Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is a great choice for Marriott loyalists and independent travelers alike. It offers a solid return on eligible Marriott purchases (6x points) and everyday spending (2x) points, but the best feature of this card by far is the anniversary free-night certificate worth up to 35,000 points and potentially several hundred dollars. Card Rating*:
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced bythe card issuer.
Editors note: This post has been updated with current information for the card. It was originally published on Oct. 23, 2019.
Since the acquisition of SPG and the launch of the Bonvoy loyalty program, Marriott has revamped its portfolio of cobranded credit cards. New cards were launched while other old favorites were closed to new applicants, leaving the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card from Chase as the only entry-level, mid-market personal card still available.
The Bonvoy Boundless is a solid mid-level Marriott card. (Photo by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy.)
Marriott has a number of personal credit cards (and a business credit card) issued by Chase and American Express. For the most part, the cards share a number of similarities. However, Ill gladly open as many Bonvoy credit cards as I can get my hands on, thanks to the incredibly valuable anniversary free-night certificates they offer. The 35,000-point free night on the Bonvoy Boundless is easily enough to recoup the annual fee. For a limited time the card is also offering an elevated 100,000-point welcome bonus after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months.
Related reading:Brace yourself: Marriott announces 2020 category changes
However, the Bonvoy credit card portfolio has eligibility restrictions that will prevent many would-be cardholders from successfully applying. Lets take a look at whether or not the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless deserves a spot in your wallet.
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Who is this card for?
Although the 100,000-point welcome bonus on the Bonvoy Boundless is enticing, it also comes at a substantial cost. This card is restricted by Chases 5/24 rule you wont be approved for the card if youve opened five or more credit cards (across all issuers) in the last 24 months. This means you arent just picking the Bonvoy Boundless card; youre potentially choosing it overanother Chase card. So you should have a plan for how youre going to use the 100,000 pointsbefore you apply if youre near the 5/24 rule.
If youre a Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium Elite, this bonus will get you much more value, as your stays will come with elite benefits such as suite upgrades and free breakfast. This card can also be a great choice if you plan to use the points for a valuable airline transfer to Korean Air, Alaska Airlines or Japan Airlines.
Related reading: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
A 100,000-point welcome bonus
Lets start with the most exciting part of any new credit card the sign-up bonus. Right now, new applicants can earn 100,000 Marriott points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. TPG values Marriott points at 0.8 cents each, meaning this bonus is worth $800.
Including the points you earn from the minimum spending, youll have 105,000 points. For 105,000 points you have many interesting redemptions, including three nights at a Category 5 hotel at standard pricing. I think Category 5 is where youll find the most value in the new Bonvoy program, and its worth studying your options for those hotels to help you redeem your annual free-night certificate (more on that later).
Unfortunately, there are restrictions that will stop many people from applying for this card. The first is Chases 5/24 rule and the second is that Chase and Amex have cooperated to limit welcome-bonus eligibility across all the Bonvoy credit cards, so even if you are under 5/24, you might not be allowed to use one of your slots for the Bonvoy Boundless.
Related reading: Am I eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no
Perks
The Bonvoy Boundless comes with a $95 annual fee, but it should be easy to get several hundred dollars of value out of the cards perks. In fact, of all the travel credit cards I carry, its easiest for me to justify paying an annual fee on the Bonvoy cards, including the Bonvoy Boundless.
Anniversary free-night award Each year on account renewal, youll receive a free-night certificate valid at hotels that cost up to 35,000 points a night. This includes almost any Category 1-5 hotel, although Category 5 hotels at peak pricing wont be eligible. You can find a number of luxury St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton hotels where you can use this certificate and youll also find incredible flexibility in big cities, such as Chicago, that offer more than a dozen 35,000-point hotel choices. Check out a few of our favorite options here. TPG values 35,000 points at $280, nearly 3x your annual fee, but its possible to get much more value if youre selective about redeeming your free night.
Automatic Silver Elite status Silver status in the new Marriott program wont get you posh penthouse suites, but its better than nothing. Silver Elite members will get a 10% points bonus, late checkout and access to an elite reservation line. You can see the full breakdown of Marriotts elite status tiers here.
