Review of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, issued by American Express, is a high-end hotel credit card designed for Marriott Bonvoy properties.

Cardholders earn at least 18.5X points per dollar at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and resorts – 6X from the card, and a minimum of 12.5X from being a Marriott Gold Elite member. 3X points are awarded at restaurants and for airfare purchased from airlines, with 2X points for every other purchase.

You can earn 75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, an excellent signup bonus but pretty typical for expensive cards like this. Take note that you may not be eligible for this welcome bonus if you’ve had other Marriott co-branded cards in the past.

There are quite a few valuable perks, including a $300 hotel credit, Priority Pass Select membership, a Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary, and an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card costs $450 per year, so it’s not for every casual traveler. There are no foreign transaction fees.

There are currently four cards in the Marriott Bonvoy card family, with three designed for personal use and one for business:

Should you book your next hotel room with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card? It might provide the best value, although there are some other cards to consider.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

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Our Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

We give the Bonvoy Brilliant card 5 out of 5 Stars for being a premium hotel card, with high spending rewards and cost-saving extra benefits.

Why We Like It

• 6X points per dollar at Marriott Bonvoy properties
• 3X points at restaurants and for airfare
• 75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in 3 months
• $300 hotel credit
• Priority Pass Select membership
• Free Night Award each year after your cardmember anniversary
• Complimentary Gold Elite member status
• Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Why It Could Be Better

• $450 annual fee
• Point redemption values are highly variable
• Only provides Gold Elite membership, not Platinum
• Free Night Award only starts after the first year

The Bonvoy Brilliant card is a good choice for anyone who stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels frequently. But if you prefer other hotel brands, or tend to stay at a variety of hotels, you might want to check out some alternative cards.

Insider Advice: Using This Card as Part of Your Credit Card Strategy

• For spending at Marriott Bonvoy hotels: Pay with the Bonvoy Brilliant card to earn at least 18.5X points — 6X points from the card, and 12.5X points from your Gold Elite member status.
• Get the introductory bonus: Spend $3,000 in the first 3 months to earn 75,000 bonus points, which could be worth $600–$1,500 depending on how you redeem them.
• Save up for a good redemption value: Don’t jump to use your points at the first opportunity. Make sure you’re getting a relatively good redemption value, or just pay with your card as normal to earn points.
• Plan on getting your travel credits: Every year you’ll get $300 in credits for purchases at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, including room bookings, so plan accordingly.
• Use your Free Night Awards: After your account anniversary you’ll get one Free Night Award every year, good for redemption levels up to 50,000 points.
• Access Priority Pass lounges: Relax with free access to participating airport lounges for you and up to two guests with your Priority Pass Select membership.
• Apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Your application fee for either program will be refunded in the form of a statement credit (available once every four years).
• Offset the annual fee: You may only need to spend as little as $406 per year to offset the annual fee, assuming you use the $300 travel credit and redeem your points for 2 cents each.
• Take note of the changing redemption schedule: In 2019, Marriott is changing some hotel classifications and will have new redemption requirements for free nights.

The Rewards

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders can earn a cash back equivalent of about 18.5–37% at Marriott Bonvoy properties, depending on the redemption point value. A 3–6% cash back equivalent can be earned for flights and at restaurants, with 2–4% back everywhere else.

Earning

You’ll earn points in two different ways when you spend money at hotels: from the Bonvoy Brilliant card itself, and from your Marriott member status.

This card provides 6X Bonus points at Marriott Bonvoy properties, and your member status will provide 12.5X Base points at most properties (there are some exceptions, given below). 10X Base points per dollar are awarded for normal members, but as a Bonvoy Brilliant cardholder you’ll get Gold Elite status, which comes with a 25% point bonus. If you raise your member status higher than that you’ll get a bigger bonus.

There are many ways to redeem your points, and the overall value you earn will depend on how much you get per point.

If you assume a value of 0.8–2 cents per point, which is about the range you’ll find, that will give you a cash back equivalent of 18.5–37% at Marriott Bonvoy properties. Purchases in the 3X categories will get a 3–6% cash back equivalent, while other purchases get 2–4% back.

