3 reasons why the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is worth the $95 annual fee

Hotel credit cards are often overlooked when compared to their airline card counterparts.

Mid-tier hotel cards, with annual fees of up to $100, can be an incredibly valuable addition to any wallet, whether you’re an infrequent traveler, a road warrior or a nonstop jet-setter.

These cards tend to have relatively low annual fees yet can provide outsize value in the form of award nights, elite status, increased earning potential and other perks.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is Marriott’s mid-market personal card option, issued by Chase.

It comes with a best-ever sign-up bonus of five Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first three months of card membership. But act fast — this offer is only available for a limited time.

Here are three other reasons to consider applying for the Bonvoy Boundless card.

Award Nights

By far, one of the card’s best perks — and what makes the $95 fee seem fairly insignificant — is the perk of an annual award night. Here’s how it works (and why it’s so valuable).

Each year, upon account renewal, cardholders receive an award night certificate valid at Marriott hotels that cost up to 35,000 Bonvoy points a night.

While you certainly can’t redeem this certificate everywhere, there are thousands of options at 35,000 points a night or less. TPG’s valuations peg the value of 35,000 Marriott points at $294, which is nearly three times the $95 annual fee.

With Marriott’s switch to dynamic pricing in 2022, you may find it harder to use these certificates, especially during high-demand periods. However, you can combine a certificate with up to 15,000 points from your account to “upgrade” to a higher-priced award room, which should allow for some added flexibility.

Related: 6 great uses of Marriott 35,000-point free night certificates

15 elite nights and automatic elite status

Similar to other mid-tier hotel cards from Hilton and Hyatt, Marriott offers automatic elite status with the Bonvoy Boundless.

The Bonvoy Boundless card comes with automatic Bonvoy Silver status. While that is Marriott’s lowest tier and won’t earn you lavish perks such as suite upgrades, it will still get you a 10% points bonus, late checkout and free Wi-Fi.

In addition, to help cardholders jumpstart their way to higher tiers of status (such as Gold and Platinum), this card automatically rewards them with 15 elite night credits per calendar year. You can also earn an additional credit toward elite status for every $5,000 you spend on the card — a perk that launched in 2022.

Even better, you can get one set of elite night credits from a Marriott personal card and one more set of elite night credits from a Marriott business card, like the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. Combining the Boundless with the business card would earn you Gold status — and place you just 20 nights away from Platinum.

TPG staffers are also fans of the benefits that come with the Bonvoy Boundless. Senior writer Katie Genter says:

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is an easy choice for me to renew each year. In exchange for its $95 annual fee, I get 6 points per dollar spent when I use my card at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, a free night award valid for a night at a property with a redemption level of up to 35,000 points every year after your account anniversary, 15 elite night credits each calendar year toward higher tiers of Marriott Bonvoy status and more. But honestly, the free night award valid for a night costing up to 35,000 points provides enough value to justify the card’s annual fee, so I expect to keep this card for the long term.

Related: Does it make sense to hold multiple Marriott Bonvoy credit cards?

Trip and baggage insurance coverage

The Bonvoy Boundless card also comes with a robust set of travel and baggage protection benefits that come in handy in the unfortunate event that some of your belongings get misplaced. These tend to be perks that you don’t feel like you need — until something goes wrong.

With baggage delay insurance, Chase may reimburse you for essential purchases up to $100 a day for up to five days. And if a bag is lost, Chase may cover you for up to a whopping $3,000 per passenger.

With trip delay reimbursement, if you are traveling on a common carrier that is delayed by more than 12 hours or requires you to stay overnight, Chase may reimburse you for incidentals like meals or lodging, up to $500 per ticket.

Just note that you must charge your trip to the card in order for these protections to apply, and you must submit a formal claim for reimbursement. Nevertheless, this is a solid set of protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.

Related: How Chase’s trip delay coverage works in practice

Bottom line

A solid sign-up bonus and various perks that can easily be worth hundreds of dollars make the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless well worth its $95 annual price tag. And that’s without considering the fact that you’ll earn 6 points per dollar spent on the card at Marriott properties, 3 points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year, then 2 points per dollar spent) and 2 points per dollar everywhere else.

Keep in mind, though, that Chase restricts access to the Bonvoy Boundless credit card with its 5/24 rule. The issuer likely won’t approve you for the card if you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards across all issuers in the last 24 months.

Additionally, there are Marriott-specific rules when it comes to eligibility for any new Bonvoy credit card, so you’ll want to make sure you’re eligible before you apply.

However, with hotel prices remaining high and the Boundless card offering a terrific sign-up bonus, now is a great time to apply if you do qualify.

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Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card with a welcome offer of five Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first three months of card membership.

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