ENDS SOON: Why NOW Might Be the Best Time to Jump on a Marriott Credit Card

If you’ve been side-eyeing a Marriott Bonvoy credit card and waiting for “the right moment,” that moment is roughly two weeks from now. The current welcome offers on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cards all pack up and check out on May 13, 2026.

Before anyone fires off the obvious comment: yes, Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t what they used to be. (Then again, neither are any program’s points. Or ourselves, for that matter. 😉 ) But there are still very good redemptions out there.

Just like with my post about the American Express Gold® Card, I’m tinkering with some design features. If you have any input, please let me know in the Comments section!

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

What the Brilliant Earns:

• 6X Bonvoy points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• 3X Bonvoy points at restaurants worldwide
• 3X Bonvoy points on flights booked directly with airlines
• 2X Bonvoy points on all other eligible purchases

Standout Features:

• Complimentary Platinum Elite status — suite upgrades when available, late checkout, lounge access at participating properties, 50% bonus points on stays, and a Welcome Gift Choice on each stay. Platinum is where Bonvoy benefits actually start to matter.
• Annual Free Night Award starting in year two, valued at up to 85,000 points — which can absolutely punch above its weight if you redeem it well
• Up to $300 annual Bonvoy Dining Credit — earn up to $25 per month back on eligible restaurant purchases worldwide (enrollment required). Most people aren’t going to find $25 of monthly restaurant spending hard to come by.
• Up to $100 in property credit at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a 2-night minimum stay
• Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership (enrollment required)
• Up to $120 every 4.5 years in statement credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application or renewal fees
• 25 Elite Night Credits annually toward your next status tier
• Earned Choice Award after $60,000 in calendar-year spending — pick from 5 Suite Night Awards, an additional Free Night Award (up to 85,000 points), or $1,000 off a Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques bed
• Trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage (Coverage provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply.)

The annual fee is $650. (See Rates and Fees) But between the Free Night Award, the dining credit, and complimentary Platinum status, the math works for anyone who stays at Marriott properties more than a couple of times a year.

Where Marriott Points Still Earn Their Keep

Before getting into the other two cards, let’s address the elephant in the lobby: 200,000 points isn’t what it would have been five years ago. So is it still worth chasing?

Short answer: yes, if you redeem strategically. A few sweet spots survived the Great Bonvoy Devaluation Tour:

• Off-peak award nights at top-tier properties. Flagship Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels still occasionally price below their cash-rate equivalents — especially on shoulder-season weekdays.
• The 5th-night-free benefit on award stays. Book five consecutive award nights and Marriott only charges you points for four of them. It’s kind of like IHG’s fourth-night-free benefit — except, you know, with one more night.
• The Marriott-MGM partnership. Bonvoy points now play in Las Vegas, if that’s your thing.
• International redemptions. European and Asian Marriott properties often deliver better cents-per-point math than in the States.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy: The Mid-Tier Option

The Bevy is the middle child of the Marriott Bonvoy lineup — no annual free night, lower-tier status, but a genuinely competitive welcome offer.

What the Bevy Earns:

• 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)
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

Stack the card’s 6X with the 10X you already earn as a Marriott Bonvoy member, plus the 2.5X bonus from your complimentary Gold Elite status, and you’re earning up to 18.5X total Bonvoy points on eligible purchases at participating Marriott hotels.

Card features:

• Complimentary Gold Elite status — earn 25% bonus points on eligible hotel purchases (room rate and incidentals like dining and spa), enhanced room upgrades when available, and other Gold benefits
• Bevy Free Night Award — earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year. The award can be used for one night at a redemption level up to 50,000 Bonvoy points at a participating hotel. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 1,000 bonus Bonvoy points per paid eligible stay when you book directly with Marriott at participating properties (terms apply)
• 15 Elite Night Credits annually toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status (limitations apply per Bonvoy member account)
• Trip Delay Insurance — if a round-trip paid entirely with your eligible card is delayed more than 12 hours by a covered reason, get up to $300 per trip in reimbursement for certain additional expenses (max 2 claims per 12-month period). Coverage provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply.

Marriott Bonvoy Business: Don’t Let “Business” Scare You Off

But here’s where a lot of folks bow out: they hear “business” and assume LLC, EIN, storefront, big skyscraper office, and all that. Slow your roll (and your role?). Sole proprietors qualify. If you’ve ever sold something on eBay, freelanced, done a side gig, rented out a spare room, or driven for a rideshare service — congratulations, you’re a business. The application allows you to apply as a sole proprietor using your Social Security number.

Card earnings:

• 6X Bonvoy points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• 4X Bonvoy points at restaurants worldwide
• 4X Bonvoy points at U.S. gas stations
• 4X Bonvoy points on U.S. purchases for shipping
• 4X Bonvoy points on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
• 2X Bonvoy points on all other eligible purchases

Card Features:

• Complimentary Gold Elite status — 25% bonus points on eligible stays, room upgrades when available, 2 p.m. late checkout, and free in-room Wi-Fi
• Annual Free Night Award starting in year two, valued at up to 35,000 points
• An additional Free Night Award after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year
• 7% discount on eligible bookings when you book directly with Marriott using the Amex Business Card Rate at a participating property
• 15 Elite Night Credits annually toward your next status tier
• No foreign transaction fees

For $125 a year (Rates & Fees) — the lowest annual fee of the three — and up to five Free Night Awards on the welcome offer alone, this is arguably the best raw value in the Marriott lineup if you’re willing to apply on the business side.

The Eligibility Asterisk

Marriott welcome offer eligibility comes with the usual suite of restrictions — including the legacy Starwood Preferred Guest cards (may they rest in points), and previous welcome offers received on these specific cards. The good news: the application page will tell you up front whether you’re eligible for the welcome offer before you submit. If you’ve held Marriott or SPG cards in the past, definitely check before applying.

You can also browse our full hotel credit card recommendations page if you want to compare these against other hotel options.

OK, What’s the Urgency?

Amex seems to love these “you may be eligible for up to XXX,XXX points/miles” welcome offers. For example, with the American Express Platinum Card®, you might be eligible to earn as high as as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 on eligible purchases on the card within the first six (6) months of being approved for card membership. (Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Terms apply.).

Amex might look at your credit profile and spending habits and whatever other criteria is in their secret sauce. Then go, “Yep! This person should get the 175k offer!” Or, they decide, “Hmmm. Maybe we’ll give them a different offer.”

By the way, Amex shows you your offer before you submit your application — so your credit score isn’t affected.

It’s something they do with the Amex Gold® Card, both flavors of the Platinum Card, and now the Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards.

I’m guessing we might see the same thing happen to the Marriott Amex cards. This isn’t based on any “insider information” I’ve been given, nor am I giving obvious hints like I never, ever do. 😉 (Who? Me?)

Sure, the “as high as” figures can go up with a special promotion. But if you like knowing ahead of time what the offer is, I’d jump on the Marriott offers now.

Final Approach

200,000 Bonvoy points isn’t what it would have been five years ago. Then again, neither is anything else. But across all three of these cards, the welcome offers represent substantial point hauls — enough to cover real vacations if redeemed thoughtfully — and they all expire on the same date.

I’ve caught my Amex limit and can’t get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. I’ve tried! So, that’s the one I like most. The clock runs out May 13.

For more current welcome offers across travel and rewards cards, our best welcome offers page is updated regularly.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please visit this link.