Take note that you will not be eligible for the signup bonus offer if you’ve had other Marriott Bonvoy co-branded cards at certain times. You will not be eligible if:

• You have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, or the Starwood Preferred Guest Luxury Card
• You have or have had the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card in the last 30 days
• You have acquired any of the following cards in the past 90 days:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Business Credit Card
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business Credit Card
• You have received a welcome bonus or upgrade offer for any of the following cards in the past 24 months:
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Visa Signature
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business Credit Card

This restriction exists because Marriott now has quite a few co-branded credit card offers, and it wants to prevent people from gaming the system and getting tons of bonus points.

Most properties within the Marriott Bonvoy brand portfolio provide 10X Base points per dollar, but there are a few exceptions.

Participating Hotels & Resorts

Redeeming

The points you earn will have different values depending on how you redeem them.

You may be overwhelmed by all the different redemption options available with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. But you can simplify the situation by focusing on hotel reservations, which will generally give you the highest value per point.

The redemption options include:

• Hotel reservations
• Point transfers to a variety of airline loyalty partners
• Exclusive Moments and Experiences
• Vacation packages
• Gift cards
• Merchandise

Hotel reservations of some kind are usually your best bet, but there are quite a few different ways to use your points at hotels:

• Standard room reservations
• PointSavers reservations
• Cash + Points reservations
• Fifth night free on standard award stays
• Room upgrades
• Purchases charged to rooms

The higher the hotel category, the more points required for a night’s stay.

You can browse the full list of 6,700 Marriott Bonvoy properties, including their categories and point requirements.

In general, you can expect to get a better value for your points when redeeming at either low or high category hotels. If you’re willing to scrape the bottom of the barrel or splurge on a room, you’ll often end up getting a better deal. The middle categories tend to give the worst redemption values.

We’ll go over two of the most valuable hotel redemption options: PointSavers reservations and fifth night free on award stays.

Pointsavers Reservations

PointSavers reservations are probably the best option for most people because you’ll get a discount of 1,500 to 10,000 points, depending on the hotel category.

This means you’ll get a better value per point, compared to standard reservations. You may not always find a PointSavers option when traveling, but they’re worth looking for when booking rooms.

The redemption requirements for PointSavers reservations are as follows:

So, what does a PointSavers reservation look like?

Let’s say you want to reserve a room at the Aloft Cleveland Airport, in Ohio. This is a category 1 hotel, so a night would usually cost 7,500 points. But if you find a PointSavers deal you can book a room for just 6,000 points.

That same room would normally cost $123 for non-Marriott members, after taxes and fees. What are your points worth in this example?

In this case you’d be getting 2.05 cents per point, which is an excellent value. The cash back equivalents above assume you’re making purchases at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, earning 18.5X points per dollar.

This is probably one of the highest valuations you’re likely to find for Marriott points, and that’s because we’re looking at a category 1 hotel. You may find similar point values with hotels in the highest categories, although those will obviously require many more points to book.

Fifth Night Free on Award Stays

You’ll get your fifth night for free when redeeming points for five nights or more. You must book at least five award nights to get the fifth free. If you book ten nights, you’ll get the fifth and tenth nights free.

You only need enough points to book four nights — when you book five or more nights with points, one night will be discounted automatically. Only standard room reservations are eligible for this offer.

Let’s use two hotels for this example:

• The Courtyard Lake Placid, a category 4 hotel in New York
• The JW Marriott Nashville, a category 7 hotel in Tennessee

Category 4 hotels require 25,000 points per night, so five nights would require a total of 100,000 points (because you only need enough points for four nights). And category 7 hotels require 60,000 points per night, so you’d need 240,000 points to book five nights.

We’ll use standard room prices for non-Marriott members to calculate the point values for five nights, after taxes and fees.

These point values are not bad, probably around the average you can expect. Keep in mind that the hotel category, location, and time of year will all play a role in determining the value of your points when redeeming.

How to Offset the Annual Fee

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card has a $450 annual fee, so you should make sure to get more out of the card than you put into it.

Each year you’ll get a $300 hotel credit, good for Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays. This reduces the effective annual fee down to just $150, which should be pretty reasonable for anyone who stays with these hotel brands frequently.

So, how much would you need to spend to earn $150 in points? The answer depends on what you buy, and how you redeem your points.

Here’s how much you’ll need to spend at several different point values (CPP = cents per point). We’ll assume you’re spending at Marriott Bonvoy properties, earning 18.5X points per dollar.

