Credit Card Review: AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy
Marriott recently made changes to the current lineup of credit cards and introduced new products. When I heard one of the new credit cards would be called AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, I thought it would be an ultra-luxury hotel credit card since according to Merriam-Webster, bevy means a large group or collection. However, AMEX took me by surprise and revealed mediocre benefits for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card and awkwardly set the card’s annual fee as $250. Should this card deserve a spot in your wallet? Here is my review of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card:
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card comes with an exciting sign-up bonus of 125,000 points, but does it deserve a spot in your wallet? Photo by AMEX.
Sign-Up Bonus & Multiplier: Worth up to $1,000
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $4,000 within your first three months of card membership. Since the card is issued by AMEX, it will be subject to AMEX’s Once-In-A-Lifetime rule, which means that you can only receive a sign-up bonus once per credit card ever. Given that the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card was just released, this welcome bonus will probably be the highest offer we will see for a long time. Using the valuation of 0.8 cents per point, the welcome bonus of 125,000 points is worth about $1,000.
It’s good to see that the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card will earn points at U.S. supermarkets, but there are better credit cards for grocery expenses. Photo by AMEX.
The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points at restaurants worldwide including take-out and delivery orders in the U.S., 4X points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets, and 2X on all other purchases. I like that the card earns about 3.2% back on groceries, but it is still not as competitive as other workhorse cards like the AMEX Gold card or even the Citi Premier card.
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Annual Fee & Benefits
As mentioned, the annual fee of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is $250, which is on par with other premium travel credit cards such as the AMEX Gold card or the AMEX Delta Platinum card. The card’s benefits could be competitive for select people, but in my opinion, it may not entirely justify the annual fee.
Automatic Gold Elite Status
Cardholders of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card will receive complimentary Gold Elite status. It is the second lowest tier on the Marriott Bonvoy elite status ladder, and Gold Elites can enjoy 25% bonus points on stays and possible upgrades to enhanced rooms. However, it is rare to get upgraded to a better room with Gold Elite status since Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elites are prioritized. You will need to enroll in this benefit to take advantage of the complimentary status.
You can qualify for complimentary Gold Elite status by holding the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Photo by Marriott.
15 Elite Night Credits
Do you want to earn higher Marriott Bonvoy status? When you hold the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, you will automatically earn 15 Elite Night Credits. In order to move up to the next level, Platinum Elite, you will need to accrue 35 more Elite Night Credits. Platinum Elites can experience noticeable improvements such as 50% bonus points on stays, free breakfast, and access to executive lounges. The fastest way to qualify for Platinum Elite status is to stack additional 15 Elite Night Credits by holding the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card since you can’t accumulate Elite Night Credits from multiple personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
Elite Night Credits are essential when it comes to qualifying for higher status.
Free Night Award—After Spending $15,000
Usually, the biggest perk of holding a hotel credit card is receiving an annual free night certificate. Both the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card and the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card give you an 85,000-point and a 35,000-point Free Night Awards, respectively. The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card allows you to earn a Free Night Award—with a catch. Cardholders will need to spend $15,000 in a calendar year to acquire a Free Night Award worth up to 50,000 points. To me, this is the most disappointing perk since its annual fee is $250. For example, the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card earns you a Weekend Night Reward after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, but its $95 annual fee is waived the first year of card ownership, and the Weekend Night Reward is not capped as long as it is used on a standard room. I strongly believe the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card should come with at least a 50,000-point Free Night Award in addition to the chance to gain another Award after meeting the yearly spending requirement.
I will be using my Free Night Award to stay a night in Copenhagen Denmark. Photo by AMEX.
1K Bonus Points per Stay
Another unique benefit of the card is that you would receive 1,000 bonus points per stay for paid stays when you pay with your AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Note that this extra point earning opportunity is eligible for paid stays, meaning award stays and stays using third-party booking sites do not count. While 1,000 extra points may sound substantial, with my valuation of 0.8 cents per point, it is only worth about $8.
Personal Wishlist
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is not a cheap credit card. As expected, lots of its perks center around hotel accommodations, but it isn’t as competitive as its sister product—the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card carries an annual fee of $95 and comes with an annual 35,000-point free night certificate. I personally think the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card should have an annual free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points since the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card now gets an annual 85,000-point free night certificate.
All of these Marriott credit cards receive an annual Free Night Award. Why was the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card excluded?
Another missing item on its benefits list is airport lounge access. At its price point, I don’t expect AMEX to award cardholders with extensive access, but at least, cardholders should get some lounge passes. For instance, people with the AMEX Hilton Surpass card get 10 Priority Pass lounge coupons, and the card costs only $95 a year. Even the AMEX Green card, which carries an annual fee of $150, gets a $100 LoungeBuddy credit. I understand not all credit cards are perfect, but as a travel credit card, the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is a bit disappointing since some cheaper cards have more lucrative and practical benefits.
Summary
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is one of the newest additions to the Marriott hotel credit card lineup. The card comes with an exciting sign-up bonus offer of 125,000 points, but for a travel credit card with an annual price tag of $250, it lacks practical benefits that entice cardmembers to own it for the long term. The card doesn’t come with a Free Night Award; you can earn a 50,000-point Award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, which is quite surprising since cheaper credit cards like the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card already offer that benefit. While complimentary Gold Elite status and 15 Elite Night Credits are valuable, aside from the sign-up bonus, as of now, the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card doesn’t move the needle for me. I hope AMEX introduces more practical benefits and strengthen the card in the future.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
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