Pros
- 3 Free Nights as an initial bonus
- 1 free night per year
- Automatic Silver Elite status
- 6 points per $1 spent at Marriott
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Must redeem points for free nights to get full value
- High regular APR
Marriott Credit Card Review Summary
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a good credit card for frequent travelers who regularly stay at Marriott properties. According to my calculations, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offers more rewards value over the first two years than the other Marriott rewards cards for personal use, even after accounting for annual fees.
The average person could earn over $2,500 in Marriott reservations in just two years if they make Marriott Bonvoy Boundless their everyday credit card. I wouldn’t do that, personally, but only because I don’t travel enough. If I spent numerous nights in hotels each year, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless definitely would be in the running for a spot in my wallet.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Rewards Details
- Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Earn 3X 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.
- 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
- 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
Additional Info
- No foreign transaction fees.
- More Details & Reviews About Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Review Highlights
3 Free Nights as an Initial Bonus
Most of the top-tier rewards credit cards these days offer enticing initial bonuses, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is no different. It offers 3 Free Nights to new cardholders who make at least $3,000 in purchases within 3 months of opening an account.
That could save you hundreds of dollars when you stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and resorts. Specifically, my calculations show that this bonus is worth up to $1,365 in Marriott reservations.
One Free Night Each Year
Cardholders receive one free night each year after their account anniversary, which more than makes up for the $95 annual fee.
This perk also assures users of at least some value no matter how often they use the card or spend money through Marriott. “I was nervous about getting a credit card with an annual fee, but getting at least one free night per year in exchange put my mind at ease,” WalletHub user Nancy Pinto told me. “The free nights are easy to redeem.”
Automatic Silver Elite Status
Cardholders automatically benefit from Silver Status perks such as 20% bonus points on Marriott stays and weekend rate discounts. Automatically getting Silver Elite Status also helps put the Boundless Card’s annual fee into perspective, considering that you would otherwise need to pay for 10 or more nights each year just to qualify and retain Silver Elite Status. If you want elite perks without the hassle, I say just apply for this card.
Ongoing Bonus Rewards
The Bonvoy Boundless Card gives 6 points per $1 spent at Marriott properties. That’s equal to 5.46% back, considering the average value of Marriott Bonvoy points. Plus, the first $6,000 you spend at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores every year yield 3 points per $1, or 2.73% back. All other purchases get you 2 points per $1, or 1.82% back.
These earning rates are all better than average. But I think it’s important to reiterate that if you don’t regularly stay at Marriott hotels, earning a lot of points won’t do you much good – at least not as frequently as you’d like.
Valuable Points For A Hotel Credit Card
Each point you earn with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is worth roughly 0.91 cents when redeemed for a free night. That might not sound like a lot – and it’s not compared to cash back credit cards, which typically offer at least 1.14% cash back per dollar spent – but it’s a better redemption rate than many other leading hotel credit cards offer.
No Foreign Transaction Fee
This card won’t hold you back when traveling abroad, as it does not charge the 2% to 4% foreign transaction fee assessed by 90% of all credit cards.
More and more issuers are stripping such fees from their cards, especially those with a travel focus, but it’s nevertheless good to know that Marriott Bonvoy Boundless doesn’t apply an international surcharge. I know that I would not be pleased if I stayed at one of Marriott’s international properties and then got a bill inflated by surprise foreign fees when I got home. It’s good that’s not a concern with this card.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Review Lowlights
Moderate Ongoing Costs
This card’s rewards more than pay for its $95 annual fee. But you’d obviously rather pay nothing at all, and the fixed cost does dilute the card’s value for people who don’t spend at least a few nights at Marriott properties each year.
High Regular APR
This card’s 20.99% - 27.99% (V) APR is well above the 23.24% charged by the average credit card for people with good credit. It even has the potential to be higher-than-average for people with fair credit. As a result, I recommend planning to pay the balance in full every month if you decide to apply.
Other Things To Consider About the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Most Redemption Options Offer Little Value
Marriott points are worth about half as much when exchanged for merchandise, airfare, and rental car reservations than when redeemed for free nights at a Marriott-owned hotel location. This underscores the importance of using credit cards for their intended purpose – if you’re going to get a hotel rewards card, use it for hotel rewards – and it’s certainly a limitation to this particular offer.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card vs. Popular Competitors
Info | Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | $95 | $0 | $95 |
Bonus Offer | 3 Free Nights | 70,000 points | 60,000 points |
Rewards Rate | 2 - 6 points / $1 | 3 - 7 points / $1 | 1 - 5 points / $1 |
Purchase Intro APR | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Transfer Intro APR | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Regular APR | 20.99% - 27.99% (V) | 20.74% - 29.74% (V) | 21.24% - 28.24% (V) |
Editors' Rating | 4.4 | 4.5 | 5 |
Details, Rates & Fees | Learn More | Learn More Rates & Fees Terms Apply | Learn More |
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Review Methodology
This Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card review is based on WalletHub’s proprietary 100-point credit card rating system. By using a consistent methodology to evaluate the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and all other cards, WalletHub’s credit card experts make it easy for people to compare their options and find the best credit cards for their needs.
The WalletHub rating system uses 16 key metrics grouped into seven categories: Fees, Rewards, Two-year Cost, Interest Rates, Approval Requirements, Special Features, and Reviews. Each metric has a maximum number of points allocated to it, based on the metric’s importance as determined by our editors. The points are added up to create an overall rating for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card out of a maximum of 100 points, which is then converted to a 5-point scale.
Ratings for each category reflect how close Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star credit card, which is based on market conditions and what we believe are reasonable terms. We compare Marriott Bonvoy Boundless to that standard to give a numerical approximation of how reasonable and competitive its terms are compared to other cards.
To learn more about how WalletHub rates credit card offers, check out our full credit card review methodology.