Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 100,000 points after $6,000 spend in 6 months, $650 annual fee

· PerkSensei Desk

Last successful source check
Oct 14, 2026
Last verified
Oct 14, 2026, by our research team

Our deal scouts work to keep this offer current. Terms and eligibility can change. Confirm the details with the provider before applying.

American Express

In plain terms

Open the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within 6 months of opening the account, and you earn 100,000 points. The annual fee is $650 and is charged in year one.

Key terms

Reward
100,000 points
Spend
$6,000
Window
6 months from account opening
Annual fee
$650
Apply by
No public end date stated
Type
Personal, public offer
Bonus usually posts
8–12 weeks after you finish the spend

Before you apply

  • Prior Brilliant, SPG Luxury or earlier versions may exclude; Amex account-history factors apply. Excluded: Ritz-Carlton/JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton ownership in 30 days; Chase Marriott Bountiful, Boundless or Bold acquired in 90 days; welcome or upgrade bonus on those three in 24 months.
  • Refunded or excluded transactions do not satisfy net qualifying spend. Keep the account eligible until fulfillment.
  • Amex misuse/gaming or returns can cause withheld or recovered rewards and account closure; a displayed bonus does not override an ineligibility notice.
  • Applies to the linked offer channel; do not combine its bonus or spend requirement with another channel.
  • These don't count toward the spend: fees and interest, cash advances, travelers checks, prepaid card purchases or reloads, gift cards, person-to-person payments, cash equivalents.
  • When the spending window starts: Account opening, not receipt of the physical card.

YMMV: approval and bonus eligibility are the issuer's decision.

What it's worth to you

Credits start at their full stated value. That's an assumption, not what you'll actually get. Mark anything you wouldn't fully use, and the totals update.

We start at 0.6¢, an example assumption from our research, not a cash price.

Welcome offer

Welcome bonus

100,000 points (Marriott Bonvoy) at your point value

$600

Benefits and credits

Restaurant statement credit

Up to $25 a month ($300 a year)

  • Up to $25 monthly, $300 calendar-year account cap shared with additional cards. Eligible restaurants worldwide; no rollover. Gift cards and nonrestaurant-coded charges excluded; hotel restaurants may not qualify. Allow 8–12 weeks.
  • Unused amounts don't roll over.

Year one $300 · After year one $300 a year

Renewal free-night certificate

No cash value. Enter what the night is worth to you.

  • After renewal only: one award capped at 85,000 points, delivered in 8–12 weeks and valid 12 months. Up to 25,000 member points may top up at their opportunity cost. Award availability and resort/incidental charges apply.
  • Starts after your first account anniversary, so it isn't counted in year one.
  • Expires 12 months after it's issued.

Not counted

Marriott Platinum status

No fixed dollar value. Enter what it's worth to you each year, if anything.

  • Basic member only; linked Marriott account, up to 12 weeks. Complimentary Platinum ends when card is canceled; benefits vary by property.

Not counted

Marriott elite-night credits

No fixed dollar value. Enter what it's worth to you each year, if anything.

  • 25 qualifying nights: within 60 days initially and by March 1 in subsequent years. Highest eligible consumer-card award applies; an eligible business-card award can combine. Do not add 25 for each consumer card.

Not counted

Annual earned choice benefit

No fixed dollar value. Enter what it's worth to you each year, if anything.

  • After $60,000 calendar-year eligible spend choose ONE listed benefit by February 1 of next year, 11:59 p.m. EST. Default is five Nightly Upgrade Awards if no choice; selection is final. Upgrade awards expire December 31 next year; free-night award expires 12 months after issue.
  • Requires $60,000 in purchases in a calendar year.
  • You pick one: Five Nightly Upgrade Awards; One Free Night Award capped at 85000 points; One-time 50000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Not counted

Eligible Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis property credit

$100 per eligible booking, with no yearly maximum

  • Up to $100 hotel-bill credit per eligible Ritz-Carlton/St. Regis booking of two nights at the special card rate, basic member only. Room price, property fees, tax, tips and third-party charges excluded. Expires at checkout; back-to-back stays within 24 hours count as one. Deduct any rate premium.

Not counted

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement

$120 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA PreCheck, once every 4 years

  • First eligible application each four years: Global Entry up to $120 OR TSA PreCheck up to $85. Shared primary/additional-card limit; allow up to eight weeks. No NEXUS/SENTRI or third-party application assistance.
  • Counted once in year one. After that we spread it over 4 years ($30 a year), not every year.

Year one $120 · After year one $30 a year

Priority Pass Select access

No fixed dollar value. Enter what it's worth to you each year, if anything.

  • Basic member enrolls; up to two guests where the lounge allows guests. Additional guests incur charges; additional cardholders do not get a separate membership. Space/boarding-pass requirements apply; membership delivery 10–14 business days.

Not counted

Premium hotel internet

No fixed dollar value. Enter what it's worth to you each year, if anything.

  • Basic member, participating hotels, one eligible room with linked Marriott number; no automatic cash value.

Not counted

Also included, not counted

  • Cell phone protection summary: Up to $800 per claim, $50 deductible

    Pay the preceding monthly wireless bill with the card; eligible lines only. Excess coverage for damage/theft; lost phones excluded. Claim documentation and the linked policy govern. This is coverage, not an $800 credit. Coverage, not a yearly cash benefit, so it isn't counted in the totals.

Extra fees, or anything you'd buy only to use a credit.

Reset to full-value assumptions
Your estimate
Year oneAfter year one, per year
Welcome bonus$600$0
Rewards on the $6,000 required spend$72$0
Minus what a 2% card would earn on it−$120$0
Benefits you counted$420$330
Annual fee−$650−$650
Other costs$0$0
Estimated total$322−$320

Sensei's Take

At your values, year one comes out about $322 ahead, mostly from the welcome bonus.

After year one, the $650 fee outweighs what you counted by about $320 a year. Before the renewal fee posts, compare a downgrade or closing, and check the issuer's terms on clawbacks and remaining credits first. A downgrade or retention offer isn't guaranteed.

7 items are marked Not sure and left out.

Not counted yet

Marked Not sure. Decide on these to include them.

  • Renewal free-night certificate
  • Marriott Platinum status
  • Marriott elite-night credits
  • Annual earned choice benefit
  • Eligible Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis property credit
  • Priority Pass Select access
  • Premium hotel internet
How we estimate this
  • Credits start at their full stated value. That's a starting assumption, not what you'll actually get. Change anything you won't fully use.
  • Items marked Not sure stay out of the totals until you decide.
  • Year one counts each yearly credit once. It doesn't assume you can use a calendar-year credit twice in your first account year.
  • Ongoing totals leave out everyday spending rewards, which depend on how much you spend.
  • Statement balances paid in full; no financing cost modeled.
  • Qualifying spend is normal eligible spending, net of returns.
  • A 2% alternative card is the baseline.
  • Point values are explicit examples, not cash guarantees.
  • An unvalued welcome certificate leaves full first-year total null; show the quantified subtotal separately.

Illustration only, not a promise of value. Terms can change; check the issuer's current terms.

Offer historyInsufficient history

We have one reviewed observation of this offer so far (Oct 14, 2026). History charts appear once we have enough comparable, reviewed offers, and gaps will show as gaps.

Sources