October 13, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy, Marriott

The $450 annual fee just got charged to my AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant card today.   I called the AMEX retention line at 800-452-3945 to see if there was anything they could do to incent me to keep the card given the large annual fee.  They came back with an offer of 65,000 Bonvoy points (which is worth $520).   This is huge!

This card is turning into a money maker as the benefits more than offset the annual fee given the following benefits:

1.  $300 annual Marriott credit

2.  A $100 statement credit if I spend $1,000 by the end of the year (targeted via AMEX offers)

3.  An annual free night certificate for any Marriott property worth up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.

Just a note, calling retention does not always guarantee an offer.   I also called on my Bonvoy Brilliant card today but no offer was available.  I still kept that card though given the annual free night certificate (up to 35,000 Bonvoy points) that comes with this card.

Again, it never hurts to ask!