100K bonus available on Chase’s Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and Amex’s Marriott Business Cards

Since completing its acquisition of SPG, Marriott has continued to offer a broad array of cobranded credit cards issued by both Chase and American Express. After rebranding the combined loyalty program under the “Marriott Bonvoy” moniker, we saw limited-time 100,000-point welcome offers on most of the Bonvoy credit cards. But those deals expired months ago and it was unclear when, or even if, they would return.

Now, two of Marriott’s entry level credit cards are once again offering elevated welcome bonuses. Both the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card from Chase are offering new applicants the ability to earn 100,000 Marriott points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. TPG values Marriott points at 0.8 cents each, making this bonus worth a very respectable $800.

The Bonvoy Business Amex and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card are incredibly similar in terms of earning rates and benefits, but there are a few key differences. Let’s take a look at how these two cards stack up against each other:

The Bonvoy Business Amex — formerly known as the SPG Business Amex — is one of my favorite credit cards. Despite the fact that I have four different Bonvoy cards, this is the one that I put most of my spending on. The card’s $125 annual fee (see rates & fees), is more than made up for by the anniversary free night certificate (worth up to 35,000 points). You can also earn a second 35,000-point free night certificate by spending $60,000 in a calendar year, which is why I keep this card near the top of my wallet. It also stands out from the other Bonvoy cards by offering additional bonus categories on top of the standard 6x at Marriott and 2x everywhere else. The card earns 4x points per dollar spent at US restaurants, at US gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service and on US purchases for shipping.

Still, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card can be a good choice for customers looking for a personal credit card or one with a lower annual fee. If you don’t plan on spending $60,000 a year on the card (which comes with a huge opportunity cost) and you don’t frequently shop at the Bonvoy Business’ 4x categories, then the Boundless can be a better option.

Eligibility

Since the merger, Marriott has limited eligibility for new credit card bonuses on its cobranded cards. The welcome offer on the Bonvoy Business Amex won’t be available to you if:

• you have or have had this product (or its predecessor, the SPG Business Amex) before,
• you have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards^® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days,
• you have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy^TMPremier Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days,
• or if you received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^TM Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards^® Premier Credit Card from Chase.

So in short, you can’t earn the welcome bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex if you currently hold either of the Marriott business credit cards issued by Chase (neither of which are currently open to new applicants) or if you’ve opened the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless or the Marriott Bonvoy Premier in the last 90 days, or earned the welcome bonuses on those two cards in the last 24 months.

Also note that Amex may in its sole discretion limit your eligibility for welcome bonuses based on your history with the issuer and the number of cards you’ve opened or closed. When you’re filling out the application, keep your eyes open for a pop up message alerting you that you aren’t eligible for this particular bonus.

There are also separate restrictions on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. You won’t be eligible for this welcome offer if:

• you are current cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus), Marriott Bonvoy Bold^TM credit card, or
• you are previous cardmembers of the Marriott Bonvoy^TM Premier credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^TM credit card (also known as Marriott Rewards^® Premier Plus), or Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ credit card, who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months, or
• you are are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of Marriott Bonvoy^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express), or
• you are a current or previous cardmember of either Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^TM American Express^® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest^® American Express Luxury Card), and received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus in the last 24 months; or
• you applied and were approved for Marriott Bonvoy Business^TM American Express^® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^TM American Express^® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest^® American Express Luxury Card) within the last 90 days.

Note that these restrictions are in addition to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which does apply to the Bonvoy Boundless card. What this means, unfortunately, is that you’ll have to pick between one of these bonuses as you won’t be able to apply for both.

Further Reading: Am I eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? 

Bottom line

For the last several months, the standard bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card card has been 75,000 Marriott points, so this limited time offer represents a nice 33% increase, and an extra $200 worth of points based on TPG’s valuations. Both of these cards have pretty average annual fees in the range of $95-$125, but you should have no problem getting $200 or more in value each year from your free night certificate. Add in the ability for high-spending businesses to earn a second annual free night on the Bonvoy Business Amex and this is quite a compelling offer. And if you don’t have a business but are looking to boost your Marriott points balance, the identical 100,000-point offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is also a great deal.

Additional reporting by Benet Wilson. Featured image by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, please click here.

Apply here for the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, each with a 100,000-point bonus.