Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card: Does It Include Trip Delay Insurance?

Yes. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card includes trip delay insurance as a built-in benefit. Coverage triggers when your round-trip airfare is charged to the card and your covered trip is delayed by 6 or more hours, or requires an overnight stay. The benefit reimburses up to $500 per covered trip for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses such as meals, lodging, and essential personal items.

Bottom line: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card does include trip delay insurance. Trigger: 6-hour delay or overnight stay. Maximum: $500 per covered trip. Coverage is secondary to any airline-provided compensation.

The benefit is underwritten through AMEX Assurance Company and administered through Amex's Global Assist program. It is functionally the same as the trip delay coverage on the Hilton Honors Aspire card and the Amex Platinum card. For a complete picture of your airline rights during a delay, see how to get a refund from your airline.

Covered expenses during a qualifying trip delay include:

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  Meals: Reasonable food and non-alcoholic beverage costs during the delay. Alcohol is excluded.

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  Lodging: Hotel accommodation if the delay requires an overnight stay. Marriott properties are accepted, but you are not required to stay at a Marriott.

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  Ground transportation: Reasonable costs for getting between the airport and your hotel.

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  Essential personal items: Toiletries, basic clothing, chargers if your checked bag is inaccessible.

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  Communication costs: Reasonable phone or data charges incurred to rebook or notify others.

Luxury expenses, alcohol, entertainment, and non-essential purchases are excluded. Keep itemized receipts for every expense from the moment the delay is confirmed at 6 hours or more.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant trip delay insurance covers delays caused by:

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  Weather: Storms, snow, fog, or other meteorological conditions. The most frequent covered cause.

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  Equipment failure: Aircraft mechanical problems that ground the flight.

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  Carrier operational issues: Crew shortages, late inbound aircraft, ground stops.

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  Labor strikes: Strikes that begin after you purchased your ticket.

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  Other common carrier delays: As specified in the benefit guide.

Not covered: Delays known before ticket purchase, pre-existing medical conditions, financial insolvency of the carrier, or delays caused by the cardholder. Check the current Amex benefit guide for the complete exclusions list.

Filing a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant trip delay claim follows the same Amex process as other Amex travel cards:

1. 1

   Call the Global Assist Hotline (on the back of your Brilliant card) or log in to americanexpress.com and navigate to card benefits.

2. 2

   Report the claim within the required filing window, typically 60 days from the delay event.

3. 3

   Gather documentation: airline itinerary, card statement showing the airfare charge, written or digital delay confirmation from the airline, and itemized receipts for all covered expenses.

4. 4

   Complete the claim form and submit all documentation. Keep copies.

5. 5

   Await decision, which typically arrives within 3 to 6 weeks.

If your claim is denied, request the specific policy provision cited in the denial. Many denials are overturned on appeal with additional documentation. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can assist if you believe a denial is improper.

A key nuance of Amex trip delay insurance, including the Brilliant card: the benefit generally requires a round-trip ticket charged to the card. If you purchase a one-way ticket, you may not be eligible for trip delay coverage.

This matters for passengers who book outbound and return legs separately (often to take advantage of better prices or different routings). If you book two one-way tickets and charge both to the Brilliant card, check the current benefit guide to confirm whether each one-way leg is treated as a 'round trip' for benefit purposes. Amex has historically required a round-trip ticket for coverage to apply.

Practical tip: If you regularly book one-way tickets, consider a card whose trip delay benefit does not have a round-trip requirement, or confirm with Amex before assuming coverage applies.

Amex issues several Marriott Bonvoy cards with different coverage levels:

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  Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (premium, $650 annual fee): Trip delay at 6 hours, up to $500 per trip.

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  Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (mid-tier, $250 annual fee): Trip delay at 12 hours, up to $300 per trip.

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  Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (Chase, not Amex): Uses Visa Infinite benefits; trip delay at 12 hours, up to $500 per ticket per trip.

The Brilliant card's 6-hour trigger gives it a meaningful advantage over the mid-tier Bevy card for travelers who experience moderate delays. For DOT rules on what airlines owe you in these same situations, see US DOT passenger rights. You can check full claim eligibility with TravelStacks.

A complete delay recovery strategy uses card benefits and regulatory rights together:

1. 1

   Request meals and accommodation from the airline immediately, citing their customer service plan.

2. 2

   Evaluate DOT refund eligibility: a 3-hour domestic or 6-hour international delay entitles you to a cash refund under DOT rules.

3. 3

   Document all expenses not covered by the airline with itemized receipts.

4. 4

   File a Brilliant card trip delay claim within 60 days for uncovered expenses.

5. 5

   If the delay was on an EU or UK departure, check EU261 or UK261 for statutory compensation.

For more detail on the full recovery process, see how to get a refund from your airline and check eligibility at TravelStacks. For DOT enforcement resources, visit transportation.gov.