Credit Card Review: Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful
Marriott-branded credit cards are issued by American Express (AMEX) and Chase, and recently, Marriott introduced new credit cards—AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy and Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful. I reviewed the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, and I was pretty let down by its lackluster benefits and high annual fee. How does the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card differ? Let’s find out if the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card should live in your wallet. Here is my review of the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card:
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card is awfully similar to the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Photo by Chase.
Sign-Up Bonus & Multiplier: Worth up to $1,000
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $4,000 within your first three months of card membership. Since the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card was just released, this welcome bonus will probably be the highest offer we will see for a long time. Using the valuation of 0.8 cents per point, the welcome bonus of 125,000 points is worth about $1,000.
The earning structure of the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card is not as strong as other credit cards with lower annual fees. Photo by Chase.
The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points at U.S. grocery stores and restaurants worldwide including take-out and delivery orders in the U.S., and 2X on all other purchases. With the 4X multiplier on grocery spends, you would receive about 3.2% back, which isn’t as competitive as other daily drivers like the AMEX Gold card or even the Citi Premier card. As you can see, the earning structure and even the sign-up bonus are exactly the same as the newly launched AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Let’s see if we spot any other similarities.
Annual Fee & Benefits
As mentioned, the annual fee of the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card is $250, which is higher than the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card with an annual fee of $95 but lower than the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card with an annual fee of $650. The card carries a few benefits that may contribute towards the annual fee, but are they enough to justify the price tag?
Automatic Gold Elite Status
Cardholders of the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card will receive complimentary Gold Elite status. It is right above Silver Elite status, so Gold Elite status doesn’t generate much value for most consumers. The highlights of Gold Elite status are 25% bonus points on stays and possible upgrades to enhanced rooms. I briefly experienced Gold Elite status but it was very sparse to be upgraded to a better room because Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elites would get prioritized for complimentary upgrades. Remember to link your Marriott Bonvoy account and enroll in the benefit to enjoy Gold Elite status.
While complimentary Gold Elite status is better than nothing, it’s likely that you won’t see significant advantages until you reach Platinum Elite status. Photo by Marriott.
15 Elite Night Credits
In order to reach higher Marriott Bonvoy status, you want to earn Elite Night Credits, and the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card will automatically earn you 15 Elite Night Credits. The level above Gold Elite status is Platinum Elite, which requires additional 35 Elite Night Credits. Platinum Elite status is often considered the sweet spot with significantly improved perks such as 50% bonus points on stays, complimentary breakfast, and access to executive lounges. If you want to qualify for Platinum Elite status, you can hold the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card, which is the only Marriott-branded business card on the market as of now. This will give you another stash of 15 Elite Night Credits. Unfortunately, Elite Night Credits cannot be stacked by holding multiple personal Marriott co-branded credit cards. If you are ok with swallowing an annual premium of $650, you can immediately go for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, which awards you 25 Elite Night Credits and an automatic Platinum Elite status.
Earn Elite Night Credits and climb the Marriott Bonvoy status ladder to land complimentary upgrades.
Free Night Award—After Spending $15,000
My love for hotel credit cards is their annual free night certificates. The Chase World of Hyatt card gives cardmemebrs a free night certificate worth up to 15,000 points. Cardmembers of the AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card can enjoy a free night certificate every year, and two Marriott-branded credit cards—the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card and the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card—come with an 85,000-point and a 35,000-point Free Night Awards, respectively. On the other hand, the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card gives you a chance to earn a Free Night Award by spending $15,000 in a calendar year. I value 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at $400, which is a 2.67% return on spend. I don’t think spending $15,000 on this card to acquire a Free Night Award worth up to 50,000 points is worth your time and effort, and this benefit is the most disappointing element of the card. I firmly believe the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card should come with at least a 50,000-point Free Night Award on top of the opportunity to earn another Award after meeting the yearly spending requirement.
1K Bonus Points per Stay
When you complete a paid Marriott stay with the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card, you will receive 1,000 bonus points per stay. Be aware that award stays paid with points and stays booked through third-party booking platforms don’t count towards the extra point earning opportunity. While 1,000 extra points may sound considerable, with my valuation of 0.8 cents per point, it is only worth about $8, and I’m not sure how much this benefit will entice consumers to apply for the card.
Personal Wishlist
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card lacks many aspects of what most premium hotel credit cards have or even travel credit cards for that matter. Coming in at $250 per year, the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card is not cheap. Though it offers perks around lodging, I cannot believe it doesn’t offer a Free Night Award. Cheaper hotel credits like the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card and the Chase IHG Rewards Premier card offer free night certificates that practically wipe out their annual fees. In addition, the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card doesn’t provide lounge access or reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck applications. These airport-related perks have become almost given to credit cards with moderately high annual fees, so it is quite disappointing to see lackluster benefits.
Thanks to my Chase IHG Rewards Premier card, I’ll to stay at InterContinental Seoul Grand Parnas in Seoul, South Korea, using a free night certificate. Photo by IHG.
If you follow my blog or if you are interested in maximizing Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ve probably realized that the entire post is indistinguishable from my card review of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. Both credit cards are essentially the same cards except for their names. They both come with an annual price tag of $250, have the same earning multipliers and sign-up bonuses, and even the benefits are identical, as both credit cards offer complimentary Gold Elite status, 15 Elite Night Credits, a chance to earn a Free Night Award, and 1K bonus points per stay. I’m confident that both AMEX and Chase negotiated detailed structures and marketing strategies for each card, but I can’t wrap my head around their decision to launch the same unimaginative credit card under different names. In the coming months, I genuinely hope that each issuer adds sensible perks to make their cards more competitive and practical.
Summary
The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card offers a high sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and comes with an annual price of $250. While it is a premium hotel credit card, it sadly doesn’t provide useful benefits that most users anticipate from a Tier 3 credit card. The card doesn’t come with a Free Night Award, and there is no complimentary airport lounge access or fee reimbursement for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application. Though automatic Gold Elite status and 15 Elite Night Credits are valuable, especially for those chasing higher Marriott Bonvoy status, the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card falls short in almost every aspect of premier credit cards offered at similar or even cheaper price ranges. Until Chase introduces a viable solution to reconstruct the card’s perks and/or annual fee, I can’t recommend the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card to folks unless their primary goal is to earn its high sign-up bonus.
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