Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Review

If you’re loyal to the Marriott brand, you’ll be interested to know that its lineup of American Express co-branded credit cards just got a new member.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, with an annual fee of $250 (see rates & fees), is a mid-tier rewards card that bridges the gap between the entry-level Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase ($95 annual fee) and the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee – see rates & fees).

However, with American Express recently refreshing the Bonvoy Brilliant Card, which now comes with perks like complimentary Platinum Elite status and a $1,000 statement credit at Marriott Bonvoy® Boutiques, would you be better off going with this top-of-the-line card? Or are you better off choosing the Bonvoy Boundless Card and paying a lower annual fee than with the new Bonvoy Bevy Card?

Let’s discuss the different perks that come with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card and see if it’s worth its annual fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Overview

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card comes with a $250 annual fee and has a solid rewards earning potential. With this card, you’ll earn:

• 6X Marriott Bonvoy points on purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• 4X Marriott Bonvoy points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets, then 2X
• 2X Marriott Bonvoy points on all other eligible purchases

If you compare that to the $95 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card, which has nearly the exact same rewards structure (except it earns 3X points on up to $6,000 in combined purchases per year on supermarkets, gas stations and dining instead of 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets), the Bevy Card looks pretty unimpressive, given its annual fee.

Additional Card Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card

In addition to the solid rewards structure offered by the Bonvoy Bevy card, there are also some other great perks that come along with this card. Of course, considering this is a Marriott co-branded card, most of these perks are going to be geared toward people who frequently stay at Marriott properties.

And, if you weren’t impressed by the Bonvoy points earnings rates offered with this card, you’ll be glad to know that the perks are where the Bonvoy Bevy card really shines. Let’s take a look at the card’s main perks.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status

Cardholders will receive automatic Gold Elite status for as long as they have the card. Normally, you’d have to complete 25 qualifying nights at participating Marriott properties to achieve Gold Elite status. However, by virtue of being a Marriott Bonvoy Bevy cardholder, you’ll enjoy all of the perks of Gold Elite status without having to complete any stays.

One of the most lucrative perks of Marriott Gold Elite status is that you’ll earn 25% more Bonvoy points for all eligible hotel purchases. On top of that, you’ll be eligible for room upgrades and late checkout (if available). You also can receive exclusive member rates when you book through Marriott’s website.

All in all, if used correctly, the benefits that come with Marriott Gold Elite status far outweigh the $250 annual fee for the Bonvoy Bevy card.

Elite Night Credits

In addition to immediately being boosted to Gold Elite status, the Bonvoy Bevy card also comes with 15 elite night credits that can help you get to the next elite status tier even quicker.

Typically, you’d have to complete 50 qualifying nights at participating Marriott properties to achieve Platinum Elite status. However, with the Bonvoy Bevy card, you’ll start out at Gold Elite status and you can achieve Platinum Elite status by completing 35 more qualifying nights (in addition to the 15 elite night credits that come with the Bonvoy Bevy card).

If you really want to get to Platinum Elite status without paying for too many Marriott stays, you can stack those 15 elite night credits with the 15 elite night credits you can earn with a Marriott small-business card, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card ($125 annual fee – see rates & fees).

Platinum Elite status members get free breakfast at participating properties and earn 50% more Marriott Bonvoy points on eligible hotel purchases, so achieving this elite status tier will drastically improve your ability to rack up Bonvoy points.

Free Night Certificate via Spending

The Bonvoy Bevy cardholders who spend more than $15,000 on the card in a cardmember year will earn a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points. That’s a better value than the free night certificates that can be earned with lower-tier Marriott-branded cards, which are worth up to 35,000 points.

With a 50,000-point free night certificate, you can book a night at top-of-the-line five-star Marriott properties, such as The Ritz-Carlton, Macau.

Normally, these rooms can cost upwards of $250, which instantly offsets the Bonvoy Bevy card’s annual fee.

Travel Protections

The Bonvoy Bevy card comes with trip delay insurance for trips delayed longer than 12 hours. This insurance covers you up to $300 for round-trip tickets that were paid for entirely with the card if your trip was delayed for a covered reason. However, you can make no more than two claims in a consecutive 12-month period.

