American Express Gold Card vs Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card
Both are American Express cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.
Everything else
- Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card 1.5% 2x base rate
Dining
- Gold Card 8.0% 4x, capped
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card 2.3% 3x
Groceries
- Gold Card 8.0% 4x, capped
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card 1.5% 2x base rate
Flights
- Gold Card 6.0% 3x
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card 2.3% 3x
Flights · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 6.0% 3x
Hotels
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card 4.5% 6x
- Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
Hotels · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 10.0% 5x
Car rental · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 4.0% 2x
Cruises · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 4.0% 2x
What the numbers are doing
Gold Card's 4x on dining runs out: it applies to the first $50,000 of dining spend a year, and everything past that earns 1x.
Gold Card tops everything else at 2.0% only because this table values its points at 2 cents each. Value them at one cent and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card wins that category instead.
The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Gold Card $325 and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card $650 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.
| Category | Best card |
|---|---|
| Everything else | Gold Card2.0% |
| Dining | Gold Card8.0% |
| Groceries | Gold Card8.0% |
| Flights | Gold Card6.0% |
| Flights · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel6.0% |
| Hotels | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card4.5% |
| Hotels · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel10.0% |
| Car rental · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel4.0% |
| Cruises · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel4.0% |
Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.
Every category, every card
Everything else
- Gold Card — 2.0%
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card — 1.5%
Dining
- Gold Card — 8.0%
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card — 2.3%
Groceries
- Gold Card — 8.0%
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card — 1.5%
Flights
- Gold Card — 6.0%
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card — 2.3%
Flights · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 6.0%
Hotels
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card — 4.5%
- Gold Card — 2.0%
Hotels · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 10.0%
Car rental · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 4.0%
Cruises · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 4.0%
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