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Offers for the Marriott Bonvoy® Premier Credit Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Premier Credit Card and Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is a solid option for casual Marriott travelers who want access to basic perks, complimentary elite status, and a card with no foreign transaction fees. Even better, it's the only no-annual-fee Marriott credit card available to members.
However, the card lacks some basic features that come with other Marriott co-branded cards. Let's break it down so you can decide if this card belongs in your wallet.
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
Bonvoy Bold Pros
- $0 annual fee.
- Complimentary Silver Elite status.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Bonvoy Bold Cons
- Earns fewer points on Marriott spending than all other card options.
Bonvoy Bold Welcome Bonus
When you open a Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card account, you can earn 30,000 Marriott bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. The good news is that this card has a modest spending requirement that's achievable for many people. The bad news is that the points earned are also on the low side.
However, that doesn't mean sweet spots can't be found. We've found 12 Marriott properties that offer outsized value, with points redemptions starting as low as 5,595 per night.
Wondering what this bonus is worth? Consider that AwardWallet users typically redeem Marriott points at 0.94¢ each, on average.
Bonvoy Bold Benefits
The Bonvoy Bold is not as feature-rich as the other Marriott co-branded cards; however, there are still a few benefits that add value — especially for a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee.
Automatic Silver Elite status
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold comes with 5 elite night credits, which is one-third of what's required for Silver Elite status. However, in recent changes to the card, Marriott made complimentary Silver Elite status a permanent benefit. This status level comes with a 10% points bonus on stays, priority late checkout, free Wi-Fi, and a reservation guarantee.
Plus, the 5 elite night credits available each year give you a small head start toward higher status tiers if you want to work your way up with Marriott Bonvoy.
No foreign transaction fees
When traveling overseas, it's important to ensure you're not racking up any extra fees by using the wrong card. The Bonvoy Bold doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so it's a safe bet to use outside of the U.S.
Visa Signature benefits
Cardholders have access to a range of travel and purchase protections courtesy of Visa. These include:
- Baggage delay insurance: This reimburses you for essential purchases — like toiletries and clothing — for baggage delays over six hours, up to $100 a day for five days.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member have luggage that is damaged or lost by the airline, you're covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
- Trip delay coverage: If your airline travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for expenses — such as meals and lodging — up to $500 per ticket.
- Purchase protection: This covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Bonvoy Bold Earning Rates
Cardholders earn points at the following rates:
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
If you compare the earning ability to other Marriott co-branded cards, this one falls short. And the fact you'll earn less here than on cards with an annual fee shouldn't be a surprise. But if you only occasionally stay at Marriott and aren't concerned with lower earnings, it's still a decent option.
Redeeming Points With The Bonvoy Bold
Marriott stays
The simplest way to spend your points is by using them to stay at an eligible Marriott Hotel. This is guaranteed to give you the most redemption value. In addition, Marriott offers a fifth night free on award stays, meaning you can stretch your points even further.
To use your points on hotel stays, make sure you check the box for “Use Points/Awards” when searching on Marriott's website.
Want some ideas on how to use your points for good value? Consider these:
- The best budget hotels for using Marriott Bonvoy points
- The best luxury hotels for using Marriott Bonvoy points
Transfer partners
Marriott is unique among hotel programs in that its points are considered transferrable or flexible. These terms are usually reserved for bank points, but you can transfer Marriott points to 40 airline partners, we also consider Marriott Bonvoy points a transferrable currency. You can transfer points to most airline partners at a 3:1 ratio, up to 240,000 points per day.
Bonvoy Bold Application Restrictions
The terms and conditions for who can get the Bonvoy Bold are quite complicated. First, there's Chase’s 5/24 policy. This infamous policy prevents you from opening a new Chase credit card if you’ve opened five or more new cards in the previous 24 months from any bank, based on what shows on your credit report. Additionally, you're unlikely to be approved for more than two Chase credit cards in a 30-day period.
On top of this, the Bonvoy Bold adds another layer of Marriott-specific restrictions.
In most cases, the application rules don’t restrict you from applying for Marriott cards or holding more than one co-branded card at a time; they apply only to obtaining the welcome offer. We have an entire article dedicated to Marriott's complicated card application rules, but we'll summarize the specific requirements for the Bonvoy Bold below.
This credit card is not available to you if you currently have any of these cards or received a new cardmember bonus on one of these cards in the past 24 months: Marriott Bonvoy Premier Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier credit card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
You cannot get the welcome bonus on this card if you have or had any of these cards in the past 30 days: Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card or The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.
You also can't get the welcome bonus if you applied for and were approved for any of the following cards within the last 90 days or received a new cardmember bonus (including an upgrade bonus) on these cards in the past 24 months: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card.
We know this feels quite complicated. However, this card doesn't have enough benefits to make it worth applying for unless you're getting the welcome offer. Thus, we want to help you understand your eligibility.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With The Bonvoy Bold
- Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining, and 2X points per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining
- Earn 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)
- 1x points on other purchases
- Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
- If you're interested in a Marriott card with more perks, look into the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card has a low $95 annual fee and earns 6x points at Marriott Bonvoy properties. It provides 15 elite night credits and automatic Silver Elite status, but another additional benefit is the annual free night award received each year, worth up to 35,000 points. Learn more in our Marriott Boundless review.
- If you want points that you can use with Marriott plus other programs, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points that you can transfer 1:1 to Marriott but also can be used with other hotels — like IHG and Hyatt — plus 11 airline partners or even redeemed in the Chase travel portal. The card also offers an annual $50 hotel spending credit. Our Chase Sapphire Preferred review has additional details.
- If you're ineligible for a Chase card but want points you can use with Marriott, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is a good option and has no annual fee. It earns American Express Membership Rewards points that you can transfer 1:1 to Marriott Bonvoy or use with any of Amex's 21 airline and hotel partners. Our Amex EveryDay Card review has more information.
Final Thoughts
If you’re after a Marriott card but don’t want to pay an annual fee, the Bonvoy Bold has you covered. However, it will fill a valuable Chase 5/24 slot and might lock you out of applying for other Marriott cards — at least for a bit. If you're trying to build a balance of Marriott points via spending on your card or you want better perks or an annual free night certificate, you might do better with other cards.
However, if you're happy with the modest perks in exchange for no annual fee, this is a good option.
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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