Chase Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Benefits for Active-Duty U.S. Military Members [2024]

If you’re an active-duty military member who stays at Marriott properties, you’re going to find value in our guide to the benefits of Chase’s Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.

Chase does a commendable job of providing military benefits on all of its consumer credit cards and fortunately, hotel-branded cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy cards are included in this policy.

The foundation for Chase’s military benefits is based on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA) and the Military Lending Act (MLA) passed in 2006. We’ll elaborate on those acts shortly, but our focus in this article is how these benefits bring value to you, the active-duty servicemember, when you hold a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

Join us as we take a look at some of the best Chase-issued Marriott Bonvoy cards and the benefits you can expect to receive as a cardholder.

How Do the SCRA and MLA Work?

The SCRA and MLA were passed to help alleviate some of the financial stress that can accompany the sacrifices and commitment that come with military service.

Both acts cover a variety of financial transactions such as mortgages, car loans, and installment loans, and how any defaults on those transactions should be handled. In 2017, credit cards were added to the laws.

The SCRA covers credit acquired prior to active duty and the MLA applies to credit acquired during active duty.

Fundamentally, this is how the acts apply to credit cards:

• Under the SCRA, interest rates on credit cards acquired prior to active duty are capped at 6%.
• Under the MLA, interest rates are capped at 36% on credit cards acquired during active duty. This rate is referred to as the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) and applies to cards acquired after September 20, 2017.

How Chase Applies the Laws to Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

• While the MLA caps interest rates at 6% for credit cards acquired prior to active duty, Chase uses a 4% cap.
• While the MLA caps interest rates at 36%, which includes all credit card fees, Chase waives all credit card fees, including a card’s annual fee, to adhere to this requirement.

The waiver of credit card fees can be a significant money-saving benefit for active-duty military members. Chase will also waive annual fees for spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents.

Bottom Line:

Chase will waive credit card fees, including annual fees, on personal credit cards for active-duty military members, their spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents.

Potential Value of Chase Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Benefits for Active-Duty Military Members

Up next, we’re going to look at all the key benefits of Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and the potential value active-duty military members could receive.

Annual Fee Waiver

One key benefit of Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cards for active-duty military members is that Chase will waive the card’s annual fee.

The annual fee for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card is $250. The annual fee for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card is $95. If you held either of these cards as an active-duty military member, you could save significantly on annual fees.

Earning Potential and Redemption Options

There are several ways to earn and redeem valuable Marriott Bonvoy points with your Marriott Bonvoy-branded credit card. Let’s look at how spending on the cards, welcome offers, and referral bonuses can help you accumulate lots of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Then, we’ll take a look at how to best use your rewards when it comes time to redeem them.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

A credit card welcome offer is a great opportunity for you to jumpstart earning Marriott Bonvoy points.

While they can vary, one card’s welcome offer will generally give you enough points for several free hotel award nights after you meet the minimum spending requirement.

Be sure to check the most recent welcome offer before applying. Here are the current offers for 2 of the best Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cards:

Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

Additionally, if you’re looking for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card with a $0 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card is a good option.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

Bottom Line:

Chase has 3 personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, all of which come with generous welcome offers that can be earned after meeting minimum spending requirements.

Referral Bonus Opportunities

You can refer family or friends to a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card and once they’re approved, you’ll receive up to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points for each referral. You can earn up to as many as 200,000 bonus points each year through card referrals.

If you were to refer just 2 people, you would earn 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points. We value Marriott Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, so 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points would be worth around $560 towards hotel stays.

