Who should (and shouldn’t) get the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card?

There’s no shortage of Marriott credit cards. When it comes to hotel credit cards, Marriott Bonvoy has far more cards to choose from than Hilton, Hyatt and IHG have. Having so many credit cards to choose from can make the decision feel overly complex.

Choosing among Marriott credit cards is complicated by the fact that Marriott Bonvoy has credit cards available from two different issuers — American Express and Chase — and each has its own application rules and restrictions. On top of the normal rules, there are extra rules surrounding Marriott credit cards — so many that we needed an entire chart to help you understand bonus eligibility on these cards.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase launched in September 2022, making it one of the newest additions to the Marriott credit card portfolio. It offers perks like automatic mid-tier status with Marriott Bonvoy and an earning structure similar to other Marriott cards, but also lacks some of the features that many people consider obligatory with hotel credit cards.

Let’s look at who should (and who shouldn’t) get the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card.

Main benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card is a mid-tier credit card in the Marriott credit card portfolio. Marriott’s credit cards have annual fees ranging from $0 to $650, and the Bountiful card sits toward the middle with an annual fee of $250.

THE POINTS GUY

These are the most important things to know about the Bountiful card:

The sign-up bonus is worth over $1,000. If you apply for the Bountiful card, you can earn 125,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG values Marriott points at 0.84 cents each, making this bonus worth $1,050.
You’ll receive automatic Gold Elite status. Cardholders receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status each year. This tier provides benefits like room upgrades (but not to suites), late checkout and bonus points on each stay. TPG values Gold status at $800 per year if you stay enough to take advantage use of these benefits. If you want to earn higher levels of status with Marriott, the 15 elite night credits in your Bonvoy account each year will help you on your way.
You receive 1,000 bonus points on each paid stay. Bountiful cardholders receive 1,000 bonus points on each stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel or resort when paying for their stays. This means points redemptions and using free night awards won’t qualify for the bonus points. TPG values these points at $8.40.
The free night award requires spending to receive it. Many hotel credit cards offer a free night award, deposited into your account on your cardholder anniversary each year. Whether you spent $1 or $1 million on your card in the preceding year, you’ll receive this free night award as long as your account is in good standing. The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful, however, doesn’t offer this free night award unless you spend at least $15,000 on your card during a calendar year. If you earn this free night award, it’s worth up to 50,000 points.
The things you pay for with your card are protected. Cardholders can enjoy numerous travel protections and shopping protections when paying with the Bountiful card, such as lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement and purchase protection.

For more details, check out our full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card.

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Who should get the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card?

There are several reasons why you may want the Bountiful card. Consider the following reasons why having it in your wallet could be a positive:

You have no Marriott cards and want to diversify your points

Diversification is important in the points and miles world. That’s why we preach the importance of earning transferable points.

Imagine you’re planning a vacation, you have an abundance of Hyatt and Hilton points, and then you find out those hotel programs don’t have any hotels (or no hotels with availability) at your destination. Would you change your holiday plans?

Having points in multiple hotel programs can help you find the best deal for your situation. If you currently lack Marriott Bonvoy points, this could be the most important reason for getting a Marriott credit card right now.

The W Melbourne. BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY

You’re eligible for a sign-up bonus on a Marriott credit card

Understanding whether you’re eligible for a bonus on a Marriott credit card is … more complicated than it should be. If you look at the sign-up bonus terms on the Bountiful card, you’ll find multiple rules outlining who is and isn’t eligible for the bonus.

Look at this list of cards:

Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card (no longer open to new applicants).
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card.

You are not eligible for the sign-up bonus on the Bountiful card if any of the following applies to you:

If you currently have any of the above cards.
If you had any of the above cards in the past 30 days.
If you applied for and were approved for any of the above cards in the past 30 days.
If you received a new cardmember/sign-up bonus or upgrade bonus on any of the above cards in the past 24 months.

These restrictions may rule out many people who have dabbled in Marriott credit cards in the past two years.

Related: Are you eligible for a new Marriott Bonvoy card? This chart tells you yes or no

If you’ve read the list and the rules above and still believe you’re eligible for the Bountiful card, then that could be a great reason to get the bonus. That’s assuming you’re eligible for another reason.

The information for the Amex Marriott Bonvoy card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. ZACH HONIG/THE POINTS GUY

You’re under 5/24 with Chase

Each credit card issuer has its own set of rules and restrictions for who can open a new credit card, who can earn a bonus and how many credit cards you can have from that bank. Some of these rules are available publicly; others come from experience over time and figuring out what the unwritten rules are.

One of the most famous credit card rules is the Chase 5/24 rule. If you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months, then you likely won’t be approved for a new credit card with Chase — hence 5/24.

Related: Want to open a new Chase card? Here’s how to calculate your 5/24 standing

Thankfully, many business credit cards don’t show up on your personal credit report, so these shouldn’t affect your 5/24 status. If you have five or more new accounts showing on your credit report from the past two years, you likely won’t be approved for the Bountiful card — or any credit card from Chase — even if you meet the restrictions that apply to Marriott credit cards (covered above).

Obtaining value from Marriott points is 1 of your skills

Marriott Bonvoy previously had easy-to-follow award charts. You knew exactly how many points you’d need for a night at each hotel. Unfortunately, that’s gone.

Marriott has moved toward dynamic pricing, beginning with a small percentage of its hotels in 2022 and following suit with all of its hotels in 2023. Thus, the number of points you need for a hotel stay can change based on cash prices, popularity, how full the hotel is, local holidays and other factors.

