Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. the Ritz-Carlton Card: Should you get one — or both?

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June 21, 2024

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9 min read

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Knowledgeable TPG readers might glance at the headline of this story and object to its entire premise since the Ritz-Carlton Card closed to new applications in 2018. So, before we dive into this comparison, let's address the elephant in the room.

Although the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is Marriott's only premium-level card technically available to new applicants nowadays, there's a workaround to get the now-closed Ritz card. Chase allows cardholders of other personal Marriott-branded Chase cards — such as the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card — to product change to the Ritz-Carlton card as long as they have had their cards for at least 12 months.

With that technicality out of the way, we're going to compare the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and Ritz-Carlton cards head-to-head to find out which one is better for you, and if you should even carry both of them simultaneously.

The information for the Ritz-Carlton Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Ritz-Carlton Card comparison

Here are the basics of each of these two cards in the major categories:

	Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant	Ritz-Carlton Card
Annual Fee	$650 (see rates and fees)	$450
Welcome Bonus	Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.	N/A
Earning Rates	6 points per dollar at participating Marriott hotels 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines 2 points on all other purchases	6 points per dollar at participating Marriott hotels 3 points per dollar on dining, car rentals and airline purchases 2 points per dollar on all other purchases
Credits	Up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide Up to a $100 credit for qualifying incidentals when you book at least a two-night paid stay at a participating Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis property Statement credit every four years for Global Entry (up to $120) or every 4½ years for TSA PreCheck (up to $85)	Up to $300 in statement credits for eligible airline incidentals, including baggage fees, lounge access or inflight Wi-Fi Up to a $100 credit for incidentals when you book at least a two-night paid stay at a participating Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis property Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years
Elite status	Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status	Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status Earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status after spending $75,000 per calendar year
Free nights	Annual free night (up to 85,000 points) after card renewal. Certain hotels have resort fees.	Annual free night (up to 85,000 points) after card renewal
Other benefits	25 elite night credits each calendar year (limited to once per member) Priority Pass Select membership (with up to two guests; enrollment required) Earned Choice Award after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases each calendar year Extensive travel and shopping protections No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)	15 elite night credits per calendar year Priority Pass Select membership Three upgrades to the Ritz-Carlton Club Level on paid stays of up to seven nights Rental car privileges with Avis, National and Silvercar Extensive travel protections No foreign transaction fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Ritz-Carlton Card welcome offer

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant currently has a welcome offer of 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.

TPG's June 2024 valuations peg Bonvoy points at 0.85 cents each, making this offer worth $808.

FAIRFIELD BY MARRIOTT ANAHEIM RESORT/FACEBOOK

However, since the Ritz-Carlton Card is no longer available for new sign-ups, there is no welcome bonus. Those who product change to the Ritz-Carlton Card do not receive any bonus points.

Of course, check that you're eligible for the bonus before applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

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Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant — no explanation needed.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Ritz-Carlton Card benefits

Both cards offer valuable statement credits, automatic elite status, a free anniversary night and valuable travel protections. Their differences come down to a few specifics.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant comes with:

Priority Pass Select membership for you and two guests
Up to $300 in statement credits annually for dining at restaurants worldwide
Automatic Platinum Elite status
25 elite night credits each calendar year
Earned Choice Award after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases each calendar year

Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale. EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY

The Ritz-Carlton card, meanwhile, comes with:

Priority Pass Select membership for you and all guests traveling with you
Up to $300 in statement credits for eligible airline incidentals, including baggage fees, lounge access or inflight Wi-Fi
Automatic Gold Elite status
15 elite night credits annually
Three upgrades to the Ritz-Carlton Club Level on paid stays of up to seven nights
Rental car privileges with Avis, National and Silvercar

If you're after Bonvoy elite status, you'll benefit more from the higher status and more annual elite night credits with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. However, those perks do come with a significantly higher annual fee. If you want access to the Ritz-Carlton club level and rental car privileges or are trying to keep your annual fees lower, the Ritz-Carlton card is your better choice.

Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. It comes with a higher status level and has a $300 annual dining credit that's easier for many people to use than the airline incidental credit on the Ritz-Carlton card. However, the Ritz-Carlton card has a higher lounge guest allowance.

Earning points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Ritz-Carlton Card

The two cards have extremely similar earning rates. Both cards earn 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott hotels, 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with the airline and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. With TPG's June 2024 valuations in mind, that's essentially a return of approximately 5% on Marriott purchases, 2.5% on restaurants and flights and 1.7% on everyday spending.

The Ritz-Carlton card, however, also earns 3 points per dollar on car rentals, meaning you'll also get an effective return of around 2.5% on those purchases as well when you use it.

Winner: Ritz-Carlton Card. Earning bonus points on rental cars gives it a slight edge over the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

Redeeming and transferring points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant vs. Ritz-Carlton Card

The Ritz-Carlton card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant both earn Marriott Bonvoy points, so there's no difference on the redemption front. You can redeem Marriott Bonvoy points toward free stays at more than 8,000 properties across almost 30 brands in over 125 countries or turn them into airline miles for free flights.

JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Marriott points transfer to over 40 frequent flyer programs, mostly at a 2.4:1 ratio, factoring in the 5,000-mile bonus given for every 60,000 points transferred to most programs.

Winner: Tie. Since both of these cards earn Marriott Bonvoy points, they have equal redemption options.

Should I get the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant or the Ritz-Carlton Card?

If you want a welcome bonus, an easier path to Bonvoy elite status and the option to earn a choice award, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is your better option. However, if you're looking for Bonvoy perks for a lower annual fee, can maximize the airline incidental credit and want Ritz-Carlton Club access and rental car privileges, the Ritz-Carlton card will serve you better.

Can I switch from the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant to the Ritz-Carlton Card?

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is an American Express card, while the Ritz-Carlton card is a Chase card. Therefore, you cannot product change between the two cards. As mentioned above, the only way you can get the Ritz-Carlton card is by doing a product change from another Chase Marriott card after you've held it for at least a year.

Bottom line

Unlike some other comparisons, there's no clear winner in this showdown. To determine the winner for you, you'll need to consider your eligibility for either card as well as the value you can get from either card. If you can justify the higher annual fee on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and value its superior Bonvoy perks, it's likely the best option for you. However, if you prefer a lower annual fee and have a Chase Bonvoy card that you can change to a Ritz-Carlton card, you may decide to go that route.

To learn more, see our full reviews of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and the Ritz-Carlton card.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.

Featured image by HIRURG/GETTY IMAGES/UBER

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.