topic Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit in Credit Cards

$300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

notmyrealname23 — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 09:01:50 GMT

This pretty much kills the card for me given the ongoing changes to the program. I'll fish for a retention offer but if it's not good I will likely either downgrade to the $95 AMEX or close it. I hope this doesn't spread to the Hilton Aspire...

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

Crash_Log — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 09:16:27 GMT

WOW. Thanks for finding/ sharing this @notmyrealname23 I recently hit Platinum with Bonvoy, I have the Brilliant and Buisness card...and I've really been struggling with Bonvoy for the last two months. I've had okay (phone) customer service but their IT woefully underpreforms as well as the corporate structure is misleading (Homes & Villas is not really Marriott).

My Brilliant renews in Oct, and without a significant retention Im am out. I'll hold my Biz until Jan 23 (when it renews). HIlton here I come.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

jcooks — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 12:31:51 GMT

Wow, this change will surely inspire more people to get the Bonvoy Boundless from Chase if they had to choose between that and the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant. That 5 night SUB is just insane and the much cheaper AF is a plus. Even being nearly fully vested in Hyatt, I would consider tinkering with Bonvoy for only the Chase Bonvoy Boundless just for the SUB.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

NRB525 — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 16:15:53 GMT

Thanks for the update.

I actually find this an improvement. The problem I had with the $300 Marriott Stay credit is to actually find a stay where I'm not using Marriott Points, or the Free Night, or staying at Hyatt or Hilton on points. I can use this card for dining / fast food no problem.

I was seriously considering closing the card due to the problems with the $300 stay credit, now will have a chance to recalibrate.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

notmyrealname23 — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:22:50 GMT

@NRB525 wrote:
Thanks for the update.
I actually find this an improvement. The problem I had with the $300 Marriott Stay credit is to actually find a stay where I'm not using Marriott Points, or the Free Night, or staying at Hyatt or Hilton on points. I can use this card for dining / fast food no problem.
I was seriously considering closing the card due to the problems with the $300 stay credit, now will have a chance to recalibrate.

Yeah, I have multiple 3x cards for dining where it's a floor of a penny a point, and if I am going to keep a dining card I have to pay $ for, it's going to be the AMEX Gold/Green (and frankly with the SavorOne I don't HAVE to).

It was pretty straightforward for me to generate hotel spend, Marriott, whatever. Remembering to use a card every month is just starting to get annoying (for instance since I am spending six weeks in Europe I can't use AMEX Uber credits, they are US only).

Managing all the coupon books is getting tiring for me... but good for you if this is a change you like.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

unsungivy — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 01:25:03 GMT

Oof! Looks like P2 will get in just under the wire on the change, hope he has travel between his anniv in mid August and the Sept change!

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

cashorcharge — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:52:14 GMT

I seem to have plenty of cards that offer deals on dining out/rotating cash back and I tend to keep branded cards like this to use within their brand/ecosystem so taking the $300 credit away...which I've been receiving...quite easily for so long now...to now have to carry this card for dining out just seems like a hassle. I guess if I used it for more all around purchases I would think differently. The fact that whether I spent over $300 in one night in a hotel...or over the course of a few days, getting that credit was great and kept my own accounting of "did I get all my credits aligned to me AF" this year easily...versus now having to track this every month is a chore. 😣

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

K-in-Boston — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 00:56:51 GMT

The $300 credit really made it an easy sell even for those staying in Marriott properties even just a few nights a year. For me, the 50k certificate alone has given me much more value each year than the full $450 AF, so this has just been icing on the cake like the 15 elite nights. (I have redeemed 3 of 4 50k certs so far and am averaging about $800/night value not including value of suite upgrades; I got my first cert months after the launch of the card since I did a PC from SPG to SPG Luxury on launch date.)

This change certainly won't keep me from renewing, but remembering to use it for a monthly Dunkin app reload instead of it just automatically hitting once a year on an organic hotel stay in March is rather annoying.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

notmyrealname23 — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:05:52 GMT

@K-in-Boston wrote:
The $300 credit really made it an easy sell even for those staying in Marriott properties even just a few nights a year. For me, the 50k certificate alone has given me much more value each year than the full $450 AF, so this has just been icing on the cake like the 15 elite nights. (I have redeemed 3 of 4 50k certs so far and am averaging about $800/night value not including value of suite upgrades; I got my first cert months after the launch of the card since I did a PC from SPG to SPG Luxury on launch date.)

This change certainly won't keep me from renewing, but remembering to use it for a monthly Dunkin app reload instead of it just automatically hitting once a year on an organic hotel stay in March is rather annoying.

