Rolling clothes to fit more in your suitcase. Packing a portable charger. Making a copy of your passport. All of these are great travel hacks, but let us add a new one to your list: getting a Marriott Bonvoy® Credit Card.
If you want to travel to that bucket-list destination sooner while enjoying the perks of Elite status while you’re there, a Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card is an easy choice. There’s only one question: which one should you get?
Here are the benefits worth considering when deciding between the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Cards for your wallet.
Annual Fee
How do you feel about paying an annual fee on credit cards? Do you hate it or will you pay an annual fee if the card provides great benefits? The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card has no annual fee, while its counterpart, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card, has a $95 annual fee that unlocks awesome perks like accelerated points earning, fast track to higher Elite status, and an anniversary Free Night Award.
But if you’re looking for a rewarding credit card without an annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card has ample perks that make it worth your while.
Free Night Award
If you’ve ever wished you could extend your vacation just a bit longer, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card is the card for you. Each year after your cardmember anniversary, you will receive a Free Night Award redeemable at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (certain hotels have resort fees). This comes in clutch when you want to spend one more day enjoying those beach-side drinks in paradise.
While the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card has many great benefits and no annual fee, it doesn’t come with an anniversary Free Night Award valued up to 35,000 points, so make sure to keep that in mind when thinking about what Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card is right for you.
Elite Status
Both cards will get you automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, which entitles you to even more bonus points on eligible stays, priority late checkout (when available), and complimentary Wi-Fi. For all the Marriott Bonvoy newbies, both cards can catapult you to that first level of Elite status immediately.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has a bonus, though. You can get to Gold status by spending $35,000 each calendar year. You’ll also earn one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend, which means you’ll be equipped with multiple ways to get you closer to earning the next level of Elite status.
For all the Marriott Bonvoy loyalists who already have Elite status, don’t worry, the Bold & Boundless cards both come with an annual Elite Night Credit boost. With Boundless, you’ll get 15 Elite Night Credits each year, and with Bold, you’ll get 5 Elite Night Credits each year. These Elite Night Credits can help you get to the next level of Elite status.
Bonus Points
What’s better than earning points for everyday spending that you can use on your next vacation? And the more you earn, the faster you’ll get to your destination. Let’s take a look at the different earning categories for both cards to see which one makes the most sense for you and your travel goals.
With the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card, you’ll earn up to 14X points for every $1 spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Plus, you can earn 2X points on purchases at grocery stores and for rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services, and 1X points on all other purchases.
If you really want to bolster your points balance, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is your best bet. You can earn up to 17X bonus points for every $1 spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, plus you can earn 3X points for every $1 on the first $6,000 you spend each year on grocery store, gas station, and dining purchases, and 2X points on all other purchases.
That means every time you stock up on groceries for the family or eat at your favorite local restaurant, you’re getting closer to your next trip.
Pay Yourself Back®
Who wouldn’t like to get a bonus to help plan that big trip? Marriott Bonvoy Bold® cardmembers can earn up to $750 a year towards free hotel nights, flights, experiences, and more. All you have to do is use Pay Yourself Back® to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for a statement credit to cover qualifying travel purchases made directly with airlines or at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
Luckily, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® makes it a breeze to rack up points. Whenever you’re ordering food delivery, buying groceries, or grabbing a rideshare home, you’re basically saving up for your next grand adventure. Think of is as a gift to your future self.
Travel Now, Pay Later
When the urge to explore strikes, sometimes you just want to hop on a plane or hit the open road and worry about the details later. Maybe a special occasion—say, an unexpected proposal or a surprise birthday party—cropped up, or maybe you’re just feeling spontaneous. Either way, the best trips are often the ones taken with little planning at all.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Bold® cardmember with access to Chase Pay Over Time®, you can book that impulse journey. It allows you to break up qualifying travel purchases between $100 and $5,000 into equal monthly payments with zero interest and no Chase Pay Over Time® fees. That way, it’s easy to enjoy the moment. Note that access to Chase Pay Over Time® is not guaranteed.
Travel and Purchase Protection
One thing that many people overlook is the built-in travel protections that come with a credit card. These can really save the day when you need it most. Luckily, both the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® and Boundless® Credit Cards offer similar travel protections.
These include Baggage Delay Insurance, Trip Delay Reimbursement and Lost Luggage Reimbursement, and even Purchase Protection. Plus, you can use these cards all around the world and you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees when you making local purchases. The Boundless card also gives you coverage for items you purchase that either get lost, stolen or do not work as advertised.
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Cards. No matter where your travels take you, these cards have got you covered and will have you on your way to a rewarding trip in no time.
Card issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. Terms apply.
Related Articles
