Marriott Bonvoy is already starting to feel like the new normal, for better or worse. While the switch-over to the Bonvoy branding was mostly a cosmetic change, it coincided with a redesign/rename/rebrand of all the Marriott credit cards. To make matters even more confusing, just as five cards changed names, two of them closed to new applicants and the other three launched limited-time 100,000-point welcome offers.
If this was all just a bit confusing to you, I promise you’re not alone. I for one have pinned the following cheat sheets to my desktop until I actually learn to keep these new card names straight:
As part of these changes, the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card closed to new applicants, leaving Chase to issue the entry-level consumer card, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, and Amex to issue the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card.
Deciding between an entry-level and premium credit card is challenging enough on its own, but when those cards are issued by two different banks with different sets of application rules, the decision gets even harder. Today we’re going to try and demystify the decision and help you decide whether the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card makes more sense for you.
Current welcome offers and eligibility
The first thing most of us look at when evaluating a new card is the welcome bonus, and there’s a clear winner here. The Bonvoy Boundless is offering a limited-time elevated welcome bonus of 100,000 Marriott points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months, while the Bonvoy Brilliant is offering the more standard bonus of 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the same time period. TPG values Marriott points at 0.8 cents each, making these bonuses worth $800 and $600, respectively.
While you’ll need to spend slightly more to earn the 100,000 point bonus on the Bonvoy Boundless, you’ll have a few different options for redeeming these points, including up to 16 nights at a Category 1 hotel or three nights at a Category 5 hotel, which I think is the best-value “sweet spot” redemption in the Bonvoy program.
Before you decide which card you want, it’s important to figure out which, if either, of these cards you’ll be eligible for. Let’s start with the Bonvoy Boundless: This card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, so you’ll be automatically rejected if you’ve opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months. You also won’t be eligible if you’re a current Marriott Bonvoy Boundless or Marriott Bonvoy Premier card holder, or if you’ve received a bonus on those cards in the last 24 months.
Now here is where things get a little alarming. While there aren’t many major loyalty programs that have cobranded cards issued by two different banks (American Airlines is the only other one that comes to mind), Marriott limits bonus eligibility across the entire co-branded card family.
You won’t be eligible for a bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card card if you meet any of these categories:
- Are a current card member, or were a previous card member within the last 30 days, of Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express)
- Are a current or previous card member of either Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express®Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card), and received a new card member bonus or upgrade bonus in the last 24 months
- Applied and were approved for Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express®Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest®American Express Luxury Card) within the last 90 days.
While Amex doesn’t have a rule quite like 5/24, it does limit you to earning the welcome bonus on a given card to once per lifetime. So if you’ve already earned a bonus on the Bonvoy Brilliant or the former SPG Luxury Amex, you won’t be eligible for a new bonus. The offer terms also exclude the following Chase customers:
Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton
Credit Card from JPMorgan or the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless from Chase, the Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Premier from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Business from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless from Chase, Marriott Rewards®Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Premier from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.
When you add up the 5/24 rule, Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule and the way Marriott limits eligibility, a large percentage of people who want one of these new Bonvoy cards won’t be eligible. Especially with the confusing name changes, make sure to double and triple check the terms and conditions before applying so you don’t waste a hard credit pull over nothing.
Further Reading: Am I eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no
Premium vs. entry-level
When comparing an entry level card to a premium version, it helps to frame the conversation in terms of whether the premium card offers enough extra value to justify its higher annual fee. Let’s meet our two competitors:
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card | |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months | Earn 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months |
| Annual fee | $95 | $450 (see rates and fees) |
| Bonus categories | 6x points on purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 2x everywhere else | 6x points on purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3x at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline, 2x everywhere else |
| Annual free night certificate | Free night worth up to 35,000 points | Free night worth up to 50,000 points |
| Marriott elite status | Complimentary Silver elite status. Earn Gold status by spending $35,000 a year | Complimentary Gold elite status. Earn Platinum by spending $75,000 a year |
| Perks | 15 elite night credits a year | $300 annual Marriott statement credit, valid on room rates and hotel charges
$100 luxury property credit valid on eligible stays of two nights or more at Ritz Carlton and St. Regis hotels 15 elite night credits a year |
Assuming all else is equal and that you’re eligible to apply for both of these cards, the Bonvoy Brilliant has a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees) versus $95 for the Bonvoy Boundless. That means the Brilliant needs to provide at least $355 in incremental value to get our vote.
Let’s start with the most important benefit of most premium credit cards, the annual statement credit. In this case, the Brilliant offers a $300 annual credit on Marriott purchases that’s automatically applied to your account. This applies to room rates as well as other hotel charges such as dining or spa treatments, and I value it at face value. If you’re committed enough to Marriott to even consider getting its premium credit card you should have no problem using that credit up each year.
This drops the out of pocket cost on the Bonvoy Brilliant to $150 a year, and narrows our gap to $55.
Both cards offer a free night certificate each year on your account anniversary. The Bonvoy Boundless free night is worth up to 35,000 points while the Bonvoy Brilliant’s is worth up to 50,000 points. This roughly maps to a Category 5 and 6 hotel, respectively, although the implementation of peak and off-peak pricing made it slightly more complicated (i.e. a Category 5 hotel under peak pricing costs 40,000 points per night, and therefore isn’t eligible for use with the Bonvoy Boundless free night certificate).
On the surface, TPG values those extra 15,000 points at $120, much more than the difference in annual fees, but if you dig into possible redemption options the gap gets even wider. It should be easy to get $400-500 from a 50,000 point free night, thanks to a number of luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton Bali and Ritz-Carlton Cancun. The 35,000-point free night is still worth about $250-$300 if you redeem it well, but looking at the available properties you can see that it really is a full category lower.
At this point, you can stop and say that the Bonvoy Brilliant is the no-brainer choice as it pays for itself, but we’re not done yet. Both cards offer some form of elite status, but the Silver status that comes with the Bonvoy Boundless doesn’t get you much of anything beyond a 10% points bonus.
Gold status from the Brilliant card, on the other hand, includes a 25% points bonus, room upgrades and a welcome gift. You can also upgrade all the way to Platinum status by spending $75,000 a year, though that might not be worthwhile. Both cards have similar bonus categories — 6x on Marriott purchases and 2x everywhere else — but the Brilliant card also throws in 3x earning at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline.
Bottom line
While the new Bonvoy names and designs are still a little confusing, the cards themselves are not. Once you’ve confirmed that you are in fact eligible to apply for either the Chase Bonvoy Boundless or Amex Bonvoy Brilliant, it’s easy to see that the Brilliant is the better call.
Despite a higher upfront annual fee and a slightly lower bonus than the current limited-time offer on the Bonvoy Boundless, the Brilliant offers much more long-term value through annual statement credits, a valuable free night certificate and better elite status. If you’re ready to commit to Marriott, it’s clear which card delivers a better return.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.
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