Marriott is perhaps the largest of the major hotel chains, and it offers co-branded credit cards issued by both Chase and American Express. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold is the entry level card offered by Chase.
What Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold?
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold card is Marriott’s no-annual-fee card that is co-branded with Chase bank. It offers a sign-up bonus, the ability to earn rewards and additional travel benefits.
New applicants can earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
This card offers up to 14X total points for every dollar spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. This is broken down as 3X with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card, 10X for being a Marriott Bonvoy loyalty member and 1X from Marriott Bonvoy with Silver Elite Status (which you earn with this card). You will also earn 2X on other travel purchases and 1X on all other purchases.
This card comes with 15 Elite Night Credits per calendar year, which qualifies you for Silver Elite status. Silver Elite status gives you priority late checkout, a reservation guarantee, free in-room Wi-Fi and a 10% points bonus on stays. You can also earn another 15 night stay credits from having a Marriott business card, but you can’t earn more than this by having more than one consumer or small business cards.
Plus, you can get purchase protection and access to a Visa concierge. Additional cardmember benefits include baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for five days, lost luggage reimbursement up to $3,000 per passenger and trip delay reimbursement up to $500 a ticket.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee and there’s no foreign transaction fee.
What Sets the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Apart?
This card has several features that help it distinguish itself from other credit cards in its category.
- Travel Benefits. This card offers several travel benefits including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and trip delay reimbursement.
- Silver Elite Status. The 15 Elite Night Credits that come with the card are enough to earn Silver Elite status, which gives you priority late checkout, a reservation guarantee, free in-room Wi-Fi and a 10% points bonus on stays.
- Sign-up Bonus. You can earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Key Features of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold card offers a sign-up bonus, the ability to earn rewards and several additional travel benefits.
Sign-Up Bonus
Earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Earning Rewards
This card earns up to 14X total points for every dollar spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. This is broken down as 3X with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card, 10X for being a Marriott Bonvoy loyalty member and 1X from Marriott Bonvoy with Silver Elite Status (which you earn with this card).
You will also earn 2X on other travel purchases and 1X on all other purchases.
Redeeming Rewards
You can redeem your points for stays at eligible Marriott hotels. You can also transfer your points to over 35 airline partners at a 3:1 ratio.
Points won’t expire, as long as you make purchases on your credit card every 24 months.
0% Intro APR Promotion
There is not currently a 0% intro APR promotion available. The current APR is 21.49% to 28.49%. The cash advance APR is 29.99%.
Important Fees
There’s a balance transfer fee of either 5% of the amount of each transaction or $5, whichever is greater. The card also charges a cash advance fee of 5% of the amount of each transaction or $10, whichever is greater. There is a late payment penalty fee of up to $40 and a return payment penalty of up to $40.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee. There are also no foreign transaction fees for this card.
Additional Benefits
The card offers several additional benefits, including 15 Elite Night Credits per calendar year, which qualifies you for Silver Elite Status. Plus, you can get purchase protection and access to a Visa concierge.
Although this isn’t a luxury travel card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card offers several travel-related benefits, including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and trip delay reimbursement.
Credit Required
This card requires good credit or better to qualify. If your FICO score is much below 690, then you may have trouble being approved.
Pros & Cons
As a travel rewards card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold has several advantages.
Pros
- Low fees. No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees are a rare combination for a travel rewards card.
- Strong bonus point offers. You can earn up to 14x Marriott points per dollar spent. But before you get too excited, be aware that Marriott points are generally worth less than airline miles or points from other hotel chains. Still, this is a strong value.
- Travel insurance and purchase protection benefits. At a time when many travel rewards credit cards have been stripped of most or all benefits, this card still offers baggage delay and lost luggage reimbursement, as well as trip delay coverage. You also get purchase protection against theft and damage.
Cons
- Marriott Bonvoy program charges a lot of points. It’s fun to rake in a lot of points, but that excitement can dwindle when you find out how many points it requires to book an award night stay.
- 2x for other travel purchases. Since Marriott Bonvoy points are worth very little, you’d be better off using a different travel card for purchases other than at Marriotts.
- Just 1x for all other purchases. Considering the value of Marriott points, this is a truly substandard rate of return for a rewards card.
How the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Stacks Up
The card’s closest competitor is probably the Hilton Honors Amex card. Here’s how the two cards compare:
| Marriott Bonvoy Bold | Hilton Honors Amex Card | |
| Annual Fee | $0 | $0 |
| Sign-Up Bonus | 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening | 80,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months of card membership |
| Rewards Rate | Up to 14X | Up to 7X |
| 0% Intro APR | None | None |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None | None |
| Credit Needed | Good or better | Good or better |
Final Word
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold has several things going for it, including strong benefits and lack of fees. However, you don’t really earn enough points for most purchases to justify using it outside of Marriott hotels. All of this makes it a great card to use at Marriotts and for the benefits, but not for other purchases. If you like to stay at Marriott hotels, and are looking for a way to maximize those purchases, then this card can make sense for you.