If you can manage to get 2 cents per point, you’ll only need to spend $406 per year to offset the remaining $150. But that uses a relatively high redemption rate, which you’ll probably only find using PointSavers redemptions at lower category hotels. Your mileage will vary depending on where and when you redeem points.

Keep in mind that we didn’t include any of the other cost-saving benefits in these calculations, which can go a long way towards offsetting the annual fee.

You’ll get a Free Night Award every year after your cardmember anniversary, with a redemption value of 50,000 points — that will get you a room in a category 6 hotel, which could be worth over $500, depending on where you use it.

Cardholders also get complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, providing free access to airport lounges all over the world. Gold Elite status with Marriott is automatic, which includes more intangible benefits like late check-out and welcome gifts. And there’s a fee credit for the application for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓, worth up to $25 per year.

So, if you make good use of the card benefits, you could potentially offset the annual fee without any actual spending after the first year, using your annual Free Night Award.

The Benefits

$300 Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Credit

Each cardmember year, you’ll get up to $300 in statement credits for eligible purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties, including room reservations.

You must pay with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card to get the credits. Any incidental expenses must be charged to your room, and then paid for using the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.

Statement credits will take eight to 12 weeks to post to your account.

Free Night Award

You’ll get one Free Night Award every year after your card membership anniversary, after paying the annual fee and renewing your Bonvoy Brilliant card. That means you’ll need to wait a full year before getting your first free night.

The Free Night Award will show up in your loyalty member account eight to 12 weeks after your acccount anniversary, as an e-certificate. You’ll also receive an email confirmation.

Free Night Awards are good for stays with redemptions levels of 50,000 points or less. That will get you a room in a hotel up to category 6. You can check the Free Night Award Chart to see the redemption requirements for each property.

You can use your Free Night Awards by applying the e-certificate while booking rooms. Each Free Night Award e-certificate will expire one year after being issued.

Free nights are commonly awarded with premium hotel cards, although you don’t always have to wait a full year. The Hilton Honors Aspire card, for example, offers a free night every year but it’s only good for weekend stays. You also have a chance to earn an extra free night per year by spending $60,000 with that card.

$100 Property Credit

Beginning March 28, 2019, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders can earn up to $100 in property credits per stay at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis by booking at least two nights direct using a special rate code.

These credits can only be used to cover incidentals, but they make it easy to shave a bit off your bill with either of the aforementioned luxury hotel brands.

Complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership

Cardholders get complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. You and up to two guests can relax in over 1,000 Priority Pass airport lounges around the world. Additional guests will cost $27 each.

You must manually enroll in this benefit, after which you’ll receive a Priority Pass Select membership card.

Authorized users of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card do not get their own Priority Pass memberships.

Premium travel cards like this usually offer some form of airport lounge access. The most common is this Priority Pass Select membership, but there is some variety. Airline credit cards sometimes offer access to their branded lounges, while the The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) is the best overall, providing wide-ranging access to a variety of lounges.

Application Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓

Cardholders will receive a statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre✓ ($85).

You must pay with the Bovnoy Brilliant card, and whichever program you apply to first will get the credit. The statement credit will be given whether you’re approved or not.

This credit is available once every four years. That means you’re getting a yearly value of up to $25, assuming you apply for Global Entry.

Many high-end travel cards provide this credit, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review). But out of all the Marriott Bonvoy co-branded cards currently available, this is the only one that provides an application fee credit.

Complimentary Gold Elite Hotel Status

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders get complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, which comes with a variety of perks.

Gold Elite is two steps above the basic Member status, and includes:

• 25% bonus on base points on hotel stays
• Complimentary enhanced in-room internet access
• Enhanced room upgrades, when available
• 2 p.m. late checkout
• Welcome gift of points
• Ultimate reservation guarantee
• Exclusive member rates

These benefits can definitely enhance your stays, although you’re only getting a mid-range member status. This is a bit disappointing compared to some other cards. The Hilton Honors Aspire, another $450-per-year card, provides Diamond status with Hilton, the highest member level.

Fast Track to Platinum Elite Status

Spend $75,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card to earn Platinum Elite member status with Marriott Bonvoy.

This upgrade will last for the remainder of the current year and also the subsequent year.

