How to use the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s $25 monthly dining credit

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

In September 2022, we saw the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card increase its annual fee to $650 (see rates and fees) and swap its simple-to-use annual Marriott Bonvoy credits for monthly dining credits.

While the amount of the annual benefit remained the same — up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year — we think the change was overall negative.

Here’s everything you need to know about using the up to $25 monthly dining statement credits available on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex.

Which purchases typically trigger the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit?

Any purchase that codes as a restaurant, cafe or similar should trigger the monthly dining statement credits on your account. You can use the credit at restaurants both in the U.S. and worldwide.

As with other American Express statement credits, these tend to post quickly. We tried it out, and in March 2025, our credits were posted in 11 days.

As you can see, purchases that triggered the dining statement credits still qualified for earning 3 points per dollar at restaurants worlwide.

It’s also worth noting that the up-to-$300 statement credits apply only once per account.

If you have authorized users on your account and they make eligible purchases, those charges will count toward the $300 in dining statement credits. However, any authorized users on your main cardholder account do not receive their own dining credits.

Related: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex worth the $650 annual fee?

How long do I have to use the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit?

The good news is that you can use the up to $300 dining credits as soon as you open a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex. These statement credits are available for the lifetime of your account.

The bad news is that the credits require monthly use. Rather than treating yourself to a nice dinner that costs $200 on your birthday, your Bonvoy Brilliant card’s dining statement credits are only available as up to $25 in statement credits per month.

If you maximize the monthly statement credits for a full $25 each month, you’ll receive a maximum of $300 of statement credits per calendar year.

Statement credits also do not roll over. That means if you forget to use your $25 in available statement credits this month, the credits are gone. You can’t use $50 in dining credits next month to make up for it. These credits are essentially “use it or lose it” each month.

The card’s terms and conditions state that the credit could take 8-12 weeks to appear on your statement, but it’s much faster in our experience.

Related: 8 places to maximize an 85,000-point Marriott Award Night certificate

What’s not covered by the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit?

Unfortunately, the terms and conditions indicate:

The Dining Credit benefit is not valid for the purchase of gift cards or merchandise, or for purchases at non-restaurant merchants including nightclubs, convenience stores, grocery stores, or supermarkets.

Additionally, the terms and conditions warn that you cannot receive the statement credits if your purchase does not code as a restaurant purchase. This could happen at a restaurant located inside another venue, such as inside a stadium or inside a casino.

From these terms, you may not receive your monthly credits on the Bonvoy Brilliant if you make purchases at places that do not code as a restaurant on your credit card statement. The same applies if you purchase goods rather than a meal.

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

How to maximize these credits

Most likely, you’re thinking that going to a restaurant and spending exactly $25 is the best way to use this statement credit every month. You can definitely do that.

You could also rearrange your wallet or set a reminder on your phone to use your Bonvoy Brilliant for your first meal at a restaurant or with a delivery order each month. Another idea for using the statement credit is setting this card as the default payment method in a food delivery app you regularly use.

Typically, we don’t recommend using the credit on the last day of the month because the restaurant could potentially process the transaction the next day. In fact Amex states:

For example, if you make an eligible purchase on the last day of the month and the merchant doesn’t process that transaction until the next day, the transaction date will reflect the next day’s date and the statement credit would be applied in the following month.

And if you forget to use your statement credit until the last day of the month, what then? Loading the Chick-fil-A app or your Starbucks card can be an effective way to use whatever remaining balance you have that month.

If you’ve used $20 already at a restaurant, adding $5 to your Starbucks card on the last day of the month can ensure you use the full amount of available dining statement credits each month since the balance will not carry over to the next month.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card offers up to $300 in dining statement credits per calendar year on your account. The credits are available as up to $25 per month in statement credits for eligible restaurant purchases and are incredibly easy to use.

For more information, read our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

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