The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card are two credit cards that are currently popular in the market, each offering unique benefits tailored to different types of consumers.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is designed for individuals looking to earn rewards on travel and everyday purchases, while the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is best suited for those loyal to Marriott hotels.
In this article, we’ll compare and contrast the rewards programs, benefits, and fees of both cards to help you determine which one aligns with your needs.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Sapphire Preferred vs. Bonvoy Boundless Overview
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
- Earn 5 Free Night Awards valued up to 250,000 Points (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months.
- 6x Points at Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- 3x Points on Groceries, Gas, and Dining on the First $6,000 in Combined Purchases Each Year
- One Annual Free Night Award (Up to 35,000 Points Every Year After Account Anniversary)
- Automatic Silver Elite Status + 15 Elite Credits
- Trip Delay, Baggage Delay, and Lost Luggage Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Bonvoy Boundless currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 5 Free Night Awards valued up to 250,000 Points (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months.
Winner: No clear winner.
While the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card has a higher welcome offer than the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the value of each card’s welcome offer ultimately depends on how you choose to redeem the bonus points.
For instance, if you’re interested in hotel stays within the Marriott Bonvoy network, the higher welcome offer on the Marriott Boundless card may be more valuable to you.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more flexibility in your rewards, the lower welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred may be a better fit due to its multiple transfer partners and redemption options.
Earning Points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points and offers bonus points on spending in several categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase travel portal;
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through March 2025);
- 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases of $250 or more (through March 2025, with a limit of 25,000 bonus points);
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out;
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs);
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Youtube TV, Pandora, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Hulu, and ESPN+;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through the Chase travel portal; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
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The Bonvoy Boundless® earns Marriott points at the following rates:
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program;
- 3 points per dollar on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, dining; and
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers more opportunities to earn rewards throughout the year, as it has a broader range of bonus categories compared to the Marriott Boundless Card. The Sapphire Preferred’s bonus categories include dining, travel, and select streaming services.
On the other hand, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card may be a better option for those who frequently stay at Marriott hotels, as it offers benefits and rewards geared specifically towards Marriott Bonvoy members.
However, if you don’t stay at Marriott hotels regularly, the only standout feature of the Boundless Card is its unlimited 2x points per dollar spent on all other purchases. In this case, the Chase Sapphire Preferred may still be a better choice due to its wider range of bonus categories and more flexible redemption options.
Card Benefits
The Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
- Receive 25% more value on points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards.
- 10% Points Bonus for each Cardmember anniversary.
- A complimentary one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash when you enroll by December 31, 2024.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip).
- Primary car rental insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 per day for five days).
- Trip delay insurance (up to $500 per ticket for a delay longer than 12 hours or overnight).
- Extended warranty.
- 120 days purchase protection (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free 6-month membership to Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024).
The Bonvoy Boundless® offers nice benefits to justify its $95 annual fee, including:
- Anniversary free night certificate (up to 35,000 points)
- Marriott Silver Elite Status
- 15 elite night credits to help you reach Gold and above.
- Baggage delay insurance ($100 a day for five days for a delay over 6 hours).
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000)
- Trip delay insurance ($500 per ticket for 12+ hours or overnight delay).
- 120-Day purchase protection ($500 per claim capped at $50,000 per account).
- No foreign transaction fees.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The Sapphire Preferred provides a wider range of benefits such as complimentary subscriptions, bonus points, and a $50 credit for hotel stays.
While the Boundless Card’s annual free night certificate is a valuable benefit for loyal Marriott customers, it falls short of competing with the overall benefits package offered by the Sapphire Preferred.
Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an annual fee of $95.
While some users might be initially deterred by this cost, it’s important to consider the value and benefits that come with the card.
The rewards points, travel benefits, and purchase protections can help offset the cost of the annual fee for frequent travelers.
The Bonvoy Boundless® comes with an annual fee of $95, but it can be offset by utilizing the free annual hotel night.
Winner: It’s a tie.
Both the Sapphire Preferred and Boundless cards have the same annual fee, which can also be offset by each of their respective benefits.
Redeeming Points
The earns Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most flexible points currencies.
You can use your points to book flights, hotel stays, and even rent a car through Chase Travel — all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. For example, 100,000 points are equivalent to $1,250 towards travel.
You can unlock even more value than 1.25 cents per point by transferring rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Air France/KLM
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Hyatt Hotels
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Iberia
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IHG Hotels
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JetBlue
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Marriott
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Singapore
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Southwest
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United
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Virgin Atlantic
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With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card, you’ll have a wide range of redemption options, such as hotel stays, transfers to airline mileage programs, gift cards, and special VIP events.
However, we recommend redeeming your points for hotel stays first, followed by airline partner transfers as they offer the best returns. Other redemption options may not provide as much value for your points.
Hotel Redemptions
Marriott Bonvoy’s hotel redemption system categorizes their 7,000+ hotel properties into eight categories, each with a corresponding points cost.
The higher the category, the higher the points cost required for redemption. To find out which category a particular hotel belongs to, simply use Marriott’s hotel redemption tool to search for the location.
Airline Partner Transfers
Marriott offers many transfer partners, with a standard transfer rate of 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile.
However, transferring 60,000 Marriott points will give you a bonus of 5,000 airline miles, so it’s best if you transfer in increments of 60,000 for an effective rate of 2.4 Marriott points to 1 airline mile.
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Marriott Bonvoy Points Transfer Partners
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| Marriott points transfer at a rate of 3 Marriott points to 1 airline mile with a transfer bonus of 5,000 airline miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott points. | |
Aegean Miles+Bonus
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Aer Lingus AerClub
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Aeromexico ClubPremier
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Air China PhoenixMiles
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Air France/KLM Flying Blue
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Air New Zealand [200 to 1 Ratio]
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Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
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American Airlines AAdvantage*
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ANA Mileage Club
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Asiana Airlines
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Avianca Lifemiles*
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British Airways Executive Club
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Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
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China Southern Airlines
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Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
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Delta SkyMiles*
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Emirates Skywards
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Etihad Guest
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Frontier Miles
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Hainan Airlines
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Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
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Iberia Plus
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InterMiles
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Japan Airlines
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Korean Air*
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LATAM Airlines
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Qantas Frequent Flyer
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Qatar Airways Privilege Club
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Saudia Alfursan
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
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Southwest Rapid Rewards
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TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
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Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
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Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
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United MileagePlus®
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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
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Virgin Australia
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| * Transfer Bonus Does Not Apply | |
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase points can be redeemed at a higher value of 1.25 cents each for travel through Chase. Additionally, Chase points can be transferred to several partners at a 1:1 ratio, potentially allowing for an even higher redemption value depending on how they are used.
Meanwhile, Marriott points are only valuable for hotel redemptions within their own hotel network, with a redemption value ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 cents per Marriott point. And for airline redemptions on Marriott, we don’t really recommend it unless it’s necessary due to the low transfer ratios.
The Verdict
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a more versatile option that caters to a wider range of consumers. With rewards on travel, dining, streaming, and groceries, the card offers something for everyone.
On the other hand, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless can be a valuable option for loyal Marriott customers. It lets you earn points for your stays and comes with a free anniversary night.
While both cards offer valuable benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is undeniably a superior option. Its broad range of reward categories and benefits makes it an excellent choice for those who want to earn rewards on everyday purchases.
Therefore, it may be the better option for most consumers, particularly those who prioritize flexibility and versatility in their credit card rewards program.
- bonus_miles_full
- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