I would say I am not finding that kind of luck, or skillful enough to find that sort of value (and frankly prepaying $450 a night for a hotel room tends to be outside the edge of where I am comfortable). That being said the dining credit doesn't have ZERO value... If this card was more like the Ritz Carlton I'd be happier, and maybe I will be happier with the $95 AMEX or Boundless).

This year's 50k certificate went to a one night stay in London in early July (which is pretty much the ideal situation for this use, expensive market, probably want a nice hotel in a good location). I was able to snag the Montcalm East in Shoreditch (a neighborhood I really like) for 50k once my certificate came in before the first round of devaluation was announced. Same room is running 60k now, and nothing in central London is 50k at the moment, you can get some properties with the 15k points boost though, or you're out in Maida Vale/Canary Wharf/Heathrow. Hotels like the London Edition or W London are completely shut out of that 50k certificate (haven't seen in below 70k ever). The cash cost of the room was about $330 at the time I booked (so not amazing life changing value but when added to $300 cash back on a Marriott stay, very obviously positive value).

If this is what it's like BEFORE Marriott goes full "Bonvoy" devaluation where there are no price charts any more and the award pricing is all heavily correlated to cash price like it is for Hilton and IHG... it makes me a bit nervous.

But hey, maybe AMEX will sweeten the pot with a retention offer...

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

MachoHombre — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:03:11 GMT

Sorry to hear this.

Not certain that I'll drop this card, but I'll certainly be looking at options.

The $300 Marriott hotel credit is a no-brainer and zero card management.

The $300 dining credit at $25 month is aggravating. This is not a dining card, it's a poor choice for dining. So now I'll have to remember to carry it, and to use it once a month for dining spend, uhhhh .....just to gain back a portion of my AF

..(while not EARNING on that spend with a true dining card).

The Bonvoy tier perks are valuable for me ....so I like the Brilliant ...but my eyes are now open for options.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

lovebackwards — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 18:52:54 GMT

Oh no, this was a card I had my sights on. Specifically for the $300 statement credit.

Can anyone give their experiences with the Chase Marriott card? I really wanted the American Express version because the majority of my hotel stays are at Marriott properties. But because of this new statement credit, I fear I won't have a need for it because I already have credit cards that cover my restaurant spend (and earns cash back on those purchases).

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

Aim_High — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:13:53 GMT

@lovebackwards wrote:
Oh no, this was a card I had my sights on. Specifically for the $300 statement credit.

Can anyone give their experiences with the Chase Marriott card? I really wanted the American Express version because the majority of my hotel stays are at Marriott properties. But because of this new statement credit, I fear I won't have a need for it because I already have credit cards that cover my restaurant spend (and earns cash back on those purchases).

Thanks for the update, @notmyrealname23. I hadn't seen this pending change. I wish lenders (and AMEX in particular) would stop messing with their card programs. It's very annoying to me to study a card for what it offers and then have the lender shortly-thereafter do a switcheroo, even if the change is potentially useful. I find AMEX monthly "coupon" credits to be purposefully-cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated. They are very customer unfriendly, considering you're already paying them hundreds of dollars to carry their cards. On the other hand, I still find potential value in the Bonvoy Brilliant and the restaurant credit could be essentially a "wash" for me, as long as I can use it at **ANY** restaurant. The Gold card's silly $10 monthly credits on Ruth Chris, Cheesecake Factory, GrubHub etc --ONLY-- are ridiculous instead of just allowing credits to encourage regular use of the card at restaurants. Since, in my case, my employer pays directly for my hotel expenses and I often stay at Marriotts, I had been using the card for credits on hotel dining. The big benefit with the current arrangement was I didn't have to charge something every month. Now, I've just got to remember to use it at least once a month on some of my many other dining charges. In that way, it's more flexible.

I have both the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, @lovebackwards. In my opinion, the AMEX card is far superior, but that does depend a little on your lifestyle, spending, and other cards. Remember, once this change goes into effect, you just have to put $25 a month in dining on the AMEX card to recoup the $300 credit. Unlike the credits on some other cards, it appears that AMEX is crediting me the Bonvoy points on purchases that are credited against the $300. Yes, you might be making a slight sacrifice on rewards, depending on how you value Bonvoy points, but even if you're losing 2% on $25 monthly, that's only 50 cents a month. Nominal. Remember that the card earns 6x Bonvoy points at Marriott properties but it also earns 3x points at US restaurants and for flights booked directly with airlines. Then a baseline of 2x points everywhere else.

