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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review: Solid bonus may not outweigh annual fee for some
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card offers a solid welcome bonus and decent rewards, but even if you frequently stay at Marriott hotels, it can be challenging to get enough value to make the card's annual fee worthwhile.
- Annual fee$250
- Welcome offerEarn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months
- Card type(s)Travel, Hotel
- Ongoing Purchases APR20.49%-29.49% Variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent/Good
- Rewards rate
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2x points)
- Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card
- Benefits
- Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card in a calendar year (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; certain hotels have resort fees)
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status
Additional benefits:
Free night award: You can get a free night award worth the equivalent of 50,000 points when you spend $15,000 in a year. Depending on how you use the free night award, it can be worth more than the card's annual fee. However, many hotel credit cards offer an annual free night award without a spending requirement attached.
Gold elite status: As a gold elite status member, you'll enjoy special perks every time you stay at Marriott hotels, such as 25% more points on hotel purchases, priority late checkout, enhanced room upgrades, and a welcome gift of points.
Bonus points with each eligible stay: Each time you pay for a stay with Marriott, you'll earn 1,000 bonus points
How to earn rewards
The card offers bonus rewards on purchases with Marriott, restaurants, and U.S. supermarkets. However, the amount you can earn on dining and grocery spending is limited.
The card's base rewards rate is 2 points per dollar, which is nice on paper. But according to points and miles experts, you'll generally get less than 1 cent per point in value on your redemptions, so it's not a true 2% rewards rate.
How to redeem rewards
For the most part, the best way to redeem Marriott points is for free hotel stays—the hotel chain allows you to use points only or a mix of cash and points. However, you can also use your points in other ways, including:
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Booking cruises, flights, car rentals and other travel
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Buying gift cards
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Shopping for merchandise
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Paying for select experiences
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Transferring your points to various frequent flyer programs
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Donating your points
Who is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card best for?
If you prefer to stay in Marriott hotels when you travel and you plan to spend at least $15,000 on the card each year, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card could be worth considering.
Before you apply for the card, however, consider other Marriott credit cards that may offer the same or better value at a lower cost. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, for instance, charges a $95 annual fee and offers a free night reward each year worth the equivalent of 35,000 points. There's no spending requirement at all. That said, the card only offers silver elite status.
Related: The best hotel credit cards available today
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card pros
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Solid welcome bonus: While it's not the biggest welcome bonus around, you may be able to get a few free nights out of it, knocking hundreds of dollars off your travel budget.
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Bonus rewards at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets: If you spend a lot on dining and groceries, you'll easily rack up a lot of points with the card.
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Extra perks: If you can meet the spending requirement, you can potentially get enough value from the card's annual award night to offset the annual fee. You'll also enjoy VIP status when you stay at Marriott hotels.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card cons
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Steep annual fee: The card's annual fee isn't as expensive as a premium travel card, but it's more than double the standard annual fee for most hotel credit cards. It doesn't help that you're not getting much automatic value in exchange for the higher cost.
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Cap on bonus spending: Most people likely won't run into the card's cap on restaurant and U.S. supermarket spending — you'd have to spend $1,250 per month on combined purchases between the two — but it's still disconcerting to see a limit on bonus rewards.
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Spending requirement for annual free night: The card's spending requirement for a free night award each year isn't unique. But with several other hotel credit cards, you simply have to pay your annual fee each year to get the free night.
Where can you use the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card?
You can use your card anywhere American Express is accepted, which includes 99% of businesses in the U.S.
You can also use the card abroad, and the card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. However, international acceptance for Amex credit cards isn't nearly as robust as it is for Visa and Mastercard.
How to make a Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card payment
There are a few different ways you can make a payment on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, including:
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Online: Log in to your online account or the American Express mobile app.
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Phone: Call 800-472-9297 to pay over the phone.
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Mail: Send your payment to American Express, P.O. Box 96001, Los Angeles, CA 90096-8000.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card customer service info
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Customer service availability: Phone and chat 24/7
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Phone number: 800-492-3344
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Customer service email: American Express doesn't provide email support
Alternative cards to consider
If you're unsure whether the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is the right fit for you or you want more flexible rewards, here are some options to consider.
- Annual fee$650
- Welcome offerEarn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
- Card type(s)Travel, Hotel
- Ongoing Purchases APR20.49%-29.49% Variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent/Good
- Rewards rate
- Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines
- Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card
- Benefits
- Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card at restaurants worldwide
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; certain hotels have resort fees)
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status (limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account; benefit is not exclusive to cards offered by American Express)
Why we like it: For the staunchest Marriott loyalists, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card offers significant value, albeit with an eye-watering $650 annual fee.
In addition to a solid welcome bonus and rewards program, the card offers a free annual night award worth the equivalent of 85,000 points, and there's no spending requirement to earn it. You'll also get complimentary platinum elite status, up to $300 in annual dining credits, and complimentary access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, among other perks.
Read our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card
- Annual fee$95
- Welcome offerGet up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months — worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel — plus up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year
- Card type(s)Travel
- Ongoing Purchases APR20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent/Good
- Rewards rate
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel
- Earn up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
- On every account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is worth considering if you want more flexible rewards on your everyday spending. You'll get 25% more value if you redeem your points for travel through Chase, but you can also get cash back, buy gift cards, shop online, and more. What's more, you can transfer your rewards to several airline and hotel loyalty programs, including Marriott Bonvoy.
Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card
Related: Amex points vs. Chase points: Who has the best rewards program?
- Annual fee$99
- Welcome offer140,000 points after spending $4,000 in first 3 months
- Card type(s)Travel, Hotel
- Ongoing Purchases APR20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent, Good
- Rewards rate
- 26x when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- 5x on purchases on travel, at gas stations, select advertising, and restaurants
- 3x on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts, plus a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
Why we like it: If you're not married to the Marriott brand, consider the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card for outsized value. For a $99 annual fee, you'll earn a generous welcome offer, plus bonus rewards with IHG and on travel, dining, and gas stations.
This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken
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