Is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card Right for You? A Detailed Review

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is one of the best partner travel rewards credit cards on the market.

With an attractive welcome offer and a rewards structure that aligns with the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program, Marriott loyalists can earn plenty of bonus points when using this card, offered by Chase, for hotel bookings and shopping in key spending categories.

This card does have an annual fee, but there are perks available that can help reduce this cost each year.

Do I travel often enough to get the most out of this card? Should I get a different type of travel credit card? Do I need this card?

This card review will answer these questions and many more.

This article will be updated in March 2025 and will be revisited every 12 months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here .

The Clark team spent time evaluating the credit card market across multiple categories, including best travel credit cards , comparing the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card to the best cards in this market segment, and I determined that its rewards program membership and cardholder benefits make this hotel one of the top choices for enthusiasts of the Marriott brand .

Use this review in conjunction with Clark Howard’s “7 Rules for Using a Credit Card” to help you decide if this card is right for you .

What is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card?

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a travel credit card from Chase that offers valuable benefits and rewards to guests staying at Marriott Bonvoy properties. Marriott Bonvoy is one of the world’s largest hotel chains with 30 iconic brands and more than 7,000 locations, including Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton and Westin.

The $95 annual fee Visa card offers a Marriott Bonvoy points multiplier on purchases at hotels and resorts, as well as when spending at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants.

The card locks in higher status in the rewards program and offers cardholders the opportunity to redeem the value of the annual fee for one free hotel night each year.

This card should not be confused with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® ^Credit Card , which Chase offers to its Marriott Bonvoy customers and has no annual fee . There is also a co-branded credit card with American Express called Card_name , which has a $650 annual fee ( see Rates and Fees ).

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Features and Benefits

Let’s take a closer look to evaluate the card’s pros and cons.

Rewards Program

The card is designed to reward Marriott Bonvoy rewards program members by awarding points through multipliers based on spending categories.

So it’s no surprise that the category with the highest points multiplier is direct spending with Marriott Bonvoy .

The expense ratio breakdown is as follows:

With the offers below, you can earn a total of 17x points per dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties .
- Earn 6x points per dollar spent at Marriott with your Boundless credit card (provided by Chase)
- As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you earn 10 points per dollar (awarded by Marriott)
- As a Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite member, you earn 1 point per dollar spent (this card guarantees it).
Earn 3x points for every dollar you spend on grocery, gas and restaurant purchases combined each year on purchases of $6,000 .
2x points per dollar on all other purchases

Card Member Benefits

Annual Free Night: You’ll recoup the $95 annual fee each year. Boundless cardmembers can receive an Annual Free Night Award after their account anniversary. This award is good for one night of hotel stay with a redemption value of up to 35,000 points. The cash value of that stay usually far exceeds the card’s annual fee, so if you stay at least one night per year at Marriott Bonvoy hotels , the card will ultimately be in the black .
Automatic Silver Elite Status: Boundless cardholders earn (and maintain) a minimum Silver Elite status in the rewards program . To achieve this status, you typically need to stay at least 10 nights per year at participating properties. This status level comes with perks like free Wi-Fi and priority late check-out. You also have the opportunity to progress to Gold Elite status and beyond, depending on your spending habits.
Travel Insurance: When you purchase travel with your Boundless card, you’ll be covered for trip delay coverage (up to $500 per ticket, including meals and lodging), lost baggage coverage (up to $3,000 per passenger), and baggage delay insurance.
Purchase Protection : When you make a purchase with this card, your new item is protected against damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

Card Member Fee

Here’s a quick look at some of the fees you may incur when using your Boundless card.

Annual fee: $95
Balance Transfer Fee: $5 or 5% of each transfer amount, whichever is greater
Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 5% of each cash advance, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fees: None

Is this the best Marriott Bonvoy credit card?

As mentioned earlier, the Boundless card isn’t the only Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card option: Chase offers another card called the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card, and American Express also offers two cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

Yes, these are four similarly named cards with descriptive words derived from the letter b: “Bold,” “Boundless,” “Bevy,” and “Brilliant.” How confusing!

