Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card review

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express is the latest addition to the roster of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. In addition to a generous welcome bonus and automatic Gold Elite status, this mid-tier travel rewards card also offers high rewards rates on Marriott purchases.

The Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card is worthwhile for those who spend up to $15,000 per year on combined supermarket and restaurant purchases, as well as those who stay with Marriott frequently enough to benefit from earning 1,000 points per stay, however, there might not be much value long-term after earning the welcome bonus. While the card offers a robust set of features, there are competing cards that provide comparable benefits with lower annual fees that could be considered.

Why you might want the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card

This Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card could be a good fit for you if you value Marriott Bonvoy elite status and are looking for ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

Generous welcome bonus

You’ll earn 155,000 points after you make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. That’s a huge step up from the card’s previous offer of just 85,000 points with the same spending requirement. Based on Bankrate’s latest hotel point valuations, which give Marriott points an average value of 0.7 cents per point, this new bonus could be worth nearly $1,100. That’s enough to potentially offset the annual fee four times over.

Automatic Gold Elite status

Primary cardholders receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for the duration of their card membership, which is valued at $800 per year by TPG. Marriott Bonvoy’s Gold status offers a 25% points bonus on hotel spending (this is only available for qualifying rates.), 2 p.m. checkout and upgrades to enhanced rooms as part of its mid-tier benefits. You’ll also get 15 Elite Night Credits that can count toward increasing your Gold Elite status to lifetime Platinum Elite status with Marriott.

High reward earnings on grocery and dining purchases

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card offers a higher rewards rate than other Marriott Bonvoy Card options on specific everyday spending categories, such as dining at restaurants and shopping at U.S. supermarkets. You’ll get 4X points for every $1 you spend, up to $15,000 per year in combined spending. When that cap is reached, you will earn 2X points for every $1 you spend in those categories.

Useful cardmember perks

Additionally, the Marriott Bevy card offers plenty of perks that make it a valuable choice for frequent travelers.

• Secondary rental car insurance – The card provides up to $50,000 in coverage for theft or damage to qualifying rental vehicles.
• Lost luggage reimbursement –  Cardmembers can receive baggage insurance coverage of up to $1,250 for carry-on luggage and $500 for checked baggage in lieu of what the common carrier provides.
• Trip delay insurance – Cardmembers can receive up to $300 per covered trip for basics such as food, housing, toiletries, medication, and other personal goods if their trip is delayed for more than 12 hours (to be covered, you must book a round-trip ticket and pay in full using your card).
• Purchase protection – Purchases made with the card are protected for 90 days.
• Extended warranty – Cardmembers receive up to one year of extended warranty coverage on covered purchases in the U. S. with guarantees of five years or less.
• Global assist program – When traveling, you will have access to Amex’s Global Assist Hotline, which may assist you arrange things like passport replacement, medical referrals, and translation services.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company and Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Why you might want a different card

This card lacks some of the benefits you might expect from a $250 top-tier travel credit card travel credit card and doesn’t offer the same level of perks as the other Marriott Bonvoy cards. It’s worth considering Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card if you stay with Marriott often and are comfortable paying a high annual fee in exchange for better rewards rates and premium travel benefits like Gold elite status.

High annual fee

Annual fees for premium travel cards may often reach $500 to $600, so Bonvoy Bevy’s $250 annual fee seems like a reasonable rate. However, the card remains pricey when compared to many other travel cards that provide impressive benefits for less than $100 per year. In terms of luxury, it does not provide much more than a less expensive premium travel credit card, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from American Express.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card boasts a lower annual fee of $95 and a welcome bonus of 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card! It also rewards 3X points on grocery store, gas station and restaurant purchases (up to $6,000 in combined purchases per year, after which it earns 2X) and one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent on your card.

Lacks luxury travel perks

Premium features such as reimbursement of Global Entry and TSA PreCheck fees are noteworthy absences from the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy benefit list. Although other co-branded hotel credit cards, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, provide unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy does not.

