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Compare the Features and Benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
APR on purchases
APR on balance transfers
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Purchase Protection
Extended Warranty
No Fees for Authorized Users
Grants Hotel Status
Free Annual Hotel Night
Earns Transferable Points
Trip Protections
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Free Access to Credit Score
0% Intro APR on Purchases
0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers
Annual Statement Credits
Return Protection
Amex Offers
Annual Fee
$95
Avg. Min. Credit Score
740-850
APR on purchases
-
APR on balance transfers
-
Ongoing APR
-
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
6x Hotels

Earn 6X when you book Marriott Bonvoy properties direct. Earn 2X on all other hotel bookings.

3x Gas Stations
3x Dining Out / Food Delivery
3x Groceries
2x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.006
Bonus Offer
Earn 3 Free Nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.85) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

Marriott Bonvoy offers co-branded credit cards from two major issuers: American Express and Chase. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to narrow down the right Marriott credit card for you. If you’re interested in a Marriott Bonvoy credit card but don’t necessarily want to pony up a huge annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card could be the perfect fit. This card provides an excellent introduction into earning a ton of Marriott points, from the welcome bonus earned upon account opening to the everyday rewards rate.

You’ll not only earn 6x points (up to 17X total Bonvoy points per dollar spent when including your Bonvoy program earnings) on eligible hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, but the Bonvoy Boundless credit card is a solid match for everyday purchases. Cardholders can earn 3x points per dollar on up to the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases at grocery stores, gas stations and dining. By maxing out that limit, you would earn 18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points alone from everyday spend! Not to mention, you’ll still earn 2x points per dollar on all non-bonus category purchases.

Once you rack up a sizable sum of Marriott Bonvoy points, you can redeem them at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, where the 5th night is always free on awards, adding to the value.

With 8,500 properties and counting, you can find a Marriott Bonvoy hotel at virtually every corner of the world. It’s easy to search for properties through Marriott’s website, then press “use points/certificates” to see the award rate for your desired travel dates.

Another huge perk to discuss is the card’s free night award. You’ll receive the annual free night certificate every account anniversary year, and the free night valued at up to 35,000 points can be a huge money-saver every year – especially since you can add on up to 15,000 points from your account if the room you want is between 35,000 and 50,000 points. As we value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.6 cents apiece, this translates into roughly $210 in value — which is more than double the value of the $95 annual fee!

There are even more benefits once you get to participating Marriott hotels thanks to the card’s automatic elite status perks. You’ll be bumped up from your Marriott Bonvoy member account to Silver elite status with the automatic 15 elite night credits, and this level offers 10% bonus Marriott Bonvoy points (as reflected in the card’s rewards rate) and priority late check-out. You can easily bypass the ranks to earn Gold elite status by spending at least $35,000 on the card every year (although, at that point, you’d probably be better off with the premium Bonvoy Brilliant card which grants automatic Platinum status – admittedly for a high annual fee. This level can be particularly rewarding, thanks to enhanced room upgrades upon availability, 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability), and 25% bonus points on eligible Marriott stays.

Bonvoy Boundless credit card

Last but not least, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card isn’t just a great pick for your hotel stays. When traveling, you’ll be covered with a plethora of protections, including trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and secondary rental car coverage. Finally, some important purchase coverages that are standard with Chase are included, including purchase protection and extended warranty.

In summary, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card is a popular pick for the $95 annual fee. It’s easy for cardholders to justify paying this cost every year thanks to the free night award, and that’s before you consider all of the other benefits on the card.

However, if you’re interested in a higher elite status level, a free night valued up to 85,000 points per night, and the possibility to earn Marriott Bonvoy points faster, you may want to consider other Marriott Bonvoy credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card.

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Free Annual Hotel Night
yes
Earns Transferable Points
yes
Trip Protections
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Free Access to Credit Score
yes
0% Intro APR on Purchases
no
0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers
no
Annual Statement Credits
no
Return Protection
no
Amex Offers
no
Annual Fee
$0 Introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $95 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
APR on purchases
0% Intro APR (on purchases for 12 months, 18.49%-29.49% thereafter)
APR on balance transfers
0% Intro APR (on balance transfers for 12 months, 18.49%-29.49% thereafter)
Ongoing APR
18.49%-29.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
6x Groceries

At U.S. Supermarkets on the first $6,000 of yearly spend; 1X thereafter. * American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

6x Streaming Services

On select U.S. Streaming Services

3x Transit
3x Gas Stations

At U.S. Gas Stations

Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.01
Bonus Offer
Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(4.08) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a rewarding cash-back card thanks to its range of useful bonus categories. Perhaps the most valuable bonus category is the ability to earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on the first $6,000 spent annually. Households who spend $500 or so can maximize this threshold to earn a tremendous $350 in reward dollars every year, and that’s before you consider the other bonus cash-back opportunities like 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. Still, you will want to subtract the $95 annual fee from that bounty.

The 6% cash back rate applies to select U.S. streaming subscriptions, which covers virtually every participating provider out there. From Apple Music to YouTube TV to Netflix to Prime Video, it’s likely that you subscribe to one (or more) of these popular live TV, movie or music streaming services.

apple-music-blue-cash-preferred-card-from-american-express

Not to mention, you can enroll your card within your American Express account to receive a $7 monthly statement credit when you spend $9.99 (or more) each month on a subscription to The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+. If you already subscribe to one of these eligible services, that’s an instant savings of $84 every year.

You can also earn bonus cash back when you’re on the road. The Blue Cash Preferred provides 3% at U.S. gas stations and for local transit expenses, which includes anything such as taxis, rideshare services like Lyft and Uber, parking expenses, tolls, and train and bus fares.

Simply put, the cash back earnings add up swiftly with the Blue Cash Preferred, especially if you have a large household. You’ll earn cash back in the form of reward dollars, which can then be redeemed for any amount on your monthly statement credit through American Express. One reward dollar equals $1.

Other benefits on the card, such as purchase protection, return protection and access to Global Assist Hotline may be used less frequently, but will still come in handy when it’s least expected.

Best of all, there’s no annual fee for the first year of card membership, giving you time to test drive the card’s earning rates and benefits before you commit to paying the ongoing $95 annual fee. It is possible to downgrade after one year to the Blue Cash Everyday® Card if you find it more suitable.

Rates and Fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Grants Hotel Status
no
Free Annual Hotel Night
no
Earns Transferable Points
no
Trip Protections
no
No Foreign Transaction Fees
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
0% Intro APR on Purchases
yes
0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Return Protection
yes
Amex Offers
yes

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