Introduction to the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is one of six Marriott credit cards currently available to new applicants, and it's the only version that doesn't charge an annual fee.
Business Insider's personal finance team considers the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card a standard offering for most casual travelers. However, scoring a good welcome bonus and holding automatic low-tier elite status can make this card worthwhile for some people.
Here's what you should know about this card, including how you can maximize this current welcome offer.
$0
N/A
20.49% - 27.49% Variable
Earn 30,000 bonus points
Good to Excellent
- No annual fee
- Cardholders get 15 elite night credits toward status
- Only offers strong rewards for Marriott purchases
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card comes with an increased limited-time welcome bonus and good perks for a no-annual-fee card, but unless paying an annual fee is a dealbreaker for you, other Marriott cards — like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card , Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — are a better deal.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card offers surprisingly good benefits for a no-annual-fee credit card, particularly if you stay at Marriott hotels even once a year. Marriott revamped the card in July 2024, and the changes are both good and bad, depending on your perspective.
The biggest changes involve elite night credits and 2x earning categories. Cardholders now only get five elite night credits each year, down from the original 15. They also will no longer earn 2x on travel expenses outside of Marriott Bonvoy®; instead, they'll earn 2x on groceries, rideshares, select streaming subscriptions, select food delivery services, and on Internet, phone, and cable bills.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Rewards
Welcome Bonus
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This is the card's best offer yet, and is worth about $210 in Marriott stays according to Business Insider's points and miles valuations — an excellent deal for a no-annual-fee travel credit card.
Earning Points With the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card doesn't have as generous an earning structure as other Marriott credit cards, but you can still earn bonus points when you travel. Cardholders earn:
- 3 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels (in addition to up to 10x points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member and up to 1x point for having Silver elite status from the card)
- 2 points per dollar on groceries, rideshares, select food delivery, select streaming subscriptions, and Internet, cable, or phone services.
- 1 point per dollar on everything else
Redeeming Points With the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Book Award Nights Through Marriott
Marriott has nearly 9,000 hotels worldwide, and almost all offer award redemptions for Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program members.
Award nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels start at 5,000 points for off-peak redemptions at brands like Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites, and go up to 120,000 points for a peak-season night at luxurious hotels like JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton.
Transfer to Airline Partners for Award Flights
Marriott Bonvoy points are useful even if you don't stay with Marriott. Nearly 40 Marriott Bonvoy airline transfer partners accept them for air travel, including most major U.S. carriers and dozens of international airlines.
When you transfer Marriott points to airlines, the exchange ratio is usually 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile. However, if you transfer increments of 60,000 points, you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus with most partners so that 60,000 Marriott points become 25,000 airline miles.
Some Marriott airline partners don't partner with any other major transferable points program, so transferring points from Marriott may be one of the few ways to top off your account if you need a few more miles for an award flight.
Exchange for Gift Cards, Merchandise, Tickets, and Charity
You can also redeem Marriott points in other ways (including non-travel redemptions), but typically you'll get a lower value:
- Airfare, car rentals, or air and car packages
- Exclusive events, experiences, concerts, tours, and more through Marriott Bonvoy Moments
- Gift cards or merchandise through Marriott Shop With Points
- Charity donations for disaster relief, including the American Red Cross and Unicef
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Benefits and Features
As you might expect from a no-annual-fee card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card doesn't come with a lot of premium benefits, but it does offer some decent perks.
5 Elite Night Credits per Calendar Year
As of July 2024, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card cardholders only receive 5 elite night credits each year, down from 15. Elite night credits essentially allow Bonvoy program members to "skip" staying a certain number of nights to earn Marriott status.
Complimentary Silver Elite Status
Bonvoy Silver status comes with a 10% points bonus on paid stays, and priority late checkout. Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card cardholders previously got automatic Silver elite status because of the 15 elite night credits that came with the card. Now that cardholders only get 5 elite night credits, Marriott decided to up the ante by including complimentary Silver status as a card benefit.
What's the difference, you ask? Travelers content with Silver status won't notice a difference. But cardholders who previously relied on the 15 elite night credits to earn Gold elite status or higher will now need to spend an additional 10 nights with Marriott, or earn elite night credits through other means, to renew mid- or top-tier Marriott status.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
When you pay for your fare with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card and the carrier damages or loses your bags, you and your immediate family members could be covered for up to $3,000 per passenger.
