What Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex unlocks

Most of what the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex unlocks takes an extra step beyond the card; the first one doesn't. Basic cardholders in the US get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status automatically, applied within 12 weeks of opening the account and revoked if you close the card. Everything below builds off that Gold Elite tier.

From Gold Elite, a free status match gets you Choice Privileges Platinum — open to Marriott Gold Elite holders in both the US and Canada, though it's a once-per-lifetime move, so it's worth saving for when you actually plan to stay at Choice properties. Gold Elite also matches free into Wyndham Rewards Diamond worldwide; that status only holds for 90 days unless you rack up 10 qualifying nights at the Diamond level, which extends it through the end of the following year.

The longer route runs through that Wyndham Diamond status: a free, once-per-lifetime match turns it into MSC Voyagers Club Gold, which lapses if you don't sail MSC within three years, and that same Gold tier matches once more, free, into Gold status with Explora Club (Explora Journeys). It's a four-hop chain from the card, but every leg is free, and the full path is mapped in the reference below.