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

[notmyrealname23]

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...

[Crash_Log]

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. 

[jcooks]

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.

[NRB525]

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.

[notmyrealname23]

---

@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.

[unsungivy]

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!

[cashorcharge]

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.  😣

[K-in-Boston]

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.

[notmyrealname23]

---

@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...

[MachoHombre]

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.