What’s old is new again. Chase improves the Marriott Boundless card by bringing back an old benefit of the Marriott Premier card while also sweetening its points earning potential. But do these changes make a compelling difference?
When Marriott launched Bonvoy, they also relaunched all of their credit cards. Chase kind of got Bonvoyed under the new program, as they’re no longer able to issue Marriott’s super-premium card. That said, their consumer card got a new name, design, and benefits. But this newer card is beginning to look more like the older card again — sort of.
Chase Improves the Marriott Boundless Card
The major differences between the old Marriott Rewards Premier card and the newer Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card are the fact that the new card earns 1 point per dollar more in all spending categories and that the new card no longer lets you earn Elite Qualifying Nights. The old Marriott Premier earned 1 EQN per $3,000 spent, which, admittedly, isn’t a great value proposition. However, it was a great way to pad your EQN earnings for the year if needed. And this is the primary reason why I stuck with the older card.
Well, that benefit is now back on the Bonvoy Boundless card, albeit with a worse value proposition. To get a free EQN, you now have to spend $5,000 – 40% more than before. Note that this card still provides you with 15 EQNs annually, as does the old Marriott Premier. Plus, the card now earns 3x points on dining, gas stations, and groceries, though you’re capped at $6,000 in spend annually. After that, the earn rate drops back down to 2x points.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the improvements to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card are truly that – positive changes. The card has better earning power and can help you boost your EQN count, all for the same $95 annual fee. However, with Marriott doing away with its award chart soon, the value of Marriott points – which already isn’t good – is questionable. This card already isn’t a powerhouse value maker either, so it still may not be worth putting significant spend on. What’s more, the EQN benefit is much poorer than what was offered before and is still offered to those of us that kept our Marriott Rewards Premier card. It’s also worse than the World of Hyatt Visa, which gives you 2 EQNs for every $5,000 spent. But, a positive change is a positive change, which is far from the norm these days.