Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
- Best for: Travelers who stay at a Marriott hotel at least once a year
- What Sets It Apart: A free night after each account anniversary at a hotel charging up to 35,000 points, which you can top up with up to 25,000 of your own points
- Cost: $95 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee; 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR
- Features: Three free nights worth up to 50,000 points each after $3,000 in purchases in 3 months; 6x at Marriott hotels; 3x on the first $6,000 a year in combined grocery, gas, and dining purchases; 2x on everything else; Silver Elite status; 15 elite night credits a year
- Pros: 35,000-point anniversary night worth about $245 at NerdWallet’s 0.7-cent point value; Gold status after 10 nights a year; trip delay and lost luggage coverage
- Cons: About 1.4% back outside the bonus categories at that point value; free night expires after 12 months; resort fees not covered on free-night stays
Get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card if you stay at a Marriott at least once a year. After each account anniversary, you get a free night at a hotel charging up to 35,000 points. At NerdWallet’s value for Marriott points, a night costing the full 35,000 points is worth about $245, more than double the $95 annual fee.
Chase issues the Boundless, a Visa card built for occasional Marriott guests. The points it earns land in your Marriott Bonvoy account after each billing cycle, ready for stays at more than 7,000 participating hotels.
Key Features
- $95 annual fee and a 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR, the interest rate on balances you carry
- A free night in a standard room after each account anniversary, at a hotel charging up to 35,000 points a night
- 6x points at Marriott hotels, 3x on the first $6,000 a year in combined grocery, gas, and dining purchases, and 2x on everything else
- Silver Elite status, Marriott’s first elite tier, and 15 elite night credits a year, which count as nights toward higher status
- A welcome offer of three free nights, each at a hotel charging up to 50,000 points, after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
Pros
- Option to add up to 25,000 of your own points to the free night for a hotel charging more than 35,000 points
- Gold status after just 10 nights in a year, with the 15 credits counting toward the 25 nights it takes
- Trip delay coverage of up to $500 per traveler, plus lost and delayed bag coverage
- No foreign transaction fee
Cons
- At NerdWallet’s 0.7 cent a point, only about 1.4% back on purchases outside the bonus categories, less than the 2% a flat cash-back card pays
- A free night that expires 12 months after it’s issued
- No points back when the room costs less than 35,000 points
- Resort fees on free-night stays still yours to pay
- Welcome offer usually unavailable if you’ve earned another Marriott card’s bonus in the past 24 months
Before each annual fee posts, make sure you’ll stay at a Marriott in the next 12 months to use the free night. If you rarely stay with Marriott, take the no-fee Bold instead, and choose the $250 Bountiful only if you’ll spend $15,000 a year on it to earn its free night and want automatic Gold status.
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