Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Review
Jennifer Doss
Last Updated: February 15, 2024 Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
CardRatings Editor's Analysis: Pros & Cons
- This card opens the door to the excellent Marriott Bonvoy rewards program without the cost of an annual fee.
- For a limited time, earn 60,000 bonus points once spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Earn up to 14 Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
- While no annual fee is nice, the reward points structure for this card is significantly lower than the cards that do carry annual fees in the Marriott Bonvoy family.
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Information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has been collected independently by CardRatings and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer
CardName essentials
Marriott Bonvoy just launched a new, no annual fee credit card and it offers an exciting alternative for fans of the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards program.
The CardName offers a strong introductory offer and a solid rewards/benefits structure, as well as additional perks that make the card worth serious consideration – all at no extra cost to you.
For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points once spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Points can be redeemed for free hotel stays, room upgrades, and more.
Beside the bonus, you can earn points on all purchases made with the card. Earn up to 14 points for every $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties, two points for each $1 spent on other travel-related purchases (airlines, hotels, timeshares, car rentals, travel agencies, campgrounds, buses, taxis, ferries, etc.) and one point for each $1 spent on all other purchases.
In addition to no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, CardName has purchase protection, trip delay protection and the added perk of credit for 15 Elite Nights annually, which automatically qualifies you for the Silver Elite level in the rewards program. You can learn more about the benefits of elite level status in our guide to the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Top Features
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- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That's $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
- Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
- Terms Apply.
What our editors like most about the CardName
Rewards credit cards with no annual fees almost always grab our attention, but in the case of CardName, this perk holds even more significance. Marriott Bonvoy has an excellent rewards program, providing the opportunity to earn free nights and services at Mariott Bonvoy properties and their affiliates around the world. However, the other three credit cards in the Mariott Bonvoy family all carry annual fees.
CardName gives people of more modest spending habits the chance to get their foot in the door of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program and enjoy some of the same benefits as bigger spenders. One of the perks is credit for 15 Elite Nights annually, which puts you in the Silver Elite level of the rewards program. Silver Elite status earns you 10% more bonus points on stays and eligible Marriott purchases, free late checkout, and more.
Though not as lucrative as other cards in the Marriott Bonvoy family, the CardName limited time bonus offer is easily attainable. You can earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend just $2,000 in the first three months you have the card. Those points can easily score you a free night (or several!), depending on the property.
Potential downsides of the CardName
While no annual fee is nice, the reward points structure for the CardName is significantly lower than the cards that do carry annual fees in the Marriott Bonvoy family. Knowing your spending habits will help you calculate which card is in your best interests.
Furthermore, as with any branded credit card, you need to decide how deep your loyalty runs to determine whether a brand-specific card is right for you or whether you'd be better served with a more general travel rewards card, such as CardName, which doesn't restrict your rewards redemption to a particular brand and also doesn't charge an annual fee.
CardName cardholders scores
CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results:
| Current Scores | Past Scores | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.4 | 67.8 |
| Features Satisfaction | 8.1 | 6.6 |
| Customer Service | 8.1 | 7.1 |
| Website/App Usability | 8.3 | 7 |
| Likelihood of Continuing to Use | 8.4 | 7 |
| Recommend to a Friend/Colleague | 8.1 | 6.6 |
*Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.
How the CardName compares to other cards
CardName vs. CardName
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Right off the bat you'll notice that the biggest difference between these two cards is that one charges an annual fee and one does not. However, even though the CardName charges an annual fee of AnnualFees, you might find that it's worth it due to the numerous rewards that come with the card.
The CardName is offering new cardholders a limited time opportunity to earn 100,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. Furthermore, CardName cardholders can earn up to 17 points for every $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties, instead of up to 14, as well as 3X total points on up to $6,000 in combined purchases at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores each year and two points on all other purchases, versus two points on just travel purchases, and one point on everything else with the Bold card. Many of the other benefits are the same, such as no foreign transaction fees and credit for 15 Elite Nights annually. However, the CardName does also offer a Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after your account anniversary.
It's clear that you'll get more with the CardName, but what it boils down to is whether you're willing to pay a fee for it each year.
Information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by CardRatings and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer
CardName vs. CardName
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This is another card with an annual fee (AnnualFees), but along with that annual fee comes a lot of flexibility.
To start, the CardName earns you two miles on every purchase made. So whether you're spending money at Bonvoy properties or not, you're earning a flat two miles on every $1you spend.
If you want the flexibility to gain miles on all travel purchases, and then to redeem said miles towards any travel purchase, this might be a better card for you. However, if you're loyal to the Marriott brand, you're probably better off with the CardName.
In case flexibility sounds better to you, you might also like to know that the CardName offers new cardholders a a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. It's a perk that certainly helps offset the annual fee.
CardName vs. CardName
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Okay, and now for another no annual fee card...
Similar to the CardName, the CardName card offers a flat mileage rate earned on every $1 spent. In this case, it's a bit less, at 1.5 miles, however, there's also no annual fee to worry about.
Another great feature of this card is that Discover will match every mile earned at the end of your first year, automatically. So say you earn 35,000 miles, you'll actually walk away with 70,000 miles at the end of your first year as a cardholder. That's $700 towards travel! A great perk for a card with no annual fee.
Again though, like the CardName, the issue with this card is that you'll miss out some serious mile earning potential if you're loyal to the Marriott brand. If you want a card with no annual fee, but still want to earn more at Marriott Bonvoy properties, sticking with the CardName might be your better bet.
Is the CardName a good card?
If you plan to do a fair amount of traveling in the coming years and you consider yourself to be a fan of Marriott Bonvoy properties, this card should be an excellent fit for you since you don't have to worry about paying an annual fee. The CardName opens the door to the excellent Marriott Bonvoy rewards program with a nifty introductory bonus offer. But at the same time, with no annual fee, you don't have to worry about earning a certain number of points each year in order to make the card pay for itself.
Survey Methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents' scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. “Current Scores” reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); "Past Scores" reflect scores from the 2022 survey.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Compared to Other Cash back Cards
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