Changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card make it easier to earn points and elite status, with no increase in annual fee

OSTN Staff

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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review 2x1
  • The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has undergone a few notable changes — including its sign-up bonus.
  • Cardholders now receive 3 points per dollar on up to $6,000 per year in grocery, gas, and dining purchases.
  • You’ll also receive one elite night credit for every $5,000 you spend on the card.
  • Read Insider’s guide to the best Marriott credit cards.

Chase and American Express currently issue a total of four Marriott credit cards, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is a great value for frequent and occasional travelers alike. For a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card annual fee, cardholders receive compelling benefits, including a free night worth up to 35,000 points each card anniversary, Silver elite status, and solid travel and purchase protections.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has had a refresh, with an updated welcome offer, earning categories, and a new way to earn elite night credits for spending:

  • New cardholders can now earn Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card 
  • You’ll earn 3 points per dollar at grocery stores, gas stations, and on dining purchases (on up to $6,000 in combined spending per year)
  • You’ll earn one elite night credit for every $5,000 you spend on the card (with no cap)

These changes are incremental, and the welcome bonus may not be as compelling as the previous offer, which awarded 100,000 points after meeting minimum spending requirements — simply because points are more flexible than free night certificates.

The annual fee will remain Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Here’s a closer look at these card updates, and what they mean for you.

Changes to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card

New sign-up bonus

The card now offers Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

Insider estimates Marriott points value to be 0.7 cents each. That makes this bonus worth Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

However, if you know the best ways to use Marriott points, you can get much more value from this bonus. For example, the W Miami can easily exceed $650 per night, but you can pay as little as 40,000 points during those same dates. That’s a value of 1.6+ cents per point. Using your bonus at this hotel could net you more than $1,900 in value.

Read more: How I used two Marriott Bonvoy benefits to save over $3,000 on a European vacation

Plus, Marriott will begin allowing you to use up to 15,000 Marriott points in tandem with your certificate. That means you’ll be able to use your certificates to book hotels costing 65,000 points or less per night.

For folks who prefer to redeem points at lower-category Marriott hotels, be aware that you will forfeit value if you book a hotel costing fewer than 50,000 points. For example, if you book a Marriott hotel costing 20,000 points per night, you’ll still expend your full free night certificate.

New bonus categories

Previously, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card only received 6 bonus points per dollar at Marriott and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. The card has now been enhanced to earn the following:

  • 6 bonus points per dollar at Marriott
  • 3 points per dollar for grocery stores, gas stations, and dining (on the first $6,000 in combined spending in these categories)
  • 2 points per dollar on all other purchases

These new 3x categories are a nice little unexpected bonus for cardholders — though it only amounts to a potential extra 6,000 Marriott points per year. Per Insider’s valuations, this gives the card another $42 in annual value if you spend the full $6,000 each year.

Earn elite night credits through spending

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card will now reward high spenders with elite night credits. For every $5,000 you spend on this card, you’ll earn one elite night credit. There is no cap on the number of elite nights you can earn through spending.

In other words, you can theoretically spend your way all the way to Marriott’s prestigious Titanium status without ever stepping foot in a hotel. However, this benefit likely won’t serve most cardholders — $5,000 in spending is a lot, and many of us may only pick up an elite night or two from this benefit each year.

If you’re interested in achieving Marriott elite status through spending, you’ll do better with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, which awards Platinum elite status after spending $75,000 on purchases in a calendar year. This is significantly less than you’d have to spend on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card for the same elite status.

Read more: The best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards of 2022

Keep in mind Marriott credit cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, already come with 15 automatic elite night credits per year, which can also be helpful for frequent travelers who want to boost their Marriott status to the next level.

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card now has some new features which, while they may not sway you to open the card if you weren’t previously interested, are nice surprises for current cardholders.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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