Statement Credit Changes With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card

Card issuers frequently review their cards’ benefits and decide what perks should be included moving forward. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card is being refreshed and there is a big change to the way the $300 annual statement credit is issued.

Credit Starting September 22 — Eligible Restaurant Purchases

On September 22, 2022, a new statement credit structure will be implemented, and unfortunately, it is a little more complicated than the current system.

The $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit benefit will no longer be available. It will be replaced with a new benefit of up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.

Why These Changes

There are 2 main reasons why these changes are taking effect:

• First, Marriott Bonvoy is hoping you’ll use the card more often. By spreading out the statement credits to $25 per month, Marriott is hoping you’ll keep the card front and center in your wallet and will use it anytime you visit a restaurant or have another purchase. The more you use a card, the more likely you are to keep spending on that card for day-to-day purchases. There’s no obligation to spend beyond $25 a month, though any purchases beyond this amount will be your responsibility to pay the difference of.
• Second, and probably most importantly, Marriott Bonvoy is hoping that by spreading out the statement credits, you may forget to use 1 or more during the course of a year, and for every time you don’t earn the credit, Marriott gets to keep that portion of the annual fee.

Bottom Line: If you use the card every month for your credit, you’ll get more value out of your annual fee.

Other Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Benefits

Even with the changes to the $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card still has plenty of Marriott Bonvoy-centric benefits for its cardholders, all for an annual if $650:

• 6x points per dollar spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Annual free hotel night certificate worth 50,000 points
• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• Achieve Platinum Elite status by spending $75,000 on the card in a calendar year
• 15 elite night credits each year towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status
• $100 property credit at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
• Free premium Wi-Fi

Cardholders also receive these additional benefits:

• 3x points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants and on flights purchased directly with the airline
• 2x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Priority Pass lounge membership upon enrollment
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application/renewal fee statement credit
• No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, this statement credit change to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is a major downside for existing cardholders and new applicants.

The $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit benefit was incredibly easy to use and encouraged you to spend money at the namesake of the credit card. The new $25 per month restaurant credit will likely lead to many consumers forgetting about the credit and not being able to get the most out of their annual membership fees.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® card, click here.