Spending on the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Spending on your Marriott Bonvoy co-branded card can help you earn a significant amount of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Here’s how you’ll earn rewards on the 2 best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards:

Spending Category	Marriott Bountiful Card	Marriott Boundless Card
Marriott Properties	Up to 18.5x points at participating Marriott hotels	Up to 17x points at participating Marriott hotels
Grocery Stores, Dining, and Gas Stations	4x points at grocery stores and dining, up to a total of $15,000 in combined purchases each year 2x points at gas stations	3x points at grocery stores, dining, and gas stations, up to a total of $6,000 in combined purchases each year
All Other Purchases	2x points	2x points

With the Marriott Bountiful card, you can earn up to 60,000 bonus points each year through grocery store and dining purchases ($15,000 x 4 points per dollar spent). Add in your other miscellaneous spending on the card and you’ll have enough rewards for several free hotel nights each year.

Hot Tip:

Watch your email for special spending offers on your Marriott Bonvoy card. Recent offers have included spending up to $1,500 on your card in a quarter to receive 5x points on purchases.

Redemption Options

Once you’ve accumulated a nice stash of Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll be able to redeem your points in several ways.

Here are your options at redemption time:

Award Nights

You’ll normally get the best value with your points by redeeming for award nights. Your points will go even further as Marriott Bonvoy offers a fifth-night-free perk on award stays. This means that if you book a hotel that is 20,000 points per night, you’ll pay just 80,000 points for a 5-night stay instead of 100,000 points.

Award nights with Marriott start at just 5,000 points but you’ll pay much more at higher-end properties. If you don’t have enough points for a specific award night, you may be able to use a combination of cash and points on most bookings.

Transfer to Airline Partners

Although award nights are a great use of your rewards points, you also have the option to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to airline partners. Marriott Bonvoy points generally transfer at a ratio of 3 points to 1 airline mile. If you transfer to airlines in 60,000-point increments, you’ll also receive a 5,000-mile bonus (for most partners).

For example, if you were to transfer 60,000 points, you would receive 20,000 miles plus a 5,000-mile bonus, for a total of 25,000 airline miles.

Additional Redemption Options

Additional redemption options include gift cards, merchandise, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, flights or car rentals, covering TSA PreCheck application fees, or charitable donations. Note that these options can result in a much lower value for your points compared to redeeming for award nights.

Hot Tip:

Read our in-depth guide on the best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points where we show you some stellar redemption options, including luxury hotels and resorts.

Marriott Bonvoy-Specific Benefits

Some of the key benefits of having a Marriott Bonvoy credit card are Marriott-related perks.

The best Marriott Bonvoy benefits can be found on the Marriott Bountiful card and the Marriott Boundless card. Here are key benefits you’ll find on both cards.

Free Night Award

Each year you spend $15,000 on the Marriott Bountiful card you’ll receive a free night award worth up to 50,000 points.

With the Marriott Boundless card, you receive a free night award worth 35,000 points after each card anniversary. There is no required spending threshold to receive this benefit.

Free night awards are valuable and can make a Marriott Bonvoy credit card worth keeping even beyond active duty when you would be paying an annual fee.

Bonus Points for Each Stay

The Marriott Bountiful card offers 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on eligible stays at Marriott hotels.

A Faster Path to Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status

The Marriott Bountiful card comes with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card comes with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, with the ability to earn Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Additionally, for every $5,000 you spend on the Marriott Boundless card, you’ll receive 1 additional elite night credit toward status.

Achieving elite status becomes even easier as a Marriott Bonvoy credit cardholder since the cards automatically give you 15 elite night credits each year. Here are the annual qualifications for each level:

• Silver Elite — 10 nights
• Gold Elite — 25 nights
• Platinum Elite — 50 nights
• Titanium Elite — 75 nights
• Ambassador Elite — 100 nights plus $23,000 in spending (2023)

The 15 elite night credits you receive with your card count toward the status levels listed above. You can earn a maximum of 15 elite night credits each year by holding a Chase Marriott Bonvoy personal card, but if you also have a Marriott Bonvoy-branded business card, you can receive up to 15 additional elite night credits.

Silver Elite and Gold Elite status come with member-only hotel rates, late checkout, a fifth reward night free, complimentary Wi-Fi, and welcome offer points. Learn more about the benefits of each level of Marriott Bonvoy elite status in our comprehensive article.

