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Offers for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card, Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card are not available through this site. All information has been independently collected by AwardWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers.
If you've had the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card on your application list, now is a great time to apply. New cardholders will earn a bonus of three bonus Free Night Awards.
- Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 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
Marriott Boundless Signup Bonus and Annual Fee
The current offer of three bonus Free Night Awards is a very solid offer.
The card charges an annual fee of $95, which isn’t waived for the first year. But thanks to some great ongoing benefits, this card can easily pay for itself each year.
Why You Should Consider the Marriott Boundless Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card pays huge dividends to hold over the long term. While many hotel cards are best suited for a small group of committed brand loyalists, the Marriott Boundless stands out because it provides value to such a broad range of travelers.
If you stay with Marriott only once or twice a year, you’ll enjoy some special treatment with automatic Silver Elite Status, and you can easily justify the card’s modest $95 annual fee by using the Anniversary Free Night Certificate. The free night is good for hotels that cost up to 35,000 points per night, which can often cost $200 or more if you’re paying cash.
At the other end of the spectrum, frequent Marriott guests will get a valuable boost towards earning the next elite status level with 15 Elite Night Credits, plus cardholders earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. Regardless of how often you stay, this card is an excellent addition to your wallet.
Points Earning Potential and Category Bonus
The new card receives the same points-per-dollar rate as its predecessor, earning:
- 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
The earn rates on all Marriott co-brand cards are still a bit of a sore point for Marriott/SPG fans. Pre-merger, the SPG co-brand cards were go-to cards for everyday, non-bonus spending, earning the equivalent of 3x Marriott points per dollar spent. The Marriott Boundless (and its Amex counterparts) earns just 2x points on non-bonus spending, a drop of 33%.
The low return on spend means Marriott fans will be unlikely to put much spend on the card, focusing instead on cards with higher earning ratios, and holding onto the Marriott Boundless for the annual free night and benefits rather than its earning capacity.
Marriott Boundless Feature Benefits
Free Night Certificate
The hero feature on the Marriott Boundless is the anniversary free night certificate, awarded every at every anniversary you hold the card. The anniversary free night offered on the Marriott Boundless qualifies cardholders for a free night in any Marriott property up to the value of 35,000 points, the equivalent of a category 5 hotel priced at standard pricing (category 5 hotels cost 35K standard – 30K off-peak – 40K peak).
“Your Anniversary Free Night Award is valid for a one night hotel stay at a property with a redemption level up to 35,000 points.”
Automatic Silver Elite Status
Just for holding the Marriott Boundless you’ll earn Silver Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, and keep it as long as you are a cardmember. Silver Elite status with Marriott is nothing to write home about, but members are entitled to:
- Complimentary in-room internet
- Member rates
- Mobile check-in/services
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 10% points bonus on base points
- Priority late check-out when available
- Dedicated elite reservation line
While Silver status isn't likely to get you into the executive suite, any status is better than no status when booking stays with Marriott.
Path to Gold Status
For every year you put $35K spending on the Marriott Boundless, you’ll earn automatic Gold Elite status through December 31 of the following year. If you can knock that spending out in the first couple months of the new year, you could earn Gold Elite status for the better part of two years. In addition to the benefits awarded Silver Elite members, Gold status members receive:
- 25% points bonus on base points
- 2 pm priority late checkout when available
- Bonus points as an in-hotel welcome gift
- Complimentary room upgrades subject to availability
If Marriott hadn’t stripped free breakfast from its list of Gold Elite perks, this benefit would be a lot more attractive. As it stands, $35K spending to reach an elite status you can achieve just by holding The Platinum Card® from American Express is a significant opportunity cost for not much gain.
15x Elite Night Credits Each Year
Cardmembers will receive 15 elite night credits to aid in the annual hunt for elite status. While this benefit doesn’t stack with elite night credits from other Marriott personal cards, if you hold both a personal and a business Marriott card, you'll receive 15 nights from each card for a total of 30 nights per year.
