Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card Guide|Silver Elite, 5 Elite Night Credits & Benefits

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is one of the simplest personal credit cards in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.

Cardholders receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status, 5 Elite Night Credits each year, and earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy Points on eligible Marriott purchases.

For travelers who want to maintain basic Marriott Bonvoy credit card benefits without a complicated benefit structure, the Bold is a straightforward option.

👉 Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card


Marriott Bonvoy Bold Benefits

BenefitDetails
Annual FeeUS$0
Authorized User Annual FeeUS$0
Marriott Bonvoy Elite StatusSilver Elite
Elite Night Credits5 Elite Night Credits each year
Marriott Purchases3X Marriott Bonvoy Points
Grocery Stores2X
Internet, Cable & Phone Services2X
Select Streaming Services2X
Rideshare2X
Select Food Delivery Services2X
Other Purchases1X
Foreign Transaction Fee0%

Silver Elite + 5 Elite Night Credits Each Year

Marriott Bonvoy Bold cardholders receive complimentary:

Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status

as well as:

5 Elite Night Credits each year

These are the Bold’s primary Marriott Bonvoy benefits.

By comparison, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card provides 15 Elite Night Credits each year, making the Boundless considerably more useful for travelers working toward higher Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

However, the Bold’s 5 Elite Night Credits do not require meeting a spending threshold. For travelers who simply want to maintain a basic Marriott Bonvoy credit card, this remains a useful benefit.


No Annual Free Night Award

One of the biggest differences between the Bold and other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards is that the Bold does not provide an annual Free Night Award.

For comparison:

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
→ Annual 35K FNA

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card
→ 50K FNA after US$15,000 in annual spending

The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card
→ Annual 85K FNA

The Bold does not provide either an automatic annual FNA or an FNA earned through an annual spending threshold.

For travelers who can consistently use a Marriott Free Night Award every year, the Boundless will generally provide stronger long-term value.


Conclusion

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has a very simple value proposition:

Silver Elite + 5 Elite Night Credits each year + 3X at Marriott

However, the Bold does not provide an annual Free Night Award, and both its Marriott earning rate and annual Elite Night Credits are lower than those of the Boundless.

For travelers who can use a 35K Marriott FNA each year, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card will generally be the more compelling long-term option.

The Bold is better suited to travelers who stay with Marriott less frequently or simply want to keep a basic Marriott Bonvoy credit card.


Marriott Bonvoy Bold Historical Welcome Offers

The Bold generally has lower spending requirements than other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. In recent years, its Welcome Offers have primarily alternated between 30K–60K Marriott Bonvoy Points and 50K Free Night Awards.

PeriodWelcome OfferSpending Requirement
Aug–Sep 202645K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jun–Aug 202660K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Mar–Jun 202630K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jan–Mar 20262 × 50K FNASpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Nov 2025–Jan 202630K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Sep–Nov 202560K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jul–Sep 202530K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jun 202560K Points + 1 × 50K FNASpend US$2,000 within 3 months
Mar–Jun 202530K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jan–Mar 202560K Points + 1 × 50K FNASpend US$2,000 within 3 months
Nov 2024–Jan 202530K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months
Jul–Nov 202460K Points + 1 × 50K FNASpend US$2,000 within 3 months
Jan–Jul 202430K PointsSpend US$1,000 within 3 months

How Should You Value a 50K FNA Offer?

Each 50K Free Night Award can be topped off with up to:

25K Marriott Bonvoy Points

This means:

50K FNA + 25K Points = up to 75K Points per night

If the Welcome Offer includes:

2 × 50K FNA

the certificates can potentially be used for two nights costing up to 75K Points each.

However, reaching the maximum redemption level requires contributing up to:

50K Marriott Bonvoy Points

of your own points.

Therefore, an FNA Welcome Offer should not be treated as an equivalent number of Marriott Bonvoy Points.

For travelers who can redeem the certificates at hotels costing close to 50K–75K Points per night, 2 × 50K FNA has been one of the more attractive recent Bold Welcome Offers.

👉 Apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card


Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card Comparison

Credit CardAnnual FeeKey BenefitsForeign Transaction Fee
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® CardUS$650Platinum Elite, annual 85K FNA, up to US$300 Dining Credit, 25 Elite Night Credits, 6X at Marriott0%
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® CardUS$250Gold Elite, 50K FNA after US$15K annual spend, 15 Elite Night Credits, 6X at Marriott0%
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® CardUS$125Gold Elite, annual 35K FNA, additional 35K FNA after US$60K annual spend, 15 Elite Night Credits, 6X at Marriott0%

Marriott Bonvoy Chase Credit Card Comparison

Credit CardAnnual FeeKey BenefitsForeign Transaction Fee
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit CardUS$250Gold Elite, 50K FNA after US$15K annual spend, 15 Elite Night Credits, 6X at Marriott0%
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit CardUS$95Silver Elite, annual 35K FNA, 15 Elite Night Credits, 1 Elite Night Credit per US$5K spent, 6X at Marriott0%
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit CardUS$0Silver Elite, 5 Elite Night Credits, 3X at Marriott0%
The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit CardUS$450Gold Elite, annual 85K FNA, US$300 Airline Credit, Priority Pass, 6X at Marriott0%

The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card is no longer available for direct applications. It is generally obtained by product changing from an eligible Chase Marriott credit card.

Application Rules & Restrictions

When applying for Chase credit cards, keep these key rules in mind:

– 5/24 Rule: If you have opened 5 or more credit card accounts that appear on your personal credit report within the past 24 months, it will generally affect your ability to get approved for a new Chase Card. Most Business Cards that do not report to personal credit reports generally do not add to your 5/24 count.

– Welcome Offer Eligibility: Different Chase Cards have their own Welcome Offer restrictions, and some products also have Card Family Restrictions. Being under 5/24 does not necessarily mean you are eligible for a Welcome Offer.

– Application Timing: Chase does not publish a simple fixed application interval, but submitting multiple Chase applications within a short period may affect approval.

A simple Chase application strategy is:

Check 5/24 → Check Welcome Offer / Family Eligibility → Submit Application

Actual application and Welcome Offer Eligibility requirements are subject to the current terms of each Chase Card.


How Can Foreigners Apply for Chase Credit Cards?

Foreign applicants generally need to establish some U.S. Credit History before applying for Chase credit cards.

If you are new to the U.S. credit card market, one strategy is to first obtain a U.S. Amex through Amex Global Transfer, build your U.S. credit history, and then consider applying for Chase.

Amex Global Transfer → U.S. Amex → Build U.S. Credit History → Chase

Applicants must still meet Chase’s current requirements regarding identification, address, credit history, and other application criteria.


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