2 Marriott credit cards from Chase are offering welcome bonuses of up to 100,000 points, but it's your last chance to apply

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

• The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card have high welcome bonus offers through the end of the day on April 5, 2023.
• With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
• And the no-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card is offering Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
• Read Insider's guide to the best hotel credit cards.

If you're a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, there's a new reason to consider opening a Marriott Bonvoy credit card. Chase has launched new welcome offers on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card, but there's very little time left to apply.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card is offering Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card - Intro Bonus. And with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card - Intro Bonus. Both of these offers are only available until the end of the day on April 5, 2023.

Of the two cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card is a better deal for most travelers. Although it charges a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card annual fee, the welcome bonus is nearly double that of the no-annual-fee Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card, and it comes with a free night each card anniversary, valid at Marriott hotels worth up to 35,000 points.

Here's what to know if you're considering applying for one of these Marriott credit card offers.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: Earn 100,000 points

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card is a good choice for occasional and frequent travelers who like to stay at Marriott hotels and earn points for their everyday spending. Along with the welcome bonus of Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card, cardholders earn 6x bonus points on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels (in addition to points normally earned from the stay), 3x points at grocery stores, gas stations, and on dining (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases per year), and 2x points on all other eligible purchases. 

This isn't the highest offer we've seen on the card, and the previous offer of three free nights worth up to 50,000 points each after meeting minimum spending requirements was potentially more valuable. However, if you prefer stretching your Marriott points for multiple nights at lower-category hotels, this welcome bonus is much more flexible.

There's a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card annual fee, but it's more than worth it if you can make the most of the card's annual free night benefit. Each year, you'll receive an anniversary free night certificate valid at Marriott hotels that cost 35,000 points or less — and if you redeem it at pricier hotels, you can get a value that far exceeds the annual cost to keep the card. In addition, you can top up a free night certificate with up to 15,000 points from your account, allowing you to redeem for a stay at hotels that cost up to 50,000 points.

Cardholders also get automatic Marriott Silver elite status, which offers perks like a 10% points bonus on paid stays and priority late checkout. If you spend $35,000 or more in an account anniversary year, you'll get an upgrade to Gold status, which comes with additional benefits. The card also comes with 15 elite night credits each year, which are handy if you're working toward earning higher status.

You'll also get travel and shopping protections when you use your card, including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, and purchase protection.

Off-peak award nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels start at just 5,000 points, so it's possible to get up to 20 nights out of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card's welcome offer. Or, if you prefer upscale hotels, you could redeem the bonus for a shorter getaway at higher-category Marriott brands like JW Marriott or W Hotels.

You don't have to use your points at fancy hotels to get a good value, either. For example, I've used 5,000 Marriott points for a comfortable stay with my kids at a Fairfield Inn in Cleveland. If I'd paid cash, the room would have cost around $120, so I got a value of 2.4 cents per point in this case. 

If you're not looking to redeem points for hotel stays, Marriott Bonvoy points are still useful. You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to nearly 40 airlines — including carriers like Alaska and American that don't partner with other transferable bank points — and it's possible to get even more value when you redeem this way.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card review

Marriott Bonvoy Bold: Earn 60,000 points

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card is the only no-annual-fee Marriott card available to new applicants, and it's currently offering Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card (worth around Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card - Featured Reward Value in stays based on Insider's valuations). Usually, this card comes with a bonus of 30,000 points after meeting the minimum spending requirement.

As you might expect from a travel credit card with no annual fee, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card doesn't come with as many benefits as its annual-fee counterparts. Cardholders do receive 15 elite night credits per year (enough for Silver status), but the card only earns 3x points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels (in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay), 2x points on other eligible travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

You won't receive an anniversary free night certificate with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card, either, but the card does come with substantial travel and purchase protections, including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip delay insurance. It also doesn't add foreign transaction fees, which is uncommon for a no-annual-fee credit card.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card review

Which Marriott credit card offer should you choose?

Unless you absolutely don't want to pay an annual fee, you'll do better with the welcome offer and benefits on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card. The extra 40,000 points from the welcome bonus are worth around $280 in stays (based on Insider's valuations), so that's more than enough to justify paying the annual fee in the first year. And beyond that, there's lots of ongoing value to be had in the card's anniversary free night certificate. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of both cards to help you decide which is best for you:

*Bonus points at Marriott hotels are in addition to the points members would normally earn from a stay

***the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card offers an annual free night award each year after your card renewal month for participating Marriott Bonvoy properties that cost up to 35,000 points

Keep in mind, too, that the Chase 5/24 rule applies to the Marriott cards, which means if you've opened five or more cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months, you won't be approved. Because of this, it makes the most sense to apply for bonuses when they're at their highest — and in this case, to choose the card that offers you the most return. 

You're also not eligible for either card if you already have a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card, or Marriott Premier (no longer available to new applicants) card open, or if you received the welcome bonus on one of these cards in the past 24 months. 

Be sure to also have a look at other Marriott card offers from Amex and Chase, because they also have good welcome bonus offers:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card - Product Name Only: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card - Product Name Only: Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card - Product Name Only: Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card - Intro Bonus
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card - Product Name Only: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card - Intro Bonus

You can also earn Marriott points indirectly by opening a card that earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Amex Membership Rewards points. When you have cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Product Name Only, Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Product Name Only, American Express® Gold Card - Product Name Only, or The Platinum Card® from American Express - Product Name Only, you can transfer your points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio. These types of transferable points are more flexible, because you've got options to transfer to many airline and hotel transfer partners instead of being locked into a single rewards program.