Platinum Elite perks include:

• 50% bonus points on hotel stays
• Hotel lounge access
• Complimentary breakfast
• Enhanced room upgrades, including Select Suites
• Welcome gift choice
• Annual gift choice for members with 50 qualified nights
• 4 p.m. late checkout
• Dedicated elite reservation line

15 Elite Night Credits

Each year you’ll get 15 Elite Night credits towards a higher member status.

Your card account must be linked to your active Marriott Loyalty Program account to get the credits. You can only get a maximum of 15 Elite Night credits per year from credit cards, even if you have other cards that provide this benefit, like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card or Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card.

Each member status level requires a certain number of Elite Nights in a given calendar year:

Since Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders get automatic Gold Elite status, these Elite Night credits will count towards Platinum Elite status. Take note that automatic Gold status does not reduce the requirement for Platinum Elite status. You’ll just get 15 Elite Night credits per year, which leaves you with 60 nights required to reach Platinum Elite status.

Bonus Points when Transferring to Airlines

You can transfer your points to over 40 airline loyalty programs, where you may find a better value for them.

Marriott will add 15,000 bonus points for every 60,000 points you transfer. So if you transfer 60,000 points you’ll get credit for transferring 75,000. If you transfer 120,000 points you’ll get credit for transferring 150,000, etc.

Most transfers are at a 3:1 rate (3 Marriott Bonvoy points for 1 airline point or mile), although some are a bit different. You can transfer 3,000–240,000 points per day.

Some of the participating airline loyalty programs include:

Unlimited Boingo WiFi

Cardholders get complimentary access to over one million land-based Boingo WiFi hotspots around the world. Up to four devices can be connected at once.

You must register for the Boingo American Express Plan and authenticate your Amex card before you’ll have access to this service.

Other Benefits

• Lowest Hotel Rate Guarantee: For reservations purchased on amextravel.com.
• No Blackout Dates: On award redemptions.
• ShopRunner Membership: Free two-day shipping and returns at select retailers.
• Entertainment Access: Discounts to cardmember-only events, concerts, sporting events, and shows.
• Instant Card Number: Use your new card account instantly if Amex can verify your identity (you may not have access to the full credit line).

Shopping Benefits

• Purchase Protection: Eligible items are covered against damage and theft for 120 days (90 days for NY residents).
• Extended Warranty: Warranties of five years or less can be doubled by up to two additional years.
• Return Protection: Provides a refund for eligible purchases if the merchant refuses to accept a return.

Travel Benefits

• Premium Roadside Assistance: Call for help with roadside problems, like flat tires or dead batteries. No fee for the first four occasions.
• Premium Global Assist Hotline: Help with travel accidents and emergencies. Some costs may be covered.
• Travel Accident Insurance: Up to $500,000 in coverage against accidental death and dismemberment when traveling by common carrier.
• Baggage Insurance Plan: Covers your lost, stolen, or damaged bags, up to $2,000 for checked bags and up to $3,000 for checked and carry-on bags.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Eligible rental vehicles are covered against damage and theft, as long as you decline the rental company’s own insurance.

Account and Security Benefits

• $0 Fraud Liability: You won’t be held responsible for fraudulent transactions (contact customer support immediately if you suspect fraud).
• Dispute Resolution: Get help dealing with fraudulent and unauthorized transactions.
• Account Alerts: Get notified about account information on your phone.

The Terms & Fees

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card has a lot of fancy features but the terms and fees are very simple, like most credit cards.

You’ll pay a $450 annual fee for the privilege of using this card. But as we saw above you can offset that fee with as little as $406 in spending at Marriott Bonvoy properties, assuming you get a very good redemption value and make use of your $300 hotel credit.

There are no foreign transaction fees, which is expected for travel cards (especially expensive travel cards like this).

What is the Credit Limit of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card?

There is no specific minimum or maximum credit limit for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. Your credit line will be based on your overall creditworthiness, including your credit scores and other finances (especially income).

You can request a credit limit increase from American Express whenever you’d like. If you want higher limits we recommend requesting an increase once every six to 12 months or so.

Customer Support

Phone Support

As a Bonvoy Brilliant cardholder you’ll have customer support from American Express and Marriott Bonvoy. Generally, if you have a question about earning or using your points you should call Marriott. Contact American Express for other issues with your card.

