Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card [2026]: Which Is Better?

Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

	Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Card type	Travel	Travel
Issuer	Chase	Chase
Rewards rate	up to 14X total points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 2X points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services; and 1X points on all other purchases	up to 17X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 3X points at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year; and 2X points on all other purchases
Annual fee	$0	$95
Welcome bonus	Earn 2 Free Night Awards after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening (limited-time offer; redeemable for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 100,000 points; certain hotels have resort fees)	Earn 5 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening (redeemable for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 250,000 points; certain hotels have resort fees); Plus get up to $100 in statement credits after spending $500 on eligible airline purchases (that's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually)
Elite night credits	5	15
Annual free nights	0	1
Travel perks	Elite status Automatic Silver Elite status Insurance and protections: Auto rental collision damage waiver Travel accident and baggage delay insurance Lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement Travel and emergency assistance services	Elite status Automatic Silver Elite status Earn 1 elite night credit for every $5,000 spent Spend $35,000 in a calendar year to earn Gold elite status Insurance and protections: Auto rental collision damage waiver Travel accident and baggage delay insurance Lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement Travel and emergency assistance services
Statement credits	Complimentary DoorDash DashPass for 12 months (activate by 12/31/27)	Complimentary DoorDash DashPass for 12 months (activate by 12/31/27)
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

Which card should you choose?

When the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless would be better for you

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless could be good for you if:

• You stay at Marriott properties at least a few times per year
• You would be able to use a free one-night award easily

Between the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold, the Boundless offers more earning potential, a free night award, and increased opportunities to achieve elite status.

To decide if the Boundless card's $95 annual fee is worth it, consider whether you can use the free night award each year. If you stay one night at a Marriott property, even for a staycation, you'll likely get more than $95 in annual value from this benefit alone. Many beginner-to-mid-tier travel credit cards offer free hotel nights, but these often come with requirements, such as booking a stay of at least a few days. Receiving this benefit for a one-night stay is better for infrequent travelers who might eye this card over costlier (but higher-value) cards in the Marriott co-branded lineup. Plus, you can combine your free award night with up to 15,000 points for a more luxurious room.

For example, a one-night stay at the AC Hotel New York Downtown could cost 30,000 points (low enough for you to use a free night award) or $372. That's $277 ($372 - $95 = $277) additional value after you offset the $95 annual fee.

Or you could stay at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel for 34,000 points, or $381. That's $286 ($381 - $95 = $286) additional value after you offset the $95 annual fee.

Read our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card review for more details.

When the Marriott Bonvoy Bold would be better for you

If you really want to avoid the $95 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold is your best bet. The Bold has a $0 annual fee and still offers benefits, such as 15 elite night credits and Silver Elite status.

No other Marriott Bonvoy credit card is without an annual fee, so the Bold card is your only option if avoiding this is important to you.

Check out our Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card review for more information.

What both cards excel at

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless have a lot of the same perks, including competitive welcome bonuses, automatic elite status with Marriott, travel insurance and protections, and a wider variety of redemption methods than you'll often see with travel cards.

Impressive welcome offers

Both the Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless provide welcome offers that new cardholders can earn soon after account opening.

• Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card: Earn 2 Free Night Awards after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening (limited-time offer; redeemable for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 100,000 points; certain hotels have resort fees).
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card: Earn 5 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening (redeemable for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 250,000 points; certain hotels have resort fees); Plus get up to $100 in statement credits after spending $500 on eligible airline purchases (that's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually).

Credit card welcome offers often change, but you can typically expect the Bonvoy Boundless to have the better offer in terms of earning more points or value. And the Bonvoy Bold often has the easier offer to earn in terms of how much you have to spend.

Keep in mind that earning either of these welcome bonuses can seem like you're getting great value, but you typically aren't. Marriott points aren't very flexible, which means they offer decent value if you use them for stays at Marriott properties. But the value drops if you want to use them on other travel expenses, such as flights.

Elite status perks

Marriott Bonvoy members who have the Marriott Bonvoy Bold or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless receive annual elite night credits and automatically qualify for Silver Elite status. Silver Elite status benefits include a 10% points bonus on eligible Marriott hotel purchases and priority late checkout.