Let’s determine which of these cards is the best Marriott card to have in your wallet based on some basic features.

advantage	Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	About Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express®	Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® 会員
Annual Fee	$0	$95	$250 ( see fees and charges )	$650 ( see fees and charges )
Introductory APR Offer	I don’t have one	I don’t have one	I don’t have one	I don’t have one
Marriott Bonvoy status guarantee	I don’t have one	Elite Silver	Elite Gold	Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status
Annual Free Night Award	I don’t have one	Rooms up to 35,000 points	Up to 50,000 points per room (after $15,000 in annual spending)	85,000 points per room
Foreign Transaction Fee	I don’t have one	I don’t have one	I don’t have one	I don’t have one
Marriott Rewards Multiplier	3x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on eligible purchases	6x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on eligible purchases	6x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on eligible purchases	Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy® hotels.
Expense Category Multiplier	Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points for every dollar spent on other travel plans (airfare, taxis, trains, etc.)	Earn 3x Marriott Bonvoy® points for every dollar you spend combined at grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants each year on $6,000.	Earn 4x points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets ( and 2x points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases each calendar year at U.S. restaurants and supermarkets).	Marriott Bonvoy® 3X Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (2X points on purchases over $15,000 in combined purchases at U.S. restaurants and supermarkets each calendar year).
Base multiplier for non-bonus spending	1x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar spent on other eligible purchases	Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.	Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on all other eligible purchases with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card	Earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on all other eligible purchases made with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Annual Elite Night Credit	15	15	15	25
Main additional benefits	Protect your travel and shopping	Free Premium Wi-Fi, Travel and Shopping Protection	Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points for every eligible stay booked and paid directly with Marriott at any Marriott Bonvoy participating property. Terms and conditions apply.	Receive up to $300 in statement credits each year (up to $25 per month) on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. Terms and conditions apply.

We don’t list the welcome offers for each card in this table because they can change frequently, and for American Express cards, offers can vary depending on your credit score.

These cards are worth keeping an eye on as they often offer valuable points once you meet minimum spending requirements.

Although financial expert Clark Howard warns against making long-term decisions based on short-term gains when it comes to credit card welcome offers , it’s still worth taking the time to learn about the value of the points each card offers.

The Boundless card’s June 2022 welcome offer is worth up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, split into three 50,000 free night awards, which can be quite a monetary value. The exact value of your welcome offer will vary depending on the market rate at the hotel where you’re staying.

What are the alternatives to travel cards?

If you’re not a loyal Marriott Bonvoy member and always seek out the brand when traveling, this card may not be the best option for you.

Many travel credit cards don’t require you to spend with a specific brand, instead giving you rewards on purchases in categories like airfare, hotel stays, and rental cars.

Clark said he thinks the card_name is a good “starter travel card” for someone looking to get into the literal travel card pool. The card also has a $95 annual fee, but it’s easily recouped by taking advantage of Chase’s travel rewards. Those benefits might be a good fit for your wallet.

If you want to upgrade to the next level, Chase also offers the card_name for an annual fee of $550 , which gives you a $300 annual travel statement credit as well as some of the perks we mentioned earlier with the Platinum card, like airport lounge access and complimentary membership to Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.

Another option worth considering is the Capital One Venture X Rewards card. Clark added the card to his wallet for 2022 because of the great welcome offer and travel benefits that make the $395 annual fee worth it. ” I had to really think hard before I decided to take this job,” Clark said. “The sign-up bonus was so good, I just had to do it.”

Clark said he’s “at the airport every week” and has plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the card’s perks, so you might want to consider whether you can say that before paying the annual fee.

Make sure you travel enough to fully enjoy the benefits of a travel card, especially if you’re applying for a card with a high annual fee. If not, you may want to consider a different type of rewards credit card . Cash back credit cards are a good option for many consumers.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card: Pros and Cons

Are you considering adding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card to your wallet ? Before you make your final decision, let’s take a look at some of the card’s key pros and cons.

advantage	Disadvantages
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn up to 17x points on hotel stays.	Annual fee: $95
A charming welcome.	Rewards are not valid outside of the Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem.
You can offset the annual fee with a free night stay on your card anniversary.	No introductory APR period on purchases or transfers

If you’re a loyal Marriott Bonvoy customer , this card can really help your travel wallet.

The rewards are heavily skewed towards hotel stays, so they may not be your “everyday spender,” but the multiplier feature will definitely help you accumulate Marriott Bonvoy points, which can lead to more free nights and room upgrades.

My suggestion for most consumers considering this card is to use it as a “buddy” in your wallet, designated for accumulating rewards for business and personal stays in hopes of enjoying a free night on a future vacation.

If you don’t plan on using Marriott Bonvoy much while traveling, you might want to consider a travel card that offers rewards based on category spending. For the same annual fee from the same card issuer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred could be a good option.

To view the rates and fees for the featured American Express cards, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: View Rates and Fees ; Marriott Bonvoy Bevy ^™ American Express® Card ^: View Rates and Fees .

All information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is provided by Clark Howard, Inc. and has been collected independently. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card are no longer offered through CardRatings .