio with both Chase and American Express.
Benefits of the New Bonvoy Bevy and Bonvoy Bountiful Cards
No matter whether you get the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card or the new Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase, you'll get the same thing. Frankly, we think these cards leave a lot to be desired – especially for a $250 annual fee price point.
Here's what's available on both new options from Chase and American Express.
Full Benefits of the Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card
- Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on up to $15,000 spent in a calendar year on combined purchases at worldwide restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bovnoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Get 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Earn a free night award certificate for properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year.
- $250 Annual Fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the card_name
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase
- Welcome Offer Bonus: Earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
- Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on up to $15,000 spent in a calendar year on combined purchases at worldwide restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 2x Marriott Bovnoy Points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Get 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay.
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
- Earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
- Earn a free night award certificate redeemable at properties costing 50,000 points per night or less after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year.
- $250 Annual Fee.
Click Here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase.
Updates to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
Marriott and American Express have big changes in store for the top-tier Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
First and foremost, Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders will now get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status just for holding the card. Platinum status opens up hotel club lounges, space-available room upgrades, late checkout (when available), and free breakfast at most Marriott hotel brands.
On the downside, as of today, Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders will no longer receive the annual $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit for stays at eligible Marriott properties. That change was previously announced back in June.
Amex is replacing it with up to $300 in statement credits for restaurants around the globe. But rather than giving cardholders a lump $300 sum to use each year at restaurants, Amex is doling it out in monthly credits of $25. Much like credits on other American Express cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card, this $25 monthly restaurant credit is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit.
Next, the card will improve the annual free night certificate you get when you renew your card each and every year. Previously, this certificate could be redeemed at properties costing 50,000 points or less each night. Starting with new certificates earned today, Sept. 22, they will be redeemable at properties costing 85,000 Bonvoy points (or less) each night.
Cardholders who have The Ritz-Carlton Rewards™ Card from Chase – which is no longer available to new applicants – will receive the new 85,000 Anniversary Free Night Award. However, there will be no change to The Ritz-Carlton Rewards™ Card annual fee.
Finally, every year you hold the card, you'll earn 25 elite night credits towards Bonvoy elite status. That's up from the 15 nights the card previously earned.
But these new additions to the Bonvoy Brilliant card won't come cheap. Starting with applications received today, American Express will increase the card's annual fee from $450 each year to $650 (see rates & fees). For Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders who opened accounts before September 22, 2022, the new annual fee will take effect on those cardholders' annual renewal dates on or after January 1, 2023.
Full Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
- Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Get up to $300 in annual credits to use at restaurants worldwide. These will be available in up to $25 monthly increments and you will lose any amount not used each month.
- Free Night Certificate: Receive a free night certificate each year on your cardmember anniversary for properties that cost up to 85,000 points. This benefit starts in your second year of card membership.
- 25 elite night credits towards Bonvoy elite status each year you hold the card.
- Priority Pass Lounge Access: Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in a Priority Pass Select membership. This comes complimentary with the card, and enrollment is required.
- Earn 6x Points: For each dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy Program.
- Earn 3x Points: at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines.
- Earn 2x Points: on all other eligible purchases.
- $650 Annual Fee (see rates & fees)
Learn more about the card_name
Our Analysis
Marriott's introduction of two new credit cards brings the total Bonvoy credit card portfolio up to six options between Chase and American Express. Chase has the Bonvoy Bold, Boundless, and the new Bountiful while American Express has the Bonvoy Bevy, Brilliant, and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card.
Whew, got all that? There's no question that Marriott's vast array of co-branded options could leave many travelers looking for a Marriott card confused.
Two different banks issuing co-branded credit cards for the same hotel chain or airline isn't typical. But this arrangement with Marriott, Chase and American Express is a holdover from Marriott's acquisition of Starwood Hotels back in 2016.
While Marriott has long had a co-branded credit card relationship with Chase, they also assumed American Express's credit card relationship with the Starwood Preferred Guest program. For better or for worse, both Chase and American Express have retained their partnership with Marriott – allowing both banks to issue different flavors of Marriott credit cards.
Will having six different co-branded credit cards provide too much confusion for consumers looking for a Marriott credit card? Time will tell. But on the surface, it seems like information overload for the average consumer.
The new Bevy and Bountiful cards are attempting to fill a gap in the Marriott card portfolio offering. They aren't quite as expensive as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant at $650 a year, but they offer more in terms of benefits than the no annual fee Bonvoy Bold card, and also the $95 annual fee Bonvoy Boundless card.
Finally, there is no doubt the changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card are impressive. But will loyal Marriott program members be willing to pay a $650 annual fee for a Marriott card? Offering automatic Platinum Elite status to cardholders is a big perk … but that comes at a cost.
With that status so easy to earn, it'll be less valuable by making it harder to get free upgrades and other benefits. As the saying goes, when everybody has status, nobody has status.
Bottom Line
Marriott has rolled out two new credit cards in their card portfolio: The Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card, and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase.
In addition to these new cards, Marriott and American Express have made sweeping changes to the top-tier Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card by adding a handful of new benefits and increasing the annual fee from $450 a year to $650.
How does holding other Marriott cards affect eligibility for these new cards? I know currently it’s a confusing mess of “if you have x, you cannot have y, but if you have y, you can have z… but only if the bonus was 24 months ago”, etc.
It is mostly still a confusing mess. With the Amex Bevy, the offer terms state the following:
“Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton® Credit Card from JPMorgan, the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.”
So to me it seems you can have this card if you also hold the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex and/or the Bonvoy Business Card, but haven’t had any of the cards mentioned above.