Is the Marriott Bold card worth it?

Depending on your situation, it could be! If you stay at Marriott hotels often enough to find the card rewarding, but are not interested in paying an annual fee, then it might be a great option for you.

Does the Marriott Bold card charge foreign transaction fees?

The Marriott Bold card does not charge foreign transaction fees and can be used anywhere in the world that accepts Visa cards.

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire?

Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months of no account activity. To keep them alive, you just need a qualifying activity, such as earning points with your card or redeeming them for a stay.

Is the Marriott Bold card subject to the Chase 5/24 rule?

Yes — the Marriott Bold card is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. So if you have opened 5 or more new credit card accounts in the last 24 months, you will not be eligible for the card.

Does the Marriott Bold card have an annual fee?

No — the Marriott Bold card does not have an annual fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card — Full Review [2025]

Updated: January 23, 2025, 10:06am CST

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Great Card If

You enjoy staying at Marriott hotels
You want a fast track to Marriott Bonvoy elite status
You want a card with no annual fee

Don’t Get If

You’re not a fan of Marriott-branded hotels or don’t travel much
You visit Marriott hotels frequently enough that one of their premium card options would be more rewarding for you
You prefer a card with more elite benefits like airport lounge access

Marriott Bold Card — Is It Worth It?

The Marriott Bold card is the ideal option for those looking for a hotel credit card who enjoy staying in Marriott-branded hotels but do not want to pay an annual fee.

Not only will the card help you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points during your stays and on everyday purchases, but it also gives you automatic Silver Elite status and 5 Elite Night Credits towards the next status level.

Marriott Bold Card Top Benefits

Silver Elite Status

The card automatically earns you Silver Elite status, and while that status may be the lowest in the Marriott Bonvoy program, it is certainly better than having no status at all.

Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite comes with perks including:

Priority late checkout, based on availability
10% bonus on Marriott Bonvoy points
Access to exclusive phone lines for booking reservations
Compensation if Marriott can’t honor your reservation

The most notable benefit here is the extra 10% in point earnings on your Marriott stays. However, the bonus applies to points earned through the hotel, not the credit card.

This bonus amounts to a total of up to 14 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 when you use your Marriott Bold card at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.

5 Elite Night Credits

So what are Elite Night Credits exactly? Not to be confused with free night certificates, you cannot redeem these credits for award nights — they exclusively count towards your status. With that said, a 5-night jump towards the next status tier can be beneficial.

But just by holding the card, you are automatically going to qualify for Silver Elite status — but why stop there? For example, Gold Elite status and Platinum Elite status require 25 nights and 50 nights a year, respectively.

This means, with your automatic 5 Elite Night Credits, you will only actually need to stay 20 nights each year to earn Gold Elite status, and 45 nights each year to earn Platinum Elite status.

No Annual Fee

It is no secret that there are many great travel rewards cards available, but more often than not, they come with some sort of annual fee — usually ranging between $95 to $550!

So while the Marriott Bold card doesn’t offer as many benefits as cards that do offer annual fees, it’s a great option for casual travelers who don’t travel often enough to make an annual fee card worthwhile but still want to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

How To Earn and Redeem Your Marriott Bonvoy Points

While you can earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points just by using your card, there are many other ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points. Some of these include booking Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities, dining with the Eat Around Town by Marriott Bonvoy program, and utilizing travel partners.

Marriott offers thousands of hotels for you to redeem your points at, but all redemptions aren’t built evenly. If you’re wanting to get the most bang for your buck, read through some of our favorite ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points.

You’re not only limited to hotel redemptions, though, as Marriott also has over 40 airline transfer partners that you can transfer your points to at a 3:1 rate.

Alternative Cards to the Marriott Bold Card

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Perhaps you want a no-annual-fee hotel card but prefer Hilton as your favorite chain. In that case, the Hilton Honors card would be a great option for you.

The card offers 7x Hilton Honors points per $1 at Hilton hotels, 5x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants, and 3x points on all other purchases.

Couple that with complimentary Hilton Honors Silver elite status and the ability to upgrade to Gold by spending $20,000 in a calendar year and you’ve got a pretty compelling card for a $0 annual fee.

IHG^® Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Another great option for those that want a no-annual-fee hotel card, but prefer IHG hotels, is the IHG Traveler card.

The card earns 5x IHG One Rewards points on IHG stays, plus 3x on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations, and 2x everywhere else.

It also offers Silver Elite status with IHG hotels, 20% back on purchased points, and the fourth night free on all award stays.