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

27.08.2024 - 20:41 / thepointsguy.com

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 sign-up bonus of three free night awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of account opening — note that certain hotels have resort fees.

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

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 valued 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 August 2024 valuations peg the value of 35,000 Marriott points at $298, which is more than 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

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 jump-start 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