Bottom Line:

Marriott-centric benefits on Chase personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards can include free hotel night certificates, complimentary elite status, a faster path to higher-level elite status, and an automatic 15 elite night credits each year.

Travel Protections and Benefits

When something goes wrong during your trip, it’s good to know you have backup travel protection. Additionally, travel benefits can add comfort to your trip and even save you money.

Here are the travel protections and benefits you’ll find on personal Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.

Car Rental Insurance

Reserve and pay for your car rental with any Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive coverage for damage and theft of the rental car. Coverage is secondary within the U.S. and primary when renting outside the country.

Secondary coverage means you must first file a claim with any other insurance that applies. Primary coverage means that you do not have to file a claim with any other company before card coverage kicks in. Exclusions and terms do apply.

CDW/LDW coverage can come at a significant expense when renting a vehicle. For example, if coverage costs $20 per day and you rent a car for just 10 days each year, you could save $200 a year.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

Use any personal Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card to pay for your trip and if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, for a covered reason, you could receive up to $500 per person. Coverage also applies to an overnight delay and includes reimbursement for incidentals, like accommodations or meals.

Baggage Insurance

If your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, the Marriott Bold card and Marriott Boundless card may provide you with up to $100 per day, up to 5 days, for reimbursement for essentials with baggage delay insurance.

All Chase Marriott Bonvoy cards provide coverage If your baggage is lost, stolen, or damaged. You could receive up to $3,000 per person.

Roadside Dispatch

If you’re stranded roadside, just 1 call is all it takes to summon assistance 24/7. You’ll pay 1 low pre-negotiated service call fee to receive limited towing, emergency fuel delivery, lockout service, tire changing of an inflated spare, standard winching, and jumpstart service. All Chase Visa Marriott Bonvoy cards offer the coverage. Terms and limits apply.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cards do not charge foreign transaction fees. Normally these fees are ~3% of the total transaction.

If you were to make $2,000 in charges while traveling abroad, you would save $60.

Bottom Line:

Marriott Bonvoy-branded personal credit cards come with several travel protections and benefits including car rental insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage insurance, roadside dispatch, and no foreign transaction fees.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide coverage should something go wrong with your purchase, while shopping benefits can save you money or allow you to earn more rewards points.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits offered on all Chase Marriott Bonvoy personal credit cards:

Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty

Purchase an eligible item with any Chase Marriott Bonvoy card and receive purchase protection coverage for up to 120 days from the purchase date for damage or theft, up to $500 per claim, up to $50,000 per year.

With extended warranty coverage, eligible items with a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less, will have the product warranty extended for 1 additional year.

Complimentary DoorDash DashPass

Register for membership and link any personal Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card to DoorDash by December 31, 2024, to receive a complimentary 12-month membership to DoorDash DashPass. The pass comes with free delivery and reduced fees on orders over $12. Normally, you would pay $9.99 per month for the membership.

Chase Offers

When you log into your Chase Marriott Bonvoy card account, you’ll have the option to add Chase Offers from select retailers and service providers to your card. Select the offers you’ll use, make the required purchase, and you’ll receive a subsequent statement credit.

Qualification and Requesting Benefits

There’s little doubt that a Marriott Bonvoy-branded credit card can add value for the active-duty service member and their family.

Let’s now look at who qualifies for military benefits, tips for applying for a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card, and how to request benefits once you’re approved for a card.

Who Qualifies for Military Benefits

Chase will waive fees and grant corresponding military benefits for the following individuals:

• Active-duty military members
• A reserve or full-time National Guard member on active duty
• Active-duty commissioned officers of NOAA or the Public Health Service

Spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents may also qualify for active-duty SCRA/MLA credit card benefits.

