Big changes to Marriott Bonvoy credit card line-up: New cards, new perks and new bonuses

There’s a lot happening with Marriott Bonvoy cobranded credit cards, so fasten your seatbelts and put your seats in the upright position.

In addition to launching two brand-new credit cards, there are major updates to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, a more valuable free night award on the Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants) and elevated welcome offers on three other cards.

Let’s walk through the changes to Marriott credit cards happening today, one piece at a time.

2 new Marriott cobranded credit cards

There are two new Marriott credit cards launching today: one from American Express and one from Chase. These are the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card from Chase.

The W Maldives. NICKY KELVIN/THE POINTS GUY

Both cards are very similar. They include the following perks and benefits:

Complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, which provides perks like room upgrades, late checkout and/or early check-in when available.
An annual free night award (worth up to 50,000 points) after spending $15,000 on the card a cardmember year. Note that certain hotels have resort fees.
1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points with each qualifying hotel stay.
15 elite night credits added to your Marriott Bonvoy account per year, helping you reach or requalify for elite status faster.
$250 annual fee.

Furthermore, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card both have the same earning structure, earning points at the following rates:

6 points per dollar at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
4 points per dollar on the first $15,000 in combined spending per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (then 2 points per dollar thereafter).
2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The Bonvoy Bevy and Bonvoy Bountiful cards both have the same welcome offer for new applicants. You can earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of cardmembership. TPG values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.84 cents apiece, meaning this bonus is worth $1,050.

This welcome offer runs through Jan. 11, 2023 for the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. The offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card will also end in January 2023 also, although we don’t have a specific date right now.

Related: Are you eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no

Changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card

A view from Domes of Elounda, an Autograph Collection property in Crete. NICK EWEN/THE POINTS GUY

Earlier this year, we covered the change to the up-to-$300 in annual credits available on this card. As of today (Sep. 22, 2022), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders no longer receive up to $300 in credits for spending with Marriott hotels. Instead, this credit is now available as an up-to-$25 credit per month for dining purchases.

However, today we learned about a slew of other changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. You can read the full details of them in this article, but here’s an overview:

Automatic Platinum Status (previously Gold).
25 elite night credits each year (previously 15).
A choice benefit for spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year (starting in 2023).
An increased annual fee of $650 (see rates and fees).

Thankfully, the new annual fee won’t kick in for existing cardholders until your first renewal date on (or after) Jan. 1, 2023. And many existing Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders are already seeing an extra 10 elite night credits in their accounts.

New cardmembers can also earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of cardmembership. This welcome offer ends on Jan. 11, 2023. TPG values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.84 cents apiece, meaning this bonus is worth $1,260.

Related: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card review

Improved free night award on the Ritz-Carlton card

It’s more positive news for those who still hold the Ritz-Carlton card (no longer available to new applicants), as they too will see a more valuable free night award going forward. Currently, cardholders receive an annual free night award worth up to 50,000 points. On your next account anniversary, you’ll receive a free night award worth up to 85,000 points.

However, the $450 annual fee on the card is staying in place, so this is an entirely positive update to the card.

Related: The secret to getting the discontinued Ritz-Carlton credit card — and 4 reasons you need it

New welcome offers on 3 cards

Three additional Marriott Bonvoy credit cards have elevated welcome offers at present.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card has an elevated welcome offer, running through Nov. 2, 2022. New applicants can receive 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of cardmembership. TPG values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.84 cents apiece, meaning this bonus is worth $840.

Remember that this card was recently refreshed with higher automatic elite status, enhanced earning rates and a discount on eligible room rates through Marriott — all of which came with no increase to the card’s $125 annual fee (see rates and fees). Check out our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Business card for more details.

Related: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card

New applicants for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card can also enjoy an elevated sign-up bonus of 100,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. TPG values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.84 cents apiece, meaning this bonus is worth $840. This card has a $95 annual fee. Check out our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for more details.

Additionally, applicants for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. That’s up from the previous offer of 30,000 bonus points and is worth $504, according to our latest valuations. There is no annual fee on this card. Check out our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card for more details.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Boundless cards are offered by Chase, while the Marriott Bonvoy Business card is offered by American Express. Each bank has its own credit card application rules and restrictions, so be sure to read about those before submitting your application.

Walt Disney World Swan hotel in Florida. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

Quick thoughts on the changes

The benefits and perks of the new Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card take over some of what the Bonvoy Brilliant card previously offered, such as 15 elite night credits and complimentary Gold status. These perks are now available at a lower fee ($200 less than what you previously paid in annual fees).

However, the cards don’t offer an annual free night automatically; you must spend $15,000 per year to earn this free night award. This is in sharp contrast to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, which offers a 35,000-point certificate automatically upon renewal.

It’s also worth comparing this to other chains’ corresponding cards. As an example, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card awards a free weekend night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, but that’s valid at virtually any participating property. The card also has a lower annual fee ($95, see rates and fees), and the automatic Hilton Gold status on the Surpass card is notably more valuable than the Marriott Gold status offered on these two new products.

Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which also has a $95 annual fee, offers a Category 1-4 free night award automatically on the account anniversary and has the ability to earn a second free night award by spending $15,000 on the card each year.

On the other hand, the change to the Ritz-Carlton card is entirely positive. Without increasing its annual fee, one of the main benefits of the card is improving. While the product isn’t open to new applicants, it is available for those who change from another Marriott cobranded credit card to this card.

The most complicated part of this news is the myriad of changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. The new perks could be great for some travelers, but others may be turned off by the higher annual fee and the monthly dining credits — which require more energy to maximize than the old $300 Marriott credit. Thankfully, existing cardholders have some time to consider whether it’s worth paying the higher annual fee.

Bottom line

Marriott is out with some massive changes to its cobranded credit card lineup today — and it’s a lot to digest.

The key takeaways are that two new mid-tier Marriott credit cards are launching, and the benefits are improving on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex — but the latter corresponds with a $200 increase in the card’s annual fee. Furthermore, Ritz-Carlton cardholders will get a more valuable annual free night going forward, while the three other Marriott credit cards have launched elevated welcome offers.

You can count on TPG to keep you updated on these changes by providing new analyses of these cards to see whether their annual fees are worth it. We’ll also be updating our detailed reviews of each card in the coming weeks, so look out for those if you’re interested in applying for one of these cards or already have one (or more) in your wallet.

Apply here: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of cardmembership on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card. Ends Jan. 11, 2023.

Apply here: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of cardmembership on the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. Ends Nov. 2, 2022.

Apply here: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within three months from account opening on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. 

Apply here: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within three months of account opening on the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. 

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass card, click here.