While it's a more expensive up-front investment, I feel the AMEX card just offers so much more for the money if you're willing to commit to it. Both cards give you 15 Elite Night stay credit and no FTF. Both cards allow you to get your full AF back (and then some) with free night credits and/or the $300 AMEX credit. The AMEX card then continues to deliver additional value including:

Higher automatic GOLD elite status instead of SILVER with the Chase card. Among other things, that means that (unless you have higher status already), you're earning 25% bonus on points earned from hotel stays with Gold instead of 10% bonus with Silver.
$100 reimbursement credit for TSA Global Entry
$100 Marriott property credit
Priority Pass Select airport lounge access
Access to AMEX offers, which can be more lucrative than Chase offers.
Earn automatic Platinum status with $75K in annual spending.
Better shopping "perks" such as Return Protection, Purchase Protection, and Extended Warranty. (Returns protected for 90 days if vendor doesn't allow return, up to $300 per item or $1000 per year; Purchases protected for accidental loss, damage or theft for 90 days; One year added to warranties originally five years or less, for losses up to $10K per item or $50K per year.) The Chase card doesn't offer Return Protection. It offers Extended Warranty but only for original warranties of three years or less, not five like AMEX. The Chase card also offers equivalent Purchase Protection; it offers less in the other areas. These shopping perks are similar to (if not better than) the shopping perks on the AMEX Platinum or Gold or the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred.

The Chase card pays 3X Bonvoy points on gas, groceries or restaurants but only up to the first $6K annually. The AMEX card earns 3X Bonvoy points at US Restaurants and flights booked directly with airlines, but it doesn't earn a higher rate for gas or groceries. However, it's also got uncapped earnings on restaurants and flights. Both cards earn 6X Bonvoy points at Marriott and 2X Bonvoy points "everywhere else."

For travel insurances, both cards offer some ... and both offer some that the other doesn't, if that's important to you. Both cards offer Trip Delay insurance but the AMEX card kicks in at 6 hours; the Chase card at 12 hours. Both pay $500. Both cards offer Lost Baggage insurance, up to $3K per passenger. Only the AMEX card has Trip Cancellation insurance, up to $10K per passenger or $20K per trip. Only the Chase card includes Travel Accidental Death/Dismemberment Insurance of up to $500K. Only the Chase card has Baggage *DELAY* insurance that kicks in at 6 hours for up to $100 per day (to help reimburse for having to purchase items like toiletries or clothing due to the temporary inconvenience.)

Finally, if you like "premium" metal cards, the AMEX card is 15 grams metal, the same as an AMEX Gold card. The Chase card is a mid-grade plastic card.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

lovebackwards — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:15:47 GMT

@Aim_High wrote:
@lovebackwards wrote:
Oh no, this was a card I had my sights on. Specifically for the $300 statement credit.

Can anyone give their experiences with the Chase Marriott card? I really wanted the American Express version because the majority of my hotel stays are at Marriott properties. But because of this new statement credit, I fear I won't have a need for it because I already have credit cards that cover my restaurant spend (and earns cash back on those purchases).
Thanks for the update, @notmyrealname23. I hadn't seen this pending change. I wish lenders (and AMEX in particular) would stop messing with their card programs. It's very annoying to me to study a card for what it offers and then have the lender shortly-thereafter do a switcheroo, even if the change is potentially useful. I find AMEX monthly "coupon" credits to be purposefully-cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated. They are very customer unfriendly, considering you're already paying them hundreds of dollars to carry their cards. On the other hand, I still find potential value in the Bonvoy Brilliant and the restaurant credit could be essentially a "wash" for me, as long as I can use it at **ANY** restaurant. The Gold card's silly $10 monthly credits on Ruth Chris, Cheesecake Factory, GrubHub etc --ONLY-- are ridiculous instead of just allowing credits to encourage regular use of the card at restaurants. Since, in my case, my employer pays directly for my hotel expenses and I often stay at Marriotts, I had been using the card for credits on hotel dining. The big benefit with the current arrangement was I didn't have to charge something every month. Now, I've just got to remember to use it at least once a month on some of my many other dining charges. In that way, it's more flexible.

I have both the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, @lovebackwards. In my opinion, the AMEX card is far superior, but that does depend a little on your lifestyle, spending, and other cards. Remember, once this change goes into effect, you just have to put $25 a month in dining on the AMEX card to recoup the $300 credit. Unlike the credits on some other cards, it appears that AMEX is crediting me the Bonvoy points on purchases that are credited against the $300. Yes, you might be making a slight sacrifice on rewards, depending on how you value Bonvoy points, but even if you're losing 2% on $25 monthly, that's only 50 cents a month. Nominal. Remember that the card earns 6x Bonvoy points at Marriott properties but it also earns 3x points at US restaurants and for flights booked directly with airlines. Then a baseline of 2x points everywhere else.

