Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review: Elevate Your Hotel Stays With Luxury

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Benefits

Welcome Offer

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant has an impressive welcome offer: Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. That’s a hefty chunk of points to kickstart your Marriott Bonvoy balance — and enough for multiple award nights at Marriott brands such as Sheraton, Westin, Courtyard and Residence Inn.

Complimentary Platinum Elite Status

With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, you’re instantly upgraded to Platinum Elite status as soon as your account is approved. This valuable benefit is usually earned after you’ve stayed 50 nights in Marriott hotels within a calendar year.

Platinum Elite comes with:

• 50% bonus points on stays
• 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability at resort and convention hotels)
• Complimentary room upgrades, including select suites, when available
• Lounge access at hotels that have them
• A welcome gift of your choice, which can include breakfast, additional points or a curated amenity, depending on the property

Dining Credit Worth up to $300 per Year

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card comes with a monthly dining credit of up to $25, automatically applied when you make an eligible purchase at restaurants worldwide. This monthly structure means you need to use this card for a restaurant purchase at least once a month to maximize the full annual credit of up to $300.

Annual Free Night Award Worth up to 85,000 Points

Each year on your credit card renewal anniversary, you’ll receive a free night award certificate worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (some hotels have resort fees). This allows you to book a stay at premium luxury brands like St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton and W Hotels.

Some lower-tier Marriott credit cards offer free nights capped at 35,000 points or 50,000 points, but the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers the highest-value certificate. You can also pay up to 15,000 additional points from your Bonvoy account to book a property that costs up to 100,000 points per night.

I’ve personally found this perk most valuable at premium hotels in expensive cities like New York and Miami. Last summer, I used my 85,000-point certificate to book The Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay, when rates were more than $1,100 per night. Since the points rate was 96,000 Bonvoy points per night, I was able to score the booking by paying an additional 11,000 points from my account.

Up to $100 Property Credit on Qualifying Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Stays

Cardholders get up to $100 in property credit per stay when booking a two-night minimum at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties under the designated rate. This property credit can be applied toward eligible on-site purchases such as spa treatments, dining or resort activities.

Priority Pass Select Airport Lounge Access

When you enroll Cardholders get an unlimited Priority Pass Select membership, which includes access for the primary cardmember and up to two guests per visit.

Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide, many of which offer complimentary food, drinks, Wi-Fi and comfortable seating away from crowded terminals.

This benefit is particularly valuable for frequent flyers who don’t already have a premium travel credit card with airport lounge access. If you already get airport lounge access through a credit card, this perk may be less valuable to you.

Additional Benefits for Meeting a Spending Threshold

After spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year, cardholders can choose an additional benefit from a short list of options, including:

• Five Nightly Upgrade Awards™ (Formerly Suite Night Awards™)
• Free Night Award with a redemption value up to 85,000 points
• One-time deposit of 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• $1,000 Bed Discount from Marriott Retail Brands (this option will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2026)

While the spending requirement is high, it’s attainable for heavy spenders or people who put all of their household expenses on this card.

Elite Night Credits

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders receive 25 elite night credits each calendar year to help qualify for the next tier of elite status. If you’re looking to level up to Marriott Titanium or Ambassador Elite status, this perk can give you a boost.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Drawbacks

Steep Annual Fee

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s $650 annual fee is one of the highest among hotel credit cards, putting it solidly in the premium credit card territory alongside top travel cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express, an advertising partner. While the card’s included perks can help justify the cost for frequent Marriott travelers, the annual expense is unreasonably high if you can’t maximize most or all of the card’s benefits.

For occasional travelers or those who split stays across multiple hotel brands, a more practical choice would be a generic travel rewards credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or a mid-tier hotel credit card like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

Free Night Award Limitations

While the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers the most generous Marriott free night award you can get from a credit card, it won’t cover every property (unlike the annual free night reward from the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which applies to nearly any property with standard room availability for the night of your choice). Since Marriott now offers aspirational stays that can cost well over 100,000 points during peak season, your free night award may not work for the redemption you have in mind.

Who Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Best For?

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card is ideal for travelers who frequently stay at Marriott properties, especially luxury brands like The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis. The card’s top-tier benefits include Platinum Elite status, up to 21 points per dollar spent on Marriott Bonvoy hotel bookings, up to $300 in annual dining credit toward restaurants worldwide, 25 elite night credits yearly to help boost your way toward even higher status and additional rewards for spending $60,000 or more within a calendar year.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant has a high annual fee, so it isn’t a good fit for infrequent travelers or people who aren’t loyal to the Marriott brand.

Is It the Right Card for You?

If you’re choosing a hotel credit card and wondering whether the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant meets your travel needs, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you stay at Marriott hotels almost exclusively when you travel?
• Do you dine out at least once a month?
• Are you likely to redeem the annual free night award at a premium property?
• Do you care about elite status upgrades andairport lounge access when you travel?
• Are the card’s many benefits worth the steep annual fee?

Alternatives to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is a wonderful card to have in your travel wallet, but it doesn’t make sense for everyone. Here are two alternative cards to consider if you aren’t a diehard Marriott loyalist, or if you’re concerned about paying a high annual fee.

• Amex Platinum: This is one of the best travel rewards cards if you want benefits that extend significantly beyond a single hotel brand. The card includes complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status once enrolled (one tier lower than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers). It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold status after enrollment, which can be helpful if you aren’t exclusively loyal to Marriott, plus Amex airport lounge access through multiple programs and a wide range of travel credits. Although the annual fee is high at $695 , the card offers significantly more benefits than the Bonvoy Brilliant, with perks you can use on airlines, hotels and car rentals.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: If you want Marriott perks without paying a huge annual fee, this card is a more affordable alternative. For $95 a year, cardholders get generous benefits such as automatic Silver Elite status, complimentary hotel Wi-Fi, and an annual free night award worth up to 35,000 points, which can be topped up to 50,000-night stays by paying up to 15,000 additional Bonvoy points. The card also earns bonus points on Marriott stays and dining, gas and grocery purchases, making it ideal for casual Marriott guests who want to earn points toward future travel on everyday expenses.