The offer mentioned below is no longer available.
With summer travel at the top of everyone's minds, two Marriott Bonvoy credit cards — the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — are offering new cardholders a chance to earn a total value of up to 250,000 points worth of free nights.
Below, CNBC Select breaks down the two limited-time welcome bonuses, as well as each card's unique features and how you can use the cards to their full potential.
Marriott's new credit card welcome bonuses
Co-branded hotel rewards cards provide an easy way for many travelers to earn points to use for free stays. Whether you're a road warrior for work or you only plan to stay somewhere twice a year, the welcome bonuses from these two Marriott cards can help save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in hotel costs.
And with Marriott Bonvoy's robust portfolio of over 9,000 hotels spanning 30 brands across 142 countries, you'll be hard-pressed to find somewhere without a location to cash in your hotel rewards.
Here's a look at the welcome bonuses and unique benefits of each Marriott Bonvoy credit card:
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
New Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardmembers can earn 5 Free Night Awards after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within three months of account opening.
This is the card's best offer ever, and each Free Night Award is valued up to 50,000 points for a total value of up to 250,000 points.
Cardholders will also be able to earn the following by spending with the card:
- Up to 17X points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties — that's 6X points per dollar for using your card, 10X points per dollar for being a member of Marriott Bonvoy and 1X points per dollar for your included Silver Elite Status
- 3X points per dollar on the first $6,000 you spend each year in combined purchases on dining and at grocery stores and gas stations
- 2X points per dollar on other purchases, travel-related or otherwise
Cardmembers will also earn one elite night credit for every $5,000 spent and a free night certificate (worth up to 35,000 points) each year following their account anniversary. You'll also score automatic Silver Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy and be eligible to receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
This card is a great fit for someone who travels a few times per year and doesn't want to pay a hefty annual fee. There is a $95 annual fee, while other benefits include trip delay insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, complimentary Visa Concierge service, no foreign transaction fees and access to complimentary premium Wi-Fi at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties. Points also won't expire if you keep your account active by making purchases every 24 months.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card
New Marriott Bonvoy Bold cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus points and 1 Free Night after spending $2,000 in the first three months from account opening. The free night is valued at up to 50,000 points.
Cardholders can earn points at the following rates:
- Up to 14X points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels — that's 3X points for using your card, 10X points for being a member of Marriott Bonvoy and 1X points per dollar for your included Silver Elite Status
- 2X points for every $1 spent at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable and phone services
- 1X point per dollar spent everywhere else
This card is valuable for those who don't travel as frequently. Cardholders will qualify for Silver Elite Status and receive five elite night credits per year. It comes with many of the same travel and protection benefits as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, such as travel insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay and lost luggage reimbursement and no foreign transaction fees — all without an annual fee.
Other Marriott cards
Marriott also offers several other co-branded cards that are worth considering:
How to maximize Marriott Bonvoy points
As you start to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points, it's important to keep a few things in mind to ensure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.
Stretch the value of each Marriott Bonvoy point
Do your best to redeem your points for the highest cost per point available. Generally, Marriott Bonvoy points are worth roughly 0.8 cents per point, according to several travel rewards websites, so as you're searching for hotels, keep the following formula in mind:
(The cost of the hotel stay including taxes and fees) / (the number of points) = the cost per point.
If you can get this value to 0.8 cents per point or above, it's considered to be a worthwhile redemption.
Redeem five nights for the price of four
Keep in mind that as you redeem your rewards, you can get one night free if you pay for a stay of at least five consecutive nights completely with Marriott Bonvoy points. For example, if a stay at your desired Marriott hotel goes for 20,000 points per night, a five-night stay will only end up costing you 80,000 points, giving you a 20% boost in the value of your points.
Put those points to use
Remember that all points and miles earned through airline, hotel and travel brands are susceptible to devaluation. This happens when the brand itself requires more points for the same booking, which results in your points suddenly becoming less valuable, and often without any notice. To fight back against this, it's best to try and use your hard-earned points and miles regularly. Whether you're taking a trip for yourself or booking a hotel room for a family member, it's not wise to hold onto a large sum of points for a long period of time since their value could drop at any given moment.
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