While it's a more expensive up-front investment, I feel the AMEX card just offers so much more for the money if you're willing to commit to it. Both cards give you 15 Elite Night stay credit and no FTF. Both cards allow you to get your full AF back (and then some) with free night credits and/or the $300 AMEX credit. The AMEX card then continues to deliver additional value including:

Higher automatic GOLD elite status instead of SILVER with the Chase card. Among other things, that means that (unless you have higher status already), you're earning 25% bonus on points earned from hotel stays with Gold instead of 10% bonus with Silver.
$100 reimbursement credit for TSA Global Entry
$100 Marriott property credit
Priority Pass Select airport lounge access
Access to AMEX offers, which can be more lucrative than Chase offers.
Earn automatic Platinum status with $75K in annual spending.
Better shopping "perks" such as Return Protection, Purchase Protection, and Extended Warranty. (Returns protected for 90 days if vendor doesn't allow return, up to $300 per item or $1000 per year; Purchases protected for accidental loss, damage or theft for 90 days; One year added to warranties originally five years or less, for losses up to $10K per item or $50K per year.) The Chase card doesn't offer Return Protection. It offers Extended Warranty but only for original warranties of three years or less, not five like AMEX. The Chase card also offers equivalent Purchase Protection; it offers less in the other areas. These shopping perks are similar to (if not better than) the shopping perks on the AMEX Platinum or Gold or the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred.
The Chase card pays 3X Bonvoy points on gas, groceries or restaurants but only up to the first $6K annually. The AMEX card earns 3X Bonvoy points at US Restaurants and flights booked directly with airlines, but it doesn't earn a higher rate for gas or groceries. However, it's also got uncapped earnings on restaurants and flights. Both cards earn 6X Bonvoy points at Marriott and 2X Bonvoy points "everywhere else."

For travel insurances, both cards offer some ... and both offer some that the other doesn't, if that's important to you. Both cards offer Trip Delay insurance but the AMEX card kicks in at 6 hours; the Chase card at 12 hours. Both pay $500. Both cards offer Lost Baggage insurance, up to $3K per passenger. Only the AMEX card has Trip Cancellation insurance, up to $10K per passenger or $20K per trip. Only the Chase card includes Travel Accidental Death/Dismemberment Insurance of up to $500K. Only the Chase card has Baggage *DELAY* insurance that kicks in at 6 hours for up to $100 per day (to help reimburse for having to purchase items like toiletries or clothing due to the temporary inconvenience.)

Finally, if you like "premium" metal cards, the AMEX card is 15 grams metal, the same as an AMEX Gold card. The Chase card is a mid-grade plastic card.

Thank you for this very thorough review! I'd forgotten about all of the other perks the AMEX offers, so this actually makes me feel a bit better. I was trying to wait until I was under 5/24 to apply for another card, but the AMEX Marriott is sounding more enticing everyday. I may just pull the trigger on it.

Thanks again @Aim_High!

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

MachoHombre — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 22:08:34 GMT

@Aim_High says:

<snip>

Higher automatic GOLD elite status instead of SILVER with the Chase card. Among other things, that means that (unless you have higher status already), you're earning

</snip>

Another brilliant post ...thank you.

The automatic GOLD elite status is the biggie for me. Most of the other points I've got covered with other cards, or for *me* they're not tremendous value.

* I do like the overall value the card brings, even a little bit of vanity included (it's a sexy card!). I'll likely keep it -but am not smiling that I'll need to invest in the chore/effort of swiping monthly for dining to get a chunck of the AF back ....vs no such chore to recoup in the cards current form.

Thanks again for the brilliant post.

Re: $300 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant statement credit is nerfed to a $25 monthly dining credit

notmyrealname23 — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 11:22:53 GMT

In my case, the card is dominated (save for Marriott earning) by various no AF/fee options:

- dining: 3x AMEX Green (which I could literally transfer to Marriott 1-1, sometimes better on a transfer bonus), 3x Bilt, 3x Capital One SavorOne

- flights: 5x AMEX CS Platinum (same ability to transfer), 3x AMEX Green

- 2x everything else: 2x Capital One VentureX

Another contrast is earning on hotel spend using my Hilton Aspire:

Marriott: 10x base + 2.5x Gold + 6x card spend = 18.5x baseline

Hilton Aspire: 10x base + 10x Diamond + 14x card spend = 34x baseline

Hilton also is much more consistent at providing promotions (Marriott doesn't have a global promotion this quarter, Hilton does, this is a regular occurrence).

That being said, Marriott does spend a lot better at the lower end than Hilton does.

Most of the Brilliant ancillary benefits I get with other cards as well (Marriott Gold, $100 GE, Priority Pass that is ++AMEX, purchase protection).

This is likely to trigger a review leading to rationalization and slimming down of which cards I keep in that list down there 👇. (The Vanilla Platinum is already on the "Green Mile" waiting to go back to being a Gold.)