Marriott, the largest hotel chain in the world by the number of available rooms and 30 hotel brands across the world, has many options when it comes to co-branded credit cards for higher earning potential and complimentary status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card is a Chase credit card with Marriott perks. Keep in mind that Chase’s 5/24 rule applies to this card as it’s a Chase credit card so if you’re interested in a Marriott co-branded credit card, it would be wise to think about future card sign ups you plan to do.
Chase also offers the Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card, a no annual fee personal credit card as well. However, American Express offers two personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards as well. It’s important to consider which card is a better fit for you from both Chase and American Express.
This card has tremendous value for a card with an annual fee of $95. It would be a good idea to review the other cards and see which is the right fit for your lifestyle. However, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card is ideal for the occasional traveler and even business traveler.
What Are The Benefits Of The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card?
Sign-Up Bonus
At the time of this writing, you’ll receive 3 Free Night Awards (FNA) up to a 150,000 total point value with each night valued up to 50,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within your first 3 months of account opening.
Marriott has revised its policy that users can add up to 15,000 points on a stay from their point balance for a nightly total of 65,000 points. If a night you want to book will cost you 65,000 points, you can use one of your FNA and 15,000 points that you already have in your Marriott Bonvoy account to book.
I recently stayed at JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles with one of my free annual night certificates plus 8,000 additional points on a stay that would’ve cost me almost $400 for the night.
Free Elite Night Credits (ENC) and Complimentary Silver Status
You’ll receive 15 free ENCs per calendar year which also earns you automatic Silver elite status while you have this card. Silver elite status holders also get 10% more points on stays that include incidentals charged to the room and
Silver elite status holders isn’t high at all but the 15 ENCs will get you closer to Gold status which requires 25 nights to achieve and that has a cool perk at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas for priority line access at their buffet, the Wicked Spoon, along with additional benefits like room upgrades and extra points.
With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card, you’ll receive 1 ENC towards elite status for every $5,000 spent.
Annual Free Night Award (FNA)
Cardholders will receive a FNA every year after the account anniversary that’s valid for a redemption level up to 35,000 points. This alone would cover the annual fee cost of the card.
Increased Points Earning
Every dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels will earn you a total of 17 points.
- 6x with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
- 10x from being a Marriott Bonvoy member
- 1x from being a Marriott Bonvoy member with Silver Elite Status
You’ll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent each year on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining. You’ll also earn 2 points per $1 on all other purchases.
However, you would be better off using the Chase Sapphire Reserve for gas stations and dining transactions and other credit cards for other purchases. I dedicate my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card for only Marriott spending.
Other Travel-Related Benefits
Like other premium travel credit cards, Marriott Bonvoy offers an extensive list of travel-related benefits, similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but not as pricey.
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement
- Trip Delay Reimbursement
- Purchase Protection
- Visa Concierge
How Does This Card Compare To Other Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards?
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card has the highest annual fee of $650. Notable perks of this card is the complimentary annual night certificate worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, $300 statement credit for dining (up to $25 per month), 25 elite night credits per calendar year, complimentary automatic Platinum Elite status, and Priority Pass lounge access, fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card with an annual fee of $250 offers complimentary Gold Elite status, earning potential of 18.5x for every $1 spent (2.5x of the 18.5x due to Gold Elite status), 4x on every $1 spent in restaurants worldwide and U.S. super markets up to $15,000 with 2x points on all other purchases. While there is no automatic Free Night Award, cardholders can earn 1 FNA after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in the card year (not calendar year). Cardholders also receive 15 Elite Night Credits towards elite status every calendar year and 1000 bonus points for each eligible stay.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card has an annual fee of $250 like the Bevy card, offers complimentary Gold Elite status, 1 FNA after spending at least $15,000 in eligible purchases in the a calendar year, 15 ENCs to aim towards the next status, Platinum Elite, and 1000 bonus points for each eligible stay. Just like the Bevy, the Bountiful card lacks a lot of benefits for a card that charges an annual fee of $250.
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card is a no-annual fee credit card and offers 15 ENCs that is enough for automatic Silver Elite status. There are similar travel-related benefits that come with the card as well and the card earns 3 points per dollar along with the 10 base points as a Bonvoy member and extra 10% you earn from being a Silver Elite status member which totals to up to 14 points per dollar on eligible Bonvoy stays.
Given the benefits of each card, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card really shines with its $95 annual fee with automatic free night award certificate, high points earning on eligible transactions, and amazing sign-up bonus.
Compared to the $250 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, which requires $15,000 in spending to earn a free night certificate, the Boundless credit card has a lot going for it.
As a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder (you can read my review on it here), a lot of the non-Marriott specific perks that the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card offers is covered so I don’t feel it’s necessarily worth the $650 annual fee (or $350 net with the dining credits). Plus I’m not really entice by the complimentary Platinum Elite status since there are many business travelers that are at least Platinum Elite or higher and I don’t travel to the most luxurious Marriott hotels to really utilize the entire 85,000 free night certificate to its maximum potential.
The American Express Platinum also offers automatic Gold Elite status as well with no stay requirements so it seems excessive to have either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the American Express Platinum WITH the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card unless it’s solely for the free night certificate for a luxury hotel stay with the 85,000 points.