Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Review
Jennifer Doss
Last Updated: April 4, 2024 Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
CardRatings Editor's Analysis: Pros & Cons
- Though it is a brand-specific card and you'll earn the most points when you use it with those brands (up to 17X total points per $1 at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy properties), you'll also earn 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases and 3X points on up to $6,000 spent at grocery stores, gas stations and on dining each year.
- Offset your annual fee with the Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after your account anniversary.
- Enjoy automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year and have a path to Gold Status when $35,000 is spent on purchases each account year.
- As with all brand-specific credit cards, you'll reap the most benefit if you're truly loyal to those brands. If you aren't, you would likely be better off with a more general travel rewards card.
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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 BENEFITS
Earning reward nights at a Marriott, Starwood or The Ritz-Carlton property is simple when you have the CardName.
Cardholders can collect up to 17X points per $1 spent when using the card at more than 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy properties. Plus, earn 3X total points on up to $6,000 in combined purchases at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores each year. The card also awards 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases, which means that even your everyday purchases can do double-duty helping you earn toward another reward night stay.
If you apply for this card, you'll want to use it as soon as your receive it so that you can start accruing points quickly. Furthermore, there's a nice limited time bonus offer: Earn 100,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
Being a hotel rewards card, you'll want this card in your wallet when you're traveling. Why? The card gives you travel-related benefits to protect you when you're away from home and you can reap the benefits provided for your brand loyalty.
The CardName lets you redeem points for stays at more than 7,000 Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton locations, as well as Starwood-branded hotels around the world. That includes Four Points by Sheraton, Sheraton hotels, W Hotels and Westin hotels.
You can also use your points for airline miles, flights, car rentals and cruises when booked through the Marriott Bonvoy site, though your best value will likely be to redeem them for hotel stays.
Top Features
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- Earn 155,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required. Terms apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $150 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
CardName TRAVEL INSURANCE
The CardName is an excellent choice for a world traveler. It doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so you can shop internationally without any worries about added fees. Plus, the card covers you with trip interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and Visa Signature® Concierge Service.
Trip interruption insurance covers you and your traveling companions for expenses like meals and hotel stays (up to $500 per ticket) if your flight on a common carrier is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay. The card also gives you peace of mind about your luggage. If your bags wind up in Singapore and you find yourself in Australia, the card reimburses you for items like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays that are more than six hours. You get up to $100 a day for five days. Also, if your bags or an immediate family members' bags are lost or damaged, the card covers you for up to $3,000 per passenger.
Beyond the travel benefits, the CardName can make you feel like a king or queen the more you stay at participating hotels, with automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. The Marriott Bonvoy program lets you progress into Silver, Gold and Platinum Elite status when you stay at participating hotels. The higher tier status you achieve, the more additional bonus points you gain. Additionally, cardholders in higher tiers get complimentary enhanced in-room Internet access, complimentary room upgrades and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, plus 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and an extra elite night credit each time you spend $5,000 on your card. Learn more about elite status and the numerous benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program in our Marriott Bonvoy program guide.
CardName CAR RENTAL INSURANCE
The CardName is also an excellent choice when renting a car is part of your travel plans. When you reserve and pay for your rental car with your card and decline the company's collision damage waiver, you'll be covered with secondary rental insurance for collision damage and theft in the U.S. You're covered with primary coverage when renting a car outside the U.S. or if you don't have your own auto insurance.
The card also offers you peace of mind with 24/7 roadside assistance.
POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES OF THE CardName
Similar to other hotel-branded credit cards, you'll need to stay at participating hotels to make this card truly worthwhile. Plus, though you only need to redeem 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels, there aren't many locations classified as Category 1, so you may need more than 7,500 points for a night if you're using your points. If you're looking for a more flexible travel credit card, there are ones on the market, such as the CardName, that allow you to use your rewards on all types of travel purchases.
CardName CARDHOLDER 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 | 82.2 | 81.4 |
| Features Satisfaction | 8.3 | 8 |
| Customer Service | 7.8 | 8.5 |
| Website/App Usability | 8.2 | 8.1 |
| Likelihood of Continuing to Use | 8.8 | 8.4 |
| Recommend to a Friend/Colleague | 8.2 | 8 |
*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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The CardName allows cardholders to collect points for hotel stays (among other things) without the restriction of having to redeem them at specific hotels. It offers 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
One aspect that sets the CardName apart is that it gives cardholders 25% more value on points when they're redeemed through Chase Travel.
Cardholders can also earn 60,000 bonus points once spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months, and thanks to the 25% added value, those points equal $750 through Chase Travel.
Like the Bonvoy card, this card also has a AnnualFees annual fee. Overall, it is is a flexible and extremely popular travel rewards card. If you're looking for flexibility and general rewards, this may be a better fit for you. If you truly are brand-loyal to Marriott Bonvoy properties, you might appreciate the loyalty perks of the Marriott card.
CardName vs. CardName
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Unlike the CardName, the CardName has no annual fee, but that's about where the Bold card comes out on top.
The Bold card's limited time welcome offer allows new cardholders the opportunity to earn 60,000 bonus points once spending $2,000 in purchases in the first three months of opening an account. Points earned per dollar spent is lower as Bonvoy Bold cardholders earn 14x total points for every dollar spent at participating hotels compared to Bonvoy Boundless cardholders who can earn 17x total points for every dollar spent. Still, an earn rate of 14X points per dollar is impressive. Additionally, the Bold card earns 2X points on other travel purchases, and 1X point on everything else.
Neither card charges foreign transaction fees and points don't expire as long as the account is open and in good standing. Both cards also offer baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for five days, lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger and trip delay reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket. Also, they both offer new purchase protection against damage and theft, as well as complimentary 24-hour Visa Signature® Concierge Service.
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 vs. CardName
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The CardName's rewards program features a higher earn rate at branded hotels. CardName cardholders earn up to 26 total points per dollar spent when staying at an IHG hotel or resort; five points on travel and at gas stations and restaurants; and three points per $1 on all other purchases (as compared to two points on all other purchases with the Marriott card). Much like the Marriott card, the IHG card offers cardholders one reward night stay annually, but IHG cardholders also earn a reward night each time they redeem rewards for any consecutive four-night stay at an IHG hotel.
The CardName has a welcome offer of 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The AnnualFees annual fee is lower; plus, the IHG card offers cardholders a reimbursement of their Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and Nexus application fee every four years, a reimbursement of up to $100.
IS THE CardName WORTH IT?
The CardName is a great card if you regularly stay at Marriott or other participating properties. Getting up to 17X the points for staying at these hotels can certainly lead to a lot of points quickly.
Another benefit, of course, is that you'll receive a free night stay after each account anniversary; that's a sweet loyalty gift and will more than likely offset your annual fee in and of itself.
Whether you travel domestically or internationally, the CardName offers a combination of brand-related perks and travel benefits that make the card an excellent option for any travelers who regularly stay at Marriott properties.
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 Boundless® Credit Card Compared to Other Hotel Cards
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