The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card review: A victim of middle-child syndrome 

As a result of its anemic rewards and benefits, the Bevy card’s saving grace may come down to a single perk: You’ll get 1,000 bonus points per eligible stay at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties, which can greatly add up for anyone booking a Marriott property three or more times per month. 

But for everyone else, the Boundless is a better overall value proposition with a far lower commitment of just $95 per year. Those truly dedicated to the Marriott brand will prefer the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, which may charge $400 more per year – but offers far richer benefits (Platinum Elite, $300 dining statement credit etc.) to compensate.

Note that the Bevy has a fraternal twin: the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card. The only noticeable difference between the two is that the Bevy is an Amex while the Bountiful is a Visa card issued by Chase.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Overview

Card type: Hotel Rewards, Travel Rewards

The term “bevy” means a large group of people or things. As a result, you might assume that a card with bevy in its name might have mass appeal – or, perhaps, a big pile of perks, credits and benefits to justify its namesake. 

But that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy. 

With a moderately high annual fee of $250, Marriott’s middle child sits between the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ($95 annual fee) and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ($650 annual fee) cards. It offers slightly better rewards than the Boundless as well as higher instant status (Gold Elite vs. Silver Elite), but beyond that, it offers little else to justify charging $155 more per year. 

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy doesn’t offer a free award night until you spend $15,000 and its 15 Elite Night Credits is the same offered by the $0-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. The welcome bonus is worth less than the Boundless’ bonus and it lacks the wealth of statement credits (e.g. $300 dining statement credit) offered by the Brilliant card. 

The Bevy’s one small advantage over its siblings is the quirky 1,000 bonus points per eligible stay at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties. This means that if you stay in Marriott properties once a week, you could generate up to 52,000 points worth or roughly $470 in value towards a future booking. 

But if you aren’t booking separate stays that frequently, the Boundless is a better option for most  Marriott fans. 

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: How to earn rewards

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card offers the following ways to generate rewards: 

• 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (stays, upgrades, spa, dining etc.)
• 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points)
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

You’ll also score a hefty 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of card membership. That’s not bad considering the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card offers a 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you complete $6,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first six months of opening the account and charges a $650 annual fee. 

As for the reward categories, they’re merely OK. 4X on dining and groceries would feel a lot more generous if there wasn’t a $15,000 spending cap (amounting to $1,250 per month). And nowadays there are no-annual-fee cards like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and Citi® Double Cash Card offering a blanket 2% cash back on everything. 

As a result, most of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card’s earning potential lies in that 6X category. That’s because that 6X stacks on top of the 10X you get for being a free Marriott Bonvoy member and the 2.5X you get for having Gold Elite status (complimentary with the card). As a result, you’ll be netting 18.5X total when booking directly with Marriott using your Bevy card. 

How to redeem Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card rewards 

Let’s start off by addressing the elephant in the room: Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t worth as much as the rewards on other types of travel cards. The baseline to aim for when redeeming points is at least a penny each and Bonvoy points are  generally worth about 0.9 cents per point when redeemed for Marriott stays and upgrades and 0.8 cents or less when redeemed for anything else. 

In fact, to highlight just how weak Marriott points are in the greater points economy, most of Marriott Bonvoy’s 39 airline partners will only accept Marriott points at a dismal 3:1 ratio. 

Needless to say, you’ll probably want to save your Marriott points for Marriott stays and upgrades only (or the occasional, well-deserved breakfast in bed). But just for good measure, here’s a complete list of redemption options with Marriott Bonvoy. Cash back is also not an option. 

• Hotel stays, upgrades and other purchases at Marriott properties
• Flights and rental cars with over 250 travel partners (direct, not via points transfer)
• Cruises booked through Marriott Bonvoy’s Cruise With Points program
• Transfers to 40 airline partners (most at a 3:1 points-to-mile ratio)
• Shopping for headphones, fashion, gift cards etc.
• Marriott Bonvoy Moments like select dining, concert and sports experiences
• TSA Precheck for 25,000 points 
• Gifts or donations to charities or other members

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card rates and fees

As expected for a pricey hotel rewards card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy has no intro 0% APR incentive, high regular APR and punishing fees. As a result, you’ll definitely want to toggle autopay for your full statement balance each month, lest you incur a sucker punch of fees and interest.

• Annual fee: $250
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Regular APR: 20.99%–29.99% variable

To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card Card, see rates and fees.

