Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card Review: Best For Marriott Spending

Link: Apply for now the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

Both American Express and Chase issue co-branded Marriott credit cards, meaning consumers have lots of options to choose from.

In this post, I wanted to take a closer look at the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card. Let’s look at various aspects of the card, including the welcome offer, annual fee, return on spending, and perks.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card welcome offer

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card has a welcome offer of 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $5,000 within the first six months. Personally I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, meaning the welcome offer is worth $595 to me.

Amex’s general application restrictions apply, and on top of that, there are some additional restrictions for Marriott credit card eligibility. The most important thing to understand is that you are eligible for this card, including the welcome offer, if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (review). However, you aren’t eligible for the welcome offer if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review).

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card $250 Annual Fee

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card has a $250 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and you can add authorized users at no extra cost. Among Marriott personal credit cards, this card has the second-highest annual fee:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (review) has no annual fee
• The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review) has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees)

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card rewards for spending

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card is supposed to be the best credit card for actually earning Marriott Bonvoy points, so the card has a pretty decent rewards structure. The card offers the following return on spending, all with no foreign transaction fees:

• Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on Marriott purchases
• Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year at restaurants globally and at U.S. supermarkets
• Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy points on all other eligible purchases 

Ultimately these are just about the best bonus categories you’ll see on a co-branded Marriott credit card. However:

• The 6x points on Marriott spending is what you’ll find on all premium Marriott credit cards
• The 4x points on restaurants and supermarkets is decent, but there are ultimately better non-Marriott cards for both of these categories
• The 2x points on everyday spending still isn’t very compelling, in my opinion, as I value that at a 1.4% return on spending

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card benefits & perks

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card offers a variety of perks for being a cardmember. Some perks are offered just for having the card, while other perks require spending or other activity. Let’s go over the details, in no particular order.

1,000 Bonvoy bonus points per Marriott stay

This is a unique perk of the card. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card offers 1,000 bonus points per paid eligible stay with Marriott. You need to pay for your stay with the card to be eligible, and only paid stays booked directly with Marriott qualify (so third-party bookings and award stays don’t count). Bonus points will post within six weeks of an eligible stay.

For the very frequent Marriott guest, this has the potential to be pretty useful. Based on my valuation of Marriott Bonvoy points, this is like an incremental return of ~$7 per paid stay.

Free night award when you spend $15,000

Unfortunately the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card doesn’t offer a free night award just for being a cardmember. Rather you can earn a free night award valid at a property costing up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

This is a disappointing aspect of the card, as other Marriott credit cards don’t require you to spend any amount to earn such a certificate.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card offers complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status for as long as you’re a cardmember. This is better than nothing, but don’t get too excited. Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status offers perks like 25% bonus points, 2PM late check-out, enhanced Wi-Fi, a room upgrade subject to availability (to non-suites), etc.

15 elite nights toward Marriott Bonvoy status

Just for having the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card you receive 15 elite nights toward status annually. This can help you if you’re looking to earn a higher elite tier, like Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite or Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite status, and it can also help you with earning Marriott Bonvoy Choice Benefits (like Suite Night Awards).

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card worth it?

Looking at the card in isolation, there’s a case to be made for getting the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, especially if you’re a very frequent Marriott guest. If you put all your Marriott spending on the card, you’d earn 1,000 bonus points per stay, 6x points on Marriott spending, and you could earn a free night award after spending $15,000.

However, if you ask me, this is the weakest card in the Marriott credit card portfolio in terms of value for annual fee, and I think you’re much better off going for the higher annual fee card. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card (review) has a $650 annual fee, and offers:

• Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status for as long as you’re a cardmember
• 25 elite nights toward Marriott Bonvoy status annually
• An anniversary free night award valid at a property costing up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, with no spending requirement
• A $300 annual dining credit
• A Priority Pass membership (Enrollment required)

As I see it, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card’s annual fee easily pays for itself, between the dining credit, anniversary free night award, elite status, Priority Pass membership, and more.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card has a $250 annual fee, and offers some solid bonus categories, plus 1,000 Bonvoy bonus points per stay. The card also offers Gold Elite status, 15 elite nights annually for being a cardmember, and a free night award when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Ultimately I’d say this is a pretty weak card, especially compared to the rest of Marriott’s card portfolio. Personally, I’d much rather get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, as I think the cards represent a better overall value.

What do you make of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card (Rates & Fees).