The Full Lineup of Marriott Co-Brand Cards
Following its merger with SPG, the new Marriott program made some big changes to its credit card offerings, which created some understandable confusion. The Marriott Boundless replaced the popular Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card as its flagship consumer card. The new lineup includes five personal cards and one business card that are currently open to new cardmembers. Here's our post covering the key details of all six Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
Personal
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Business
Application Restrictions
In addition to the regular 5/24 policy placed on Chase’s co-brand and Ultimate Rewards earning cards, Marriott has layered an extensive and confusing set of restrictions on its new rewards cards. If you currently hold the Marriott Boundless, you aren't eligible to get another one. If you have a different Marriott, Ritz Carlton, or SPG credit card (or you closed one in the past 24 months), you'll want to check out our comprehensive post covering who is eligible for each Marriott card.
Final Thoughts
The Marriott Boundless isn't the most lucrative choice for everyday spending, but this is an excellent card to keep in your wallet. Anyone who stays at least one night per year with Marriott should get far more value from the free night certificate than the $95 annual fee.
- Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 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
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I have the older legacy Marriott Bonvoy Premier card. which has an anniversary night that is limited to stays up to 25K points.
I have been seeing the Bonvoy Boundless anniversary night is valid on stays up to 35K points.
It seems like it makes sense to upgrade… However, do I really want to upgrade. Pro vs. Con… what are they?
I feel like I should should cancel the premier card… and then sign up for the Boundless to get the sign up bonus that would be included. I don’t think you get that offer with an upgrade or do you??
Is it o my for US citizens?
Generally yes. You’ll need a US SSN (Social Security Number) or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to apply for the card.
Always keep this card for the annual free night – even if they have now limited that with the categories it still provides value. In addition this year there have been some nice spending bonuses they have been putting out there (Grocery and now restaurants/gas).
For all that this card offers, $ 95 a year seems cheap to me. I don’t think you’ll get a night at any of the Marriott properties, so it’s a great deal. I will take advantage.
This is one of the few Chase cards I still don’t have.
It’s quite tempting due to the sign up offer and annual FN.
Marriott bonvoy silver status is not really very good. However if you stay a few times at Marriott every year, the card allows you to fast track to gold. Still you only get good benefits once you reach platinum status.
Besides the Bold, are there any other Chase Marriott cards? Since I have the AMEX business card, I’m wondering if it’s worth canceling my Boundless card and applying for another one later for the bonus points.
I guess you are still able to enjoy the Bonvoy perks as a high status member if you book the nights via Hotels.com
With a 100,000 point bonus I should be able to get three free nights at a decent hotel.
is there a business version for this card? anyway great article
Thanks! You can find the biz version here: https://awardwallet.com/blog/which-credit-cards-earn-marriott-rewards-points/
I’ve held onto this card since it was the SPG. General earning is not as good now, but still a solid card worth keeping for the free night.
Had this card, hard to redeem the points for a good value in Us
How can I add Marriott bonboy if I have booked from hotels.com?
Hey Manu, generally the big hotel programs won’t let you earn elite credit from stays (or honor benefits) when you book through an OTA/3rd party like Hotels.com. There are definitely some exceptions, so you might try calling Marriott to see if they will add your loyalty number to the reservation. More details in the “Pitfalls of Using Hotels.com Rewards” section of this post.
Sure wish the free night offered higher points usage.
I had the card myself and tried to refer to my spouse as well hoping to book hotels for this upcoming Christmas pretty ‘last minute’. the referral gives only 3 nights of 35k which does not work for me. but we still got new sign up anyways to have 110k in the account. fingers crossed to have points posted soon for my trip!
Thanks, really helpful as usual. Always keeping up this posts to check new interesting things. Thanks and regards!!!
I just had my 1 year anniversary with the card but I’d like to downgrade it to BOLD (the no annual fee version). Will I still be able to use the 1 free night award that I just got for my 1 year anniversary, or would it be removed from my account?
If the free night is already showing in your Marriott account, it’s yours to keep 🙂
So if you’re considering upgrading from the Bonvoy to the Bonvoy Boundless card – one thing to consider is that you no longer will get 1 elite night credit for every $3000 in purchases. I achieve Gold status just from my travel, and I use the annual 15 nights + my $$ spend to achieve the next tier(Platinum). I would lose this ability to earn extra nights if I change cards.
