Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: 3 Free Night Awards + $100 Airline Reimbursement

Marriott has updated the welcome offer: it is now three free night certificates plus $100 in airline statement credits. The free night certificates can be redeemed for standard rooms at Marriott properties costing up to 50,000 points, and they must be used within one year of issuance. The airline credit works as $50 back after spending $250 in the first half of the year, and another $50 back after spending $250 in the second half of the year. Basically any airline purchase should trigger it. This is a card you can keep long term, because it comes with a free night certificate every year that can easily offset the annual fee.

• Marriott application link

This welcome offer is quite good, and we have also added it to our credit card welcome offer ranking. If you are interested in other cards, you can check it out.

• Best U.S. credit card welcome offers ranking (personal cards)

New applicants automatically get this $100 airline offer. Existing cardholders need to activate it once through the link below; there is no need to activate it again for the second half of the year.

• Activation link

According to the latest data points, buying UA Travel Bank also triggers this offer. If you have been stocking up on Travel Bank with Platinum, you can keep adding to it here too. After all, spending $250 and getting $50 back is effectively like buying airfare at a 20% discount. In theory, anything charged by an airline should work, so AA and Southwest gift cards may also trigger it.

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (formerly Premier Plus) Credit Card Overview

Highlights

• [New] 3x points at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants: capped at the first $6,000 in purchases each year.
• [New] Big-spend benefit: earn one Elite Night for every $5,000 spent. This is for earning elite status, not a free night certificate.
• Annual free night certificate: Starting in the second year, after paying the annual fee each year, you can get one Marriott hotel free night certificate, which expires after one year. This certificate can be used at any Marriott hotel costing less than 35,000 points. Some 35,000-point hotels in the chart cost $200 per night, so keeping the card long term can easily offset the annual fee.
• Marriott member benefits: Cardholders automatically receive Silver Elite status: official benefits page; spend 35,000 in a year to receive Gold Elite status; in 2019, the card will provide 15 nights, which helps with earning Gold Elite status (50 nights).
• Travel protection benefits: Baggage Delay Insurance can reimburse you or your immediate family members for essential purchases when baggage is delayed by more than six hours, up to $100 per day for up to five days. Lost Luggage Reimbursement can provide up to $3,000 in compensation if you or a family member’s luggage is lost. Trip Delay Reimbursement can reimburse up to $500 per ticket for meals and lodging if your flight is delayed by more than 12 hours. These coverages require using this card to pay for the airfare or the taxes and fees on an award ticket.
• Metal card: This card is made of metal and feels great in hand.

Drawbacks

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

Points System Overview

• 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 still offers a lot of value to keep. Based on our valuation, the welcome offer is worth as much as $1,000+, the 2x points on everyday purchases are equivalent to about 1.6% cash back, and hotel purchases are worth as much as 4.8% cash back. The annual free night certificate should have no problem offsetting the annual fee. If you can use Marriott points, this card can also serve as a primary spending card. If not, it can still be a long-term drawer card. As long as Marriott Travel Packages and the ability to transfer to airline miles do not change, the points from this card 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 suits you best.

• How should you choose among the 8 Marriott co-branded credit cards?

Application

• If any of the following situations applies to you, you will be instantly denied: (1) you currently have the old version of the Chase Marriott card or received the welcome bonus on the old version within the past 24 months; (2) you currently have this card or received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months; (3) within the past 30 days, or currently have, an AMEX Marriott Bonvoy card converted from the old AMEX SPG; (4) within the past 90 days, you received one of the following: AMEX SPG, AMEX SPG Business, AMEX SPG Luxury; (5) you currently have, or received within the past 24 months, the welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business, formerly SPG Business; (6) you currently have, or received within the past 24 months, the welcome bonus or upgrade bonus on the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, formerly SPG Luxury.
• Because this is a credit card co-branded with Marriott hotels, if you already have a Marriott number, you can enter it when applying. If you have not registered for a Marriott account before, you can register through our link and earn extra rewards on stays. Registering directly through the official website does not provide a bonus: Marriott account registration referral link (within one year after registering, each paid stay can earn an extra 2,000 points. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email and a rewards number. After 48 hours, you will receive a welcome email, and then you can register an online account.)

Other things to know when applying for Chase credit cards:

• 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 any 30-day period
• 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 credit card approval or request another review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More information on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link: