Bonvoy American Express annual value

[abrcrmb]

Last week I attended a presentation and walked away with the Bonvoy American Express card and 40,000 Bonvoy points. By signing up for the card I received 100,000 Bonvoy points after charging $6K. The annual fee for this card is $250. I figure I can charge at leat $10K per year on this CC. I currently use Alaska Airlines CC to obtain miles for travel. Question - after this year, what value do I get by using the Bonvoy American Express card and paying a $250 annual fee?? Free nights??? Thanks

 

[daviator]

Speaking only for myself, I find that my Bonvoy Amex card gives me the most value when I use it for Marriott purchase - hotel stays and the payment of my timeshare maintenance fees. The bonus points you get for purchases at the various Marriott brands makes this card the best to use for those charges.

But I have other cards I use for every day purchases which I think are better. I use the Apple Card for anything I can pay via Apple Pay – which is almost all “tap to pay” credit card terminals – as that gets me 2% back in cash. I use Chase Sapphire Reserve for everything else including non-Marriott travel charges.

Others may have different views.

If your goal is to earn lots of Bonvoy points for hotel stays, it could make sense to charge everything to the Bonvoy card.

 

[jwalk03]

You got the Bonvoy Bevy Card. (There are multiple Bonvoy AMEX & VISA cards with different fees and perks.)

Personally I do not see the value in the $250 annual fee on that card.

If offers the same 6 points per dollar on Marriott spend that you can get from the Boundless Card with only a $95 annual fee.
It offers the same 15 ENCs as the Boundless Card.
And you only get a FNA (50K) on that card if you spend $15,000 in a year. The Boundless card gives you a 35K FNA annually with no spend requirement.

It does grant automatic gold bonvoy status if you do not already have that, but I find very little value in Gold status.

 

[claraj]

I have the Bevy and also don't think its perks justify the annual fee. I get 1,000 Bonvoy points per stay though I stopped getting them for my last 2 stays. I called Marriott and Amex and both don't know what I'm talking about when I ask.

I plan to switch to the Boundless next year when there's a good promo and then a year later product change to the Ritz Carlton card.

 

[daviator]

I have the Bevy and also don't think its perks justify the annual fee. I get 1,000 Bonvoy points per stay though I stopped getting them for my last 2 stays. I called Marriott and Amex and both don't know what I'm talking about when I ask.

I plan to switch to the Boundless next year when there's a good promo and then a year later product change to the Ritz Carlton card.

I should have specified in my reply that I have the Bonvoy Business Amex which has only a $99 annual fee. I agree that the $250 card isn’t worth the cost.

 

[dougp26364]

FWIW, we have the brilliant AMEX card. At the moment we get 6 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels plus a bonus of an additional 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, or a total of 11 points per dollar. That plus the $25/month restaurant credit plus the free night certificate up to 85,000 BonVoy points covers out cost of the card. Yes it’s an expensive card to keep, but we’ve been able to offset the cost using those benefits alone. The card now provides Platinum elite status, which got us an upgraded view when we spent a night at the Westin Denver airport recently. Granted it wasn’t a huge upgrade but, the cost difference between views was around $50 and we du]id prefer that view, I just wasn’t willing to pay $50 for the view. iIMO savings is savings so we count it towards the benefit.

 

[dioxide45]

FWIW, we have the brilliant AMEX card. At the moment we get 6 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels plus a bonus of an additional 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, or a total of 11 points per dollar. That plus the $25/month restaurant credit plus the free night certificate up to 85,000 BonVoy points covers out cost of the card. Yes it’s an expensive card to keep, but we’ve been able to offset the cost using those benefits alone. The card now provides Platinum elite status, which got us an upgraded view when we spent a night at the Westin Denver airport recently. Granted it wasn’t a huge upgrade but, the cost difference between views was around $50 and we du]id prefer that view, I just wasn’t willing to pay $50 for the view. iIMO savings is savings so we count it towards the benefit.

Aren't you at least Platinum Elite already through your MVC owner benefit level status?

 

[jmhpsu93]

FWIW, we have the brilliant AMEX card. At the moment we get 6 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels plus a bonus of an additional 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, or a total of 11 points per dollar. That plus the $25/month restaurant credit plus the free night certificate up to 85,000 BonVoy points covers out cost of the card. Yes it’s an expensive card to keep, but we’ve been able to offset the cost using those benefits alone. The card now provides Platinum elite status, which got us an upgraded view when we spent a night at the Westin Denver airport recently. Granted it wasn’t a huge upgrade but, the cost difference between views was around $50 and we du]id prefer that view, I just wasn’t willing to pay $50 for the view. iIMO savings is savings so we count it towards the benefit.

Is that considered an AMEX Platinum card? So can you get into lounges that require Platinum (vs. PP)?

 

[jwalk03]

Is that considered an AMEX Platinum card? So can you get into lounges that require Platinum (vs. PP)?

No its not an AMEX Platinum card for Centurion Lounge Access.

 

[dougp26364]

Aren't you at least Platinum Elite already through your MVC owner benefit level status?

Actually titanium elite, but the last stay was on my wife’s account. She normally has gold status but her BonVoy Brilliant card gets her up to platinum.

 

[GetawaysRus]

I don't think anyone has mentioned AmEx Offers. These can help defray a portion of that annual fee. Check the AmEx Offers available on your card. Occasionally there will be an offer you might be able to take advantage of that will save you money.

 

[dioxide45]

I don't think anyone has mentioned AmEx Offers. These can help defray a portion of that annual fee. Check the AmEx Offers available on your card. Occasionally there will be an offer you might be able to take advantage of that will save you money.

Visa has similar offers.

 

[jwalk03]

Visa has similar offers.

Yes I use Chase Offers all the time on my Southwest & Sapphire cards. They are available on the Bonvoy ones as well; you just only use that card for Marriott spend and they almost never give me Marriott offers in that one. (I do get Chase offers for particular Marriott brands on the other cards sometimes though.)

 

[dioxide45]

Yes I use Chase Offers all the time on my Southwest & Sapphire cards. They are available on the Bonvoy ones as well; you just only use that card for Marriott spend and they almost never give me Marriott offers in that one. (I do get Chase offers for particular Marriott brands on the other cards sometimes though.)

The offers I am referring to are the ones like 10% back at Five Guys or CVS and similar offers. Perhaps you are talking about the same thing?

 

[jwalk03]

The offers I am referring to are the ones like 10% back at Five Guys or CVS and similar offers. Perhaps you are talking about the same thing?

Yes- same thing. But sometimes there are like 10% of a stay at Fairfield Inn as well; but I only seem to get those on my non-Marriott cards, not the Marriott one.

 

[Ixchel]

You got the Bonvoy Bevy Card. (There are multiple Bonvoy AMEX & VISA cards with different fees and perks.)

Personally I do not see the value in the $250 annual fee on that card.

If offers the same 6 points per dollar on Marriott spend that you can get from the Boundless Card with only a $95 annual fee.
It offers the same 15 ENCs as the Boundless Card.
And you only get a FNA (50K) on that card if you spend $15,000 in a year. The Boundless card gives you a 35K FNA annually with no spend requirement.

It does grant automatic gold bonvoy status if you do not already have that, but I find very little value in Gold status.

Agree. We canceled Bevy after one year. It's what the Sales reps promote, but very expensive for the limited perks.
.