Marriott Bonvoy Bold Review: A Basic, No Annual Fee Hotel Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is the popular hotel chain's most economical option. You can earn extra Marriott points without paying an annual fee, and you'll get a couple of hotel perks, too. However, there are several Marriott Bonvoy cards available with more benefits. Find out if this credit card is the right one for you in our Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card review.

This credit card is a good fit for: People who occasionally stay at Marriott Bonvoy properties and want to avoid an annual fee.

Top perks

Here's a look at the most useful benefits of this Marriott Bonvoy credit card.

Earn 30,000 Bonus Points

Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Since Marriott points are generally worth about $0.005 to $0.01 each, you could save anywhere from about $150 to $300.

MORE OPTIONS: Best Sign-Up Bonus Credit Cards

Purchase rewards

This hotel credit card earns:

• Up to 14 points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• 2 points per $1 on all other eligible travel purchases
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases

To explain how the rewards rate on Marriott purchases works, this card earns a rate of 3 points per $1 at Marriott. You can also earn up to 10 points per $1 for being a Marriott Bonvoy member and up to 1 point per $1 with Silver Elite status, a benefit you qualify for simply by having this card.

These are solid earning rates, although they're unspectacular outside of Marriott Bonvoy spending. You may want to compare this to what some of the top rewards credit cards earn before you commit.

No annual fee

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card doesn't charge an annual fee. The advantage of no annual fee cards is that they don't cost you extra, which helps if you're on a strict budget. Just keep in mind that the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards with annual fees have much better benefits.

Silver Elite status

You get 15 elite night credits every year with this card. That's more than enough for Marriott Bonvoy's Silver Elite status, which requires 10 elite night credits.

Silver Elite status doesn't quite mean they'll be rolling out the red carpet upon arrival, but it does get you 10% bonus points. This applies only to the points you earn as a Marriott Bonvoy member, not those from your Marriott Bonvoy credit card. It also includes a late checkout, when available, and free wifi, among other benefits.

Purchase protection

Eligible new purchases you pay for with your Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card are covered for 120 days against damage or theft. The coverage limits are $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

Travel protection

In terms of travel protection, paying with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card gives you baggage delay insurance, and reimbursement for lost luggage and delayed trips. It's always a plus when travel credit cards include protections like these that can cover you in case anything goes wrong.

No foreign transaction fee

Since this is a travel credit card for a hotel with a major international footprint, it makes sense that it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

SEE MORE: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

What could be improved

There are a couple of notable downsides to know about with this card.

Limited Marriott Bonvoy benefits

Since the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card doesn't charge an annual fee, the special cardholder benefits are limited. Other hotel credit cards may offer, for example, a free night certificate every year, spending credits, or elite status that includes complimentary upgrades when available. It's normal that this card doesn't, but you should consider whether you'd get value out of those types of perks.

Small bonus opportunities

Another drawback that comes with this being a no annual fee card is that it doesn't offer the best bonuses. The sign-up bonus is smaller than what's available from many other travel rewards cards. It also doesn't earn that many points on most purchases, except at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Consider looking at other credit card reviews first to see if you can find a card with more earning opportunities.

To get the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, you should have a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. Credit card applications aren't all about your credit score, but it is a key factor, and this rewards card is aimed at those who have good credit.

There's also one other factor that plays a big role in the success of your application, and that's Chase's 5/24 rule. Chase is the card issuer of the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, and it almost always declines applicants who have already opened five or more credit cards within the past 24 months.

RELATED: Best Chase Credit Cards

You book stays at Marriott hotels a couple of times per year and want a no annual fee credit card.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card is certainly a solid hotel credit card, but it's also one with a small target audience. If you visit Marriott hotels often, you're probably better off with a card that charges an annual fee that offers more features, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. If not, you may want to look at more versatile credit cards.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.