Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Military | $650 Annual Fee Waived

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card annual fee is waived for US military servicemembers and their spouses.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card
Learn How to Apply on our partner's secure site

• $650 annual fee 100% waived for US military personnel
• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 3 months.
• Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
• A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member.
• Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy^® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy(TM) program. 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Brilliant Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases, Card Members are eligible to select an Earned Choice Award benefit. Benefit options include: Five (5) Suite Night Awards, 85K Free Night Award, and mattress and box spring $1,000 discount from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• $100 Luxury Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis®) when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership through any Authorized Enrollment Provider for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85) when you pay the application fee with an eligible Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited access to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying.
• This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass(TM) Select membership.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• Cell phone protection: You can be reimbursed for your costs to repair or replace your damaged or stolen cell phone up to $800, subject to a $50 deductible, for 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your prior month's wireless bill was paid utilizing an Eligible Card Account. Terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

All annual fees are waived on these 3 Marriott credit cards for US military personnel and their eligible spouses, thanks to the Chase MLA and Amex MLA policies. Marriott Hotels has 3 personal cards in partnership with American Express and Chase.

I typically try to get 1 cent per Marriott point, so a hypothetical 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy point welcome bonus would be worth at least $500 of hotel stays.

For example, I booked a stay on Marriott Bonvoy points at the Kyoto Ritz Carlton, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world.

Two nights and 2 rooms would have been $3500, but I only paid 280,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, giving me over 1.25 cent per point of value.

Marriott has re-branded the Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Rewards into “Marriott Bonvoy.” With the re-branding comes some excellent card opportunities.

The 2 best Marriott hotel cards for military personnel are from Chase and American Express:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

Active duty US military personnel can get their annual fees waived on all personal Amex cards and all personal Chase cards opened on or after 2018. Activated reservists and guard on Title 10 orders should also be eligible.

I recommend you pick up all 4 of the best hotel credit cards for military. All of them waive the annual fee for military and spouses and all come with a free annual night. That's 4 free nights a year for no annual fees!

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant for Military

This is my top recommend Marriott card for US military personnel. It really is a complete no-brainer. Let's review the benefits.

First and foremost, you get earn up to annual $300 Marriott statement credit. Every year That means the first $300 you charge at any Marriott property to your card is refunded as a statement credit. So as long as you spend at least $300/year with Marriott, you are getting $300 of value from this card.

Secondly, you get the annual fee of $450 waived if you qualify for Amex MLA or SCRA benefits. So now you are getting the $300 statement credit for free.

You also get an annual free night at any Marriott property up to 50k points. That means you could stay 1 night at a Category 7 hotel, like the St. Regis Deer Valley or the Moana Surfrider on Honolulu's Waikiki Beach for free during off-peak season. Every year you have the card open!

What are you waiting for? If you are in the military or a military spouse, you should apply for a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

• Learn how to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card
• $95 annual fee waived for active duty US military
• Limited Time Offer! Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!
• Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
• Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
• 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R) with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless(R) Card.
• 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold for Military

While this card may be a good starter travel card since it has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and gives you a big Bonvoy bonus after meeting the minimum spend, military servicemembers are better off getting any of the other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards above.

Military servicemembers should especially be focused on the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant (I have 2), since the huge annual fee is 100% waived under Amex's MLA and SCRA policy.

• Learn how to apply for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy^® Bold
• Limited Time Offer! Earn 60,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card!
• Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase(R)!
• Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card.
• 2X points for every $1 spent on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains).
• 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, qualifying you for Silver Elite Status. Restrictions apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Earn unlimited Marriott Bonvoy® points and get Free Night Stays faster

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Chart

Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic pricing for it's hotel rewards.

It ranges from 5,000 points for a category 1 hotel off-peak to 120,000 points for a category 8 peak redemption.

For instance, you could book the Ritz Carlton Al Hamra Beach Resort near Dubai for 60,000 points or a 1.4 cents per point value. This is a Category 7 hotel, soon to be upgraded to Category 8. See the screenshot below:

I usually try to get at least 1 cent per point on my redemption. If a room is $100 per night or more I'm willing to part with 10,000 points or less to get it. Many travel points enthusiasts value Marriott points between .5 cents to 1 cent.

Marriott Credit Cards Military Advantages

Opening all 3 of these cards and meeting the minimum spend would unlock at least 250,000+ Marriott Bonvoy points just in the welcome bonuses alone. That's enough for a free week's stay at some of the best hotels in the world.

Additionally, with these 3 cards, you can get 3 free nights stay every year. That's 2 stays worth up to 35k points with the Bonvoy Boundless and Business and 1 stay up to 50k points.

Since you are paying no annual fees, it makes sense to hold on to these cards as long as you are in the military.

If you go TDY frequently, chances are you will end up staying in a few Marriotts. Since the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant gives you automatic Gold Elite status, you can usually earn Platinum Elite status pretty quickly.

I earned Platinum Elite status with a single 2 week stay in Egypt in 2018. We stayed at the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino. It was a lovely spot, with great food, clean and quiet rooms, and literally on an island in the Nile river.

Watch out for Marriott “Elite Status Challenges.” This is an easy way to earn elite status with only a few stays. Thanks to this TDY, I'm now Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite for the rest of 2019.

How I Use Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott points are great to have stored up, as whenever you need to travel, whether it's for work or pleasure, chances are there is a Marriott nearby. For instance, if you have to go to your brother's college graduation, rather then shelling out $300 for a hotel you can just cash in some points.

My wife and I are catching a 6AM international flight out of an airport 1.5 hours away. Rather than get up at 2AM to get there 2.5 hours prior to takeoff, we are checking into an Aloft Hotel right by the airport the night before.

Now we'll get a good nights sleep, get up at a more reasonable 4AM, and it only cost us 17,500 points. The cash rate was $102 before taxes and fees, so we only got .6 cents per point, but it's better than paying cash!

If you are interested in getting more than one of these Bonvoy cards, just check this handy chart below from Frequent Miler, explaining the Chase and AMEX Marriott Bonvoy credit card rules:

I recommend you learn how to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. This is the best Marriott Bonvoy credit card for all military servicemembers. If you are in the military, the no annual fee benefits of this card make it too good to pass up.

Marriott Properties List

Here is a list of all of Marriott Bonvoy's brands. They have over 7000 hotels and resorts worldwide, so there's probably one where ever you go!

The Ritz Carlton, Edition, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, JW Marriott, BULGARI Hotels and Resorts, Sheraton, Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, Delta Hotels, Westin Hotels and Resorts, Le Meridien, Renaissance Hotels, Autograph Collection Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Springhill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Fairfield by Marriott, Protea Hotels, AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Moxy Hotels, Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments, element by Westin

After opening a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, I recommend you check out the other hotel credit cards for military.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card
Learn How to Apply on our partner's secure site

• $650 annual fee 100% waived for US military personnel
• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 3 months.
• Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
• A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member.
• Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy^® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy(TM) program. 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Brilliant Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases, Card Members are eligible to select an Earned Choice Award benefit. Benefit options include: Five (5) Suite Night Awards, 85K Free Night Award, and mattress and box spring $1,000 discount from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• $100 Luxury Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis®) when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership through any Authorized Enrollment Provider for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85) when you pay the application fee with an eligible Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited access to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying.
• This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass(TM) Select membership.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• Cell phone protection: You can be reimbursed for your costs to repair or replace your damaged or stolen cell phone up to $800, subject to a $50 deductible, for 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your prior month's wireless bill was paid utilizing an Eligible Card Account. Terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.