Bonvoy Bold vs. Boundless: Which card is best for you?

americanftwr June 26, 2025

0 0 6 minutes read

Bonvoy Bold vs. Boundless: Which card is best for you?

Marriott offers new applicants five personal credit cards, with annual fees ranging from none to up to $650 a year.

In short, whether you’re a die-hard Marriott fan or the occasional traveler looking for free bonus nights, there’s a card.

Chase issuances are currently open to new applicants with two of the most affordable common brand options: Marriott Hotel BonvoyBold® Credit Card (See rates and fees) and Marriott Hotel BonvoyBoundless® Credit Card (See rates and fees). Both come with valuable welcome bonuses.

Let’s break down the details of the card to help you determine which strategy is better for your strategy.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless comparison

feature	Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Bold	Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited
Welcome bonus	Earn 60,000 bonus points plus a free night prize (worth up to 50,000 points), spending $2,000 to purchase $2,000 in the first three months of opening an account. (Certain hotels have job seeking fees.)	Earn five free nights (worth up to 50,000 points per night) and buy $5,000 for the first three months of opening an account. (Certain hotels have job seeking fees.)
Annual fee	$ 0	$95
Income rate	Hotels participating in the Marriott Hotel Program cost 3 points per dollar. Every 2 o’clock in the grocery store and ride, choose food delivery, choose streaming, internet, wired and telephone services Spend 1 point per dollar to spend on all other qualified purchases	6 points per dollar for purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Hotel Program The first $6,000 gas station, grocery store and catering purchases each year, spending 3 points per dollar Spend 2 points per dollar on all eligible purchases
Marriott Hotel Allowance	Five elite nights each year Free silver medal elite identity	15 elite night credits each year, automatically getting you the silver medal elite status Free Nighttime Award of the Year (up to 35,000 points) One Elite Night Points for an Elite Identity Ways to reach the Golden Elite status when spending $35,000 or more on a card per calendar year
Other privileges	Luggage Delay Insurance Reimbursement of lost luggage Travel delay reimbursement Purchase protection Visa Concierge No foreign transaction fees	Luggage Delay Insurance Reimbursement of lost luggage Travel delay reimbursement Purchase protection Visa Concierge No foreign transaction fees

Related: Does it make sense to have a Bonvoy credit card with multiple Marriott hotels?

Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boneless Unlimited Welcome Bonus

this unlimited Five free nights are currently being offered (worth up to 50,000 per night) after spending $5,000 to purchase in the first three months of opening an account. (Certain hotels have job seeking fees.)

this Bold 60,000 bonus points plus a free night prize (up to 50,000 points) are currently being offered, after $2,000 purchased from account opening in the previous three months. (Certain hotels have job seeking fees.)

TPG’s June 2025 valuation PEG Marriott Bonvoy points are 0.7 cents, effectively making bold worth up to $770 total bonus and unlimited unlimited bonus worth up to $1,750.

Since Chase has issued these two cards, it must be noted that the 5/24 rule applies here. This means that if you have opened five or more credit cards (from any issuer) in the last two years, you may not be eligible for either card.

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Additionally, Marriott’s specific eligibility requirements apply to products released by Chase and American Express. Be sure to verify your qualifications before applying.

winner: unlimited. The value of its registration bonus is far more valuable than bold.

Related: The best time to apply for these chase cards based on quote history

Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Unlimited Benefits

Free night certificates are the most obvious difference between the privileges of these cards.

Anniversary of your account every year, unlimited Cardholders receive a free night certificate worth up to 35,000 points – if the hotel’s price is no more than 15,000 points higher.

If you use this product strategically, you can get a free night at the hotel, which can easily compensate for the annual fee of $95 per year.

at the same time, Bold Cardholders do not receive a free night certificate, but do not have to pay an annual fee.

Otherwise, these cards offer similar privileges. With these two cards, you will get automatic silver elite status and get strong travel and purchase protections from Chase. Also, when traveling abroad, you will not pay any foreign transaction fees with these cards.

winner: unlimited. Most travelers will be able to get over $95 worth from a free night certificate.

