Compare the Features and Benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card and
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

If you’re on the hunt for a Marriott credit card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card is a relatively newcomer to the family of Marriott cards. Issued by American Express, this card debuted in 2022 and offers a middle ground for Marriott loyalists who are looking for solid perks without paying up an annual fee as high as $700, as with some other premium cards.

Instead, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card comes with a $250 annual fee. And with that, you’ll get automatic Gold elite status just by being a cardholder. Normally requiring 25 elite nights per night, carrying the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is one of the ways to bypass this threshold. As such, you’ll get 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability), 25% bonus points at Marriott properties, and enhanced room upgrades upon availability. However, even Gold elite status leaves a bit to be desired, as it doesn’t come with complimentary breakfast, suite upgrades, or a guaranteed late checkout benefit.

Outside of elite status, the Bevy card offers 1,000 bonus points per paid eligible stay at properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy and earns 6x bonus points per dollar on eligible Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You can also earn 4x bonus points per dollar on restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets, on up to the first $15,000 spent per year combined. That’s a potential of earning 60,000 bonus points on those two bonus categories alone, and you’ll earn 2x points after this limit and all other eligible purchases.

Another incentive to keep the card and pay the ongoing annual fees is the potential to earn a free night award, with a redemption value of up to 50,000 points. This certificate is actually much better than the one that comes on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, as its redemption value is capped at 35,000 points per night. Unfortunately, the major downside is that you have to spend at least $15,000 on the card per year to earn it, which breaks down to $1,250 in monthly spending.

In estimated monetary value, we calculate that Marriott Bonvoy points are worth about 0.6 cents each. That means you can achieve around $300 in value from the Bevy free night award if you can meet the spending requirements, which can easily wipe out the $250 annual fee before considering all the other perks.

Lastly, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express card makes for a solid travel card with no foreign transaction fees (see rates & fees), trip delay reimbursement, baggage insurance and more. However, you may want to look for a credit card with primary rental car insurance, as the Bevy only provides secondary coverage for theft and damage.

Rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

Although the Southwest Priority Card charges the highest annual fee of any of the personal Southwest credit cards, we argue that it should be the go-to card for frequent Southwest flyers. That’s because the perks of this Southwest credit card easily justify the $149 annual fee.

Cardholders get four Upgraded Boardings each year, a $75 Southwest annual travel credit, 7,500 bonus points every cardmember anniversary (worth $105), and 25% back on inflight purchases. If you fly Southwest just a couple of times per year, these perks should easily save more than the $149 annual fee.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, cardholders earn 3x points on Southwest purchases and 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit, commuting, and rideshare. In addition to those travel purchases, cardholders also earn 2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services. All other purchases earn 1x points.

All points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus, cardholders will earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List and A-List Preferred Status for every $5,000 spent per year and there is no limit on the amount of TQPs you can earn. And you don’t need to worry about foreign transaction fees with the Southwest Priority Card.

The only downside to Southwest Airlines credit cards is that Rapid Rewards points are only valuable for flying Southwest. If you want to earn flexible points, consider a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, so you’ll still be able to top off your Rapid Rewards account when you need points for your next redemption, but you can also transfer them to any of Chase’s other airline or hotel transfer partners.

Lastly, this card is great for getting a good chunk of the way to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.