Baggage Delay Insurance
If your bags are delayed for six hours or more, you could be reimbursed for essential purchases (like clothing and toiletries) up to $100 per day for up to five days.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Long delays are the worst, but if you paid for your ticket with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card and your trip is delayed overnight or by more than 12 hours, the card's trip delay insurance can reimburse you and your immediate family for up to $500 per passenger for meals and accommodations.
Purchase Protection
If an eligible item you've bought with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase, you could be eligible for up to $500 in reimbursement per claim, and up to $50,000 per account with the card's purchase protection.
Visa Signature Concierge
The Visa Signature concierge can help you arrange things like hard-to-get restaurant reservations or theater tickets. It doesn't cost anything to use the service, but any third-party costs are your responsibility.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Fees
Annual Fee
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card doesn't charge an annual fee, so it's free to keep every year — and keeping a credit card open for the long term can actually improve your credit score.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card is also a good choice if you're traveling abroad or making international purchases, because it doesn't add foreign transaction fees. Be aware if you carry a balance, you'll be charged interest (currently a 20.49% - 27.49% Variable APR).
Other Associated Costs
Like most other cards, there are fees for certain situations, including:
- Cash advance fees
- Late payment fees
- Balance transfer fees
- Returned payment fees
Who Should Get the Marriott Bonvoy Bold?
This entry-level card is worth considering if you occasionally stay at Marriott hotels and want an easy way to earn a few Bonvoy points and enjoy complimentary Silver elite status without paying an annual fee.
But if you frequently stay at Marriott hotels, other cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card , Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — are a better deal unless an annual fee is an absolute dealbreaker for you.
For example, the $95-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card currently offers 3 Free Night Awards, each valued up to 50,000 points, after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening, plus earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within six months of account opening. It comes with a free night certificate each account anniversary, valid at Marriott hotels that cost up to 35,000 points, which can be worth far more than the yearly fee.
If your main objective is earning Marriott points and you don't care about perks at Marriott hotels, you might be better off opening a card that earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Amex Membership Rewards points, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or American Express® Gold Card. You can transfer points from these programs to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, and you'll have more flexibility in how you redeem your rewards.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card worth it?
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is worth it for those who absolutely do not want to pay an annual fee but still want a card that earns Marriott points and offers a few benefits when they stay with Marriott. For most folks who stay with Marriott, even occasionally, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card are a better deal. These cards come with heftier benefits, including an anniversary free night that can be worth much more than the annual fee.
What credit score do you need for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold?
Generally, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card requires a good to excellent credit score to be eligible, which means a FICO score of at least 670.
Who is eligible for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold?
The Chase 5/24 rule applies to the Chase Marriott cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, which means if you've opened five or more cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months, you won't be approved. Because of this, it makes the most sense to apply for the highest bonus possible.
You're also not eligible if you already have a Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, or Marriott Bonvoy® Premier credit card (not available to new applicants) open, or earned the welcome bonus from one in the past 24 months.
Additionally, you won't be eligible for the welcome bonus on this card if any of the following apply to you:
- You are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express)
- You are a current or previous cardmember of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express), Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card), and received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus in the last 24 months or applied and were approved for one of these cards within the last 90 days
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold a Visa or Mastercard?
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is a Visa Signature card.
Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card metal?
No, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card isn't a metal credit card. It's made of plastic.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Business Insider's credit card experts compared the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card to other co-branded Marriott credit cards, as well as no-annual-fee hotel credit cards from other chains like Hilton, IHG, Wyndham, and Choice.
We considered these criteria in our review:
- Simplicity — Does the card make it easy to earn and redeem rewards? Do you have to navigate complicated rules and award charts, or jump through any hoops?
- Rewards potential — Is the welcome bonus offer competitive with similar travel cards, and does it come with useful bonus categories? And are any of the categories capped?
- Fees — No-annual-fee cards may still add other fees or charges that can negate the value of your rewards, like foreign transaction fees or a high APR. With annual-fee cards, we look at whether or not the benefits justify the cost.
- Benefits — Are there money or time-saving perks built into the card? Are any unique?
Here's a guide to how we rate credit cards at Business Insider for a closer look at our methodology.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
**Enrollment required.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Trip Delay Insurance, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, and Cell Phone Protection Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Global Assist Hotline Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. Extended Warranty, Purchase Protection, and Baggage Insurance Plan Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
