Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Summary
Even if you’re not a Marriott loyalist, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is worth considering. It comes with a valuable welcome bonus, an annual free night and elite night credits, but has a lower annual fee than most other cards in the Marriott card series. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG editorial staff and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Marriott offers a diverse credit card portfolio, issued by both Chase and American Express. However, Chase’s Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card stands out as the only entry-level personal Marriott Bonvoy card available to new applicants.
With a $95 annual fee and a “good” recommended credit score, the Boundless lands just above the lowest Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card. Even those who don’t often stay at Marriott properties can take advantage of this card’s valuable welcome bonus, annual free nights and elite night credits.
Let’s take a closer look at whether the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is a good addition to your wallet.
Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited Welcome Offer
Let’s look at the most exciting part of any new credit card: the welcome offer.
New applicants can earn three free nights (each night worth up to 50,000 points for a total of up to 150,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Based on TPG’s valuation of Marriott points at 0.84 cents each, this bonus is worth up to $1,260. It’s not the best offer we’ve seen on this card – that was a previous offer for five free nights (worth up to 50,000 points each night), worth $2,100 – but this bonus is still a solid way to to give every holiday a flying start.
However, if you have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher, this bonus can give you much more value than just this points value. As a high-level elite, you can take advantage of benefits such as suite upgrades and free breakfast to further maximize your stay.
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Read more: What effect did Marriott’s changes really have on the value of Bonvoy points?
Marriott Bonvoy Limitless benefits
The Bonvoy Boundless comes with a $95 annual fee, but it should be easy to get hundreds of dollars of value out of the card’s benefits each year. These are the most important ones to consider:
Anniversary price for free night
Each year when you renew your account, you will receive a rewards night certificate worth up to 35,000 points per night. You can also top up your certificate with up to 15,000 additional points, making it potentially worth 50,000 points.
TPG’s valuations peg the value of 35,000 Marriott points at $294, nearly three times the $95 annual fee. But it’s possible to get even more value if you’re selective when redeeming your reward night.
The Bonvoy Boundless also offers a path to Gold Elite status by spending $35,000 on purchases each calendar year. However, you’re probably better off earning higher status organically through the card’s free 15 elite night credit and through some stays booked directly with Marriott. If you want a card that offers complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott, consider it The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (registration is required).
You also get one elite status night credit for every $5,000 you spend on purchases at the Bonvoy Boundless, so this could be another path to higher status.
15 elite night credits annually
Many Bonvoy credit cards share this benefit. But this benefit can be extremely valuable as you aim for a higher status level with Marriott Bonvoy.
You can get one set of elite night credits from a personal Marriott card and another set of elite night credits from a Marriott business card. So with just the Bonvoy Boundless, you only need to stay 35 nights (instead of 50) to earn Platinum Elite status. But if you have the Bonvoy Boundless and a Marriott business card like the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Cardyou can get 30 elite night credits every year just through credit cards.
Related: Does It Make Sense to Keep Multiple Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards?
Other benefits
The above benefits represent a few hundred dollars’ worth each year and easily offset the $95 annual fee. But the card also offers some additional benefits:
- Baggage delay insurance: If a passenger carrier delays your luggage for more than six hours, Chase can reimburse you for essential purchases up to $100 per day for five days
- Lost baggage compensation: If a carrier damages or loses your checked or carry-on luggage, Chase can reimburse you up to $3,000 per passenger
- Compensation for travel delays: If you are delayed more than 12 hours or have to stay overnight when traveling on a common carrier, Chase may reimburse you for certain otherwise unreimbursed expenses up to $500 per ticket
- Purchase protection: Chase covers most new purchases against damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim (maximum $50,000 per account)
- No foreign transaction fees: This extra makes the Bonvoy Boundless ideal for making purchases and booking hotel stays around the world
Related: Here are your chances of your bag being delayed or lost
Earn points on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, you earn points at the following rates:
- 6 points per dollar on qualifying purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 3 points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent on combined purchases each year at grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants
- 2 points per dollar on all other purchases
Based on TPG’s valuations, these rates equate to a 5% return on Marriott purchases and 1.6% on other travel purchases.
On paper you can do better using the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Marriott stays. After all, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar (for a 6% return based on TPG’s valuations) on travel purchases, including hotels.
But you need to consider the value you can get from your Marriott points. Platinum and Titanium Elites get a much better return on their reward redemptions thanks to a host of elite benefits. So if you have a higher status level, you may want to pay for frequent Marriott stays with a Bonvoy credit card to earn 6 points per dollar instead of earning different types of rewards points.
Related: 17 Ways to Earn Big Marriott Bonvoy Points
Redeem points at the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Of course, the most obvious way to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points is to stay in hotels. When it comes to maximizing your Marriott redemptions, there are a few strategies to consider, but this is the simplest.
CHRIS DONG/THE POINTS GUY
You’ll want to take advantage of the fifth night free on award stays whenever possible. The fifth night benefit is an easy way to get up to 20% off your redemption and grow your points further.
Transfer points to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Don’t forget that Marriott also has more than 35 airline transfer partners, including some interesting frequent flyer programs with otherwise hard-to-earn miles.
Points transfer to most airlines at a 3:1 ratio, with bonuses of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. For example, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott points to Alaska Airlines, you will get 25,000 miles. However, keep in mind that most transfers take at least a few days, so if award availability is tight, the ticket you want to book may be gone by the time the transfer is completed.
Korean Air first class. ETHAN STEINBERG/THE POINTS GUY
TPGer Ryan Wilcox prefers Alaska Airlines, Korean Air and Japan Airlines, three excellent examples of highly flexible and valuable miles that are difficult to earn in other ways. For example, you can convert 195,000 Marriott points into 80,000 Korean Air SkyPass miles and book a first-class seat in the nose of Korean Air’s Boeing 747-8 one-way between the US and South Korea.
Related: Redeem points with the Marriott Bonvoy program
Which cards compete with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless?
If you want more Marriott Bonvoy benefits or more flexible rewards, one of these cards may be a better fit.
For more options, check out our full list of the best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and the best hotel credit cards.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 3 Reasons Why the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is Worth the Annual Fee
In short
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is in an interesting place. One of two entry-level consumer credit cards in the Bonvoy program (the other, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card with No Annual Fees being the other), the Boundless makes sense for many Marriott travelers.
But strict bonus limits and stiff competition from other Chase cards mean you need to think about which card really suits your needs before you sign up.
But if you’ve already built up your Chase trifecta and confirmed your eligibility for this bonus, the Bonvoy Boundless could be an excellent addition to your wallet. You should have no problem getting $200-$300 in value from just your anniversary reward night certificate, which is a great return on the $95 annual fee associated with the Bonvoy Boundless.
Plus, today’s welcome offer is a great way to boost your Marriott balance.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card with a welcome offer of three free nights (worth up to 50,000 points each night) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
For Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex rates and fees, click here.
For Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Amex rates and fees, click here.