Free night award has strings attached

Unlike other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card does not entitle you to a Free Night Award per year for your account anniversary. The card’s Free Night Award requires you to spend a whopping $15,000 in a single calendar year in order to earn it. That makes for  a significant flaw in its overall value.

How does the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card compare to other rewards cards

Despite the benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, many travelers might be better off with a luxury hotel card with lower annual fees or more flexible rewards. Here are a few alternatives you may want to consider:

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card vs. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Frequent Marriott guests willing to pay for a little more luxury may prefer the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card. Among the Marriott Bonvoy cards, this card has the highest annual fee of $650, but has top-notch perks not available on the other cards. It also offers Platinum Elite status plus Priority PassTM Select membership that provides unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges (registration required), while the Bevy only comes with lower-tier Gold Elite status.

With this card, you’ll earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for every dollar you spend at participating hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3X Marriott Bonvoy points for every dollar spent at restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, plus 2X Marriott Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on all other purchases.

Unlike the Bonvoy Bevy, the Bonvoy Brilliant offers a complimentary free night reward of up to 50,000 points with any spending, as well as a Marriott Bonvoy property credit of up to $100 when you stay at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis for a minimum of two nights. Additionally, you can also get statement credits up to $25 each month (up to $300 per calendar year) toward eligible restaurant purchases (enrollment required).

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card vs. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold American Express Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card, Chase’s entry-level Bonvoy card, is a good option if you like Marriott hotels but don’t want to pay an annual fee. Though it offers 3X points per dollar at over 7,000 participating hotels, 2X points per dollar on other travel purchases (from airfare to cabs and trains), and 1 point per dollar on everything else, its rewards rate is less generous than the Bonvoy Bevy Card.

The card does, however, come with 15 Elite Night Credits every year, granting Silver Elite status. Moreover, the Bold is the only Bonvoy card that does not have an annual fee, so you can try out earning Marriott hotel rewards with minimal risk. If you decide not to use the Bonvoy Bold or switch loyalty to another hotel chain, your credit score will still benefit from having more available credit and, as a result, a lower utilization ratio.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card vs. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

If you enjoy staying at Marriott properties, but they aren’t your only preference, you’d probably benefit more from a credit card with flexible rewards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, instead of a co-branded hotel card like the Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you earn 5X points for every dollar you spend on travel purchases through Chase Travel℠ and 3X points for every dollar you spend on dining, streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs). On all other travel purchases, you earn 2X points per dollar and on all other purchases, you earn 1 point per dollar.

Compared to the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, the Sapphire Preferred costs just $95 a year, and it comes with some travel benefits that the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card lacks, such as trip cancellation insurance and primary car rental coverage. The Ultimate Rewards points you earn with this card are also transferable to both connected hotels and multiple airline partners, unlike the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, which can only be used at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

How to use the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card:

• Spend at least $5,000 in six months to earn the current welcome offer.
• Use the card at restaurants and U.S. grocery stores as well as when you make eligible Marriott purchases to earn bonus points
• Use the card to book a stay at any of the 30 Marriott Bonvoy partnered brands, you’ll earn 1,000 bonus points for each night in addition to six points for every dollar spent.
• Keep track of your spending at restaurants and supermarkets in a calendar year, as your earnings will drop from four to two points per dollar once you spend $15,000 in these combined categories.
• Use bonus points to cover the cost of travel expenses such as hotel bookings, airline tickets, airfare and car rentals.
• Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to participating frequent flyer programs, as you’ll receive an extra 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points transferred.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card right for you?

Though the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy has a few valuable benefits for Marriott loyalists that justify the $250 annual fee, others may find it offers no significant long-term value. Beyond the supermarket and restaurant spending categories, this card’s reward earnings aren’t very flexible compared to cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Travelers with no allegiance to Marriott may be better served by a luxury hotel card with a low or $0 annual fee.