Update 7/14/24: This best-ever offer on the Bonvoy Bold card is now available via referral. So, if you already have a Chase Marriott card in the house (or have a friend with one), you can add another 40k points to the party.
~~~
In February, we posted about “enhancements” that were on the way for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold card. Now, those changes are live and along with them comes a best-ever welcome offer of 60,000 points and a 50k free night certificate after $2K spend. Given the minimum spend required, this is a very good offer, much better than the previous one of 30k points with no free night certificate.
The Offer & Key Card Details
Click the card names below to go to our card-specific pages for more information and to find a link to apply.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
30K points ⓘ Non-Affiliate 30K points after spending $1K in the first 3 months. Terms apply. No Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: 60K points + Free Night Certificate after $2k spend (ended 11/25/24) FM Mini Review: The best use for this card is probably to downgrade from the Ritz or Boundless card to avoid the annual fee. That way, you can always upgrade again when you need the annual free night or other perks Earning rate: ✦ 3X Marriott Bonvoy ✦ 2X grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable and phone services ✦ 1X everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Automatic Silver status ✦ 5 nights of elite credit each year See also: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide |
Bold Change
As a reminder, here are the changes to the Bonvoy Bold card that are live as of today:
- New cardholders from (and existing cardholders starting from from January 1, 2025) will earn 5 elite night credits every calendar year instead of 15.
- Cardholders now earn 2x on the following categories:
- Groceries
- Rideshare services
- Internet, cable & phone services
- Select food delivery services
- Select streaming services
- Previously, the card earned 2x on travel purchases. That’s now been removed.
- “Travel Now, Pay Later” – Cardholders can now break up qualifying travel purchases between $100 to $5,000 made directly with an airline or at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy into equal monthly payments, with no interest and no plan fees.
Quick Thoughts
This new offer on the no-annual fee Bold card is actually pretty good. Last year, we saw on that awarded up to 100K, but required you to stay in Marriott hotels for six nights in order to get half of the points. This version is arguably better with a maximum value of 110K in points…and it has no stay requirement. The 50K free night certificate should get you around $350 in value domestically if you’re able to use it wisely and 60,000 points are worth ~$420 according to our reasonable redemption values. ~$750 in expected return on $2,000 in spend is excellent.
With the new welcome offer, it might be the ideal time to use the Bold as a means to upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite card down the road. Those who want the Ritz card will need to wait a year from opening one of the Chase Marriott cards to request a product change, but (so far) it’s still possible to do it.
The changes to the card are fairly banal overall. While the 2x categories have been improved, you’re still only getting two Marriott points per dollar. There’s far more rewarding options for each of those categories. The biggest “enhancement” is actually a negative: annual elite night credits have been reduced by 66% from 15 to 5. Although cardholders still get automatic Silver status, those who used the annual 15 elite nights to get to a higher level of status will now find themselves having to make up an additional 10 nights to get there.
Some might argue that awarding 15 elite nights/year on a no-annual fee card was overly-generous to begin with. Regardless of whether or not that was the case, the change still hacks away at the main reason for keeping the card after the first year and it’s hard to see how it offers much in the way of ongoing value.
 |
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Interested in this (for eventual PC to 2nd Ritz CC).
According to chart, I must WAIT until 24mos due to Amex SUB (the latest of which was BRILLIANT, which was approved on 10/2/2022…
So does that mean I must wait until AFTER 10/2/2024 to apply for New BOLD offer?
OR is the 24month waiting period when the BRILLIANT SUB was posted/earned per my Amex Statement (SUB posted 1/2/2023, after Min Spent met)
For those who have 2 Ritz – what’s been your best strategy to sync up the FNC dates when considering WHAT/WHEN to apply for another Marriott base-level card (the Boundless and Bold offers seem to vary quite a bit, so not sure the best play…)
TIA for any advice/guidance/DPs 🙂
Can you product change from Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold to Chase Ritz carlton after a year?
Yes, you can
You need 10k in credit limit AT THE TIME OF UPGRADE. You don’t need to keep a 10k limit after upgrade, you can shift it to another card after upgrade processes.
Thank you so much. I’ve been reading DP that it no longer works to do product change directly from Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold to Chase Ritz Carlton. Some people said you need to change to Bountiful first, and then to Ritz the next day. Some agent on the phone also claimed that you need to wait another year from Bountiful to Ritz.
There is one thing missing from every article that I have read since the changes were announced. The 2 points on rideshare services isn’t new. Rideshare services qualified for the 2 points on travel.
Also, the terms and conditions on the Chase website and the terms at the bottom of the email announcing the arrival of the changes only mentions taxicabs and limousines. The rewards category page on the Chase website says:
Merchants in this category include operators of taxi, limousine, and rideshare services. Car rental agencies and merchants that provide car sharing, car pool, and ride match services are not included in this category.
I just noticed something interesting in the Chase app. All of my posted purchases that were previously listed as 2 points on travel are now listed as 2 points on food delivery, including Lyft rides.
Do the 5 elite nights post on activation or after first year?
I assume for a referral, someone needs to have one of the Chase Marriott cards or is it possible to refer from a non-Marriott Chase card?
You need a Chase Marriott card (though it can be any of their cards in the family).
Thanks for confirming. I was 99.9% sure.
Need some advice
I (Player 1) currently have had a Bonvoy Amex and a Bonvoy Business Amex for many years (at least 6 years for Business Amex and maybe 10+ years for Bonvoy Amex). I have never had any Chase Marriott Card. Would I be able to get the Bonvoy Bold – I wasnt 100% sure from the table?
Player 2 currently has a Bonvoy Business Amex and used to have a Bonvoy Amex which was cancelled over 2 years ago. P2 does have a Bonvoy Amex as an Authorized user on my Bonvoy Amex. Is P2 eligible for a Bonvoy Bold
Could you please advise the best way to get 1-2 Ritz cards for our household. That is our sole interest and have little interest in adding other Bonvoy cards to our household. Player 1 generally has Platinum or Titanium status with Marriott from credit card nights and work and family travel. Player 2 usually has Gold status from Amex Plat.
Based on the chart, player 1 needs to product change or cancel Bonvoy Amex, then wait 30 days, and should be qualify for the welcome bonus on Bonvoy Bold.
Player 2 should be eligible for the welcome bonus on Bonvoy Bold if the welcome bonus for the Bonvoy Business Amex was rewarded more than 24 months ago. I am not certain on the authorized user card, but I assume it will not affect the eligibility for the welcome bonus.
Great deal, but I would say it’s not worth it for someone hoping for the occasional 5fn offer that floats along every now and then from the Chase Boundless and the Amex Business. You’re basically locking yourself out from one of those for 24 months.
I guess the only reason I would get this is if I had other spend I wanted to do on other SUBs.
For example, I am now eligible for a new Chase Marriott SUB and would love to pick up another Ritz card. However, I’m also considering going for Southwest companion pass either with the current offer or whatever end of year two card offers there are so this would fast track me to a 2nd Ritz card while also picking up 2 50K nights in essence.
should say a 50k free night certificate not a 50k free night certificates