Cardholders also receive baggage insurance of up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage in excess of what’s provided by the common carrier. This card also offers secondary rental car insurance of up to $50,000 for damage to or theft of eligible rental cars. Finally, cardmembers also have access to the 24/7 Global Assist Hotline for legal, medical, financial or other emergencies.

Shopping Protections

All purchases made with the Bonvoy Bevy card can receive 90 days of purchase protection and up to a one-year extended warranty on warranties less than five years on covered purchases in the United States or its territories.

What Is Missing

While the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card comes with a bunch of great perks, there are several perks that we’d hope to see that are missing. First of all, cardmembers don’t receive a free night certificate each account anniversary, as they would with the $650 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card.

Other similar cards (such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which has an annual fee of just $95) also offer reimbursements for the application fees for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, a perk that’s noticeably missing from the Bonvoy Bevy card.

The Bonvoy Bevy card also doesn’t include access to Priority Pass, a perk offered by other co-branded hotel credit cards with even lower fees than the Bonvoy Bevy card. For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers cardmembers 10 Priority Pass visits per year.

There’s also a noticeable lack of statement credits offered with the Bonvoy Bevy card. Whereas the $395 annual fee Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, there are no statement credits whatsoever offered by the Bonvoy Bevy card.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card Right for You?

Generally, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card is a good option for those who are loyal to the Marriott brand and want to immediately reap the benefits of Gold Elite status but don’t want to pay the $650 for Marriott’s premium credit card.

The Bonvoy Bevy card also comes with strong travel insurance and shopping insurance coverages that can save you a bunch of money if your trip gets delayed or you need an extended warranty. These are benefits that you can often only find with high-price-tag premium credit cards.

However, there are several places where the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card falls short as well, such as its lack of Priority Pass access or statement credits. And, because American Express has limits on how many of its credit cards a person can hold at once, you might not want to use one of those spots on the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy if you can find other options in the American Express lineup that are more suitable for you.

If you decide that you want the Marriott Bonvoy in your wallet, you should understand the best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points.

How to Redeem Bonvoy Points

Marriott Bonvoy points are a solid rewards currency. And, while it doesn’t offer great rewards for everyday spending, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy offers a great opportunity to quickly rack up Bonvoy points at Marriott locations, U.S. supermarkets and restaurants worldwide.

However, the benefit that you get from your Marriott Bonvoy points depends heavily on the way that you choose to redeem them. Some of the redemption options offer far greater value than others. So, here are the best ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points.

Free Stays

The first and most obvious way to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points is for free stays. This is the simplest option and, typically, the one that offers the most value. And, with more than 8,000 properties across 30 brands in nearly 140 countries participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, you’ve got a lot of options.

Saving up Bonvoy points can get you access to several of Marriott’s ultra-luxury properties, such as The Ritz-Carlton- and St. Regis-branded hotels. In most cases, a night at these properties will cost you around 100,000 points (or more).

Although that may seem like a ton of points, that’s actually a good value considering the cash rate for some of these properties can be $1,500 or more per night. That’s a value of 1.5 cents per point, which is a good value for Marriott Bonvoy Points.

You should keep in mind that Marriott recently removed its award chart and shifted toward a dynamic pricing model, meaning that redemption prices are now more closely tied to cash prices for any redemption. This is especially important around peak travel times and holidays when prices tend to rise dramatically.

It’s also worth noting that Marriott recently added its Points Advance feature, which gives you the option to reserve a room even if you don’t have all of the points needed. You can book your desired room and then pay off the “loan” as you earn the extra points. Unfortunately, the room rate that you book at is subject to change and may be significantly higher by the time you actually pay.

Luckily, if you use your points to book four nights in a row at the same Marriott Bonvoy-participating location, you’ll receive the fifth night free. This award is only available when booking stays with points and not when using free night certificates, though.

On top of that, award stays can also earn elite night credits, meaning that every award stay that you book will get you one step closer to achieving Platinum Elite status (since you already have Gold Elite status with your Bevy card).

To book an award stay with Marriott, simply log in to the Marriott Bonvoy website, select your desired dates and location, and check the “Use Points/Certificates” box below.

Then, the search results will display the points rates for the locations on the dates that you searched.

