Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Review
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card provides ample benefits for frequent travelers, including one free hotel night every year, automatic Silver Elite benefits, and free in-room Wi-Fi at participating hotels. However, those who don’t regularly stay at Marriott hotels or fly with the program's partner airlines may be better off with a different travel card.
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Card Summary
Pros
- Signup bonus worth around $900 in Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays
- Free one-night hotel stay every year after your account anniversary
- 15 Elite Night credits each calendar year
- Free in-room internet access
- No foreign transaction fees
- Automatic Silver Elite status each account anniversary year (10% bonus points on hotel stays, priority late checkout, dedicated elite reservation line)
- Earn Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Limited rewards redemption options if you don’t stay at participating hotels or fly on partner airlines
- No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers
Recommended Credit Score
- Good or excellent credit
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review: Is It a Good Hotel Card?
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is the new name for the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus card. Although the card still offers many of the same rewards and perks as the Premier credit card, it is now part of a single unified rewards program that combines the Marriott Rewards, the Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) programs together, making this card a top contender among the best hotel credit cards.
The Bonvoy Boundless rewards credit card offers ample rewards and is a good option for those who frequently stay at participating hotels or fly with more than 40 partner airlines.
In this review:
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Benefits
- Downsides of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card
- How it Compares to Similar Cards
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Benefits
The features of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card are ideal for travelers and anyone looking for a generous signup bonus or a solid general rewards rate.
Signup Bonus
New cardholders can earn 100,000 in bonus points (called Marriott Bonvoy points) after spending $5,000 within three months of opening their account. This is worth roughly $900 in hotel stays or other qualifying travel expenses. (As with most signup offers, this is not available to previous cardmembers.)
Marriott Rewards
Spending at more than 6,700 participating hotels earns you 6x points per $1, whereas all other purchases earn 2x per dollar spent. Marriott points can be used to book hotel accommodations or can be transferred to airline partners, with three points equating to one airline mile for most participating airlines. In other words, you’re essentially cutting the value of your points in half when you select this redemption option.
There’s a limit to the number of Bonvoy miles you can transfer to airline points programs each day, too. You’ll get the best bang for your buck when redeeming points for hotel stays or hotel/air packages.
Free Hotel Stays
The Bonvoy Boundless card comes with one free night every year on your account anniversary. This additional free night award can be used for a one-night stay at any property with a redemption value up to 35,000 points, making it one of the best credit cards for free hotel nights.
Travel Perks
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders enjoy other travel perks, including:
- No foreign transaction fees when using your card for purchases made outside of the U.S.
- Free premium in-room Wi-Fi at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Automatic Silver Elite benefits (includes a 10% bonus on points earned on hotel stays a dedicated elite reservation line, an ultimate reservation guarantee, and priority late checkout)
- Gold status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year
- Lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Visa Signature Concierge, which provides free assistance with dinner reservations, entertainment events, and other travel-related services
Shopping Perks
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless provides purchase protection insurance, which covers any purchases against damage and theft for 120 days. Purchases must have been made with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, and you’re covered for up to $500 per claim with a maximum reimbursement amount of $50,000 per account.
Downsides of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card
Although the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless has ample perks, there are also some key downsides to consider:
- The card has a $95 annual fee. Although the benefits make this worth paying if you’re a regular Marriott customer, you won’t get your money’s worth without regular hotel stays.
- The card is more limited than general-purpose travel cards, both in terms of the rewards you can earn and how you can redeem them. Unless you fly with partner airlines or stay at participating hotels, the card doesn’t provide a very good value.
- There’s no introductory APR on either purchases or balance transfers.
How it Compares to Similar Cards
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless comes with great benefits for a hotel card, especially in light of the free night every cardholder gets each year. The signup bonus also outpaces many other travel cards, although its overall rewards program isn’t as good as some competitors.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card vs. Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt credit card from Chase provides a welcome bonus of up to 50,000 points — just half the 100,000-point bonus the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offers. You can earn 25,000 bonus points with the Hyatt card by spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening and an additional 25,000 points when you spend $6,000 within the first six months.
In terms of rewards, the Hyatt card offers 4x points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels. Its general rewards rate is a bit less generous than the Marriott card, too: Although the latter comes with 2x rewards on general spending, the Hyatt card only offers this rate for spending at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, on local transit and commuting, and on fitness club and gym memberships. All other eligible purchases earn just 1 point per $1.
The Hyatt card charges the same annual fee as its Marriott counterpart, but the perks aren’t as good for most people, so the Marriott card is likely a better choice — unless you prefer the Hyatt hotel chain when you travel or belong to another hotel loyalty program.
Bottom Line
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card might have a new look and name, but its new cardmember bonus, free night award, and reasonably good rewards rate helps the card stand out in the hotel credit card category. That doesn’t mean it’s the right card for everyone, though — and unless you stay at Marriott hotels on a semi-regular basis, you may want to look for a card that makes it easier for you to earn and redeem points with the type of spending you do.
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