New Marriott Credit Card Offers Come Super Charged with Points and Perks

Marriott credit card offers have been refreshed and energized through a partnership with American Express that put perks and points on steroids.

The new Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and re-energized Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card allow new customers to earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with sign-ups and approvals before January 11, 2023.

Currently, that is the best direct new sign-up offer out there, although, like most point lures, it comes with a spending challenge. This means new eligible Brilliant Card Members can earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after they spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in the first three months. Similarly, new eligible Bevy Card Members can earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months.

Possibly, the only other offers that come close at this time might be the AMEX Platinum card that, with some clever manipulations, can turn a public offer of 80,000 points into 150,000 for qualified applicants. Similarly, the Chase Sapphire Reserve adds up to much more than the 80k signing bonus when redeemed in various creative ways. And both cards come with steep annual fees.

The fleeting new Marriott credit card offers come when business travel returns to full swing and hotels are nearing full occupancy with spiking nightly rates. Many airline and hotel loyalty departments are curtailing or ending their pandemic programs that retained perks and extended membership levels during the down years of travel, leaving consumers to seek out new loyalty programs and beef up their travel status benefits in various ways. And the quickest way to download points for the least amount of money is with an affiliated credit card. 

As business travelers may be traveling within programs that require stays at Marriott-branded properties, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can bring a stack of added advantages that would be unwise to ignore. For starters, there are the points themselves. 

Following the showering of points, especially for signing up with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, cardholders get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status, an 85,000-point anniversary free night award, $300 in cash credits for dining at restaurants, 4x points for dining and grocery shopping purchases, 1000 added Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay, 25 qualifying credits toward higher Elite Status, and 6X Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at participating hotels.

So what is new and noteworthy about the refreshed Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card in this offer?

• NEW: Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status
• NEW: Up to 21X Marriott Bonvoy® Points on eligible stays at participating Bonvoy hotels
• NEW: 1 Free Night Award each year after Card renewal month that can be used for one night at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• NEW: Up to $300 back per calendar year (up to $25/month) on dining purchases at restaurants worldwide
• NEW: 25 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
• Up to $100 property credit towards qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton (excluding Ritz-Carlton Reserve) and St. Regis hotel brands when Card Members book direct using a special rate for a 2+ night stay.
• NEW: Annual Earned Choice Award: Each calendar year (starting January 2023), after making $60K in purchases, Card Members can select an Earned Choice Award benefit
• NEW: Priority Pass Select Membership (enrollment required)
• NEW: Application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (which comes with access to TSA PreCheck)
• NEW: Up to 10X points for other qualifying purchases.

 Savvy travelers can leverage their earnings by transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to an airline partner such as United, where the MileagePlus program adds a 10 percent bonus for those transferred points and delivers a 1.1-cent valuation. By some published accounts, Marriott Bonvoy valuations toward Marriott hotel stays come out to around $.84. However, with the new Marriott credit card advantages, that number is boosted by the added bonus points for each stay and the annual 85k free night award.

All those benefits are then complemented by the American Express partnership, which comes with Priority Pass airport lounge access, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credits, generous travel insurance, and purchase protections.

While the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with a steep annual fee of $650, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card may be more affordable at $250 and comes with many of the same benefits:

• 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in the first three months
• 6X Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at participating hotels (up to 18.5X with the new offer)
• 4X Marriott Bonvoy Points for dining and grocery purchases globally
• Up to $15,000 combined 2X Marriott Bonvoy Points on all other purchases
• 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stay
• Complimentary Gold Elite status
• A Free Night Award worth 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points with $15,000 in spend per year
• 15 Elite Night Credits toward higher Elite Status

However, the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy does not include Priority Pass lounge access nor the complimentary annual free night award.

The new Marriott credit card offers allow members to gain free stays, perks, and upgrades at more than 8,100 hotels and resorts in 139 countries and territories, including access to the most extensive collection of luxury properties. 

Photo: Courtesy of American Express

Members also gain special access to multitudes of experiences through Marriott Bonvoy Moments celebrating art, music, sports, food, and fashion, whether at home or traveling.

As new cardmembers receive automatic Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, they enjoy upgrades to preferred-level rooms, late checkout, and a welcome bonanza of bonus points at check-in. In addition, platinum Elite status might mean complimentary breakfasts or suite upgrades. All these elements add up to a positive trade-off for annual fees and a sky’s-the-limit upside for travelers who stay at Marriott as their preferred hospitality company or corporate program partner.

“With new and improved benefits like elevated status and even more ways to earn points, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cards give Card Members benefits that were once only available to the most frequent traveler,” said Jon Gantman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cobrand Product Management at American Express. “And, with American Express Membership, our Card Members get access to American Express Experiences and our best-in-class service.”