60K + 1 Free Night Bonus: Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card Review

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card serves as Marriott's entry-level credit card option with bonus points on hotel stays and travel purchases. While it provides useful benefits like Silver Elite status and travel protections, you'll find more limited earning potential compared to Marriott's premium card options.

This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let's dive right in.

Welcome Bonus

The Bonvoy Bold Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:

Earn 45,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

You won’t be eligible for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold welcome bonus if you currently have or recently held certain Marriott cards. These restrictions include current cardholders of the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card. The same applies if you’ve received a welcome bonus on any of these cards in the past 24 months.

The restrictions extend to American Express Marriott cards as well. If you currently have or had the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card within the last 30 days, you won’t qualify. Similarly, if you’ve received a welcome bonus in the past 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, you’ll need to wait. Additionally, opening any of these Amex Marriott cards in the past 90 days will make you ineligible.

Chase’s standard 5/24 rule also applies here – if you’ve opened 5 or more credit cards in the past 24 months across all issuers, you likely won’t be approved.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

The Bonvoy Bold Card allows cardholders to earn Marriott points at the following rates:

• 3 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program;
• 2 points per dollar at grocery stores;
• 2 points per dollar on rideshare and select food delivery;
• 2 points per dollar on select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

For a no-annual-fee card, the earning rates are quite weak compared to other options in the market. While 3x at Marriott properties provides some value, you’ll do significantly better with Marriott’s premium cards that offer 6x earnings.

Most everyday spending at 1x points makes this card a poor choice for regular purchases, where cards offering 2% cash back or transferable points would be much more rewarding.

The 2x bonus categories offer minimal value since travel rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card provides better earnings in similar categories with more flexible points.

No Annual Fee

The Bonvoy Bold Card has no annual fee, making it an accessible entry point into the Marriott Bonvoy program.

While you won’t get premium perks, you’ll still receive valuable benefits like complimentary Sivler Elite status, 15 elite nights annually toward status, and various travel protections including trip delay coverage. You can also add authorized users to your account at no additional cost.

Card Benefits

The Bonvoy Bold Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:

Marriott Silver Elite Status: Enjoy Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, which gets you late checkout and a 10% points bonus on hotel stays.

5 Elite Night Credits: Cardmembers earn 5 elite night credits to help you get closer to the next level of elite status.

No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.

Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.

Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.

Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.

120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.

DashPass Membership: This card offers a one-year DashPass membership for free, which includes DoorDash and Caviar, offering unlimited deliveries with free delivery fees and reduced service fees for eligible purchases. The offer must be activated by December 31, 2027. Once the free membership is over, you will be automatically enrolled in DashPass at the prevailing monthly rate.

Redeeming Points

Pros and Cons

While the Marriott Bonvoy Bold offers a number of travel benefits to cardholders,  it has a few drawbacks that should be taken into account. Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of this credit card.

Pros:

No Annual Fee Value: You’ll never pay an annual fee for this card, making it a good entry point into the Marriott Bonvoy program without any yearly cost commitment.

Travel Protections: You’ll get impressive travel insurance benefits for a no-fee card, including trip delay coverage, baggage delay insurance, and lost luggage reimbursement.

No Foreign Transaction Fees: You can use this card internationally without paying extra fees, making it a solid choice for overseas travel.

Cons:

Limited Earning Power: You’ll only earn 3x points on Marriott stays, which is half of what other Marriott cards offer, limiting your point-earning potential significantly.

Basic Status Benefits: You’ll only receive Silver Elite status, which offers minimal perks compared to the higher status levels provided by premium Marriott cards.

No Free Night Certificate: You won’t receive an annual free night certificate, which is a valuable benefit offered by other Marriott cards that can easily offset their annual fees.

Poor Everyday Earning: You’ll get just 1x points on most purchases outside of travel and Marriott stays, making this card inefficient for daily spending.

Is the Bonvoy Bold Card Worth It?

The Bonvoy Bold Card credit card presents a dece‐t ntry point into hotel rewards for beginners, offering autömatic Silver elite statu? and basic travel protections without charging an annual fee.

While you’ll get some useful perks like trip delay coverage and baggage insurance that are rare for a no-annual-fee card, the earning rates are quite low compared to other Marriott cards and general travel credit cards.

However, if you stay at Marriott properties even a few times per year, you’ll likely get more value from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, which offers a free night certificate that can easily offset its $95 annual fee.

The Bold Card makes the most sense if you’re just starting your points journey and want to test out the Marriott program without committing to an annual fee, but more frequent travelers should look to the premium Marriott cards for better earning rates and benefits.

Learn How to Apply: Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.