Additional benefits

For a premium hotel rewards card with a $250 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy is surprisingly light on benefits. 

Sure, what’s here is valuable:  1,000 bonus points per paid stay and free Gold elite status doesn’t hurt, but for the price we expected at least one or two statement credits and a more attainable free night award.

• 1,000 Bonus Points per stay equating to roughly $9 in value towards a future Marriott booking. That may not sound like much, but if you stay in a Marriott at least twice a month it adds up to about $216 in value.
• 1 free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, redeemable for a stay worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (worth up to $450). Certainly appreciated, but we wish it was more attainable.
• Complimentary Gold Elite Status which nets you a 25% point bump on every direct booking you make (already factored into the 18.5X), 2 p.m. checkout, free upgrades, free Wi-Fi and more.
• 15 Elite Night credits per year, meaning you’ll need just 35 more to achieve Platinum status for the following year.
• Travel Insurance including secondary car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance and trip delay Insurance (though there’s no trip cancellation or interruption coverage, unfortunately). 

Credit cards similar to Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

As the middle child of the Marriott cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy’s biggest competition  is with its little sibling, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. And considering the moderately steep annual fee, it also competes with upper-tier travel rewards cards like the Capital One Venture X. 

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers a five-night welcome bonus (worth up to 50,000 points per night), automatic Silver Elite status, 6X points per dollar at Marriott Bonvoy hotels (stacking up to 17X with Silver Elite membership), and 3X on up to $6,000 spent on gas, groceries and dining, then 1X. 

The card also starts you off with 15 Elite Night credits (so you’re just 10 away from Gold Elite) and you’ll earn a free night award on your account anniversary. All told, your welcome bonus and first-year award night are worth well more than the the Bevy card’s 85,000-point welcome bonus. 

The only caveat is that your free award nights with the Boundless card have value caps set at 50,000 each for the welcome bonus nights and 35,000 for the anniversary award night. That means the rooms you book are somewhat limited , unless you score a deal using  Marriott Bonvoy’s discount rewards site PointSavers.. 

Beyond that caveat, the aptly-named Boundless is just a better overall value proposition for the majority of Marriott loyalists. You’ll pay less per year, and unlike with the Bevy card, you’re guaranteed a free night each year for as long as you hold the card. 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also falls into that strange middle ground between premium and top-tier travel rewards card, charging a $395 annual fee per year instead of the usual $95 or $550+. But you can recoup your annual fee if you use your up to $300 travel credit, $100 TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee credit, $100 Premier Collection credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles and free Priority Pass Select access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. 

The Capital One Venture X bests the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy in the value of adding statement credits. The up to $300 travel credit and 10,000 bonus miles alone are easy to use, covering your $395 annual fee in perpetuity. The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, by contrast, lacks any statement credits at all, forcing cardholders to work overtime to recoup $250 in value in other ways after year one’s welcome bonus is gone. 

If you’re not brand loyal enough to justify the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, and would prefer perks  travel credits and lounge passes the Boundless doesn’t offer,the Capital One Venture X is a better fit.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card right for you?

With no automatic free nights, no lounge access, no statement credits and threadbare benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy hardly justifies its $250 annual fee. As a result, all but the most hardcore Marriott fans will likely be happier with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, which is both cheaper and richer in value. 

The truly hardcore – the types who are on first-name basis with the bartender of their local St. Regis, for example, will be happier with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, as they’ll surely use up its over $1,200 worth of potential benefits to justify its $650 annual fee. 

That leaves just one small niche for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. If you stay in Marriott-family properties three or more times per month, you might generate enough of the 1,000 Bonus Points per stay to justify keeping this $250 card after the welcome bonus expires. 

But for everyone else, the Bevy just isn’t appealing or benefit-rich enough to justify its carrying cost. 

Frequently asked questions

What is the annual fee for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card?

The annual fee for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is $250. 

What credit score do you need for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card?

American Express doesn’t publish the required FICO scores for its cards, but considering the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy is a premium hotel rewards card, you’ll likely need good or better credit, which FICO generally defines as 670 and higher.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card worth it?

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card might be worth it if you book over 30 individual Marriott stays per year. That way, you’ll generate 30,000 extra points (1,000 points per stay) which will compensate  for the card’s relatively steep annual fee of $250. 

Most Marriott fans, however, will prefer the Boundless since it has a lower annual fee ($95), a better welcome bonus, similar rewards and an automatic free night on your account anniversary.

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