Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card review: Full details
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is Marriott’s entry-level personal cobranded credit card. This no-annual-fee card offers a way to start earning Marriott Bonvoy points and even gives cardholders a jump-start on achieving elite status. However, it has a tough time competing with Marriott’s other cards when it comes to earning rates and ongoing perks such as reward night certificates. Card rating*: ⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold is a no-annual-fee card in the Marriott Bonvoy family.
In mid-July, the card was refreshed with small changes to its earning structure, elite status and card benefits. As they say, you get what you pay for, and that’s true regarding credit cards, too. Consequently, the Bonvoy Bold sacrifices some earning potential and popular benefits to compensate for the lack of an annual fee compared to its higher-priced counterparts.
Still, this can be a great option for someone just getting into the travel game who wants to reap the benefits of Marriott Silver elite status during hotel stays.
We recommend a credit score of at least 670 to have the best chance for approval.
Here’s what else you need to know about the card if you want to apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold pros and cons
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Marriott Bonvoy Bold welcome offer
Right now, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold is offering a best-ever sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points and a free night reward of up to 50,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
Right now, this card is offering its best-ever welcome bonus. Cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points and a free night reward (of up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
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TPG’s July 2024 valuations peg this welcome offer at $935 (if you use the free night award for the full 50,000 points.)
Since this is a Chase card, you must be within Chase’s 5/24 rule to be eligible. But this isn’t the only potential roadblock for new cardholders.
Cobranded Marriott cards have notoriously confusing eligibility requirements, and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold also falls under them. Before applying, check to make sure you’ll be eligible.
Related: Are you eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card?
Marriott Bonvoy Bold benefits
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold card comes with automatic Bonvoy Silver status. This status level comes with a 10% points bonus on stays, priority late checkout, free in-room Wi-Fi and a reservation guarantee.
The card also comes with 5 elite night credits per year. These elite night credits can help you progress to a higher status level that provides more valuable perks when staying at Marriott properties.
The card also comes with the following benefits:
- Baggage delay insurance: You can get reimbursed up to $100 daily for up to five days for essential purchases made because of a baggage delay over six hours.*
- Lost luggage reimbursement: You’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger if you or an immediate family member check or carry-on luggage that is damaged or lost by the carrier.**
- Trip delay reimbursement: If your flight is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you’ll be covered up to $500 per ticket for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and hotel costs.**
- Purchase protection: This covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account).**
- Visa concierge: Visa Signature Concierge Service is available 24 hours a day to help you book entertainment tickets, make dinner reservations and more.
- Travel Now, Pay Later: Cardholders can break up qualifying travel purchases into equal monthly payments, with no interest or plan fees.*** It is available on purchases between $100 and $5,000 made directly with an airline or at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
It’s rare to find no-annual-fee credit cards offering baggage and trip delay coverage, making the Marriott Bonvoy Bold more attractive if you use it to pay for travel.
*Restrictions, limitations and exclusions apply. Insurance benefits are underwritten by Indemnity Insurance Company of North America. Click here for more information.
**Restrictions, limitations and exclusions apply. Insurance benefits are underwritten by Federal Insurance Company. Click here for more information.
***Access to the Travel Now, Pay Later benefit is not guaranteed.
Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?
Earning points on the Mariott Bonvoy Bold
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold earns:
- 3 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and on ride-hailing, select food delivery, select streaming, internet, cable and phone services
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Remember that the 3 points per dollar you earn on Marriott hotel stays is in addition to the points you earn through the Bonvoy program. Between the 10 base points you earn and the extra 10% from Silver Elite status, you’ll earn up to 14 total points per dollar on eligible Bonvoy hotel stays with the Bonvoy Bold card.
It’s worth mentioning that these earning rates don’t compare favorably to any of the other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, all of which offer 2 points per dollar on everyday spending and 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels (and some have a few other bonus categories).
If you have a general travel credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you’ll be better off using one of those cards for most travel purchases.
Related: Best ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
Redeeming points on the Marriott Bonvoy Bold
With Bonvoy credit cards, you’ll usually get the most value from your points when you use them for award-night stays at eligible Bonvoy hotels. That’s certainly the case with the Bonvoy Bold.
A nice benefit to redeeming Marriott points for award-night stays is that you’ll get a fifth night free at eligible properties, allowing you to save 20% on five-night stays.
Beginners who may not have massive points balances for redemptions can also take advantage of Marriott’s Cash + Points redemption options, where you can use points to pay for part of your hotel stay and use cash for the rest.
TPG senior points and miles writer Katie Genter spent five nights at Le Méridien N’Fis for just 52,500 Marriott Bonvoy points by taking advantage of the “Pay for 4, Stay for 5” feature.
Transferring points on the Marriott Bonvoy Bold
Unlike many other hotel-branded cards, the Bonvoy Bold has decent transfer options.
You can transfer your Marriott points to an impressive list of more than 35 airline partners at a 3:1 ratio. This is rarely the best redemption option, but it is an opportunity to top off miles balances with airline programs that have no other transfer partners, such as Asiana Club and Korean Air SkyPass.
Plus, when you transfer 60,000 points at a time, you get a 5,000-mile bonus with most partners, so you wind up with 25,000 miles rather than just 20,000.
Which cards compete with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold?
If you want more Marriott Bonvoy perks or prefer a different type of rewards, you may want to choose one of these cards instead:
For additional options, see our list of best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and best hotel credit cards.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold worth it?
Since there’s no annual fee to justify, beginners will likely find enough value in the Bonvoy Bold’s welcome bonus and automatic Silver Elite status to make the card worth getting. However, anyone who stays at Marriott properties regularly and is willing to pay an annual fee is better off using their Chase 5/24 slots for other cards with more valuable benefits.
Bottom line
While the Marriott Bonvoy Bold offers some decent value for beginners, you’ll likely get more value from other travel credit card options, especially when you look at the full lineup of Marriott Bonvoy cards. These other cards offer rewards rates and additional perks that more than make up for their annual fees. However, true beginners (and maybe those against adding another annual fee to their wallets) could find solid value in the Bonvoy Bold.
Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Bold
Related: My top 3 picks for the best cobranded hotel credit card
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Amex Card, click here.
