Are You Bold or Boundless? Discover Which Travel Credit Card Is Right for You

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 the annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card has ample perks that make it worth your while. Once you see the all the amazing perks, you’ll be hooked.

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 on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive a Free Night Award redeemable at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy (available to use for a redemption level up to 35,000 points, 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, 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 Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, which entitles you to even more bonus points, 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 one step closer to earning your way to 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 15 Elite Night Credits. 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 scales 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 for every $1 spent on all other travel purchases and 1X point for every $1 spent on anything else.

If you really want to bolster your points balance, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is your best bet. It comes with the ability to 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.

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. On all other spending, you earn 2X points for every $1 spent (1 more point than the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card offers).

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.