Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Best for: Occasional Marriott guests who want points and Silver Elite status without an annual fee
- What Sets It Apart: The only Marriott card Chase offers with no annual fee; 2X on groceries, rideshare, food delivery, streaming, and phone and internet bills
- Cost: $0 annual fee; no foreign transaction fees; 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR
- Features: 45,000 bonus points after $1,000 in purchases in 3 months; 3X at Marriott hotels; Silver Elite status; 5 elite night credits a year
- Pros: No annual fee; points worth 0.8 cents each toward airfare or Marriott stays; card use keeps points from expiring
- Cons: No yearly free night; 1X on most purchases; grocery bonus excludes warehouse clubs and discount stores
Get the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card if you stay with Marriott only now and then and want Bonvoy points and Silver Elite status without an annual fee. If you’ll book at least one Marriott night a year, choose the $95 Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card instead, since its yearly free night can be worth far more than the fee.
Of the three Marriott Bonvoy cards Chase offers, the Bold is the only one with no annual fee. It’s built for guests who don’t stay with Marriott every year, and it earns points on groceries, phone bills, and other everyday spending as well as on hotel stays.
Key Features
- $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR, the interest rate on balances you carry
- 45,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months
- 3 points per dollar (3X) at Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 2X at grocery stores, on rideshare, on select food delivery and streaming services, and on internet, cable, and phone bills; 1X on everything else
- Each year, Silver Elite status plus 5 elite night credits, which count as nights toward higher status
- Points worth 0.8 cents each ($100 per 12,500 points) as Pay Yourself Back statement credits on Marriott stays or airfare bought from the airline, up to $750 a year
Pros
- Silver Elite status at no yearly cost, with 10% bonus points on stays and priority late checkout when available
- A 45,000-point bonus that comes to $360 in Pay Yourself Back credits, for $1,000 in spending
- Card purchases count as activity on your Marriott Bonvoy account, so your points won’t expire as long as you use the card at least once every 24 months
Cons
- No yearly free night award
- Only 5 elite night credits a year
- 1X on most purchases, worth 0.8 cents per dollar, less than half what a 2% cash-back card pays
- Grocery bonus excludes warehouse clubs and discount stores like Walmart and Target
At the same 0.8 cents a point, the yearly free night on Chase’s $95 Boundless card is worth up to $280, since it’s good at hotels costing up to 35,000 points a night. Keep the Bold while your Marriott stays are rare, and move up to the Boundless once you’ll book at least one Marriott night a year.
Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card or see how it compares to the best hotel rewards credit cards.
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