Marriott Bonvoy has a large and diverse credit card portfolio, with Chase and Amex offering options.
Marriott Hotel credit cards range from less than Fee cards to premium cards. However, the Marriott BonvoyBoundless® credit card (see rates and fees) is popular among many travelers because it is right in the middle of the backpack when it comes to charges, allowances and rewards.
If you are considering applying for Bonvoy Boundless at Marriott, here are a few things to note, including the credit score you need to get approved.
Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited Overview
The annual annual fee for Bonvoy Boundless at Marriott is $95.
New cardholders can earn 5 free nighttime awards (worth up to 50,000 per night) after spending $5,000 in their first three months of opening. Some hotels have hedging fees.
As of June 2025, TPG estimated this bonus to $1,750.
The Bonvoy Boundless card at Marriott Hotel has an automatic Marriott Elite identity with 15 Elite Night Points per year to help you qualify at a higher level. If you have a Marriott business card, these elite night points may stack with those you get from the business card.
Plus, you will receive a free night certificate of up to 35,000 o’clock per year. Some hotels have hedging fees.
Our valuation places the value of this free night certificate at $245, which makes up for the annual fee.
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Related: 3 Reasons Why Bonvoy Lobenless is Worth the $95 Annual Fee
What credit score do you need to get to get a Bonvoy Boundless credit card from Marriott?
Consumers with good or excellent credit, or anyone with FICOs of 670 or higher, are more likely to be approved as Bonvoy Unlimited Marriott. However, it is certainly possible to score within this range.
Many other factors will be eligible for your credit score beyond your credit score, including your income and age of your credit account. Another important factor that you often forget is your relationship with your bank.
For example, if you are chasing clients for a long time and have a higher balance in your bank account, the report indicates that you may have better approval odds, especially if you apply for a branch office.
Related: What is a good credit score?
How many card accounts can I open?
Like most chasing credit cards, Marriott’s Bonvoy Boundless requires Chase’s 5/24 rule.
This means that if you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months (among all issuers, but not most business cards), Chase will automatically reject your application.
While there are no strict limits on the total number of card accounts you can open, if you have opened too many accounts in the past two years, it will be bad for you.
You also need to fight against some Marriott-specific application restrictions before you can get approval from the Bonvoy Boundless Card. These rules focus on whether you have recently owned other Marriott cards issued by Chase or Amex.
Specifically, you are not eligible to hold the Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Boundless or receive a welcome bonus if:
Related: Free Nights and Simple Status: That’s Why I Have 3 Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Credit Cards
How to check your credit score
There are many ways to check your credit score for free. For example, some credit cards offer free access to your FICO score.
You can also easily open an account on sites like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame. These sites are free and can help you better track your scores and their factors.
Additionally, you can use these services to object to any information on your score that is inaccurate or appears to be fraudulent.
TPG Newsletter and Partnership Editor Emily Thompson uses Credit Karma and appreciates her score changes routinely, automatically updated, and reminds every time a new inquiry appears in her credit report.
Related: How to check your credit score for free
Factors that affect your credit score
Before applying for any credit card, you must understand the factors that make up your credit score. After all, the behavior of applying for a new credit line will change your score.
Although the exact formula for calculating a credit score is not public, FICO is transparent about what factors it calculates:
- Payment history: 35% of your FICO score is composed of your payment history. You can pay on time to increase this part of the score. Recent and extended late payments will harm your credit score for the greatest damage.
- Amount of owed (credit utilization): 30% of your FICO score consists of the relative size of your current debt. In particular, your credit utilization is the total amount of your debt divided by the total amount of credit you extend in all accounts. Many claim that it is best to keep your credit utilization below 30%, but that’s not a magic number.
- Length of credit history: 15% of your score is based on the average length of all accounts in your credit history. This becomes an important factor for those with limited credit history, such as young people, recent immigrants, and those who avoid credit. It can also be a factor for people who open and close accounts in a very short period of time.
- New Credit: Your recent account determines 10% of your credit score. Opening too many accounts lately can hurt your scores as the scoring model may interpret it as a possible financial distress. The number of recent credit queries has also contributed to this.
- Credit portfolio: 10% of your score depends on how many different types of credit accounts you have. While having a larger loan portfolio is better than having fewer loans, don’t take out unnecessary loans to improve your credit score.
A key factor to consider is your average account age. While a longer credit history will improve your score, many issuers focus on a one-year deadline. An average account age of more than one year may be of great help in increasing your chances of endorsement. Even if your digital credit score is excellent, you may get approval for an 11-month credit history.
Finally, if your credit report shows any violation or bankruptcy, Chase may hesitate to approve your new credit even if your score is otherwise solid.
It is important to remember that your credit profile is more than just a number. This is a collection of information to issuers that analyze your credibility.
Related: 5 Ways to Use Credit Card Responsible
What to do if you are rejected
One of the worst mistakes people make is to give up when they are rejected.
If you receive a rejection letter, the first thing you should do is check the reason for the rejection. By law, the issuer must send you a written or electronic communication to explain what factors prevent you from getting approval.
Once you figure out why you were rejected, call Chase’s reconsideration line. Tell you the person who recently applied for Bonvoy Unlimited and was surprised to find that your application was denied; ask to talk to someone about reconsidering the decision.
From there, you need to set up a case and convince Chase agent on the phone why you should get unlimited Bonvoy.
If you are denied because your credit history is too short, you can point out your excellent record of on-time payments. If you are denied for a missed payment, you can explain that these payments were a long time ago and your record has been perfect since then.
Of course, there is no guarantee that this will work, but it’s worth a try. Ultimately, it’s worth spending 15 minutes on the phone if it can help you get the card you want.
Related: 8 Reasons to Denied Your Credit Card Application
Bottom line
The Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Boundless is attractive as it offers annual free night certificates and Marriott Elite status shortcuts, all with annual fees under $100.
While you don’t need perfect credit to get an unlimited credit card from a Marriott hotel, you usually need a good score of at least 670. However, when it comes to applying for a Marriott credit card, you usually need to worry more about issuer-specific application restrictions than having a high enough credit score.
To learn more, check out our full review of Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Unlimited.
Apply here: Bonvoy Bonvoy Unlimited Credit Card
