From September 22, 2022, American Express will bring a significant change to the US Marriott Bonavoy Brilliant Card: the annual $ 300 Marriott credit will be replaced by 12 sets of $ 25 monthly dining credit (all figures in US dollars).
This presents a big shock to this card and whether it will be positive or negative for you depends on your monthly spending habits.
$ 300 Marriott Credit Replacement 12 × $ 25 Dining Credit
The Amex US Marriott Bonavoy Brilliant Card is a premium Marriott co-branded credit card offer in the United States, and comes with a ফ 450 annual fee.
However, the annual fee is justified by many benefits, including 15 elite qualifying nights, an annual $ 300 Marriott credit, and an anniversary free night award worth up to 50,000 bona fide points.
The $ 300 Marriott credit, in particular, can be used for any Marriott purchase – be it room rate, accessories, or even a gift card from the front desk. If you spend $ 300 per year with Marriott, this credit was as good as the cash in your pocket.
However, since September 22, 2022, American Express is implementing a major change to this credit, changing it from $ 300 per annum of Marriott purchases to যোগ্য 25 per month of eligible dining credit at restaurants worldwide.
For existing cardholders, this means you must use your $ 300 Marriott credit before September 22nd. If you don’t already have a hotel line, you can go to the local Marriott Hotel to buy a gift card. And credit triggers.
You’ll then start receiving a 25 dining credit per month from October, so due to the change this membership year you’ll get a little more value from the card.
This makes the Forest Fear Brilliant card even more annoying to hold
On the page, 12 25 per month for 12 months is equivalent to $ 300 per year, so the face value of statement credits remains the same. Dining Credit is also redeemable at restaurants worldwide, so Canadian-based cardholders should have no problem using it.
If you find it easier to take advantage of 12 sets of $ 25 dining credit than spending $ 300 a year with Marriott, you will see this change as a positive development.
However, if you typically spend at least $ 300 a year with Marriott (as I imagine most wildly brilliant cardholders would), splitting this credit into 12 sets of dining credits makes holding this card even more “annoying.” Long term
You’ll need to keep track of each monthly credit and remember to use it, and you’ll be offered better prizes on your Amex US Gold Card or Amex Cobalt Card for your dining purchases.
If you miss a month or two, you’ve lost the potential value that you must be able to unlock with the old $ 300 Marriott credit – and this is clearly the trap that Amex US has created for cardholders through this change.
I imagine some cardholders would be able to maximize the monthly 25 dining credits so that they could lower their net annual fee to $ 150 for the year, which is still an attractive price to pay in exchange for a প 50,000 Free Night Award.
However, if you feel the headache of using the card for dining once a month, you also have the option to download Bonavoy Brilliant to the Amex US Bonavoy card, which is a $ 95 product that has been discontinued for new applicants but remains. Available via a downgrade path.
$ 95 Amex US Bonavoy Card offers 15 Elite Qualifying Nights per year (which would be 30 if you had Amex US Bonavoy Business Card), as well as an Annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 points to justify the annual fee.
Personally, I currently have two Forest Fear Brilliant cards active through my family. I’d like to try the monthly dining credits once and see how “annoying” they are to be tracked and used each month, and I could downgrade one of these cards to a $ 95 Bonvay card if it becomes too much to handle.
Conclusion
The Amex US Forest Fear Brilliant card will be converted from a $ 300 annual Marriott credit to a monthly $ 25 dining credit set by September 22, 2022.
This does not change the nominal value proposition of the surface card, but makes it a more time-consuming card that maximizes handling and moving forward.
If you are an existing Forest Fear Brilliant Cardholder, this is a good opportunity to reconsider whether the card is meaningful to you in the long run; If that doesn’t happen, it’s time to dump her and move on.
