Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.
With spring break approaching and summer not too far away, two Marriott Bonvoy credit cards — the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — are offering new cardholders a chance to earn up to 100,000 welcome bonus points to use on their future travels.
The elevated bonus offers will end before the end of the day on April 5, 2023, so there are less than two weeks left to take advantage.
Below, CNBC Select breaks down the two limited-time welcome bonuses, as well as each card's unique features and how you can use the cards to their full potential.
Marriott's new credit card welcome bonuses
Co-branded hotel rewards cards provide an easy way for any type of traveler to earn points to use for free stays. Whether you're a road warrior for work or you only plan to stay somewhere twice a year, the welcome bonuses from these two Marriott cards can help save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in hotel costs.
And with Marriott Bonvoy's robust portfolio of more than 7,000 hotels spanning 30 brands across 131 countries, you'll be hard-pressed to find somewhere without a location to cash in your hotel rewards.
Here's a look at the welcome bonuses and unique benefits of each Marriott Bonvoy credit card:
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
New cardholders of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card can earn 100,000 welcome bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months from account opening.
Cardholders will also be able to earn the following by spending with the card:
- Up to 17X points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties — that's 6X points per dollar for using your card, 10X points per dollar for being a member of Marriott Bonvoy® and 1X points per dollar for your included Silver Elite Status
- 3X points per dollar on the first $6,000 you spend each year in combined purchases on dining and at grocery stores and gas stations
- 2X points per dollar on other purchases, travel-related or otherwise
Cardmembers will also earn one elite night credit for every $5,000 spent and a free night certificate (worth up to 35,000 points) each year following their account anniversary. You'll also score automatic Silver Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy and be eligible to receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
This card is a great fit for someone who travels a few times per year and doesn't want to pay a hefty annual fee. There is a $95 annual fee, while other benefits include trip delay insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, complimentary Visa Concierge service, no foreign transaction fees and access to complimentary premium Wi-Fi at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties. Points also won't expire if you keep your account active by making purchases every 24 months.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card
New cardholders of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card can earn 60,000 welcome bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months from account opening.
Cardholders will be able to earn the following:
- Up to 14X points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels — that's 3X points for using your card, 10X points for being a member of Marriott Bonvoy and 1X points per dollar for your included Silver Elite Status
- 2X points per dollar on travel-related purchases
- 1X point per dollar spent everywhere else
This card is valuable for those who don't travel as frequently. Cardholders also get 15 Elite Night Credits per year, which will qualify them for Silver Elite Status. It comes with many of the same travel and protection benefits as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, such as travel insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay and lost luggage reimbursement and no foreign transaction fees — all without an annual fee.
Other Marriott cards
Marriott also offers several other co-branded cards that are worth considering:
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
Rewards
6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
Welcome bonus
Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual fee
$250
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
20.99% - 29.99% variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees. Terms apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Rewards
Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
Welcome bonus
Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee
$650
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
20.99% - 29.99% variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Rewards
6X Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 4X points for each dollar of eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping, 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
Annual fee
$125
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
20.99% - 29.99% variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card
Rewards
6X Marriott Bonvoy Points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 4X Marriott Bonvoy Points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets; 2X Marriott Bonvoy Points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 85,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Annual fee
$250
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
20.24% – 27.24 variable
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply. Information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
How to maximize Marriott Bonvoy points
As you start to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points, it's important to keep a few things in mind to ensure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.
Stretch the value of each Marriott Bonvoy point
Do your best to redeem your points for the highest cost per point available. Generally, Marriott Bonvoy points are worth roughly 0.8 cents per point, according to several travel rewards websites, so as you're searching for hotels, keep the following formula in mind:
(The cost of the hotel stay including taxes and fees) / (the number of points) = the cost per point.
If you can get this value to 0.8 cents per point or above, it's considered to be a worthwhile redemption.
Redeem five nights for the price of four
Keep in mind that as you redeem your rewards, you can get one night free if you pay for a stay of at least five nights completely with Marriott Bonvoy points. For example, if a stay at your desired Marriott hotel goes for 20,000 points per night, a five-night stay will only end up costing you 80,000 points, giving you a 20% boost in the value of your points.
Put those points to use
Remember that all points and miles earned through airline, hotel and travel brands are susceptible to devaluation. This happens when the brand itself requires more points for the same booking, which results in your points suddenly becoming less valuable, and often without any notice. To fight back against this, it's best to try and use your hard-earned points and miles regularly. Whether you're taking a trip for yourself or booking a hotel room for a family member, it's not wise to hold onto a large sum of points for a long period of time since their value could drop at any given moment.
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Bottom line
These welcome bonuses being offered by the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card are among the most valuable available right now, but time is running out to apply. Before you apply, it may be advantageous to check your credit score, as all of the cards mentioned above require at least a good credit score in order for you to be approved.
Should you decide to apply, be sure you have a plan that lets you earn the welcome bonus responsibly. It's never advised to make more purchases on a credit card just to earn a welcome bonus. If you need help earning one, consider talking to friends or family about making some purchases on their behalf and then getting reimbursed.
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Read more
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