Another benefit of having these elite night credits is that you're already on your way to earning higher elite status tiers. Here's the breakdown of how many elite night credits you need for each level of Marriott Bonvoy elite status:

• Silver Elite: 10 elite night credits
• Gold Elite: 25 elite night credits
• Platinum Elite: 50 elite night credits
• Titanium Elite: 75 elite night credits
• Ambassador Elite: 100 elite night credits

The higher tiers might be difficult to earn for occasional travelers, but Gold Elite and Platinum Elite could be possibilities. Gold Elite members receive 2 p.m. late checkout and room upgrades based on availability. Platinum Elite members are eligible to receive a complimentary breakfast or food credit, 4 p.m. late checkout, and room upgrades (including suites) based on availability.

Travel benefits and purchase protections

In addition to having no foreign transaction fees, both the Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Boundless cards offer:

• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Travel accident reimbursement
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Visa concierge
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection

Especially for the no-annual-fee Bold card, this level of protection is impressive.

Wide variety of redemption methods

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and Bold cards let you redeem rewards for the following:

• Hotel stays
• Flights
• Car rentals
• Cruises
• Transfer partners
• Travel benefits
• Online shopping
• Gift cards
• Experiences

4 important differences between Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless share plenty of similarities, but these four differences could help you decide which card deserves a spot in your wallet:

1. Annual fees

Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Bold because it has a $0 annual fee.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold has a $0 annual fee, whereas the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless has a $95 annual fee.

For beginners in the world of credit card rewards, a no-annual-fee card is often the way to go. And without considering any other card benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold is the clear winner in this category.

2. Rewards rates

Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless because it offers higher earning potential.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold offers up to 14X total points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 2X points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services; and 1X points on all other purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offers up to 17X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 3X points at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year; and 2X points on all other purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless edges out the Bold in this category by a fair margin with its increased earning opportunities.

I personally wouldn't use either of these credit cards for everyday spending because there are better options available that offer more value. For example, I'd recommend the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express because it offers a better return at U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets. You can also check out the best gas credit cards for more options with fuel rewards.

3. Free night award

Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless because it provides a free annual award night.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold doesn't offer an annual free night award, whereas the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless does after each account anniversary. This makes the Boundless the clear choice over the Bold in this category.

Marriott free night awards start at 7,500 points. Buoffert Marriott's dynamic pricing model can fluctuate, and you often need much more than 7,500 Marriott Bonvoy points for a free night.

Fortunately, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless free night award is good for one night of up to 35,000 points at Marriott properties. For more options, Marriott allows you to use an additional 15,000 points on top of your 35,000-point free night award, which opens up opportunities to stay at properties that cost up to 50,000 points per night.

Other hotel credit cards that award free nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels include:

• Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card (up to 35,000-point award, terms apply)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy^® American Express^® Card (up to 50,000-point award after spending $15,000, terms apply)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card (up to 50,000-point award after spending $15,000)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card (up to 85,000-point award, terms apply)

4. Elite status benefits

Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless because it offers increased opportunities to earn Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Both the Marriott Bonvoy Bold and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offer elite night credits per year and automatically get you Silver Elite status.

This is the lowest Marriott Bonvoy elite status tier, and it's not great. That said, you do receive a 10% points bonus on eligible Marriott purchases and priority late-checkout based on availability. And the elite night credits are helpful for achieving better elite status tiers and benefits, and include room upgrades and lounge access starting at Platinum Elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold can't get you more than its elite night credits for your elite status journey. But the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offers one elite night credit for every $5,000 you spend and automatic Gold Elite status if you spend $35,000 in a calendar year.

Because of these benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless easily beats the Bold in this category.

FAQs

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is better than the Marriott Bonvoy Bold if you frequently stay at Marriott properties. The Boundless has a higher earning rate, offers a free annual night, and provides opportunities to earn higher levels of elite status in Marriott's Bonvoy program.

The Boundless card's $95 annual fee might seem pricey, but the annual free night certificate alone could easily provide more than enough value to offset this cost. But if you simply don't want to worry about an annual cost, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold is your best option with a $0 annual fee.

If these cards aren't the right fit for you, check out our dedicated page of other top offers and compare credit cards.