Compare the Features and Benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card and
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

There’s a Marriott credit card for everyone, and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card is the most affordable one of the bunch. The main standouts of the card are that there’s no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. Whether you’re a travel newbie or want to downgrade your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card with a $95 annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card is best for those wanting to avoid extra fees that come with other Marriott credit cards.

But when it comes to benefits, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold underperforms compared to its more expensive family members. It offers just 5 elite night credits (as compared to 15 with the Boundless, which qualifies you for entry-level Silver elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program. At this level, you’ll be earning 10% bonus points on Marriott purchases and priority late checkout, which won’t move the needle for most travelers looking for real added-value benefits at hotels.

On the flip side, the earning rate at Marriott presents quite a sizable return. Thanks to the complimentary Silver elite status, you’ll be earning 14x total points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy in the following fashion: 10x points for holding a Marriott Bonvoy member account, 3x points with the Bonvoy Bold credit card, and 1x points for Silver elite members. Although still, with the Boundless card you’d earn 6X at Marriott and therefore 17X total points.

On everyday expenses, the rewards rate is less impressive as Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t as valuable as other loyalty currencies. We estimate that Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.6 cents each. In that sense, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold offers 2x points (1.2% return) on each dollar spent for select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone service purchases, and 1x (0.6% return) points on all other eligible purchases. You can certainly do much better with another travel rewards card or another Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

Although Marriott Bonvoy points have been devalued over the years, the good news is that they can be redeemed for Marriott’s enormous portfolio worldwide. As the largest hotel chain in the world, you’d be hard-pressed not to find a Marriott hotel no matter where you’re traveling. Another solid option of Marriott Bonvoy points is to transfer them at a 3:1 ratio to more than three dozen airline loyalty programs.

As a co-branded card with Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold does excel in offering a number of travel and purchase protections, which can be quite valuable if you’re stuck in a travel emergency. Finally, card members can activate a DoorDash DashPass membership for one year, if enrolled by December 31, 2024. This can be a great way to save money on food delivery fees and find extra value from this no-annual-fee card.

In all, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold is not the most compelling option out there, but it provides two main purposes. First, if you need an introduction to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program but don’t want to pay an annual fee, this card can help you earn Marriott points on eligible purchases. Finally, this Chase card is a good downgrade option if you were thinking about canceling the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.

If you’re thinking about other options, be sure to compare the options in Marriott’s portfolio — there are 4 other cobranded cards to consider! If you’re searching for a general rewards card that will help you save on travel no matter the airline or hotel brand, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is a fantastic option. With no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, the Capital One miles earned on the card are worth 1 cent each toward travel and more, or they can even be transferred to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners for more value.

Wells Fargo is a giant of retail banks, but it’s had a relatively small presence in the market for travel rewards credit cards, until now. With the recent introduction of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, it joints American Express, Chase, Capital One and Citi in the exclusive club of cards that offer rewards that can be transferred to airline miles or hotel points.

Why is this important? Most credit cards offer you about one cent in value per point redeemed, so saving up $100,000 points typically results in $1,000 worth of cash back, gift cards or travel reservations. But when you’re able to transfer your rewards to airline miles or hotel points, you could earn rewards worth far more. For example, you could transfer your Wells Fargo rewards points to miles with the Spanish carrier Iberia. You can then redeem as few as 68,000 Iberia Miles (it calls their points “Avios”), for a round-trip, business class ticket to Spain from Boston, New York or Washington D.C. Such a ticket would easily be worth at least $4,000, and few would rather have $1,000 worth of gift cards instead a business class ticket to Europe.

To compete against credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Capital One Venture and the Citi Strata Premier, Wells Fargo created a card that’s especially rewarding for travel purchases.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey offers 5x points on hotel purchases, 4x points on airline tickets and 3x points for dining and for all other travel purchases. This allows frequent travelers to earn more bonus points from this card than they could from any of its competitors. And unlike other bonus offers for travel purchases, you don’t have to use any particular travel agency – you are free to purchase your airline and hotel reservations directly, which is how most experienced travelers prefer to do it.

With a $95 annual fee, it’s an accessible card, but even that number overstates its true cost. This card is made for travelers, so it’s really easy to get the $50 annual air travel statement credit after you purchase your first ticket of at least $50. This brings the net cost of this card down to $45, which is far below it’s competitors.

So who is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card for?

This card makes sense for those who make a significant amount of travel purchases, and want to be rewarded as much as possible. Earning 5x at any hotel and 4x on any airline is great for so-called free agents who make decisions based on price and schedule, rather than loyalty to a particular brand. This is also a card for those who appreciate the value of having a credit card with strong travel insurance policies. For example, with trip cancellation and trip interruption protection, you’ll never incur a loss if you have to cancel a trip due to covered reasons, ranging from illness to jury duty.

And finally, this is an ideal travel rewards card for those who already have a banking relationship with Wells Fargo. When you have a credit card issued by the same bank where you have checking, savings or other accounts, you’re able to manage everything in one place, and payments are instantly credited.