Your complete guide to the Bonvoy Brilliant $300 dining credit

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card has a lot of valuable recurring benefits, but none more so than the $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit. The credit helped many cardholders justify the card’s annual fee, but it’s sadly been discontinued as of September 2022 and replaced with up to $25 in monthly dining credits (or up to $300 per calendar year).

For some, this development is positive news. After all, the credit applies to restaurants worldwide. Others will find its monthly disbursement limiting — especially if they don’t dine out often. The previous $300 Marriott hotel credit was much more versatile and could be used at once or split across multiple purchases. But the change has been made, and there’s nothing we can do about it except familiarize ourselves with this new card feature.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s $300 annual dining credit.

How does the Bonvoy Brilliant $300 dining credit work?

The $300 dining credit is triggered when you spend at least $25 at qualifying restaurants worldwide with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. The credit does not roll over and can take eight to 12 weeks to post after you make an eligible purchase. Purchases made by both primary card members and authorized users qualify for the dining credit.

Which purchases qualify for the credit?

Purchases made at restaurants worldwide qualify for the Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit, but there are a few exclusions you should be aware of.

If you use a mobile wallet and the transaction gets coded as anything other than dining, you might not get the credit. And if you use your card at any of the following establishments, your purchase won’t be eligible for the $25 dining credit:

• Nightclubs
• Convenience stores
• Grocery stores or supermarkets
• Gift card purchases
• Restaurants inside hotels, casinos or event venues

The Bonvoy Brilliant Card earns 3X points on purchases made at restaurants worldwide, further incentivizing card members to use it at restaurants. Bankrate values Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so you would get around 2.1 cents back per dollar spent. This is less than you would get with credit cards like the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 4 percent cash back on dining and has no annual fee.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card’s $300 dining credit worth the annual fee?

American Express recently increased the Bonvoy Brilliant annual fee from $450 to $650. The card has more benefits to make it worthwhile, but the dining credit might be a contentious update. Previously, card members received $300 in Marriott hotel credits, which could be used all at once or redeemed in smaller increments over a year.

On the one hand, the Bonvoy Brilliant is a great hotel credit card packed with perks. Some card members will find the $300 dining credit to be more restrictive since it’s dispersed in $25 monthly increments and only valid at restaurants. However, cardholders who don’t travel much might find the $300 dining credit more useful.

It’s valid at restaurants worldwide, so you could use it for your daily coffee or while dining abroad. That being said, the $300 dining credit alone is not worth the $650 annual fee. You’ll need to consider the card’s other benefits to determine if it’s worthwhile.

For example, the Bonvoy Brilliant has upgraded its annual free night award from 50,000 points to up to 85,000 points per stay. If you can save $350 or more every year by using the free night award, then the card can be worth it.

The Bonvoy Brilliant Card also gets you access to an underrated yet valuable discount program: Amex Offers. Amex Offers partners with hundreds of popular retailers to offer incredible discounts on everything from travel spending to your monthly cellphone bill. Last year, I got over $2,000 worth of discounts by taking advantage of Amex Offers. This can sweeten the deal when you’re trying to decide whether the $300 Marriott statement credit is worth paying the annual fee.

Bonvoy Brilliant $300 dining credit FAQs

• Can authorized users get the statement credit?

  Authorized users on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card can’t get their own Bonvoy Brilliant $300 credit. However, eligible purchases by authorized users do qualify for the statement credit.
  

• Does the Marriott Bonvoy statement credit get issued annually?

  The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s $300 dining credit is issued in $25 monthly increments. When you make an eligible purchase at a qualifying restaurant, your credit applies to your account within eight to 12 weeks.
  

• Do I have to use my $300 dining credit all at once?

  Unfortunately, you can’t use the $300 Amex Bonvoy Brilliant restaurant credit all at once. The benefit gets issued in $25 monthly installments, and it won’t roll over if you don’t use it every month.
  

All information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.