Transfer to Airline Partners

Apart from using your points for free stays, transferring your Bonvoy points to one of Marriott’s many airline partners is another solid redemption option. Here are Marriott’s partnered frequent-flyer programs and the ratios at which Bonvoy points transfer into them.

*Air New Zealand AirPoints are equal to 1 New Zealand dollar apiece, hence the high transfer ratio.

**Marriott and United have a partnership, known as RewardsPlus, in which United will give you 10% bonus points for transferring your Bonvoy points into their frequent-flyer program.

As you can see, most points transfer at a 3:1 ratio, meaning that you’ll get 1 airline mile for every 3 Marriott Bonvoy points. In most cases, transferring your points this way doesn’t make a ton of sense. However, if you need some extra airline miles to purchase a specific award flight, transferring from Marriott Bonvoy could be a good way to top off your balance.

Marriott Bonvoy Moments

Another way to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points that’s often overlooked is through Marriott Bonvoy Moments. This platform allows you to use your points to get exclusive access to concerts, sporting events, culinary experiences and more.

You can either choose to redeem your points for fixed-price tickets or participate in auctions that can get you into otherwise inaccessible events.

While redeeming points this way usually doesn’t yield the highest value per point, it can help you access events that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get into.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card Worth the Annual Fee?

In short, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card is worth the annual fee if you frequently stay at Marriott properties. The most lucrative perk of this card is clearly the instant upgrade to Gold Elite status and the opportunity to earn 25% more Bonvoy points on eligible hotel purchases at Marriott properties.

The 15 elite night credits can also help you achieve Platinum Elite status much quicker, at which point you’ll start earning 50% more Bonvoy points on eligible hotel purchases at Marriott properties.

On top of that, the earnings structure is strongly geared toward spending at Marriott properties. And, once you rack up a large balance of Bonvoy points, the only truly smart way to use them is for free stays at Marriott properties.

So, if you don’t frequently stay at Marriott properties, the Bonvoy Bevy card is probably not worth its annual fee. And, considering American Express limits customers to a certain number of their cards, you’ll probably want to use that space for another card in the American Express portfolio.

Which Cards Compete With the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card?

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card has struck new ground in the world of hotel credit cards. While many entry-level hotel-branded credit cards carry an annual fee of $95 or less and many luxury hotel-branded credit cards have annual fees of $450 or more, the Bonvoy Bevy card sits right in the middle with an annual fee of $250.

Let’s take a look at other cards you might want to consider instead of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy.

In September 2022, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card’s annual fee increased from $450 to $650. And, while that fee may seem awfully hefty at first, the perks that it offers can quickly offset its cost.

The Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card offers instant Platinum Elite status, a free night certificate worth up to 85,000 points every cardmember anniversary and up to $300 in statement credits for dining purchases every cardmember year. If you can see yourself using all of these perks, the Bonvoy Brilliant card is probably a better option for you.

Another premium hotel card worth looking at is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which has an annual fee of $450. This card offers a ton of great perks: top-tier Diamond status with Hilton Honors, a weekend night award every cardmember anniversary, up to $250 in Hilton resort statement credits each cardmember year and Priority Pass membership. If you’re pretty indifferent when it comes to Marriott versus Hilton properties, this may be a better option for you than the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card.

If you’re looking for elite benefits from both Hilton and Marriott, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers complimentary Gold status with both Hilton and Marriott for as long as you hold the card. This card also comes with lounge access from Priority Pass, Amex Centurion and Plaza Premium.

You’ll also receive elite status with several rental car companies as well as up to $1,500 in annual credits. Plus, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points directly to Marriott Bonvoy at a favorable rate. All of this comes with an annual fee of $695 (see rates & fees).

The Bottom Line

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is a new concept in the world of hotel-branded credit cards, positioning itself between entry-level cards and premium cards with high annual fees.

Unfortunately, the Bevy Amex Card lacks many of the perks that one might expect to come standard for $250 per year, such as lounge access, statement credits, a free night certificate and TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee reimbursements.

Still, you can easily offset this card’s annual fee by taking advantage of Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and earning Bonvoy points by spending at Marriott properties. In general, though, it’s hard to see why someone would go for the Bonvoy Bevy card when the Bonvoy Boundless card offers almost the same perks and rewards for an annual fee of just $95.