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- $4, Marriott Bonvoy, is officially live.
- To mark the launch, Marriott's premium personal credit card - the $4 - $4 a limited-time, 100,000-point welcome bonus when you spend $5,000 in the first three months (the offer ends April 24).
- As of today, Marriott's mainstream personal card - the $4, which is issued by Chase, is offering that same 100,000-point bonus for new cardholders. The Boundless Card only has a $95 annual fee, while the premium Brilliant Card has a $450 fee.
- Here's what you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card.
Marriott recently combined its loyalty program with Starwood Preferred Guest and rebranded it as a single entity: Marriott Bonvoy.
As part of this merger and rebranding, Marriott refreshed its suite of rewards-credit-cards offerings. Chase and American Express are splitting the card portfolio - Chase will issue the main personal Marriott credit card, while AmEx will issue the premium and small-business cards.
To mark Bonvoy's official launch, American Express launched a limited-time welcome offer on the premium card - the $450 per year Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card>$4. New card members can get 100,000 when they spend $5,000 in the first three months. That offer's available until April 24.
As of today, the same bonus is available on the mainstream Marriott Bonvoy card issued by Chase.
While the Bonvoy Brilliant card issued by AmEx has plenty of valuable perks and rewards, the high annual fee can be a deterrent to some people. For those who are in that camp, Chase's $4 is a fantastic option with a $95 annual fee.
Despite the lower fee, the $4 offers similarly valuable perks.
Here are some of the card's benefits.
Earning rewards
The $4 earns 6x points per dollar spent at participating Marriott hotels, and 2x points per dollar spent on everything else. That's the same as the premium Bonvoy Brilliant card, although that one also earns 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline.
Free anniversary night
The card also offers a free-weekend-night award each year on the card-member anniversary. That award can be used at any Marriott property that would normally cost up to 35,000 points per night. While that award price cap rules out some top properties, there are still plenty of places where that award night can be used. The premium $4 card's anniversary night can be applied to hotels that cost up to 50,000 points per night.
Automatic elite status
Just by having an open $4, you'll automatically get Silver elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
Silver doesn't get you much, but it's still something - you'll get a 10% bonus on points earned, priority for late checkout, access to a dedicated customer service line, free Wi-Fi, and more. While it's not a published benefit, you may also be given preferential rooms.
If you spend $35,000 on the card in a given year, you'll earn Gold status instead. That gets you a 25% bonus on points earned, complimentary internet during stays, room upgrades based on availability, and a small gift of bonus points at check-in. You'll also automatically get 15 nights' worth of elite-qualifying credit each year, so you'll have an easier time achieving Gold status- or higher - with your normal stays. The $4 comes with Gold status by default.
Bottom line
No matter which card is better for you - the mainstream $4 from Chase, or the premium Bonvoy Brilliant card from AmEx - now is a great time for Marriott loyalists to open a new card. But remember: These 100,000 point offers are only available for a limited time, so make sure to get them before they're gone!
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