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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review: Solid bonus may not outweigh annual fee for some

2024-09-05 18:25
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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review: Solid bonus may not outweigh annual fee for some

Personal Finance / Credit Cards Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure. Ma...

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review: Solid bonus may not outweigh annual fee for some Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review: It's hard to justify the annual fee B Ben Luthi Updated Wed, December 3, 2025 at 6:48 AM GMT+8 5 min read Amex disclosure

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.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card Learn more Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card Rates & fees, terms apply
  • Annual fee $250
  • Welcome offer Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months
  • Card type(s) Travel, Hotel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR 19.74%-28.74% Variable
  • Recommended credit score Excellent/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)
    • 2x points on all other eligible purchases
  • Benefits
    • Earn up to 18.5x Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 6x points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card; earn up to 10X points from Marriott Bonvoy for being a Marriott Bonvoy member; and earn up to 2.5x points from Marriott Bonvoy with the 25% Bonus Points on Stays, a benefit available with your complimentary Gold Elite status
    • 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 card, you can receive 15 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.)

Additional benefits

  • Free night award: You can get a free night award worth the equivalent of up to 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.

Read more: Best rewards credit cards

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:

  • Booking cruises, flights, car rentals and other travel

  • Buying gift cards

  • Shopping for merchandise

  • Paying for select experiences

  • Transferring your points to various frequent flyer programs

  • 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.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Learn more Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
  • Annual fee $95
  • Welcome offer Earn 3 Free Night Awards — each night valued up to 50,000 points — after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months (certain hotels have resort fees)
  • Rewards rate
    • Up to 17x points at Marriott: 6x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy® properties, 10x points for being a Marriott Bonvoy® member, plus 1x points for members with Silver Elite Status
    • 3x points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases anually on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
    • 2x points on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • Earn a Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary
    • Get automatic Marriott Bonvoy® Silver Elite Status each calendar year, plus receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and earn 1 Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend
    • Get a one-year complimentary DashPass membership if you activate by 12/31/27

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card pros

  • Solid welcome bonus: With a welcome bonus worth at least a few free nights, you could knock hundreds of dollars off your travel budget.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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:

  • Online: Log in to your online account or the American Express mobile app.

  • Phone: Call 800-472-9297 to pay over the phone.

  • 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

  • Customer service availability: Phone and chat 24/7

  • Phone number: 800-492-3344

  • Customer service email: American Express doesn't provide email support

  • The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card login page

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.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Learn more Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Rates & fees, terms apply
  • Annual fee $650
  • Welcome offer Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you spend $6,000 in the first 6 months
  • Card type(s) Travel, Hotel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR 19.74%-28.74% Variable
  • Recommended credit score Excellent/Good
  • Rewards rate
    • 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
    • 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines
    • 2x points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card
  • Benefits
    • Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month: Award can be used for one night at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points; certain hotels have resort fees)
    • Earn up to 21x Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 6x points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card; earn up to 10x points from Marriott Bonvoy for being a Marriott Bonvoy member; and earn up to 5x points from Marriott Bonvoy with the 50% Bonus Points on Stays, a benefit available with your complimentary Platinum Elite status
    • Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, with an unlimited number of visits to over 1,200 airport lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying

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 up to 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

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
  • Annual fee $95
  • Welcome offer Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
  • Card type(s) Travel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR 19.49% - 27.74% Variable
  • Recommended credit score Excellent/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
    • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit
  • Benefits
    • Complimentary DashPass with $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27, plus a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
    • 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. 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?

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card Learn more IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
  • Annual fee $99
  • Welcome offer Earn 140,000 points after spending $4,000 the first 3 months
  • Card type(s) Travel, Hotel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR 19.49% - 27.99% Variable
  • Recommended credit score Excellent, Good
  • Rewards rate
    • Up to 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.

Read next: Best travel credit cards for 2025

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

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