Why I’m keeping my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless for the long term

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Even if you only stay with a specific hotel loyalty program several times each year, a cobranded hotel credit card can be helpful. After all, most hotel credit cards offer bonus earnings on stays, elite status benefits and other program-specific perks.

I originally signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card in 2020 for two primary reasons: the welcome offer and 15 elite night credits each year. But now I plan to keep the card long-term for its annual free night and elite night credits. Here’s a closer look at these two benefits, as well as other Marriott Bonvoy Boundless perks.

Annual free night

The most valuable ongoing perk of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is the free night award cardmembers get each year after their account anniversary.

This free night award is valid for a one-night stay at a Marriott Bonvoy property with a redemption level of up to 35,000 points. If you want to redeem the free night award at a property with a higher redemption level, you can top off the award with up to 15,000 points from your account to cover the difference.

Some properties for which you could historically redeem free night awards worth up to 35,000 points are no longer bookable on many dates for 35,000 points per night or less. But I still find the free night award offers me more than enough value to offset the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card’s $95 annual fee.

My husband and I each have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. So each year we earn a total of four free night awards worth up to 35,000 points from our four cards.

Over the last year, we’ve got an average of $277 in value when redeeming Marriott free night awards worth up to 35,000 points. We likely would have stayed elsewhere for some of these stays if we didn’t have free night awards to redeem, but we easily got enough value from these nights to justify keeping our cards.

I prefer to save our Marriott certificates for short stays at appealing properties, such as the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel, which has rooms overlooking Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). But I’ll also use free night certificates to cover nights when rates are high, such as at New York airport hotels and in Edinburgh during a big rugby match.

In short, you should easily recoup at least the value of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card’s $95 annual fee when redeeming a 35,000-point Marriott free night certificate. Even if you usually stay at Marriott properties with higher award rates, you may be able to use the certificate for a one-night stay on a road trip or at an airport hotel before, during or after a trip.

Related: Data shows it’s time for Marriott to update point thresholds on free night certificates

Elite status boost

I initially signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless primarily because it offers 15 elite night credits each year toward Marriott elite status, and these elite night credits have continued to be useful each year.

I strive to earn at least Marriott Platinum Elite status each year, which requires me to accrue 50 nights per year. Platinum Elite status unlocks benefits like lounge access, 4 p.m. late checkout and the option to choose breakfast as an elite welcome gift at many Marriott brands.

Luckily, you can earn elite night credits each year from a maximum of one consumer and one business Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

Each year, I earn 15 elite night credits from my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and 15 from my Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex. Since I get 30 elite night credits from my cards each year, I only need to stay at Marriott Bonvoy properties for 20 nights per year to snag Platinum Elite status or 45 nights per year to earn Titanium Elite status.

Related: Free nights and easy status: Why I have 3 Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and pay over $1,200 in annual fees

Other useful benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

In addition to the annual free night award and elite night credits I’ve discussed so far, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless also provides the following perks:

• Earn an additional elite night credit for each $5,000 in purchases with your card
• Your points won’t expire as long as you make at least one purchase on your credit card every 24 months
• No foreign transaction fees

You’ll also earn Marriott points as follows when you make purchases with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card:

• 6 points per dollar at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 3 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services (on the first $6,000 spent each calendar year on combined purchases; 2 points per dollar after $6,000 is spent on combined purchases in these categories each calendar year)
• 2 points per dollar on all other purchases

These benefits can be useful, especially if you want to earn more Marriott points through card purchases. However, the annual free night award and elite night credits are the perks that keep the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless in my wallet long-term.

Related: 3 reasons why the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is worth the $95 annual fee

Bottom line

I plan to keep all of my hotel credit cards that offer an annual free night for the long term, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless isn’t an exception. After all, it’s easy to get more than $95 of value each year from the card’s free night and 15 elite night credits. To learn more, check out our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless review.

If you don’t have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless yet, now may be a good time to add it to your wallet. For a limited time, the card comes with a welcome offer of a $150 statement credit after making your first purchase in the first 12 months after account opening and 100,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card