American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
- Top earn
- 2.1%
- Annual fee
- $650
Card comparison
Which card is better between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the better overall pick over Blue from American Express because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (80 vs 20) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Annual fee Blue from American Express
Welcome bonus Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Benefits value Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the stronger overall pick between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (80 vs 20) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express (2.1% top effective rate) vs Blue from American Express (0.6%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Choose A if
Choose Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express when its strongest categories, bonus, or perks match how you actually spend.
Choose B if
Choose Blue from American Express when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express trade wins row by row. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express peaks at 2.1% effective; Blue from American Express peaks at 0.6%. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express | Blue from American Express | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 3x points (2.1%) | 1% back (0.6%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 1.5 pts |
| Grocery | 2x points (1.4%) | 1% back (0.6%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 0.8 pts |
| Gas | 2x points (1.4%) | 1% back (0.6%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 0.8 pts |
| Travel | 3x points (2.1%) | 1% back (0.6%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 1.5 pts |
| Other | 2x points (1.4%) | 1% back (0.6%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 0.8 pts |
| Welcome bonus | ~$700 estimated | — | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express |
| Est. annual benefits | $37524/yr | $65/yr | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express |
| Annual fee | $650 | $0 | Blue from American Express |
| Holistic overall | 80 pts (cat 34, bonus 20, benefits 25, fee 1) | 20 pts (cat 6, bonus 0, benefits 0, fee 14) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express (2.1% top effective rate) vs Blue from American Express (0.6%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Strategy
Use Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add value beyond the earn rate.. Use Blue from American Express when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 1% back.. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is weaker when.
Hold both?
Many American Express users can hold both cards if each covers a different spend lane and the combined annual fees still clear your break-even math.
Welcome bonus playbook
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Blue from American Express is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Madeen analysis
Which card has stronger benefits: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
Madeen estimates $37524 annual benefit value on Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express versus $65 on Blue from American Express. Credits only matter if you will use them.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Total est. value: $37,524/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Extended Warranty $10,000/yr
- Purchase Protection $10,000/yr
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption $10,000/yr
- $300 Dining Statement Credit $3,600/yr
- Baggage Insurance Plan $2,000/yr
Blue from American Express
Total est. value: $65/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance $40/yr
- Global Assist® Hotline $25/yr
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Blue from American Express is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express lists 100k Marriott Bonvoy; Blue from American.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
100k Marriott Bonvoy
Blue from American Express
—
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express has catalog caps that can change the winner on heavy category spend, while Blue from American Express looks cleaner on cap structure in this snapshot.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide
Who should pick which
Scenario playbook
Cashback-first user
Pick Blue from American Express
Blue from American Express is the better cashback-style pick because it has the cleaner effective-rate and fee blend for this pair.
Travel & points user
Pick Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the stronger travel-style pick because it combines better reward value with more travel-friendly positioning.
No annual fee priority
Pick Blue from American Express
Blue from American Express is easier to keep for no-fee users because it has the lighter annual-fee burden in this pair.
Heavy dining spend
Pick Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
For restaurant and dining-coded spend, the winner is whoever posts the stronger dining effective rate after caps and exclusions — see the category matrix for the current snapshot.
Heavy grocery spend
Pick Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Supermarket and grocery coding can differ from superstores and delivery, so compare the grocery row before you optimize a weekly shopping basket.
Welcome bonus chaser
Pick Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Blue from American Express is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Fee-sensitive keeper
Pick Blue from American Express
When you want the card that is easiest to keep year two, annual fee often matters more than a narrow category edge.
Decision guide
Which card is better between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (80 vs 20) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express (2.1% top effective rate) vs Blue from American Express (0.6%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
When should you pick Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express over Blue from American Express?
Choose Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add value beyond the earn rate.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $650 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 2.1% effective (3x points).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 80% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $650 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- Marriott Bonvoy value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
When should you pick Blue from American Express over Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Choose Blue from American Express if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 1% back.. Best for dining-heavy spend when you want to avoid an annual fee; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 0.6% effective (1% back).
- No annual fee in our catalog snapshot.
Tradeoffs
- Charges $2.70 foreign transaction fees.
Common questions about Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express vs Blue from American Express
Which card is better between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (80 vs 20) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The overall winner depends on your spend mix — use the scorecard rows and scenario playbook to see where each card actually wins.
Which card wins on dining: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads dining at 2.1% effective versus 0.6%.
Which card is better for cashback users: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
Blue from American Express is the better cashback-style pick between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Blue from American Express is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Which card has stronger benefits: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on estimated annual benefit value in the Madeen snapshot.
Which card has the lower annual fee: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express?
Blue from American Express has the simpler fee story in this pair ($650 vs $0). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express or Blue from American Express better for travel spend?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the stronger travel-style pick between Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express and Blue from American Express in this snapshot.
Can you hold both American Express cards?
Yes, many people can hold both American Express cards when each covers a different spend lane and the combined fees still make sense.
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Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-06-25
Content tier Standard
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