The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card is Marriott and Chase’s no annual fee co-branded credit card. It was released quietly in June 2019 for good reason. It’s only redeeming qualities are its sign-up bonus and its lack of annual fee. In other words, this card is a hard pass unless you want to downgrade the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card.
Earning
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card earns 3x points on Marriott hotel purchases and 2x points on other travel purchases. It also earns one point per dollar on non-bonus spend. This earning structure leaves much to be desired compared to the other Marriott cards. The other cards earn more points for both general spend and Marriott purchases. While the general travel purchases category looks nice, you can get the same amount of points on any other Marriott card.
Plus, Chase and Marriott are offering a sign-up bonus worth 30,000 points. It can be earned after spending $1,000 within the first three months. That is a high minimum spend for that amount of points. But it’s a less expensive (and easier to obtain) option than the other Marriott cards. It’s also a nice bonus for a no annual fee credit card
Burning
Marriott offers multiple ways to redeem their points. Here are some of the best:
Hotel Redemptions
This is the most obvious and basic way to redeem Marriott points. To determine how much a night is worth in points, you can use the table below:
| Category | Standard | Off-Peak | Peak |
| 1 | 7,500 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 12,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 17,500 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 25,000 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 35,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 50,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 |
| 7 | 60,000 | 50,000 | 70,000 |
| 8 | 85,000 | 70,000 | 100,000 |
Transfer Partners
Transfer partners are a lesser known redemption option for this card. More than 40 airlines are partners with Marriott, including United, Emirates, Delta, China Eastern, and Lufthansa. The transfer ratio is three Marriott points per one airline mile.
Perk: 15 Elite Night Credits
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card has one significant perk. It comes with 15 Elite Night Credits per year, which is more than enough to earn Silver Status. The minimum number of nights required for Silver Elite Status is 10. Unlike the Chase Marriott Boundless Card, there is no opportunity to get Gold Status by spending a sum of money.
The Bold Card also comes with standard Chase benefits and no foreign transaction fees.
Similar Cards
Check out one of these cards if the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card is not interesting for you:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card is the Bold Card’s “big sibling”. It also serves as Marriott’s premium credit card and for good reason. The Brilliant Card earns 6x Marriott points on Marriott hotels, 3x points on dining and airfare (booked directly with the airline), and 2x points on non-bonus spend.
Plus, Amex is offering a sign-up bonus worth 75,000 points. This bonus can be earned by spending $3,000 within the first three months.
The Brilliant card also comes with the following perks:
- $300 annual statement credit
- Marriott Gold Elite Status
- A free night (for Category 1-6 properties)
- Priority Pass airport lounge access
- 10 Boingo airport Wi-Fi passes
- Global Entry or Pre-TSA membership fee waiver
The Brilliant Card will offer you way more for your money than the Bold Card. However, this card has a $450 annual fee (NOT waived the first year). Consider how often you intend on staying at Marriott hotels if you are deciding between these two cards.
Chase World of Hyatt Card
The Chase World of Hyatt Card is Chase and Hyatt’s co-branded credit card. It’s also a fantastic alternative to the Bold Card for Hyatt lovers. This card has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year). But it also has plenty of earning opportunities and benefits to boot.
Moreover, this card earns 4x Hyatt points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels. It also earns 2x points per dollar on dining, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting, and gym memberships.
Plus, Chase and Hyatt are offering a two-part sign-up bonus worth up to 50,000 points for the World of Hyatt Card. First you can earn 25,000 points by spending $3,000 within the first three months. Then, you can earn 25,000 more points by spending $6,000 total within the first six months.
But that’s not all. This card offers complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status, a free night each year, and preferred room upgrades as its core benefits. These are excellent ways to justify the Hyatt Card’s $95 annual fee.
American Express Everyday Card
The American Express Everyday Card is an excellent alternative to the Bold Card for those who want to earn transferrable points without an annual fee. In fact, the Everyday Card earns 2x Membership Rewards (MR) points for groceries and one point per dollar for non-bonus spend. But you can earn 20% more points per dollar on all expenses if you use your card at least 20 times per month.
Furthermore, Amex is offering a sign-up bonus worth 10,000 MR points for the Everyday Card. This bonus can be earned by spending $1,000 within the first three months. This bonus is meager even for a no annual fee credit card.
The Everyday Card is the better card if you’re not loyal to Marriott or any other hotel brand. It’s also the better card for those who want to redeem points for airfare. However, the Bold Card is better if you are a Marriott loyalist and can use its annual free night.
Final Draw
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card is the only no annual fee option for Marriott lovers. It is not competitive with most other hotel or no annual fee credit cards. Therefore, it is not a recommended option even for infrequent Marriott visitors.
Apply Today: Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card
PYCR Credit Card Rating
PYCR Credit Card Rating-
Sign-Up Bonus56/100
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Earning80/100
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Burning100/100
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Perks20/100
Worst card for military. Won’t honor no yearly fee or the 4% max interest rate to my husband who is currently serving. #marriottbonvoystinks
Hello. Does downgrading (after holding Marriott Premier for 36 months) open the possibility of obtaining bonus points?
Hi Raye,
Thanks for reading PYCR. You can get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card after downgrading your Premier card to the Bold Card. This only works because you’ve held the Premier card for more than 24 months. You must wait at least 30 days after downgrading to be eligible for the Boundless card’s sign-up bonus.
The Boundless card’s current bonus is worth 75,000 points.
Best Regards,
Anthony
Does downgrading from Boundless to Bold count as 1/24? Thanks!
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks for reading PYCR! Product changes between Chase cards are considered the same account for their purposes and on your credit report. All you’re doing is switching rewards structures, etc. Therefore, you’re not taking up a new 5/24 slot.
Check out my recent post about Chase’s card application rules for more information. https://travelupdate.com/chase-card-application-rules/
Anthony
Hi! Just a quick correction to your article. This product comes with 15 Elite Night Credits – which currently qualifies you for Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status – so yes, it does come with status and the related perks. Thanks!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for reading PYCR. You’re right about the 15 Elite Night Credits and the Silver Status. This is a cool feature because cardholders can get Silver Status indirectly. I have added this info to the post.
Anthony