I’m getting the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card—Here’s why

I currently have three credit cards: Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. I chose to get these credit cards very strategically, leveraging the new cardmember offers and the benefits the cards offered at the time.

For example, I decided to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because it was offering a strong welcome bonus at the time.

As you’ll see in this article, my reason for choosing the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card for my next card will also be largely driven by the introductory offer, but there are additional strategic reasons for why I will be investing in this card.

The Sign-Up Offer Goes a Long Way

The current introductory offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card for new cardholders is 5 Free Night Awards after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening.

Each free night award is valued up to 50,000 points, meaning you can attain an effective value of up to 250,000 points that you can use to stay at Marriott hotels across the world.

50,000 points per night can go a long way, unlocking the ability for you to stay at highly-rated hotels that can elevate your stay without needing to pay hundreds of dollars a night.

For example, you can stay at the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon during Valentine’s Day for five nights for a total of 229,000 points. Assuming every night is 50,000 points or less, you’ll easily be able to use your 5 free night awards to cover a hotel stay for a romantic getaway in the City of Love.

The cash rate for the hotel during the dates I chose is roughly 230 euros a night (before taxes & fees!), meaning that you’d be saving more than 1,000 euros for your stay by taking advantage of the 5 free night awards.

You could also use your free night awards to plan a tropical getaway. For example, you could use your 5 free night awards to cover a beach getaway at The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa in Mauritius.

The cash rate for the hotel during the dates I chose is about $335 a night before taxes & fees, meaning that you’d save over $1,500 by redeeming your 5 free night awards. Getting the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card can be a very strategic move towards funding your next vacation.

I’m planning to get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card so I can fund my family’s vacation to Hawaii for winter vacation. I promised my mom that we would plan a family trip to Hawaii to celebrate her birthday, and getting the Boundless card is our first step in the trip planning process.

Using the 5 free night awards that I’ll get from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, I can book a 5-night stay at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Honolulu, Hawaii, that is worth 242,000 points during the dates I’m looking for.

Waikiki Beach is a very popular tourist hotspot, especially during the winter, as tens of thousands of people travel to Hawaii to flee the bitter cold weather on the mainland United States.

It is worthwhile noting that the free night awards do not waive resort fees that might be included in bookings with certain hotels.

Without the free night awards, the hotel stay would cost us at least $1,500. The amount of money I will save on my trip by getting the Boundless will easily offset the $95 annual fee, and the other benefits I’ll get with the card make it a no-brainer for me to get.

In addition to redeeming the free night awards, Marriott allows you to top off each free night award with up to 15,000 points per night, meaning that you can unlock properties that cost up to 65,000 points a night with your free night awards if you have extra points.

Flexible Earning Rates

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has earning rates for bonus points that appeal to anyone making purchases at Marriott hotels, as well as bonus points in everyday categories, increasing outreach to the average spender. Here’s how the earning rate breaks down:

• Earn up to 17x total points for every $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels
  • 6x points with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
  • Up to 10x points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member
  • Up to 1x points for having Silver Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy
• Earn 3x points for every $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases annually on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining
• Earn 2x points per $1 spent on all other purchases

An earning rate of 17 points per $1 spent is pretty strong for Marriott purchases, since you can easily rack up points with Marriott hotel purchases.

For example, if you’re using your free night awards and you need to pay resort fees on top of your awards, you can use your Boundless card to pay the resort fees when booking and earn 17 points for each dollar spent.

3x bonus points for purchases made at gas stations, grocery stores, and dining appeal to the average spender, and are a nice bonus when spending money on essentials. However, given Marriott points aren’t worth all that much, you’re better off using other cards to earn flexible reward currencies.

Additional Benefits

Along with the sign-up offer, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card also offers additional benefits to cardholders to help elevate their experience staying at Marriott properties.

