American Express has sent out a survey trying to gauge the opinions regarding changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, different versions of the card were shown with some having an annual fee as high as $750. Currently American Express offers the Bonvoy Brilliant card with a $450 annual fee.
Some of the options regarding the new card were as follows:
- No resort fees
- Guaranteed suite upgrades
- $100 stay credits
- Increased status access (e.g complimentary Platinum status or smaller spend requirement for Platinum status)
- Increased earning rates on the card
- 50% off a second room
They also had questions regarding a new mid tier to premium card that would come with a $195-$250 annual fee and be similar to the current Bonvoy Brilliant card but without lounge access and no Marriott credits. I didn’t see anything in the higher annual fee card that would justify for it me personally, but I don’t think that card in it’s current form is worth keeping long term either.
It’s getting a lot of hate, but honestly I would welcome some of these changes. I literally only keep this card for the free night for staying at the Swan and Dolphin hotel in Disneyworld which makes up most of the fee right there. Combine that with the $300 credit and I’ve made my money back easily. Otherwise this card is in the sock drawer. Removing the resort fees would actually make my stay 100% free since I tend to use points for the other 5 nights (although I’m finally running out of Marriott points after all the SUBS over the years). A guaranteed Suite upgrade and platinum status would make me care less about lifetime status. The only other thing I’d like to see is 10x points per dollar at Marriott hotels. That would add more worth to charging things to my room rather than the disney visa or just my AMEX gold at the restaurants.
Wow. Unbelievable. Amex is thinking of new ways to shiest you. Great idea, Amex!
One thing I care more is that apparently most of the card options remove the benefit of that 15 EQNs. If that’s the case, this card basically will not assist you in any sense in obtaining the lifetime status.
New benefit: Get “Bonvoyed” for the low annual fee of $750/yr. Umm…HARD pass.
Meanwhile your account gets shut down next year for using Resort fee waiver “too many times”.
P.S. RAT team.
Resort fee? Unless that’s the only hotel in town, there are too many other hotels without that fee, so that’s where I’ll be staying. Call me cheap; I call it prudent.
Yes, Mr. Scrooge Grandet
Better than being obsessive about having to stay at a particular hotel, and pay a meaningless fee.
I feel the whole resort fee thing is the biggest bs in the hotel industry, there should seriously be a law that the resort fees have to be shown on travel websites like expedia and the like when comparing hotel prices and not in the fine print.
Rumor has it. This card will come with special status. Called Bonvonium.
If the annual fee is $750 they will (at the minimum) have to match it with the Hilton Aspire $450 card which includes top-tier hotel status. $250 Resort credit and $250 airline credit.
1. Invent a new fee- “resort fees”
2. Create cards to remove invented fees
3. People pay you money every year for the card so they don’t get charged with the fee you made up
Brilliant
Should’ve ended with “Now that’s Bonvoy Brilliant”