Images:americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Brilliant card by American Express is a solid, easy-to-recommend, C-tier (premium) hotel credit card co-branded with Bonvoy, Marriott's loyalty program. Kristyn and I BOTH carry our own Bonvoy Brilliant cards right now, and they were huge enablers for our amazing stay at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives.
One of the key benefits of the Bonvoy Brilliant is an annual $300 Marriott credit, helping to offset its $450 annual fee. It's a simple and straightforward credit: pay for anything charged by Marriott, like a hotel room or on-site spa or restaurant each cardmember year. You will see a statement credit a couple days after the transaction, up to the first $300.
This credit is changing, however! Marriott and Amex have announced that effective September 22, 2022, the $300 credit will be a dining credit instead of Marriott, and will be credited monthly in $25 increments rather than annually.
This is a big change, not only because the categories have changed from "Marriott only purchases" to "any dining," but also because the structure is so different. I think monthly credits can get annoying and cumbersome to use, but $25 per month is at least enough for a meal, maybe even two lunches, and dining is still one of the bonus categories of the Bonvoy card. Smaller and more limited credits, like the $10 dining credit on the Amex gold, are more of a pain to use since it doesn't typically cover a full meal.
The change in structure presents an opportunity to get much more than $300 in value this year! Regardless of when your card anniversary is (when you originally got the card), you have the Marriott credit until September 22, 2022, so be sure to use it by then! After that, you immediately start getting the dining credits each month. My cardmember anniversary, for example, is in April. Between now and September, I'll be using the Marriott credit for a hotel in Amsterdam in August (stay tuned for more posts about that trip). Then after using the whole $300, I will start getting dining credits in September, which I can use in Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, and Apr before my card renews. That's 8 x $25 or $200 in dining credits, and remember, that's on top of the $300 I will have already used this cardmember year. If you don't use the $300 credit, you will end up losing it and the credit will simply switch over to the monthly $25 credit. So don't miss out!
Don't have the Bonvoy Brilliant yet? Not to worry, if you sign up now and can use the Marriott credit in the next two months, you'll have an even better $250 in dining credits on top of the Marriott credit. While there isn't an elevated offer on the Bonvoy Brilliant right now for opening a card, it still might be one of the best times to get this card! Check out our full breakdown of the card to see how it can fit into your credit card team.
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