American Express is known for having excellent customer service compared to the other major credit card issuers. Each year J.D. Power publishes its Credit Card Satisfaction Survey, ranking all the card issuers by several criteria. In 2018, American Express came in second out of 11 issuers, earning 4 out of 5 points in the “Interaction” category, which includes customer support experiences. That gives them a “Better Than Most” rating by J.D. Power.

Occasionally we’ve had some trouble when contacting Amex with questions. Sometimes the reps don’t seem to quite understand, and it might take a few moments to get the point across. But in general we’ve been able to get the answers we need, even if we had to be transferred around a bit.

Web Support

As an Amex cardholder you can reach out to customer support through the live web chat, which will pop up after you log in to your account. The customer service reps you’ll speak with have access to your account, so you can ask them questions about anything.

Anyone can contact Amex at its Twitter customer support handle, @AskAmex. Be sure not to give any personal or account information out on Twitter or other social networks.

The Bottom Line

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card is your high-end option for Marriott Bonvoy stays, and if you spend a lot of money with these hotel brands it should be a strong contender.

You’ll be getting 6X more bonus points per dollar than a normal Marriott member, plus the status boost to Gold Elite for 12.5X more points per dollar. You may want to consider a different rewards card for other purchases to get a better value, although the 3X rate for airfare and at restaurants is pretty good too.

The $300 travel credit goes a long way towards offsetting the $450 annual fee. And when you consider the Free Night Award and other perks, like airport lounge access, you may conclude that the fee is actually on the cheap side.

There are some other cards designed for Marriott Bonvoy spending, along with cards that are co-branded with other hotel chains. And then there are general travel cards you can use with any hotel brand, and with airlines too. Check out some of those alternatives to the Bonvoy Boundless card below.

How To Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Click the “Apply Now” button below to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card. American Express will typically check your credit reports from the three bureaus.

Most applicants will get an instant decision, although in some cases it can take longer. American Express may request more information to process the application, like income verification.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Must be 18 to apply
• Personal identifying information, including SSN, email address, and phone number
• Total annual income, and source of income
• Monthly mortgage/rent payment
• Marriott Bonvoy rewards account number (if available)

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

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Alternatives to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card (Review): $95 annual fee; 6X points at Marriott Bonvoy; 75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
• Hilton Honors Aspire Card: $450 annual fee; 14X points at Hilton, 7X points on select other purchases; 100,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review): $450 annual fee; 3X points on travel and dining; 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card

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The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card (Review) is another option for spending at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, but this card is issued by Chase instead of American Express. It’s also much cheaper than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card at just $95.

Rewards

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless provides complimentary Silver Elite status, rather than Gold Elite like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. So you’ll earn slightly fewer Base points at Marriott Bonvoy properties, although it doesn’t come out to a huge difference.

Take note that you won’t be eligible for this card’s signup bonus if you’ve had any other Marriott co-branded cards recently, similar to the restrictions on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card given above.

Benefits

You won’t get all the cost-saving perks of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, but the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature does have a few nice benefits that travelers can take advantage of.

• Annual Free Night Stay: One free night after your cardmember anniversary, good for redemption levels up to 35,000 points.
• Complimentary Silver Elite status: Including a 10% point bonus, priority late check-out, reservation guarantees, and more.
• Fast Track to Gold Elite status: Spend $35,000 in an account year to earn Gold Elite status.
• 15 Elite Night Credits per year: Towards a higher member status.
• Complimentary Premium In-room Wifi: At Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• Visa Signature Concierge service: Call for non-emergency help at any time.
• Shopping and travel protections: Like Purchase Protection, Extended Warranties, and a Baggage Insurance Plan.

Terms & Fees

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless has a $95 annual fee. There are no foreign transaction fees.

So it’s less expensive than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, which could make it better for people who don’t travel as much. But remember that the annual travel credit and Free Night Award can go a long way towards offsetting the Bonvoy Brilliant card’s fee, with the potential to completely nullify it.

Read more in our Review of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card from Chase

Hilton Honors Aspire Card

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The Hilton Honors Aspire Card is the premium travel rewards card for Hilton hotels, with top-notch spending rewards and benefits. If you prefer Hilton properties to those in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, this might be the card for you.