So is the $95 membership fee charged the very first month of owning the card?
Annual fees are typically charged on your first statement alongside purchases.
I upgraded my old Marriott Rewards card to the Premier for a $10 increased annual fee which gave me an additional 10,000 points with my next purchase. Definitely a no-brainer to do that!
“I’d personally continue to use the SPG Amex for every day (non-bonused spend) as 1 SPG = 3 Marriott, until August 1st. On August 1st SPG points no longer exist and then I’ll personally re-evaluate how I’ll use that card going forward. I say the new Marriott card is worth a serious look.”
I’m thinking of getting this card to basically transfer it to 33,000 SPG points. Worse comes to worse you go back to Marriott I’d presume at 3:1 right?
Question on the SPG to Marriott transfer in Aug, will all your SPG points just auto go to Marriott at 3:1? I’m thinking of holding a SPG hotel booking with SPG points right before Aug 1 so if the new Marriott chart devalues at least I have a hotel booked with SPG already. However, what if by some miracle the rates go down on the Marriott chart or I just decide to cancel the booking with I still get the 3:1 if there’s no more SPG points at that point? (pun intended) Would be terrible if those were only 1:1 after Aug 1.
Correct, worst case it comes back as Marriott — but the timeline is really tight — getting those points deposited before August 1 will be a challenge.
This seems like it would make it easier to get to gold, but harder to make platinum as it doesn’t seem to give you the nights for gold, just the status. The current card, at 1 night/$3,000 would land you with 11 nights for that Path to Gold Spend, plus the annual nights.
am I missing something?
@M says: “Love when brand new cards come out!”
Yes indeed, for several reasons. It’s a particularly good moment to evaluative where card benefits are at and where they’re trending.
It’s great to continue seeing a 100k bonus.
This looks like a fantastic offer! I will definitely be looking into it.
Any news on what they will be doing with the business card?
Nothing firm at this time.
I am at 4/24 through the end of 2018. I am waiting for a better credit card offer.
Solid sign up bonus. Rest of the card is meh.
100,000 points sounds nice, but I really just prefer my Cap One card where I get 1.5% back in cash. Can’t beat cash!
Yikes! I’d really recommend you consider a different card. You can do better than 1.5% cash back. Instead look at the Freedom Unlimited (which will earn you 1.5% cash back + you can transfer points to partners if you have another premium Ultimate Rewards card — https://awardwallet.com/blog/create-ultimate-travel-rewards-credit-card-combo/) … or you could get the Citi Double Cash or Fidelity 2% cash back card.
Marriott, followed by SPG are the two hotel portfolios I stay at the least, but the addition of the free night cert makes this new card offering really attractive since holding both the SPG AmEx & this new card is another great avenue to what should be, at the very least, a fairly deeply discounted 2-night stay. Hopefully some desirable properties will make the eligible list!
I’m not good with the 5/24 but my wife on the other hand is probably eligible. I’m going to check her Credit Karma account to verify how many cards she’s (I’ve) opened in the last couple of years and what’s fallen off the report.
does this work for the business card also?
Does what work?
This is a decent offer and Marriott points are about to become one of the flexible currencies (I guess they are now if your transfer them to SPG) but I’m just at the point where I’m no longer 5/24. I think I’m going to try and get more cards that give me Chase UR rather than this one. However, for the person that already has every UR card, this would be a nice addition to the portfolio.
My offer wasn’t enticing enough to upgrade. I think I might just cancel my current card and wait it out for 24 months.
What would be the dollar amount of points that transfer if moved to Southwest rapid rewards?
Huh?
Remind us what the 5/24 policy is. Thanks
If you click the 5/24 text you’ll see it is a link that takes you to a blog post that explains 5/24. I’d recommend doing that.
What if I am an authorized user on my wife’s old Marriott card? Will I qualify for the sign up bonus (assuming I clear 5/24)?
Being an authorized user would not preclude you from receiving the associated new cardmember bonus if you were approved and met the spend requirements.
Helpful guidance, thanks!
