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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card Lowers Welcome Offer, But It's Still Lucrative

With travel prices soaring, this hotel credit card for Marriott loyalists can help optimize your spending.

Jaclyn DeJohn Former Editor

Jaclyn was a CNET Money editor with a fondness for the sweet spot between numbers and words. Overseeing CNET's credit card coverage, she wrote and edited news, reviews and advice. She has experience covering business, personal finance and economics, and previously managed contracts and investments as a real estate agent. Her tech interests include Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company and Neuralink.

Expertise Credit cards, banking, home equity, mortgages

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Jaclyn DeJohn

May 25, 2022 8:10 a.m. PT

2 min read

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The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, a hotel credit card dedicated to Marriott loyalists, cut its welcome offer back after a brief boost.

In late April, this card unveiled a new welcome offer of 100,000 points and a Free Night Award after spending $5,000 on the card within the first three months. Now, the welcome offer has returned to its previous offer: 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first three months. While it's not quite as lucrative, it does have a lower spending threshold and still yields a large points bonus.

There is no longer a Free Night Award associated with the welcome offer -- but you'll still earn a Free Night Award each year after your card renewal month. This award can be used to book a room at a participating hotel for one night, with a redemption value of up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (note that resort fees may apply at certain hotels).

While the previous welcome offer boost was a nice reprieve amid rising travel prices -- and the subsequent reduction may feel restrictive given increasing interest rates and high inflation -- the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card remains a top hotel credit card, particularly when it comes to rewards programs and travel perks.

For more details about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card, check out our collection of American Express credit cards. If you're not a strict Marriott guest and would like more flexibility in your travel rewards, see our page for the best travel credit cards.

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