This card is issued by American Express, like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, so some of the features will be similar.

Rewards

You can see that you’ll be earning a massive number of points at Hilton properties — 34X per dollar! But take note that Hilton points aren’t typically as valuable as those in the Marriott Bonvoy program, and you may be lucky to get 1 cent per point when redeeming.

Even so, you’ll be getting a 13.6–34% cash back equivalent at Hilton with this card, assuming 0.4–1 cent per point. That’s a bit less than the range you’ll be getting with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, but still a good rate.

The Aspire card’s 7X category is similar to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card’s 3X category, except that it also includes car rentals.

Benefits

The Hilton Honors Aspire card has some excellent benefits which make the $450 annual fee seem not so high after all.

You automatically get the highest possible member status with Hilton, whereas the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card only gives you Gold with Marriott, a medium-level status. There’s also more potential value from travel credits, and you don’t have to wait a full year before getting your free night award.

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond Status: With a 100% bonus on Base points, digital check-in, gym access, and more.
• $250 Annual Hilton Resort Statement Credit: Good for charges from Hilton resorts.
• $100 Hilton On-Property Credit: Good for incidental charges at participating Hilton properties, for every eligible stay of two-nights or more.
• $250 Annual Airline Fee Credit: Good for incidental airline fees, not ticket prices.
• Two Annual Weekend Night Rewards: One free weekend night per year, and you can earn an additional night be spending $60,000 in a given year.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Complimentary airport lounge access for you and up to two guests.
• Personal Concierge: Call for assistance with a variety of tasks, like making reservations at restaurants or for travel.
• Purchase and travel protections: Like Premium Roadside Assistance, Travel Accident Insurance, and Return Protection.

Terms & Fees

The Aspire card has terms and fees that are the same as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, where it really counts: a $450 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

These cards are similar in many ways, with the main difference being where they provide their rewards and benefits. If you’re wondering which would be right for you, ask yourself which hotel brands you tend to spend the most money and time with.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review) is a high-end general travel rewards card, earning points for a range of travel expenses, including any hotel or airline. It has the same $450 annual fee as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, although most of the perks are different.

Rewards

Take note that you’ll only start earning 3X points on travel purchases after you use up the full $300 travel credit every year. So once you spend $300 on travel expenses you’ll get the credit, and then will earn 3X points for travel going forward.

The Ultimate Rewards (UR) points you earn can be redeemed in several different ways, much like the points you earn with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.

UR points are normally worth 1 cent each, or even less in some cases. But they can be redeemed through Ultimate Rewards for travel expenses for a 50% bonus, which would make them worth 1.5 cents each.

That would give you a 4.5% cash back equivalent on travel and dining, with 1.5% back for other purchases.

But the Sapphire Reserve also lets you transfer your points to a variety of airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 rate (Marriott Bonvoy is actually included among the partners). That means you could get an even better value for your points, as much as 2 cents per point or perhaps more.

At 2 cents per point you’d be earning a 6% cash back equivalent on travel and dining, with 2% back for every other purchase.

This rewards program is much more flexible than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card’s. You won’t be limited to just Marriott Bonvoy hotels for the best earn rates. Instead you’ll be free to spend at any hotel, airline, car rental, travel agency, and parking garage, among other travel-related merchants.

Benefits

The Sapphire Reserve has an excellent travel credit, which can be applied to many different types of purchases. You won’t be limited to hotel spending like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. Cardholders also get the same Priority Pass Select access, and the Global Entry/TSA Pre✓ credit.

• $300 Annual Travel Credit: Good for a wide variety of travel expenses, including hotel rooms and airfare.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Free airport lounge access for you and up to two guests.
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Perks at participating locations, like daily breakfast for two, free WiFi, and room upgrades.
• Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ application fee credit: Credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre✓ ($85), once every four years.
• Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress towards Club 5C member status.
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Available at any time for non-emergency assistance.
• Special Car Rental Privileges: Upgrades and discounts at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental.
• Purchase and travel protections: Such as Travel and Emergency Assistance, and Trip Delay Reimbursement.

Terms & Fees

Despite the other differences, the terms and fees of the Sapphire Reserve are very much like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.

It costs $450 per year, and there are no foreign transaction fees.

Read more in our Review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

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