Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Review
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card is Marriott's newest co-branded Amex card. This new card joins a–dare we say it–bevy of existing Marriott cards issued by Chase and Amex. The card is marketed for those looking to earn a lot of Bonvoy points through spend. In this Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Review we will look at the welcome offer, earning structure, card perks and share our overall thoughts.
Current Welcome Offer For The Bonvoy Bevy
The Bonvoy Bevy card currently has the following welcome offer:
- Earn 85,000 Bonvoy points after spending $5,000 within the first 6 months. Terms Apply
- The card has a $250 annual fee, which is NOT waived in the first year. (Rates & Fees)
Amex Application Rules
If you choose to apply, remember that Amex typically will not approve you for more than two Amex credit cards during a 90-day period. They also have a limit of 5 credit cards per person, of which this is one. There is also a 10 card limit on the colored Membership Rewards earning cards (of which this is not one of).
Amex also has a once per lifetime welcome offer rule on each card. This is more like every 5 – 7 years in reality though, and not actually your lifetime. That timeline is based off of when you last held a card, not when you last earned a welcome offer on the product though. If you are ineligible for the welcome offer for any reason American Express will usually let you know that with a pop-up before the application is processed. You can cancel the application at this time with no hard pull.
Marriott Specific Application Rules
On top of the American Express rules there are Marriott Bonvoy card specific application rules that apply to this card.
Welcome offer not available to applicants who:
- (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton® Credit Card from J.P. Morgan, the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards Business® Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days,
- (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or
- (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.
To quickly determine if you are eligible, check out our Marriott credit card eligibility guide.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Review: Earning Structure
The Bonvoy Bevy earns bonus points in the following categories:
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year at (2x earning on anything beyond $15,000)
- Restaurants worldwide
- US supermarkets
- 2x on all other eligible purchases
Amex Bonvoy Bevy Card Benefits
The Bonvoy Bevy offers limited perks, despite its name. The card's benefits include:
- Complimentary Gold Elite status
- 15 elite nights toward status annually
- A free night award worth up to 50,000 points when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year
- 1,000 Bonvoy bonus points with each qualifying stay
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
ToP Analysis
The Bonvoy Bevy‘s few benefits hardly justifies the $250 annual fee. Likewise, the current welcome offer is far below previous offers. Remember, award nights at Marriott's nicer brands regularly cost close to 100,000 points per night, in light of Marriott's switch to dynamic pricing and peak and off-peak pricing, and a widespread spike in award costs across the Bonvoy program. If you're considering an American Express Bonvoy card, the Brilliant is the better option for most folks.
Card Perks
For perks, the card's $250 annual fee doesn't even earn you an annual free night certificate! To earn a FNC, you have to spend $15,000 on the card. Assuming you were to even spend that much, the certificate is only worth up to 50,000 points. In contrast, the free night you can earn by spending $15,000 on the Hilton personal or business card are valid at nearly every Hilton property around the globe. Spending $15,000 in return for only 50,000 Bonvoy points is probably not worth it for most. As for the opportunity cost, with $15,000 in spend, you could earn welcome offers on at least 3 other cards that would reward you with far more than 50,000 Bonvoy points.
Status
Meanwhile, complimentary Gold Elite status isn't worth much. First, Marriott is not very generous with elite members. Also, Gold status with Marriott doesn't even get you any notable benefits, like free breakfast. Lastly, other premium personal and business Amex cards offer complimentary Gold Elite status along with a true bevy of other benefits.
Earning
The Bonvoy Bevy‘s earning structure is also disappointing. Earning 4x Bonvoy points at restaurants and US supermarkets is nothing to write home about. You can earn 4x in those two categories with the American Express Gold Card(review), which earns Membership Rewards. As we all know, transferrable currencies like Amex MRs are way more valuable than hotel points. On top of that, the Bevy's 4x is capped at just $15,000, compared to $25,000 cap on U.S. supermarkets (and uncapped for restaurants) for the Amex Gold.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card Review: ToP Thoughts
The new Bonvoy Bevy card is truly a headscratcher, to put it mildly. The $250 annual fee doesn't even earn you a free night certificate, which is one of the most popular benefits across most Marriott credit cards. The card's limited benefits fall short of justifying the annual fee. Meanwhile, the earning structure pales in comparison to other cards like the Amex Gold. Is there someone out there who could find value in Bonvoy Bevy card? Sure. But we would rather spend our time thinking of a bevy of puns with the card's name.
What are your thoughts about the new Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card? Join the discussion in our Facebook group!
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Bevy please visit here
