Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card offers mid-tier perks, including automatic Gold Elite status, solid points-earning at Marriott properties and elite night credits. However, it lacks several benefits that you might expect from a card with a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Marriott offers several cobranded cards for potential cardholders to choose from, each with annual fees ranging from $0 to $650 per year. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card sits in the middle, with an annual fee of $250.
The card lacks one feature we’ve come to expect with hotel credit cards: a complimentary free night each year on your account anniversary, which may leave you wondering whether it offers enough ongoing benefits to make the annual fee worth paying year after year.
To increase your chances of getting approved for this card, TPG recommends applicants have a credit score of 670 or above. Additionally, there are some application restrictions that apply to the Bevy, like the rest of the Bonvoy lineup. But if you’re eligible, let’s dig deeper to decide whether the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card merits a place in your wallet.
Bonvoy Bevy Amex pros and cons
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Bonvoy Bevy Amex welcome offer
New Bonvoy Bevy Amex cardmembers can earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Based on TPG’s December 2024 valuation of Marriott points at 0.85 cents each, the 85,000 points are worth approximately $723.
Remember that Amex has restrictions limiting your ability to collect a new member bonus if you’ve had similar Marriott products from Chase or previous Starwood Preferred Guest cards from American Express. Check the card’s offer details page to ensure you’re eligible.
Related: The best time to apply for these Amex cards based on offer history
Bonvoy Bevy Amex benefits
Where the Bonvoy Bevy Amex shines the most is in the perks it offers (terms apply):
- Marriott Gold Elite status: Primary cardmembers receive complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status for as long as they have the card. At Marriott Bonvoy’s mid-tier level, the most valuable benefits of Gold status are upgrades to enhanced rooms and a 25% points bonus on hotel spending (available for Qualifying Rates). Typically, we have seen the ability to spend your way to higher levels of elite status with many hotel credit cards, but that’s noticeably absent on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Enrollment is required in advance for this elite status benefit.
- Annual free night award via spending: Cardmembers who make at least $15,000 in eligible purchases during the calendar year can earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points at participating hotels (certain hotels have resort fees). That’s more valuable than the free night certificates that come with the lower-tier Marriott cards, which are capped at 35,000 points. Some of the best uses of the 50,000-point free night certificate include luxury hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton, Macau and The St. Regis Langkawi, where rooms routinely top $500 per night — though Marriott’s dynamic pricing can affect the ability to book some of these properties during peak travel dates. Some other Bonvoy cards offer free night certificates without any spending, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (terms apply).
- Elite night credits: Cardmembers will receive 15 elite qualifying night credits each calendar year. This benefit can be stacked with the nights you earn with a Marriott small-business card, allowing you to fast-track up to 30 elite nights per year. For reference, you need 50 nights per year to qualify for Platinum Elite status.
- Travel protections: This card offers trip delay insurance* for trips delayed by more than 12 hours due to a covered reason, as well as baggage insurance** coverage and secondary car rental loss and damage insurance.***
- Shopping protections: Purchases made with the card can get 90 days of purchase protection** and up to one year of extended warranty coverage** on warranties of five years or less on covered purchases in the U.S. or its territories or possessions.
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
**Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
***Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
While these perks offer some value, it’s disappointing not to see a free night award given automatically on the card’s account anniversary each year and other premium perks like reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Related: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy worth the annual fee?
Earning points on the Bonvoy Bevy Amex
The Bonvoy Bevy Amex earning rates feel familiar. However, they differ slightly from those of other Marriott credit cards, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.
Cardmembers will earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 4 points per dollar spent on the first $15,000 per year in combined purchases at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (then 2 points per dollar spent after reaching this limit) and 2 points per dollar spent on other eligible purchases.
Per TPG’s December 2024 valuations, this means your rate of return on spending will be 5.1% (on purchases earning 6 points per dollar spent), 3.4% (purchases earning 4 points per dollar spent) or 1.7% (other purchases earning 2 points per dollar spent).
Related: 17 ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points
Redeeming points on the Bonvoy Bevy Amex
There are many lucrative ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points. The obvious and most valuable redemption is for free stays. With the ability to book more than 8,000 properties across 30 brands in roughly 140 countries, you’ve got a lot of choices.
Beyond hotel stays, you can transfer your Bonvoy points to airline partners, use them to cover flights, car rentals and cruises or redeem them for merchandise and gift cards.
However, these options will likely yield well below TPG’s December 2024 valuation of Marriott points at 0.85 cents per point, so we recommend using your points for Bonvoy stays whenever possible.
TPG senior points and miles writer Katie Genter gets great value from her Marriott points by redeeming for stays in increments of five nights to maximize Marriott’s stay for five, pay for four offer. She’ll occasionally consider transferring points to one of Marriott’s airline partners but usually prefers to save her points for stays.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with the Marriott Bonvoy program
Transferring points on the Bonvoy Bevy Amex
You can also transfer your Bonvoy points to more than 35 airline partners, but this rarely offers good value unless you need to top off an account balance for flight redemptions.
You may also consider this option if you want access to an airline’s frequent flyer points or miles that don’t partner with any of the major U.S. credit card issuers.
Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
Which cards compete with the Bonvoy Bevy Amex?
If you want more or different hotel benefits, one of these cards may be a better fit:
- If you want more Marriott perks: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card comes with automatic Platinum Elite status, an annual free night award worth up to 85,000 points (certain hotels have resort fees) and up to $300 per calendar year in statement credits for dining purchases made on the Bonvoy Brilliant (up to $25 monthly). For more information, read our full review of the Bonvoy Brilliant.
- If you’re not partial to Marriott: Check out the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which carries an annual fee of $550. This card offers valuable benefits like top-tier Diamond status with Hilton Honors and a free night award each year on your account anniversary. For more information, read our full review of the Hilton Amex Aspire.
- If you want a more general travel card: Consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. This is a premium travel card with an annual fee of $550, offering benefits like Priority Pass membership, reimbursement for your application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, an annual travel credit of up to $300 and strong earning categories. For more information, read our full review of the Sapphire Reserve.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best hotel cards.
The information for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Which Marriott Bonvoy credit card is right for you?
Bottom line
It’s easy to see how cardmembers can obtain value from the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex during the first year, thanks to its valuable welcome offer. But given the earning structure and the benefits available to cardmembers, it may be hard to justify keeping this card in your wallet in year two (and beyond) — especially when other Marriott cards offer similar perks at lower annual fees.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card
Related: How to choose a hotel credit card
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, click here.