How To Apply for a Chase Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card as an Active-Duty Military Member

Once you’ve determined you’re qualified for Chase military benefits, you’re ready to apply for a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card. Here are some tips for facilitating that process:

• Know Your Credit Score Before You Apply — To be approved for a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card you’ll need a good to excellent credit score, generally considered 670 or above. We recommend having a score of 700 or greater to increase your chances for approval.
• Review the Chase 5/24 Rule — If you’ve opened more than 5 credit cards from any financial institution within the past 24 months, Chase may not approve you for a credit card. You’ll want to review the rule and how many accounts you’ve opened recently before applying for any card.
• Verify Your Active-Duty Status — Before applying, you’ll want to check the Department of Defense database via the MLA website to validate that your active-duty status is showing in the database. For spouses and dependents who are applying for a card, you will check the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), also via the MLA website.

When completing the application, be sure to list the military as your income source as this can trigger Chase to automatically apply military benefits to your account (after validating your active-duty status). You will receive a confirmation letter if this happens.

How To Request Military Benefits (Do This After You’re Approved)

Once you’re approved for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card, you can apply for Chase military benefits. The best way to apply is via a secure message. Here’s how to complete the process.

• Log into your Chase online card account.
• In the upper left portion of the page, select Secure Messages from the menu, then select Secure Message.
• Then select Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) from the dropdown menu.
• Complete your request and include your Marriott Bonvoy card account number.
• Attach any supporting documents needed (active-duty verification letter, spouse/dependent documents, etc.).

If you have questions regarding Chase’s military benefits, there is a dedicated SCRA/MLA phone line to assist you. Call 877-469-0110 (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday) or call collect at 318-340-3348 if you are out of the country.

You can also request benefits via mail. Be sure to include your account number, identification information, and supporting documents and mail to:

• Chase, Attention: SCRA Request, P.O. Box 183240, Columbus, Ohio, 43218-3240

Bottom Line:

If you’re eligible for SCRA/MLA benefits, you’ll want to check your credit score and Chase’s 5/24 rule before applying for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card. You’ll also want to ensure your military records reflect your active duty status, and that you select the military option for your source of income on the card application. Once you’re approved, you can request SCRA/MLA benefits via secure message or mail.

Other Top Chase Credit Cards for Active-Duty Military

With Chase waiving the annual fee for active-duty military members, it can be a wise decision to open some of the best travel rewards cards available while you have access to SCRA/MLA benefits.

We’ve selected 2 of the best Chase travel rewards cards for your consideration:

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A popular travel rewards card for first-timers, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a card you can keep in your wallet well beyond your active-duty years.

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• Waiver of the $95 annual fee
• Earns flexible Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel via the Chase travel portal for 1.25 cents each or transferred to airline and hotel partners for even greater potential value
• Annual hotel statement credit of up to $50 (booked through Chase Travel)
• A long list of useful travel insurance benefits, including primary car rental insurance

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card, Chase’s flagship credit card, is loaded with premium travel benefits but also charges a higher annual fee. Fortunately, for active-duty military members, that fee is waived, allowing you to enjoy all those benefits without the added expense.

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• Waiver of the $550 annual fee
• Up to $300 annual statement credit for travel purchases
• Earns flexible Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel via the Chase travel portal for 1.5 cents each or transferred to airline and hotel partners for even greater potential value
• Worldwide airport lounge access to over 1,400 properties with complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee reimbursement
• Excellent travel insurance benefits, including emergency evacuation and transportation

Hot Tip:

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card come with trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. One of the covered reasons for applicable coverage is a change in military orders — a real plus for active-duty military members.

Final Thoughts

If you’re an active-duty military member who stays at Marriott properties, the benefits of a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card can be quite valuable. With elevated points earnings that help you earn award nights faster, complimentary elite status, and free night certificates, there’s plenty of value to be had, even for occasional stays.

During your active duty, you may open a Marriott Bonvoy-branded card with an annual fee that will be waived. Later on, it may be possible to downgrade to a card without an annual fee, if you prefer.

Regardless of your selection, having a Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card is definitely worth it for those who want to earn free hotel nights and enhance their Marriott Bonvoy stays.