15 elit- night credits annually This benefit is shared by all Bonvoy credit cards but its limited to one set of elite credits per Marriott account no matter how many credit cards you have. For those who have their sights set higher than Silver, this perk can be immensely valuable as it lowers the qualification threshold for Marriott Platinum status by 30%, from 50 nights a year to 35.
Together, these benefits represent a few hundred dollars in value each year and easily outstrip the $95 annual fee.
Related reading: 11 best uses of Marriott 35,000-point certificates for family vacations
Earning
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card earns 6x points on eligible Marriott purchases, as do all the other Bonvoy hotel credit cards (including the premium Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card). It earns 2x points on all other eligible purchases, making it a decent option for everyday spending. Terms apply.
Based on TPGs valuations, this works out to a 4.8% return on Marriott purchases and 1.6% everywhere else. On paper it would seem like you can do better using a Chase Sapphire Reserve for your hotel stays (and earning 3x Ultimate Rewards points or a 6% return), but you have to consider the value you can actually get from your Marriott points. As I mentioned before, Platinum and Titanium Elites get a much better return on their award redemptions thanks to a generous set of elite benefits, which is why I continue to pay for all my Marriott stays with a Bonvoy credit card.
Related reading: Which Marriott Bonvoy credit card is right for you?
Redeeming
The Bonvoy Boundless isnt the only card offering an increased, 100,000-point welcome bonus, and weve discussed a few of the best ways to redeem this specific bonus before. When it comes to maximizing your Marriott redemptions, there are a few strategies to keep in mind.
First, youll want to take advantage of the Stay for 5, pay for 4 perk for award stays whenever possible. This is an easy way to get up to a 20% discount and stretch your points further. If youre staying at Category 1 hotels and leveraging this benefit, you could even turn your Bonvoy Boundless sign-up bonus into 17 standard award nights that way. Or you could find a Category 4 hotel like the W Bangkok and get exactly five standard award nights (25,000 points a night plus the fifth night free).
I prefer to use my Marriott points for hotel stays, but Marriott also has 40+ airline transfer partners. Points transfer to most airlines at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. Transferring 60,000 Marriott points to Alaska Airlines, for example, would net you 25,000 miles.
If youre going to transfer Marriott points to an airline, you should use this opportunity to top up on some otherwise hard-to-earn mileage currencies. Alaska Airlines, Korean Air and JAL are three fantastic examples of highly flexible and valuable miles that are hard to earn any other way. In fact, one of my favorite redemptions to date was transferring 195,000 Marriott points to 80,000 Korean Air SkyPass miles to book a first-class seat in the nose of the carriers 747-8.
Related reading:Analyzing Marriotts 2020 award category changes
Which cards compete with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless?
The first lesson you learn when you start building a credit card strategy is how sacred your 5/24 slots with Chase are. If you dont have one already, you should strongly consider opting for a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card first. Youll pay the same $95 annual fee as the Bonvoy Boundless and youll get a valuable welcome bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. TPG values this bonus at $1,200 thanks to its immense flexibility; you can transfer those points to any of Chases hotel and airline transfer partners, including Marriott Bonvoy. Youll continue to rack up points at a fast clip with 2x points on travel and dining and receive trip delay and cancellation insurance, primary rental car insurance and baggage loss and delay insurance.
Even if you settle on a Bonvoy card as the next addition to your wallet, the Boundless might not be the best option. TheMarriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card carries a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees), but it can easily pay for itself over time. First, youll get an annual Marriott property credit of up to $300, which can be used toward room rates, effectively dropping your out-of-pocket cost to $150.
Your anniversary free night with the Brilliant card is valid at hotels costing up to 50,000 points a night, literally one-upping the level of luxury you can experience. Instead of Silver status you get complimentary Marriott Gold status (which comes with a 25% points bonus, room upgrades and a welcome amenity) and the chance to upgrade to Platinum by spending $75,000 a year.
Bottom line
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is in a bind. As one of two entry-level consumer credit cards in the Bonvoy program (the no-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card is the other), its the logical first choice for many Marriott travelers. But strict bonus restrictions and fierce competition from other Chase cards mean you should think hard before applying.
Still, if youve already built out your Chase trifecta and confirmed that you are eligible for this bonus, this card is a great addition. I have no trouble getting $250-$300 of value out of my anniversary free-night certificate and if I can get that sort of return on a $95 investment each year, its an easy win.
Additional reporting by Jason Stauffer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.