Cardholders get automatic Silver Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy each calendar year as a cardmember. Silver Elite status gives you access to two benefits that you can utilize during your stay, which are:

• 10% bonus points on eligible hotel purchases made during your stay
• Priority late checkout

Silver Elite status doesn’t offer much, but it makes it easier for you to attain a higher status with Marriott if you are a Marriott loyalist. However, I find more value in staying at Hyatt hotels, so I’ll most likely try to attain status with Hyatt rather than Marriott.

On top of the complimentary Silver Elite status, the Boundless offers other benefits:

• 15 Elite Night Credits every calendar year. Elite Night Credits help you attain the next level of Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
• 1 Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary, worth up to 35,000 points. This is worth less than a single free night award that you earn as part of the introductory offer, since each free night award is worth 50,000 points. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find hotel stays for 35,000 points or less.
• 1 Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend. I likely won’t find any value in this benefit, since $5,000 is a lot of money, and 1 Elite Night Credit is barely anything.
• Earn Gold Elite status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year. I won’t find any value in this benefit because of the exorbitant spending requirement.

In the long run, the annual benefits that come with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card make it a card to keep in your wallet for the long run. The anniversary free night award is worth up to 35,000 points, which could offset the cost of a hotel stay that would cost you more money than the annual fee of $95.

For example, you could use your anniversary free night award to cover the cost of a one-night stay at the Courtyard New Orleans Downtown, which is right near New Orleans’ historical French Quarter and Bourbon Street, best known for its lively nightlife and jazz music.

Without using the anniversary free night award to pay the 34,000 points required for the stay, the stay would cost $149 before taxes and fees. With taxes and fees, the stay could cost more than double the annual fee of $95.

It is clear that the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is worth keeping and paying the $95 annual fee every year, as you can easily offset the annual fee by redeeming your anniversary free night award.

A Lesser-Known Benefit

Some Marriott cardholders might not know about this slightly hidden benefit: After holding an eligible Chase Marriott credit card for at least 12 months, you can request a product change and upgrade to The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card.

The Ritz-Carlton card is arguably the best Marriott credit card there is to offer. Even though it has a steep annual fee of $450, it comes with plenty of benefits that help to offset the annual fee.

These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy
• 1 Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary, worth up to 85,000 points
• 15 Elite Night Credits every calendar year
• 3 Ritz-Carlton club-level upgrade certificates each calendar year
• $300 annual airline credit
• $100 hotel credit
• Lounge access, including Priority Pass™ Select membership and access to Chase Sapphire Lounges
• Up to $120 credit every four years for an application to Global Entry
• And more!

We dive into a deeper analysis of The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card in another article if you’re interested in learning more about the card.

Knowing that I’ll be able to upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton card after holding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a valuable perk for me, and I can definitely see myself making use of the benefits that the Ritz-Carlton card offers in the future.

Final Remarks

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card stands out as a valuable travel rewards card, especially if you're looking to book a high-value hotel stay using points. For me, the 5 Free Night Awards after meeting the minimum spend is a game-changer. It’s not just about saving money. It's about unlocking experiences, whether that’s a romantic getaway to Paris, a beach escape to Mauritius, or a family trip to Hawaii.

While the card isn’t perfect for everyone, especially if you prioritize flexible points from credit card issuers such as Chase and American Express, it’s a strong choice for travelers who frequent Marriott hotels or want to strategically book free nights. Between the sign-up bonus, everyday earning categories, and annual free night award, the Boundless easily justifies its $95 annual fee.

For my travel goals, this card is the perfect next step. Knowing that you can eventually upgrade to The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card for even more premium perks makes it a great long-term addition to my wallet.

TL;DR:

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a strategic choice for travelers aiming to save on hotel stays, offering 5 Free Night Awards (worth up to 50,000 points each) after spending $5,000 in 3 months. These awards can unlock stays worth over $1,500 at top properties around the world, easily justifying the $95 annual fee. Cardholders also receive Silver Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits, and a free night worth 35,000 points every year. Plus, after 12 months, you’re eligible to upgrade to the premium Ritz-Carlton™ Card. For Marriott fans or those planning a big trip, this card delivers strong upfront and long-term value.