Related: The 7 Marriott Free Night Certificates are used

Marriott Hotel wins points

and unlimitedyou will earn:

6 points per dollar spent on Bonvoy property (you will get up to 17 points in qualified Marriott: up to 10 points from Bonvoy members, 6 points for this card, 10% bonus points from Silver Elite Identity This card offers 11.9% of TPG-based ROI for June 2025 for June 2025)
Each dollar is purchased at the first $6,000 combined, spending 3 points on gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants (returning 2.1%).
Spend 2 cents per dollar (1.4% return)

this BoldAt the same time, earn:

3 points per dollar spent on Bonvoy property (you will get up to 14 points per dollar in a qualified Marriott: up to 10 points from Bonvoy members, 3 points for this card and 10% bonus points for Silver Elite status The card provides 9.8% of total spending revenue for June 2025 based on TPG based June 2025 for June 2025
2 per dollar in grocery stores and rides, choose food delivery, choose streaming, internet, wired and telephone services (return 1.4%)
Spend 1:1 per dollar (return 0.7%)

Neither card offers a great income rate and you can definitely find a better option to spend every day. But Boundless earned more points in Marriott and offered extra points for groceries and gas – despite the spending cap. On the other hand, the bold card offers bonus points on the ride, which can be useful if you use services like Uber or Lyft regularly.

winner: unlimited. In most purchases, it has more points than bold ones.

Related: Best Hotel Credit Cards

Redemption Points at Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Both Bold and unlimited Earn Marriott Bonvoy points so they offer the same redemption options.

The most obvious and valuable way to use your Bonvoy perspective is to redeem them for a Marriott stay. To get the most value from your point of view, take advantage of the 5th Night’s cheering, which allows you to book a reward of five nights for just four nights.

Additionally, you can use points for gift cards and merchandise through Marriott’s shopping portal, but again, we recommend you avoid this route to get the most value from your point of view.

TPG credit card writer Chris Nelson has earned the most value from his Marriott hotel points by booking luxury hotels in Europe and Asia, such as Ritz-Carlton, Vienna and JW Marriott Beijing Central. He also took advantage of the rewarded fifth night benefits.

winner: tie. Both cards earn Marriott Bonvoy points and offer the same redemption options.

Related: How to redeem points using Marriott’s Bonvoy program

Bonvoy Bold with Marriott Hotel and Transmission Points

With both cards, you also have the option to transfer your Bonvoy points to one of nearly 40 partner airline programs, including Delta Skymiles and United Mileageplus.

Most transfers to airlines have a ratio of 3:1, so you’ll get 1 mile for every 30 million points. Additionally, when you transfer points to United MileagePlus, you receive 10,000 miles every 60,000 points.

However, this redemption usually doesn’t bring good value to your points, so we recommend it only if you need to lower your airline account balance or if the airline is a transfer partner for any credit card loyalty program like Copa Airlines.

winner: tie. Both cards have the same transfer partner.

Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott Points to airlines?

Should I get the Bonvoy Bold or the Bonvoy Marriott Boundless at the Marriott Hotel?

If you can use the annual free night certificate, unlimited It is your best choice. You can also unlock higher income rates with unlimited income rates. However, if you want to avoid annual fees, Bold It’s your better choice.

How to upgrade from Bonvoy Bold at Marriott Hotel to Bonvoy Boundless at Marriott Hotel

If you are not eligible for a new Bonvoy bonus or over 5/24, product changes may be your best bet. Both Bonvoy Bold and Bonvoy Boundless are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rules, and more specifically, Bonvoy Marriott’s qualification restrictions.

To request an upgrade (or downgrade), call the number on the back of the card. Remember that doing so will mean that you temporarily confiscate the welcome bonus for the new card.

Related: Credit Card Upgrade Guide

Bottom line

No matter which card you choose, both Marriotts are a great way to introduce yourself to the Bonvoy plan and its all the possibilities for redemption. You can’t go wrong, as there are thousands of properties to choose from around the world.

As long as you can take advantage of the free night certificate every year unlimited Provide a better value proposition for most travelers. otherwise, Bold This is a solid choice for those who want to enhance the Marriott experience (and unlock reliable travel protection).

To learn more, check out our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card.

Apply here: Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Unlimited Card
Apply here: Marriott Hotel Bonvoy Bold Card