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Some Marriott Bonvoy members have been reporting this week that they have received a targeted email offer for There is a new fantastic public increased welcome bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card: earn five free night certificates (each valid for a night costing up to 50K points per night) after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. This can be a terrific offer for someone able to maximize the use of the free night certificates.
The Offer & Key Card Details
Click the card name below to go to our dedicated card page for more information and to find a link to apply.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
5 x 50K Free Night Certificates ⓘ Non-Affiliate Earn five 50K free night certifcates after $5K spend in 3 months$95 Annual Fee This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: None. This matches the best ever. Earning rate: ✦ 6X Marriott Bonvoy ✦ 3X gas stations, grocery stores, and dining on up to $6K in combined purchases each year ✦ 2X everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Chase. This card has no foreign transaction fees. Big spend bonus: Earn Gold status when you spend $35K each year ✦ 1 Elite Night Credit towards elite status for every $5K spent Noteworthy perks: ✦ Annual free night certificate for 1 night at a hotel redemption level up to 35K ✦ Automatic Silver status ✦ 15 nights of elite credit each year ✦ 1 Elite Night Credit for every $5K spent ✦ $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23) See also: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide |
Quick Thoughts
We have a methodology for determining the value of free night certificates for the purpose of calculating the first-year value of new card offers (which sometimes include free night certificates as is the case with this targeted offer). See Credit card welcome bonus estimation details.
In this case, here’s the math:
- 50K (max value of certificate) x 0.8 (our fudge factor to account for the fact that certificates expire in a year and aren’t as flexible as points since you can split a single certificate to pay for multiple nights, etc) x 0.8 (our Reasonable Redemption Value for Marriott points = $320
In other words, we estimate the value of a 50K free night certificate to be around $320 with an average level of effort to put it to good use. It is sometimes possible to get far more value out of 50K free night certificates (I have often used them on nights that would have otherwise cost more than $500), but if you’ll look for a decent use it shouldn’t be hard to get at least $1,600 in value from the five free nights from this offer. That’s a terrific return on spend.
This is a potentially fantastic offer, but if you are considering applying, you have to keep in mind the downsides of free night certificates: they expire in a year (Marriott has usually been good about extending them for a second year upon request, but that’s never guaranteed) and they are not as flexible as points (for example, a single 50K free night certificate could not be used for two nights that cost 25K points per night each).
Still, with the ability to top off a certificate with up to 15K additional points, it should be possible to get a really nice stay with these certificates. With travel booming and hotel prices skyrocketing, these certs should be able to save you a fair chunk of change.
All that said, keep in mind that Amex and Chase have a complicated matrix whereby having or getting one card will prevent you from getting another card, etc. Still, if you’re eligible, this offer is pretty hard to ignore. And if you were hoping to eventually end up with a Ritz card, this would seem like a great offer to jump on now with an eye to upgrade after a year has passed. If you are eligible for this offer, it’s worth a thought.
H/T: Members of our Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook group
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