Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: $100 Airline Credit Ending Soon!

New cardholders automatically get this $100 airline credit. Existing cardholders just need to activate it once using the link below, and no reactivation is needed in the second half of the year. After June 30, new cardholders may only get a $50 reimbursement, so it’s better to apply in the first half of the year if you can.

• Activation link

Based on the latest data points, purchases of UA Travel Bank also trigger this benefit. If you’ve already stocked up on Travel Bank with your Platinum, you can keep adding more, since spending $250 gets you $50 back, which is basically like buying airfare at a 20% discount. In theory, anything charged directly by an airline should work, so AA and Southwest gift cards may also trigger it.

The current welcome offer has been updated to 125,000 points plus one 50,000-point free night certificate, with a theoretical value of 175,000 points. Since it’s just one 50,000-point certificate, it should still be fairly easy to use within a year.

• Apply here: Marriott 125,000 + 50,000 free night certificate

This is a very solid welcome offer, and we’ve added it to our ranking of the best credit card welcome offers. If you’re interested in other cards, take a look there as well.

• Best US Credit Card Welcome Offers (Personal Cards)

There is now also an online offer for 50,000 points + a $400 e-gift card, worth about $800. The theoretical value is definitely not as good as the offer above, but it is a bit more flexible. If you don’t like a category-capped free night certificate, this could be a better option for you.

• Apply here: Marriott 50,000 + $400

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (formerly Premier Plus) Review

Highlights

• 【New】3x points at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants: On up to $6,000 in spending each year.
• 【New】Big-spending bonus: Earn one Elite Night for every $5,000 spent (this helps with elite status qualification; it is not a free night certificate).
• Annual free night certificate: Starting in the second year, after paying the annual fee each year, you can receive one Marriott free night certificate valid for one year. This certificate can be used at Marriott properties costing under 35,000 points. Some 35,000-point hotels cost $200 per night, so for long-term holders it can easily offset the annual fee.
• Marriott elite benefits: Cardholders automatically get Silver Elite status: official benefits page; spending $35,000 in a calendar year earns Gold status; in 2019, 15 elite nights were provided to help toward Gold status (50 nights).
• Travel protections: Baggage Delay Insurance can reimburse you or your immediate family members for essential purchases when baggage is delayed more than six hours, up to five days and up to $100 per day. Lost Luggage Reimbursement provides up to $3,000 in compensation if your baggage is lost. Trip Delay Reimbursement can reimburse you or your family members for lodging and meals up to $500 per ticket if a flight is delayed more than 12 hours. To use these protections, you must pay for the airfare or the taxes and fees on an award ticket with this card.
• Metal card: This is a metal card and feels great in hand.

Drawbacks

• This card is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule.

Points System

• Point value: Average value is 0.8 c/p, 100 Marriott points = $0.80 (Point value and analysis)
• Hotel redemptions: Marriott points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott hotels, Ritz-Carlton, and hotels that were previously part of SPG. Marriott now uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points required depends on the room rate. You can also redeem using cash+points. All-points bookings qualify for a stay 5, pay for 4 offer.
• Point transfers: Marriott points can be transferred to the following airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, with an additional 10% bonus when transferring to UA. In addition, every 60,000 points transferred earns an extra 5,000-mile bonus, which means a maximum transfer ratio of 3:1.25 for miles (eligible miles only). Air Canada Aeroplan (AC) miles (domestic U.S. flights, one-way economy tickets between the U.S. and China, emergency flights, and infant tickets on two-cabin itineraries); Alaska Airlines (AS) miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, U.S.-China two-cabin itineraries, free one-way Stop Over); ANA miles (U.S.-China flights, round-trip economy for just 60,000, business class for 95,000); AA miles (U.S.-China CX and JL two-cabin itineraries, no fuel surcharges); BA miles (domestic U.S. flights and short nonstop flights between China and Japan, very low change/cancellation fees, emergency tickets); Delta miles (domestic U.S. flights, U.S.-China flights, can be redeemed at 1 c/p); UA miles (U.S.-China economy, domestic U.S.)
• Point characteristics: Points can be transferred between different accounts, with an annual limit of 100,000 points. When booking rooms, you can combine your family members' points with no limit. Points expire after 24 months with no activity.
• My quick take: Marriott inherited SPG's extremely strong flexibility and can be transferred to many very useful airline miles, with pretty good transfer ratios as well. Point value for hotel redemptions is not as high as Hyatt points, but it is still decent. The ability to pool points for the whole family is also a big plus.
• Detailed analysis: Marriott points guide

My Take

Overall, this card offers strong long-term value. Based on our valuation, the welcome bonus can be worth $1,000+, and the regular 2x earning rate is roughly equivalent to a 1.6% return. Marriott spending is even better, at up to a 4.8% return. The annual free night certificate should have no trouble justifying the annual fee every year. If you can use Marriott points well, this card can even be a primary spending card. If not, it can still be a great long-term sock-drawer card. As long as Marriott’s Hotel + Air Packages and airline transfer options remain unchanged, the points are still very flexible and valuable.

Marriott has co-branded credit cards with both AMEX and Chase. You can read the article below to choose the one that fits you best.

• How to Choose Among the 8 Marriott Co-Branded Credit Cards

Application

• If any of the following apply to you, you will likely be instantly denied: (1) You currently have the older Chase Marriott card, or you received its welcome bonus within the past 24 months; (2) You currently have this card, or you received this card’s welcome bonus within the past 24 months; (3) You currently have, or have had within the past 30 days, AMEX Marriott Bonvoy (converted from the old AMEX SPG); (4) You received any of the following within the past 90 days: AMEX SPG, AMEX SPG Business, AMEX SPG Luxury; (5) You currently have, or received within the past 24 months, the welcome bonus or an upgrade bonus on AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business (formerly SPG Business); (6) You currently have, or received within the past 24 months, the welcome bonus or an upgrade bonus on AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (formerly SPG Luxury).
• Since this is a co-branded Marriott credit card, if you already have a Marriott account, you can enter it when applying. If you have never registered for a Marriott account, you can use our link to sign up and earn extra rewards on paid stays (there is no bonus if you register directly on Marriott’s website): Marriott account referral link (within one year after registration, every paid stay earns an extra 2,000 points. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email and rewards number, then a welcome email after 48 hours, and then you can register an online account).

Important things to know when applying for other Chase credit cards

Chase Credit Card Application Guide

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within every 30 days
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link: