The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card is now offering a $300 dining credit — here's how you can maximize it

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Starting Sept. 22, 2022 the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is changing their annual up to $300 Marriott Hotel statement credit to a dining statement credit that can be redeemed at any eligible restaurant worldwide.

Below, Select outlines the new benefit and what you need to keep in mind as you earn rewards on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.

The new dining credit will reimburse cardholders up to $300 a year in statement credits for their spend at eligible restaurants worldwide. However, you'll only be reimbursed up to $25 per month over the course of 12 months.

While the card has a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees), this credit can easily help you earn back half of the fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card benefits

While the dining credit is a great value for many consumers, the card also comes with a solid list of features for all sorts of travelers.

First, when you're approved for the card, you will have the chance to earn a valuable welcome bonus of 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

For ongoing spend, the card earns points at the following rate:

• 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®  program
• 3X points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and flights booked directly with airlines
• 2X points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

The card comes with a number of benefits that are geared toward travelers:

• One free night award each year, up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status
• Earn up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide
• Annual Earned Choice Award: Each calendar year (starting January 2023), after making $60K in purchases, Card Members can select an Earned Choice Award benefit. You'll have the choice of five suite night awards, an additional free night award (worth up to 85,000 points) or $750 off a bed from Marriott Bonvoy® Boutiques
• $100 Marriott property credit when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay at The Ritz-Carlton^® or St. Regis^®
• 25 elite night credits towards earning higher Marriott Bonvoy elite status
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 airport lounges
• Fee credit up to $100 every 4 years after you apply for either Global Entry or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider)
• *Rental car insurance
• *Travel insurance
• *Purchase and return protection

Overall, this card provides great perks for travelers who enjoy staying in Marriott properties, even if they only stay a few times per year.

As you earn Marriott Bonvoy points, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you maximize your rewards:

• Dynamic award chart: Marriott recently shifted away from a fixed-award chart — which means that hotels have a fixed price when redeeming rewards for points. Now, hotels can adjust how many points hotel guests will need to book a free room based on demand. This means that it may be difficult to estimate the cost of a trip when using your points.
• Transfer points to airlines: If you're short a few thousand miles to book a flight using airline miles, you can dip into your Marriott Bonvoy balance and convert your hotel points into rewards for your preferred airline loyalty program. For example, if you are short 5,000 miles for a flight through Delta SkyMiles, you can use 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and convert them to Delta SkyMiles. However, the transfer rate isn't always a great value for your Marriott points, but you can earn 5,000 bonus airline miles for every increment of 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer to an airline program. You can find all of the airline programs that participate here.
• Consider pairing with a transferable rewards credit card: Even if you regularly use your Marriott Bonvoy points, it can be helpful to earn rewards that can be transferred to other programs along with Marriott. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that can be transferred to a number of airline and hotel loyalty programs including Marriott. So in the case that you need rewards for a booking with an airline or different hotel brand, you have the flexibility to do so.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a solid hotel card packed with value geared towards travelers, especially if you can take advantage of the dining credits. However, before you apply for the card, be sure to check your credit score as this card requires a good to excellent credit. In addition, be sure you have enough upcoming expenses to earn the welcome bonus responsibly.

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For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.  Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details.  Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.