Targeted: 125k Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant upgrade offers for Bonvoy Amex cardholders
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
It appears another round of targeted offer emails has been sent out to select Marriott Bonvoy cardholders. If you have the Marriott Bonvoy Amex (aka the old SPG Amex), you might be targeted to earn extra points for moving to the higher-end Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Amex is sending some cardholders — including TPG reader Steven Perry and our very own Julian Kheel (Director of Snacking) — 125,000-point offers for upgrading and spending $5,000 in the first three months. The public offer is currently 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months.
You may receive an email notifying you that you're targeted, but you can also check manually:
- Go to americanexpress.com and log in to your account
- Click the Menu option in the top left corner and select Cards
- Finally, select the View All Personal Charge & Credit Cards
- If one of your cards is eligible for an upgrade, you should see the offer listed on that page, or see a "request an upgrade" tab that's worth clicking.
The Marriott Bonvoy Amex used to be the best card for everyday spending back in the SPG days when TPG valued Starpoints at an industry-leading 2.7 cents apiece. Those days are long gone now that the card earns 33% less on non-bonus spend, but due to this nostalgia it may be a bit sad to part ways — especially now that the card is no longer open for applications.
However, the opportunity to earn 125,000 points just by upgrading and hitting the attached spending requirement should help you get over this fast. There's also the $300 in statement credits for Marriott purchases each account year, which effectively brings the $450 annual fee (see rates & fees) down to $150, and the annual free-night award for properties that cost up to 50,000 points, such as The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe right outside of San Diego.
Was your Marriott Bonvoy Amex (old SPG Amex) targeted for an upgrade offer? If so, we'd love to hear about your offer and whether or not you accepted.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, please click here.