Have the old card. Checked into apply for upgrade to new card. Was offered 20K bonus miles and took it.
Not bad at all!
So, I’m SPG Platinum and have the SPG Amex; worth it to sign up and switch?
I’d personally continue to use the SPG Amex for every day (non-bonused spend) as 1 SPG = 3 Marriott, until August 1st. On August 1st SPG points no longer exist and then I’ll personally re-evaluate how I’ll use that card going forward. I say the new Marriott card is worth a serious look.
I hold and have held, the Marriott Rewards Signature Visa card for over two years (got the bonus for signing up for it). I will cancel my crd; wait a couple weeks or so and apply fo the new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus card and should be able to qualify for the new card and bonus. I am way under on the Chase 5/24 policy.
I have the old card…x6 is a good improvement, and I was offered 50k in points for making a purchase by 12/31 on the upgraded card.
wow! heck of an upgrade offer.
I assume there is no biz version? Thanks for all the info!
Of all the travel blogs I follow (which is a lot), you are the best at actually answering questions. We appreciate that.
There is no (new) business version of the card. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for reading!
Would it help me if I took my name off of my husband’s accounts as an authorized user? I noticed when I pulled my credit that all of those are on there too. Would it make all of those drop off or not?
If you pull yourself off as an authorized user the cards will still show on your credit report — they won’t immediately drop. You could petition to the bank to ask them to remove the records from your credit report as you were never financially liable for the account and you want your credit report cleaned up.
In all likelihood though, doing this isn’t going to improve your ability to be approved for the card and it certainly won’t improve your credit score as long as all of those cards are in good standing.
Looks like a good card to check out.
Heck yes.
Do you think I could cancel my current Marriott card then apply for this one and get the 100k?
Card terms state:
The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards Premier or Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of the Marriott Rewards Premier or Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.
So if you don’t have a Marriott Rewards Premier or Premier Plus credit card and it has been 24+ months since you received a bonus on either card, then yes, you’d be eligible for the card. Keep in mind, this card is subject to 5/24.
100k, pfft.. Did you see Citibank’s promo of a Motel 6 Visa Signature of ONE MILLION points (room rates ~ 500k/night).
Drinking the sarcastic juice today, eh?
thanks for info, will look into
I assume the plug in is only for personal card?
We only have Marriott business right now.
Correct; consumer only card here.
30k upgrade offer was quite nice
nice!!!
Over 5/24, so I guess will have to consider the upgrade route…
I’m liking the look of these cards, massive sign up bonuses and free night certificates.
Wow, what an initial bonus – 100k points. Looks a great card all round to me.
great card, booey for 5/24!!
Meh. not very enticing.
really? Meh?
Hmm…enticing!
How long will the 100k bonus last?
We don’t know for sure — my gut says possibly through August when SPG is integrated into Marriott.
Unfortunately already have the other card option so no bonus offer is a no go for now.
@45k for a normal room and up to 100k for 5star this is no better than a 3ok bonus? The 6x spend is an improvement over what they are going to give existing SPG Amex holders. Not super impressed with anything Marriott has done.
Welp! That didn’t work. Too many credit cards open in last 2 years. He said I had 8 cards..so I’ll wait. Arggh! Great deal, though..
Oh my goodness! I hope I can snag this deal on Marriott Credit Card for 100k points! I’m on hold with the reconsideration line now. Eeek
100,000? Thats like 30,000 of the real thing. Can’t see myself getting too much benefit out of this or the SPG card I have now from AMEX, they do seem to be the exact same though. before I bother calling AMEX to cancel my account, does anybody know if they let you convert an SPG card to a cash card?
You cannot do such a conversion.
A definite improvement over the current Marriott card.
6 x on Marriott spend is a nice improvement over the old card
Darn (probable) 5/24.
This appears to be a decent value for those who have not had the predecessor cards and can find hotels that are in the category covered.
Or transfer to SPG and transfer to airlines!
can i upgrade if i had gotten the older version recently?
Check the link in the post to see if you’re eligible and what your offer is
Love when brand new cards come out!
Now, this seems like I decent promotion! Is the $95 waived the first year?
No.