Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card Review [2024]: High Cost, Average Benefits

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card is a card from American Express and Marriott that offers opportunities to earn points and elevated elite status. It provides complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and 15 annual Elite Night Credits to help you earn Platinum Elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card also provides an opportunity to earn a Free Night Award each year that’s worth up to 50,000 points. However, you need to spend $15,000 in a calendar year to earn the free night, which generally makes this benefit much less valuable. Add on the $250 annual fee, and you may wonder where this card offers value.

Let’s dig into the details and see whether this Amex card makes sense for you in this Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card review,

Generous Welcome Offer and Gold Elite Status

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

4.5

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

Learn How to Apply

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$250

Rewards Rate

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

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status. Enrollment required.
• 6X points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• 4X points at worldwide restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and U.S. supermarkets (up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points)
• No foreign transaction fees
• $250 annual fee. Terms apply.

Drawbacks

• Mid-level annual fee with limited premium perks
• Free Night Award is not automatic, requires a sizable minimum spend

Card Details

• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program; 4X points at worldwide restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and U.S. supermarkets (up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points); and 2X points on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply

Who should get the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card?

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card makes sense if you frequently stay at Marriott properties. This card can help you earn loads of Marriott points on your eligible stays. You can also earn a complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy can especially be worth it if you know you’re going to use the card to spend at least $15,000 per calendar year, as this can qualify for the Free Night Award benefit.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card limitations

Most travelers may not benefit much from the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card. This card would have made sense if it came with an automatic Free Night Award that could help offset the $250 annual fee. Instead, you have to spend $15,000 in a calendar year to earn the free night certificate.

Apart from this, Gold Elite status benefits are average because you don’t get free breakfast or suite upgrades. Additionally, earning Marriott points isn’t important if you aren’t a Marriott enthusiast.

Other American Express cards such as The Platinum Card^® from American Express and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card could make more sense if you want a luxury card with luxury benefits.

Card basics

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
• Marriott rewards: Earn 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program; 4X points at worldwide restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and U.S. supermarkets (up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points); and 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• 1,000 points per stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per eligible paid Marriott stay booked directly with Marriott Bonvoy properties.
• Complimentary Gold Elite status: Receive complimentary Gold Elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program. Gold Elite status benefits include 25% bonus points, late checkout, and enhanced room upgrades.
• Elite Night Credits: Receive 15 Elite Night Credits each year. Not to be confused with free night awards, these credits can help you earn Platinum Elite status, which requires 50 qualifying nights in a year. Platinum Elite status benefits include lounge access, complimentary breakfast, and room upgrades that can include suites.
• Free Night Award: Earn a Free Night Award worth up to 50,000 points after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
• No foreign transaction fees: Avoid foreign transaction fees on purchases you make abroad.
• Purchase protection¹: Receive coverage for eligible purchases against damage, loss, or theft for up to $10,000 per occurence and up to $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty protection²: Extend eligible manufacturer’s warranties on covered purchases by up to one additional year using this protection.
• Car rental insurance³: Receive up to $50,000 in secondary coverage on eligible rental vehicles for damage or theft.
• Baggage insurance⁴: Cover damaged or lost luggage up to $1,250 per person for carry-on luggage and up to $500 per person for checked luggage.
• Trip delay insurance⁵: Receive up to $300 per covered trip that’s delayed more than 12 hours.
• Terms apply.

Drawbacks to the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card

• $250 annual fee: The $250 annual fee is a bit steep and the available benefits don’t necessarily justify the cost unless you stay at Marriott hotels all the time and can earn many points.
• Free Night Award spending requirement: The $15,000 spend requirement in a calendar year to earn a Free Night Award isn’t feasible for many people, which makes this a worthless benefit for plenty of potential cardholders.
• Gold Elite status isn’t great: The benefits of the Gold Elite status don’t stand out. Hotel travelers often want free breakfast or suite upgrades, which Gold Elite members don’t typically receive. These benefits come with the Platinum Elite status, which is a complimentary benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card.

Earning & redeeming Marriott Bonvoy bonus points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.84 cents per point.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $2,050

Year two earnings: $872

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Keep in mind that you can get more value from this card depending on whether you use its perks and benefits. This includes earning and using the annual Free Night Award, using Gold Elite status benefits, and using travel and purchase protections.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex card is to use it as much as possible in its high-earning bonus categories. The best earning rate on this card is 6X points on hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

But remember you get more points as a Marriott Bonvoy member with Gold Elite status:

• Marriott Bonvoy members earn an additional 10X points on qualifying purchases, including Marriott stays
• Gold Elite members get a 2.5X (25%) points bonus

So you can earn up to 18.5X points on your eligible Marriott stays.

The other bonus categories provide below-average earning rates and likely aren’t worth it, especially if you have access to more rewards credit cards. Marriott points are generally worth less than many other rewards currencies, so you can find better ways to earn at grocery stores and restaurants.

For example, when you use the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, you can earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (for first $6,000 per year, after that 1%) and on select U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

Another example is the American Express^® Gold Card. You can earn 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X) and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases.

Maximizing your redemptions

These are some of your options for redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points:

You typically get the most redemption value for redemptions on stays at Marriott properties compared with the other available options. But you may choose another redemption option if you have plenty of Marriott points and have no current need for Marriott reward stays.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card transfer partners

You can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to many travel partners, including dozens of airlines and the InterMiles rewards program:

The typical transfer ratio for Marriott points to the loyalty programs of these airlines is 3 to 1. This means 3,000 Marriott points equals 1,000 points or miles in most transfer scenarios.

It’s typically not worth it to transfer Marriott points to travel partners because of this unbalanced transfer ratio. But it might make sense if you need to top off your balance with an applicable rewards program.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

If the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy isn’t the right fit for you, compare credit cards and credit card offers to find a card that makes more sense. Here are a few of our recommendations:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is an excellent choice for travelers. It has a $95 annual fee, which is lower than the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy. You also get a $50 hotel credit toward hotel stays purchased through the Chase travel portal each year. And your points are worth 25% more toward travel redemptions, which can help you get more flights and hotel stays for fewer points.

Find out more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has a $395 annual fee, which is higher than the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy. But the Venture X provides loads of benefits, including a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary miles (worth $100 toward travel), up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, and airport lounge access to Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium lounges.

Learn more in our Capital One Venture X review.

Generous Welcome Offer and Gold Elite Status

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

4.5

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

4.5

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Learn How to Apply

Why We Like It

Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Learn How to Apply

See how these cards compare:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 25% more value when redeeming rewards for travel through Chase Travel℠
• 10% anniversary point bonus each year
• $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• Premium travel protection benefits

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
• 10,000-mile annual anniversary bonus
• Up to 10 miles per dollar
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit
• Access to Capital One and Priority Pass lounges
• 19.99% - 29.99% (variable) purchase APR
• Rates and fees