by Daniel | Last Updated August 31st, 2021
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In this article am going to review 2 different hotel-related credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, and the Bold card.
Both of these cards have similar benefits as they are both associated with Marriott Bonvoy but the Boundless card costs more to maintain on an annual basis.
So let’s take a deeper look at each card and see if it’s worth paying more for the Boundless card.
Annual Fee
So let’s start off by looking at the annual fee of each card.
Starting with the Boundless card you will have an annual fee of $95 whereas the Bold card has no annual fee.
So let’s see what the extra $95 per year actually gets you in terms of a sign-up bonus.
Sign up Bonus
Starting with the Boundless card you will receive 3 free nights which are worth up to 150,000 points, and to receive this you must spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account.
And with points being valued at approximately .7 cents per point this means that the 150,000 points are worth about $1,050.
With the Bold card, you will receive 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.
And with points being valued at approximately .7 cents per point this means that the 30,000 points are worth about $210.
So both cards present good value with the sign-up bonus, the Boundless card gives you more than 10 times the cost of the annual fee in value, and the Bold card gives you $210 in value and no annual fee.
Earning Points
So now let’s take a look at how each card compares in terms of earning points.
Starting with the Boundless card you will be able to earn 10x points per dollar spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases from either gas stations, restaurants, or grocery stores, and this must be within the first 6 months of opening the account.
Next up you will be able to earn 17x points for every dollar spent at hotels that are part of Marriott Bonvoy.
And finally, you will earn 2x points on all other purchases.
So now let’s take a look at how the Bold card compares.
First of all, you will receive 14x points for every dollar spent at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy.
So this is not quite as many as the Boundless cards 17x points but still pretty decent.
Next up you will receive 2x points on travel-related purchases from things such as airlines, hotels, and transit.
And finally, you will receive 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
So as you can see the Boundless card offers quite a lot more points earning potential than the Bold card, and I guess this is one of the reasons it has an annual fee of $95.
Benefits and User Perks
So from here let’s look at the benefits and user perks that are offered with each card.
So starting with the Boundless card you will receive a free night award each year on your account anniversary, and this can be used at a property that has a redemption level up to 35,000 points, and with points been worth .7 cents per dollar, just this benefit is worth up to $245! which covers the annual fee of the card and leaves you with $150 worth of value.
Next up you will receive automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year.
And this gives you a few nice extra perks when staying at Marriott properties such as late checkout when available, free wifi, and 10% bonus points on all purchases made at the hotel.
Along with this, you will also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each year which can help you to achieve a high tier status such as Gold or Platinum.
Now let’s look at what the Bold card comes with.
So as the Bold card has no annual fee, It doesn’t offer much in way of benefits.
All you get is the same 15 Elite Night Credits that come with the Boundless card.
Insurance-Related Benefits
And for the last part of this review let’s take a look at all of the insurance-related benefits that come with these cards, and for this section, both cards have the same benefits.
So first of all both cards offer baggage delay insurance which will provide you up to $100 a day for 5 days if your luggage is delayed for more than 6 hours, and this can be used for items such as toiletries and clothing.
You will also receive lost luggage reimbursement which covers up to $3,000 per passenger if your luggage is lost or damaged by the carrier, and this covers you and an immediate family member.
Next up will get trip delay reimbursement which provides you up to $500 per ticket for you and your family if your travel is delayed for more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, and this covers things such as meals and lodging.
And finally, there is purchase protection, and this covers new purchases that are made on the card for 120 days against theft or damage up to $500 per claim and a total of $50,000 per account.
And just a note about Marriot points, you must make at least 1 purchase within a 24 month period so they don’t expire.
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about these cards?
I think if you are able to cover the $95 annual fee and spend $3,000 in the first 3 months of opening the account to get the sign-up bonus, The Boundless card is the best option as it offers a lot more value and benefits than the Bold card, which easily cover the annual fee.
Now if your interested in other Marriot Bonvoy cards, why not check out my review of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card here, it does have a higher annual fee than the Boundless card but has even more benefits.