Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Review

Full Review of Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

Pros Explained

• Outstanding Introductory Rewards Bonus: The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card’s introductory bonus is quite generous compared to other cards. For a Limited Time Only, earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
• Solid Rewards Rate for Marriott Hotel Stays: This card earns 6 points per dollar when you book at more than 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. While there are some co-branded hotel cards that offer more points on the dollar for bookings, the rewards rate for this card is still quite respectable. 
• Automatic Silver Elite Status in the Marriott Bonvoy Program: Cardmembers enjoy Silver Elite Status in the Bonvoy program, which includes perks like a 10% point bonus on eligible stays, priority late checkout, and exclusive member rates. These benefits are included automatically when you're approved for the card.

Cons Explained

• You'll Have to Spend $35,000 per Year to Upgrade to Gold Status: Achieving Gold Status unlocks even more perks through the Bonvoy program, including a 25% bonus on stays, enhanced room upgrades, 2 p.m. late checkout, and a welcome gift of points. The catch is that you have to charge $35,000 per year with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card, which may be difficult if you don't travel or charge everyday purchases as often. 
• Your Marriott Bonvoy Account Must Stay Active to Avoid Points Expiration: Many rewards cards allow you to accrue points or miles to the loyalty program account where they can remain indefinitely, with no expiration date. The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty account card is slightly different, in that you must keep your account active every 24 months to avoid letting your points expire. This can be done by doing things like automatically earning and transferring in points from the credit card when used for purchases or using the Bonvoy dining portal.
• The $95 Annual Fee May Be Off-Putting: Given that some travel credit cards charge $450 or more in annual fees, the $95 fee associated with this card isn't overwhelmingly high. Still, that may be more than some people are comfortable paying just to earn rewards on hotel stays, particularly if they're infrequent travelers.

This card is designed for consumers who lean toward Marriott Bonvoy as their preferred hotel brand. It's good if you're already enrolled in the Bonvoy loyalty program and you want a way to earn points faster to qualify for Gold, Platinum, Titanium or Ambassador Elite Status. Since the highest rewards rate are applied to hotel stays, it's a little less versatile as an all-around travel card. But the large introductory bonus and the various travel benefits you can unlock through the Bonvoy program make up for that. And, it offers a decent rewards rate per dollar on all other purchases, beyond hotel bookings. 

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Bonus

Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Investopedia values Marriott Bonvoy points at 1.05 cents each, meaning this bonus is potentially worth around $1,050.

Overall, the bonus is generous compared to other co-branded hotel cards that may only offer 25,000 to 60,000 bonus points.

Rewards Earning Details

Boundless cardholders earn 3X Bonvoy points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. Earn up to 17X total Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R) with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless(R) Card, including 6X points for every $1 spent at participating hotels, 10X points from Marriott for being a Bonvoy member, and 1X point from Marriott with Silver Elite Status. 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Points earned on hotel and non-hotel spending are unlimited. You just have to keep your Marriott Bonvoy hotel rewards program active every 24 months by using your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card or by doing things like redeeming points for hotel nights or using their dining portal. 

There's one more way to earn rewards with your card: referral bonuses. You can get 40,000 bonus points for each person you refer who opens a credit card account, up to 200,000 points per year. 

Rewards Redemption Details

There are several ways to redeem points earned with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card, starting with Marriott hotel stays. Points can be redeemed for stays at more than 7,000 properties in 130 countries. The number of points needed to redeem for an award stay depends on the hotel category and whether you're booking an off-peak, standard or peak rate. 

You can also redeem points for flights, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages with Marriott travel partners. You can pay for those purchases with points only or a combination of points and cash. If you don't need to book a flight or hotel stay, you can use your points to pay for TSA PreCheck membership.

Besides travel, points can also be redeemed for shopping and exclusive experiences through Marriott Bonvoy Moments. On the shopping side, you can redeem points for gift cards or merchandise from partner retailers. Marriott Bonvoy Moments experiences include culinary events, concerts, and sporting events. 

Transferring Points

Points earned with your card can be transferred to selected frequent flyer programs. Most points transfer at a ratio of 3:1.

Currently, more than 40 airlines participate in points transfers from Bonvoy, including:

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• American Airlines AAdvantage
• British Airways Executive Club
• Delta SkyMiles
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
• Korean Air SKYPASS
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

You can transfer 3,000 to 240,000 points per day from the program. Your name in the frequent flyer program just has to match the name on your Marriott Bonvoy account. 

For every 60,000 points you transfer to miles, Bonvoy gives you 5,000 miles. When you transfer miles into the United MileagePlus program, you also get a 10% bonus miles. 

How to Maximize Your Rewards

Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Use the card everywhere Visa is accepted. If you can time a trip during this period—and stay in a Marriott hotel—so much the better.  

On the redemption side, points earned typically have the most value when you use them to book Marriott hotels. You'll want to look closely at the award chart to understand how far your points will stretch toward additional award nights.

Average Case

One night at a location in Marriott's Select tier, such as Courtyard, Four Points, Springhill Suites, or Fairfield often can be booked for about 20,000 points per night on nonpeak dates outside of major metropolitan markets or popular tourist destinations. At 17 points per dollar, this means you should expect to earn a free night for every $1,200 spent on Marriott hotel bookings.

Aspirational Case

One night at a location in Marriott's Luxury tier, such as JW Marriott, is likely to require at least 50,000 points, especially in a major market on a holiday weekend. At 17 points per dollar, this means you'll need to spend about $3,000 on Marriott hotel bookings to be eligible for a free night. 

Other Ideas

If you plan to transfer points to airline miles, your best value overall would be transferring to United MileagePlus, since you get a 10% bonus through RewardsPlus. You'd also get 5,000 miles from Bonvoy if you transfer at least 60,000 points. 

You also can transfer points to another cardmember if there's nothing else you'd like to redeem them for. Transfer redemptions start at 1,000 points and you can transfer up to 100,000 points per year. 

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card's Outstanding Benefits

• Get a complimentary Award Night after your account anniversary each year
• Priority late checkout.
• Exclusive Elite savings offers. 

Standard Benefits

• Purchase protection
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Visa Signature® Concierge
• Baggage delay insurance

Cardholder Experience

Chase, the Boundless card’s issuing bank, was ranked fourth out of 11 national card issuers the in J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Chase received a score just slightly below average.

Security Features

This card comes with all the standard security features you'd expect, including multiple authentication checks, suspicious activity monitoring, website encryption and secure messaging. Members can set up account alerts to monitor card activity and easily lock their card if it's lost or stolen. 

Fees to Watch Out For

There are no hidden fees to look out for with this card, although you will want to consider the balance transfer fees if you'd like to shift debt from another card onto this one.

In terms of the annual fee, look at how much value you expect to get by earning rewards for award nights to see if it justifies the $95 fee. As we noted, that’s not the largest of fees, but plenty of cards only charge $35 to $50 per year.

Our Verdict

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card is a good choice for those who belong to the Bonvoy loyalty program, and are eager to earn more points to get award hotel stays. The card's added perks, including the one time bonus and the Award Night each year, make it even more enticing for travelers who are loyal to Marriott or one of its many brands, which include W Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, and Sheraton properties. 

The card offers a decent rewards rate per dollar. Still, since the highest rewards mostly apply to hotel stays, it's less versatile than other travel-oriented cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Capital One Venture Rewards card. The $95 annual fees on those cards might also seem onerous if you are fee-averse, though.  

But if you don't always book with Marriott, or don't wish to be limited to Marriott hotel redemptions to get the best value, you may want to consider a general travel rewards card to get more flexibility.