AmEx Bonvoy Brilliant Luxury Card [General Discussion Thread]
Aug 31, 2018, 3:31 pm
#181
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 46
Plus, the legacy card gives a 35k cert for a $95 fee, so there's only added value if you redeem from 40-50k. And it also gives you 6 points per dollar on SPG/Marriott spend. So the only thing you get for an additional annual fee of $355 is the $300 statement credit and the possibility of redeeming at a slightly higher category property.
Aug 31, 2018, 3:32 pm
#182
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 46
Aug 31, 2018, 3:59 pm
#183
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
Aug 31, 2018, 4:36 pm
#185
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,166
I was actually quite surprised at the quality of my card. It's a thicker plastic, has a bit of a rubbery feel, almost like the Citi Prestige. I was expecting something closer to the standard white plastic cards issued by most banks. No idea if what I have is the temp or permanent card though -- I assume permanent.
Aug 31, 2018, 4:38 pm
#186
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,166
Am I missing something re: 6 pts per $ spend at SPG/Marriott hotels? If we have a CSR, isn't it better to charge SPG/Marriott hotel stays with the CSR since I get 3 UR pts/dollar versus the diluted 6 pts Marriott pts/dollar? For this analysis, I'm thinking specifically about transfer to airlines. The 6 pts would transfer to airlines for 2 miles v. the 3 UR pts would be 1:1.
I rack up insane amounts of URs from flights, parking, taxis, trains, etc. vs. I'm always short of my SPG points...YMMV
Aug 31, 2018, 6:44 pm
#187
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Posts: 295
My bonus posted today o my Marriott account (total points but not in activity) and my friend hasn't even used the card yet.
Aug 31, 2018, 7:31 pm
#188
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: BDL, BOS
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA EXP, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 625
I wasn’t targeted by Amex for an upgrade offer from my regular SPG card to the luxury card. Any data points on people in similar situation calling the call center and asking about an upgrade offer?
Aug 31, 2018, 8:14 pm
#189
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: san francisco.
Programs: Marriott Ti, OW Ruby
Posts: 1,849
Sep 1, 2018, 12:13 am
#190
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 222
Same here. I expect there may be a 3-5 day lag time for the points to post to Marriott account. At least this is the case with other AMEX co-branded cards (such as the one with Hilton).
Sep 1, 2018, 3:13 am
#192
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,888
The real question is how many Amex credit cards to keep on an ongoing basis (you are limited to five) given all of the free nights, credits and companion passes Amex card are giving out nowadays. I currently have two Delta cards, one Hilton and one SPG... I remain interested in three more (SPG Lux, Aspire, and Everyday Preferred)
Sep 1, 2018, 11:44 pm
#195
Join Date: May 2014
Location: LA CA
Programs: DL PM, Marriott GE
Posts: 58
I thought about two Luxury SPG cards but I am keeping the SPG Luxury and SPG Personal. The only reason that I could see upgrading would be to get the extra value out of the free night cert and since most hotels I looked at are under 35K it didn't make sense to upgrade.