Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Rewards rate
2X–17XAnnual fee
$95Intro bonus
Earn 3 Free NightsRegular APR
15.99% - 22.99% VariableRecommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent (670 - 850)Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card review
Written by
Madison Blancaflor
Madison Blancaflor
- /
- 5 min read
- /
- 5 min read
Why you can trust Bankrate
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:
- Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
- Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions.
- Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Editorial Integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How We Make Money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Insurance Disclosure
This content is powered by HomeInsurance.com, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 8781838) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate.com. HomeInsurance.com LLC services are only available in states were it is licensed and insurance coverage through HomeInsurance.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
ON THIS PAGE
ON THIS PAGE
Snapshot
3.8
Editor’s note: Some of the offers on this page may be expired. Check out our Best Credit Cards page for the most up-to-date offers for our favorite credit cards.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card overview
While many of the card benefits won’t change, the card rebrand does come with a new offer for new cardholders. You can now earn 3 Free Nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus 10X total points on eligible purchases in select categories—gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants (on up to $2,500 in combined purchases, for a total of 25,000 bonus points)—during your first six months. In terms of points, this adds up to essentially 175,000 points for a $1,400 value (based on The Points Guy’s latest valuation of 0.8 cents per point). That’s technically equivalent to the previous (limited-time) offer since you could earn 125,000 points plus 1 Free Night, but the new offer is a lot less flexible since you’re getting award nights rather than points.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card offers up to 17X points at participating Bonvoy locations, which includes a network of over 7,000 hotels around the world. You’ll also receive 2X points on all other purchases. For added convenience, the Bonvoy Boundless will also have contactless payment capabilities.
This card offers quite a few perks for Marriott and SPG® loyalists—a free night’s stay each anniversary year and automatic Silver Elite Status with a path to Gold Elite Status, to name two. Other card benefits include:
- 15 Elite Night credits each calendar year
- Free in-room premium Wi-Fi
- Access to exclusive events through Marriott
If you frequently stay at Marriott, SPG, and Ritz-Carlton hotels, the perks are well worth the $95 annual fee.
A deeper look into the current card offer
Quick highlights
- Rewards rate: Earn up to 17X total Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card. 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Annual fee: $95
- Intro bonus: Earn 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Regular APR: 15.99% – 22.99% Variable
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless worth it for you?
If you take more than a couple of trips each year and stay exclusively at Marriott and SPG locations, this is definitely a card worth considering. However, if you’re looking for a more flexible travel card, there are better options available.
You can rack up a lot of points with this card if you frequently stay at Marriott brand hotels, and the perks offered by this card can really enhance your travel experience. Silver Elite Status includes a 20 percent bonus on points earned during stays, access to exclusive savings and rewards redemption options, dedicated reservation and guest services contacts and more.
While using the Bonvoy Boundless is an easy way to maximize points on Marriott Bonvoy purchases, it offers little in the way of everyday spending rewards. You can pair this card with others in the Chase lineup to maximize the rewards you earn in other categories and then transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Marriott, but keep in mind Chase’s strict 5/24 rule that limits how many cards you can apply for within a 24-month span.
There was quite a bit of discussion lately about how the 2018 Marriott and SPG merger had affected the overall quality of the Marriott rewards program. The Bonvoy name got quite a bit of flack, but beyond that, many patrons expressed concerns about rewards devaluations and points difficulties since Marriott and SPG combined programs. However, Marriott credit cards and the award program rebounded to become one of the stronger hotel card lines worth considering.
Ultimately, the value that the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless adds to your wallet comes down to how often you’ll utilize Bonvoy brand hotels and the associated perks of this card. You might be happier with another card if you’re looking for more broad travel perks or rewards flexibility.
Get the most value from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
The Bonvoy Boundless card is all about the Marriott perks. The first step in maximizing the card’s worth is to make sure you’re maximizing the value of each benefit that comes with the card. Make sure you’re utilizing your automatic Silver Elite Status and the 15 Elite Night credits that count toward the next tier. Take advantage of the anniversary free-night-stay, and always use this card to pay for your Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays.
You’ll want to make sure you’re strategically booking award stays during off-peak periods whenever possible to take advantage of the lull between peak seasons for your award night redemptions. In some cases, you can end up redeeming double the points if you book an award night during a peak period rather than an off-peak period.
Finally, consider pairing this card with a more flexible rewards card from Chase to maximize your earning potential. Marriott is a Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partner, so you’ll be able to pool your points before booking high-value award stays.
How much are the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless rewards worth?
According to TPG point valuations, each Marriott point is worth 0.8 cents. That doesn’t quite hold up against many fan-favorite travel card rewards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (2 cents per point) or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (1.85 cents per mile), but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t the right card for you.
How much your rewards are truly worth depends on which Bonvoy hotel brands you frequent the most. Starting Spring 2019, Marriott will label each property as a category 1 through 8—category 1 being their most budget-friendly locations, and category 8 being their most luxurious properties. How many points it takes to redeem a night’s stay at each location is determined by which category that property falls in and whether you’re booking during off-peak, standard or peak season.
Award Night Award Chart
| Standard | Off-peak | Peak | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 7,500 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| Category 2 | 12,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 |
| Category 3 | 17,500 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Category 4 | 25,000 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| Category 5 | 35,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 |
| Category 6 | 50,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 |
| Category 7 | 60,000 | 50,000 | 70,000 |
| Category 8 | 85,000 | 70,000 | 100,000 |
If you’re planning a trip to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, you can book a room at the Residence Inn Orlando Convention Center (currently classified as a category 4) for just 25,000 points per night during standard pricing periods. However, if you’re looking to stay at a category 8 property such as the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Hotel, it’ll cost you 85,000 points per night during standard pricing periods.
You can be strategic with how you redeem your points to really maximize how many free stays you get out of your points.
Between the welcome offer, anniversary free-night-stay, Silver Elite Status benefits and other Bonvoy-specific perks, you could save hundreds of dollars while upgrading your overall hotel experience.
How to redeem rewards
You can redeem your points for free nights within the Marriott Bonvoy network, experiences, shop with points or book nights with a combination of cash and points. To learn more, read our guide to Marriott Bonvoy.
Share