This has made using Marriott points trickier, as it’s now harder to receive above-average value from your Marriott points. Options still do exist, though. If you’re able to find off-peak dates at properties near national parks and theme parks or book five nights (to get the fifth night free), you can still unlock great value.

Related: The award travelers guide to Marriott Bonvoy

You want Marriott Bonvoy elite status

Another great reason to get the Bountiful card — probably its main selling point — is the elite status it confers. Without any effort, you’ll get Gold Elite status with Marriott each year, so long as you keep your account open and pay the annual fee on the Bountiful card.

Marriott’s mid-tier Gold Elite status offers benefits like late checkout, bonus points as a welcome gift at check-in and room upgrades to preferred rooms, such as those with a better view or in better locations within the hotel. Gold status doesn’t include upgrades to suites, however.

Related: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful annual fee worth it?

The JW Marriott Maldives. NICKY KELVIN/THE POINTS GUY

Typically, you need 25 elite night credits each year to qualify for Marriott’s Gold Elite status. However, Bountiful cardholders receive this status automatically.

On top of that, you’ll receive 15 elite night credits, and these can be the base from which you work on higher levels of Marriott status. For reference, you need 50 elite night credits to reach Platinum Elite. That’s the tier where perks like breakfast and suite upgrades become available.

You’ll also earn one elite night credit for each eligible night you spend in Marriott Bonvoy hotels and resorts each year.

Who shouldn’t get the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card?

There are drawbacks, however. Consider the following reasons why the Bountiful card might not deserve to be in your wallet:

You’re over 5/24 or not eligible for the bonus

The most obvious reason not to apply for the Bountiful card is if you aren’t eligible for the card or aren’t eligible for its bonus. Those who are over 5/24 shouldn’t apply, as the hard pull on your credit report isn’t worth it if you’ll be denied anyway.

You also shouldn’t apply if you’ve read the list of “you can’t get the bonus if …” above and realized that makes you ineligible for the Bountiful’s sign-up bonus. If you’ve recently held the Amex Marriott Bonvoy, Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business, Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant or Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy cards, you shouldn’t apply for the Bountiful. The same applies if you received a bonus on one of those four cards in the past 24 months.

Marriott Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

You want a free night award without a spending requirement to earn it

You can earn a free night award worth up to 50,000 points by spending $15,000 or more on the Bountiful card within a calendar year. That’s not horrible, but it’s not great.

Consider that many hotel credit cards offer a free night award automatically each year. The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers not only a free night award (valid at Category 1-4 properties) automatically but confers several other benefits after you spend $15,000 on the card within a year. At that mark, you earn another free night award (valid at Category 1-4 properties) and six tier-qualifying night credits to help boost your World of Hyatt status.

Related: 7 of the best hotel credit cards that come with an annual free night

Needing to spend $15,000 on a hotel credit card just to unlock one free night award without other benefits along the way presents serious opportunity costs. Consider whether it’s better to spend that money on other credit cards with which you’re working toward elite status by spending — or consider using that spending to achieve another credit card sign-up bonus.

You want to spend your way toward higher status levels

Speaking of spending, it won’t matter how many purchases you make on the Bountiful card. You cannot spend your way toward elite status on this card.

By contrast, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card provides automatic Silver Elite status with Marriott, 15 elite night credits, a free night award (worth up to 35,000 points) and several ways to boost your elite status. You can earn one elite night credit for each $5,000 spent on the card and have the ability to spend your way toward the next tier (Gold Elite in this example) by spending $35,000 on the card within a calendar year.

If you’re interested in spending your way toward higher status tiers, there’s no ability to do that on the Bountiful card.

Related: The complete guide to earning Marriott elite status with credit cards

Walt Disney World Swan hotel in Florida. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

You’re eligible for a business credit card

If you like the benefits of Marriott’s Gold status and want to have it without the effort, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers Gold status automatically for as long as the account is open. On top of that, you would get 15 elite night credits from this card (which you can stack on top of the 15 elite night credits from Marriott’s personal credit cards) and a free night award after your card renewal month each year that’s worth up to 35,000 points.

Related: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card

You may be surprised to find out who qualifies for a business credit card. If you have a freelance gig, side hustle, online reselling business or get paid by neighbors to mow their grass, you may qualify for a business credit card. If you can get the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card, you could get Gold status for just a $125 annual fee (see rates and fees).

The status doesn’t make sense in either of these ways

Receiving automatic elite status is great. However, it’s only meaningful if you’re using it. That presents two possible issues.

In order to enjoy your Gold status, you’ll need to spend a decent amount of nights at Marriott properties. If you’re staying with Marriott that often, you’ll probably qualify for Gold status in other ways and could probably avoid the Bountiful card’s $250 annual fee, instead opting for other cards with lower annual fees.

However, if you aren’t spending enough nights with Marriott to earn Gold status through stays, receiving it automatically might be your only path to status. But if you aren’t staying with Marriott very often, is elite status meaningful at all? How much benefit are you getting from Gold status if you spend just a handful of nights with Marriott each year? You likely aren’t getting more than $250 in Marriott benefits in this scenario.

The St. Regis Aspen. BECCA MANHEIMER/THE POINTS GUY

Bottom line

No two people are alike. A credit card that is great for one person might not deserve a second thought from another person.

Since Marriott has six credit cards currently accepting applications, it’s worth considering reasons why you should or shouldn’t get the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card. The card offers automatic mid-tier status, bonus points on each stay and valuable protections on your purchases. There’s also the lucrative sign-up bonus to consider.

However, there are reasons why you may not want to apply for this card, including eligibility rules, the need to spend heavily for the free night award and the conundrums about automatic elite status. Consider all of these factors to help you decide whether you think the Bountiful card merits a place in your wallet.

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