Courtesy of JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa
All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by AFAR.
Marriott’s greater portfolio encompasses 30 hotel brands, from the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels & Resorts and Design Hotels, spanning nearly 8,700 properties globally that are bookable with Marriott Bonvoy points.
From January 25 to March 27, Marriott is bringing back its best-ever offer on the program’s cobranded Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: Travelers can now earn up to five free nights—yes, five—by spending $5,000 in qualifying purchases within the first three months of account opening. (Certain hotels have resort fees.) Each free night certificate is worth 50,000 points, amounting to an introductory credit card bonus valued at 250,000 points. And this is an offer on a card that carries only a $95 annual fee.
While 50,000-point certificates won’t always get you overnights at Marriott’s top-of-the-line properties (but typically will get you rooms at Sheratons, Renaissance Hotels, and Westins), some prized hotels and resorts are attainable. According to recent searches, glossy properties such as in South Korea, the Ritz-Carlton, Bali, JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, and Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Peru’s Sacred Valley were found for 50,000 points and under at specific times of the year.
Below, more on the buzz-worthy, record-breaking offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and reasons to get this card now.
Best-ever welcome offer
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is currently granting new cardholders the chance to earn five free nights (each worth up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That’s a total value of 250,000 points. (Keep in mind that certain hotels have resort fees and Marriott Bonvoy charges taxes and resort fees on award bookings.) The card carries a low annual fee of $95 but is packed with travel benefits and strong opportunities to earn points quickly through spending (more on that below).
This bonus sounds big—and indeed it is. This 250,000-point bonus has only been offered once before. The standard offer on this card is 75,000 points, which is sometimes increased to 100,000 points, other times upped to 150,000 points.
Earn points quickly
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card earns three points per dollar spent at grocery stores and gas stations and for dining (up to $6,000 in combined purchases per year). This is in addition to limitless earning of up 17 points per dollar spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy and double points on all other purchases.
Get elite status
Cardholders automatically receive 15 elite night credits per calendar year. That’s enough to hit Bonvoy Silver status, which usually requires staying 10 nights a year. There aren’t a lot of perks with Silver status, but it does include earning bonus points on stays and priority late checkout.
You can continue to climb the elite ladder several ways. First, the card grants one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 in spending (with no cap). You can also bank Elite Night Credits through actual stays at Marriott properties. In addition, cardholders who spend $35,000 or more on the card in an account year are automatically bumped to Gold elite status, which includes more bonus points, space-available room upgrades, and 2 p.m. checkout.
Other key travel perks
Every year after the account anniversary, cardholders receive an additional free night award worth up to 35,000 points. This certificate more than makes up for the card’s annual fee and makes this card a keeper long term.
The card also has no foreign transaction fees and comes with a trio of travel protections, including Baggage Delay Insurance, Lost Luggage Reimbursem*nt, and Trip Delay Reimbursem*nt.
Carpe diem
The opportunity to score five free hotel nights will only be around until March 27, 2024. Taking advantage of the massive introductory bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is a wise choice for offsetting today’s rising costs of travel. It may take some flexibility when trying to land nights at the high-end properties that seasonally fall at 50,000 points per night while midrange hotels are typically easy to book. In any case, a total of five free hotel nights translates to a great deal of money saved.
This article was originally published in 2022; it was updated on January 25, 2024, with current bonus offer information. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.
Paul Rubio
Paul Rubio is an award-winning travel journalist and photographer. His byline appears in AFAR, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor’s, LUXURY, MSN, NerdWallet, Palm Beach Illustrated, Yahoo Lifestyle and more. He has visited 133 countries (and counting) over the past 20 years and won 27 national awards for his writing and photography. When he’s not plotting out his next trip, Paul loves to spend time at home watching reruns of Portlandia and Parks and Recreation with his husband and rescue dog, Camo.
