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Compare the Features and Benefits of United Club℠ Infinite Card and
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
Grants Hotel Status
Annual Statement Credits
Return Protection
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Trip Protections
No Foreign Transaction Fees
No Fees for Authorized Users
Metal Card
Free Checked Bags
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Grants Car Rental Status
Priority Boarding
Concierge Services
Free Access to Credit Score
Free Annual Hotel Night
Earns Transferable Points
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Amex Offers
Annual Fee
$525
Avg. Min. Credit Score
800-850
Ongoing APR
21.49%-28.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
4x Airfare
2x Dining Out / Food Delivery
1x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.012
Bonus Offer
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(4.25) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The United Club Infinite Card is a surprisingly robust offering from United Airlines and Chase.

The primary reason to get this card is because you fly United enough that you would like to have United Club lounge access for all of your flights.

The average person will save $125 by gaining United Club access via this credit card than by buying it directly. Even United 1K members come out $25 ahead. Why would anyone buy United Club access directly when it’s cheaper to pay a lower annual fee on the credit card?

By the way, the exact same thing applies to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite MasterCard® and as well as the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Credit Card. The Delta cards even offer American Express Centurion Lounge access when flying Delta, although they also have a limit on lounge visits per year.

You also have the ability to earn the most Premier Qualifying Points towards United elite status of any of the United credit cards. You’ll earn 25 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for every $500 you spend on purchases.

Now, sure, outside of 4X miles per dollar spent on United purchases, the earn rate on other categories aren’t particularly strong. But the card’s features and benefits that we’ve described above that come on top of the United Club lounge access are incredibly compelling.

To recap, those benefits include:

  • United Club lounge access

  • First and second free checked bags

  • Receive 25% Back on United inflight and Club Premium Drink Purchases

  • Earn up to 10,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) (You’ll earn 25 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for every $500 you spend on purchases.)

  • 10% Saver Award Flight Discount

  • Expanded Award Availability

  • Premier Upgrades on Award Tickets

  • Premier Access including priority check in and priority boarding

  • Return Protection for Items a Store Won’t Take Back + Extended Warranty and Purchase Protection

  • Access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

  • Primary Car Rental CDW Insurance

  • Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Reimbursement as a Statement Credit

  • IHG Platinum Status

  • Top Tier Avis President’s Club status

lounge-access-united-club-credit-card

That’s not all of the card features, but it sure is enough to see that the value you are getting for that annual fee is pretty amazing.

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Airport Lounge Access
yes
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Return Protection
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Metal Card
yes
Free Checked Bags
yes
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Grants Car Rental Status
yes
Priority Boarding
yes
Concierge Services
yes
Free Access to Credit Score
yes
Free Annual Hotel Night
no
Earns Transferable Points
no
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
no
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
no
Amex Offers
no
Annual Fee
$650 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
Ongoing APR
20.49%-29.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
6x Hotels

6X points only applies to Marriott Bonvoy hotels and resorts booked directly through Marriott. Otherwise, earn 2X

3x Airfare
3x Dining Out / Food Delivery
2x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.006
Bonus Offer
Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.7) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The Marriott Bonvoy program offers five different co-branded credit card options, from both American Express and Chase. If we start from the top, there’s the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, with a considerable $650 annual fee. But the luxury hotel card comes with a substantial number of perks that make sense for the ultra-Marriott loyalist.

For starters, the card offers complimentary Platinum elite status, which typically requires 50+ nights at Marriott hotels per year. At this elite tier level, you’ll enjoy 50% bonus points at Marriott hotels (on top of the card’s earning rate), room upgrades up to select suites upon availability at most brands, and a welcome gift like amenities, points, or even breakfast. Enjoy a guaranteed late checkout of 4pm at most properties (resorts and convention centers are excluded). You’ll also get 25 annual elite night credits which can help you qualify for that next tier of Marriott status — Titanium or Ambassador Elite, anyone?

Even more interesting is that if you also have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Card, you’ll earn 15 more elite nights on that card for a total of 40 elite night credits. With Titanium status, which also confers United Airlines Silver elite status, available at 75 nights, you’ll need to stay just 35 nights to achieve it.

As you can expect, this card is quite rewarding for hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, offering 6x points at Bonvoy properties. The card’s rewards rate is easy to memorize as it also provides 3x points at restaurants worldwide and 2x points on all other eligible purchases, but unfortunately it falls flat compared to other luxury cards on the market with those rates, given that we peg the value of a Bonvoy point around 0.6 cents each.

Still, if you’re a heavy spender, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card offers another unique benefit. Once you spend $60,000+ on the card per calendar year, you’ll get access to the Earned Choice Award Benefit. From here, there are some incredibly valuable options like 5 Suite Night Awards, an additional free night award (worth up to 85,000 points), or a $1,000 off a bed from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Perhaps the most lucrative awards are the former two options, as the suite night awards and free night certificate can be of excellent use at some of Marriott’s most bespoke properties.

Even if you don’t anticipate $60,000+ of card spend per year, don’t fret. You’ll still get a free night award just by renewing the card and paying the annual fee on your account anniversary. This free night award will land in your account after the card renewal month, and is worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. You can “top off” with up to 15,000 more points from your account if you want to book a night that costs between 85,000 and 100,000 points.

As mentioned above, we estimate Marriott Bonvoy points to be worth about 0.6 cents each so with the 85,000 point certificate, you’re expected to receive at least a $510 value (or more!) for a property of your choice. Use your free night awards wisely, and you can land free nights at some of the most luxurious properties in Marriott’s expansive portfolio.

Not to mention, the card also comes with an up to $300 dining credit, which is distributed in up to $25 monthly credits. You’ll get a reimbursement for restaurants worldwide, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be getting this $300 rebate on your favorite eateries. (Terms apply.)

Bonvoy Brilliant Dining Credit

Finally, the Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application credit (terms apply), up to a $100 Marriott property credit for eligible stays (terms apply), and a swathe of essential travel and purchase protections to boot.

Simply put, if you have a Marriott Bonvoy member account and want top-notch perks when staying at Marriott properties, look no further than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card.

Rates and Fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Airport Lounge Access
yes
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Return Protection
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Metal Card
yes
Free Checked Bags
no
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
no
Grants Car Rental Status
no
Priority Boarding
no
Concierge Services
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
Free Annual Hotel Night
yes
Earns Transferable Points
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Amex Offers
yes

Learn more about these cards today

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