Last updated: July 2026. Annual fees, credits and sign-up bonuses change often — confirm the current offer on the issuer's page before you apply.
Marriott Bonvoy is the largest hotel program on earth — roughly 30 brands from budget Fairfield to the St. Regis — and its co-brand cards are unusual: they're split between two banks. Chase issues the mid-tier Bonvoy Boundless®, while American Express issues the premium Bonvoy Bevy™ and Bonvoy Brilliant®. What makes almost all of them worth holding isn't the points — it's the annual free-night award, which frequently returns more than the fee on a single stay.
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The lineup at a glance
| Card | Issuer | Annual fee | Free night (up to) | Auto status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonvoy Bold | Chase | $0 | — | Silver |
| Bonvoy Boundless | Chase | ~$95 | 35,000 pts | Silver |
| Bonvoy Bevy | Amex | ~$250 | 50,000 pts | Gold |
| Bonvoy Brilliant | Amex | ~$650 | 85,000 pts | Platinum |
(There are also Chase and Amex Bonvoy business cards, ~$125 each, with their own 35,000-point free nights. Fees and thresholds — verify current offer.)
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What Bonvoy points are worth
We value Bonvoy points at 0.8¢ each. That's low per point, but you earn an enormous number of them (a stay can pull 16x+ once you stack the card, base member earning and elite bonuses), so the currency still funds real nights. Two levers push your redemptions above 0.8¢:
- 5th-night-free on award stays: book 4 consecutive nights on points, the 5th is free.
- Standard-room dynamic pricing: aim for properties whose cash rate is high relative to the points price.
CPP formula we use everywhere: (cash − taxes) ÷ points × 100 = ¢ per point.
Worked example — a Category 7 resort listing at $600/night: a 5-night award costs 4 × ~60,000 = 240,000 points thanks to the free 5th night. Those five nights would run $3,000 cash. (3,000 − 0) ÷ 240,000 × 100 = 1.25¢/point — well above baseline, purely because you skipped a night.
You can also feed Bonvoy from your bank points: Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards both transfer 1:1 to Marriott (see transfer partners) — handy for topping off an award. Transferring Bonvoy out to airlines (3:1, with a 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000) is usually a poor deal; keep the points in hotels.
Read more about your points
The Marriott Bonvoy cards earn Bonvoy points. See how to get outsized value from them — 5th-night-free award stays and aspirational resort redemptions: → St. Regis Maldives for 100,000 Bonvoy points
Unlike most co-brand currencies, Bonvoy points do transfer out — to 40+ airline programs (typically 3:1, with a 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 transferred). It's usually a weaker deal than keeping points in hotels, but the option is there; for every airline partner and ratio, see the complete transfer partners chart.
Earning rates
| Card | At Marriott | Bonus categories | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boundless | 6x | 3x on first $6k/yr combined groceries, gas & dining | 2x |
| Bevy | 6x | 4x restaurants worldwide & U.S. supermarkets (up to $15k/yr) | 2x |
| Brilliant | 6x | 3x dining worldwide & flights booked direct | 2x |
Remember the 6x is only the card's slice. A Bonvoy member earns ~10x base from the hotel, and elite status adds a further bonus, so a paid stay on these cards commonly earns 16–17x total.
The free-night award — the real reason to hold these
Every one of these cards (Bold excepted) hands you a certificate for one free night each account anniversary, capped at a point value:
- Boundless — up to 35,000 points (many solid Category 4–5 hotels).
- Bevy — up to 50,000 points (some cards require a spend threshold to unlock — verify).
- Brilliant — up to 85,000 points (reaches most Category 6–7 luxury properties).
You may top up a certificate with up to 15,000 of your own points to reach a pricier night. The math is simple: if a Boundless anniversary night lands at a hotel pricing $250/night, that single free night has already more than covered the $95 fee — before you've earned a point.
Card-by-card
Bonvoy Boundless (Chase, ~$95) — the everyday workhorse. 6x at Marriott, automatic Silver elite, 15 Elite Night Credits each year (a running head start toward Gold/Platinum), and the 35,000-point free night. This is the default "keeper" Bonvoy card for most people.
Bonvoy Bevy (Amex, ~$250) — a step up in earning and a 50,000-point free night, automatic Gold status, and 15 Elite Night Credits. Best for someone who spends more at restaurants and supermarkets and wants a bigger annual cert without jumping to the premium fee.
Bonvoy Brilliant (Amex, ~$650) — the flagship. Automatic Platinum Elite (suite upgrades, lounge access, late checkout when available), an 85,000-point free night, up to $300/year in dining credits ($25/month — verify current amount), a Priority Pass membership, a $100 property credit on 2-night+ stays at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Between the free night and dining credits, heavy Marriott loyalists can extract more than the fee — but only if you actually use the monthly credits.
Elite status, the fast way
| Card | Instant status | Elite Night Credits/yr |
|---|---|---|
| Boundless | Silver | 15 |
| Bevy | Gold | 15 |
| Brilliant | Platinum | 25 |
Those Elite Night Credits stack — hold Boundless and a Bonvoy business card and you're starting each year 30+ nights toward the next tier. Platinum (from Brilliant, or ~50 nights) is where the perks get real: suite upgrades, free breakfast or lounge access, and 4 p.m. late checkout.
Best uses (worked examples)
1. Aspirational resort, milked with the 5th-night-free.
Category 8 property at $700/night, 100,000 points/night. A 5-night stay = 4 × 100,000 = 400,000 points for what would be $3,500 in rooms. (3,500 − 0) ÷ 400,000 × 100 = 0.875¢ — roughly baseline, but you've turned a $3,500 bill into points you earned mostly for free.
2. The free night as pure fee offset. Brilliant's 85,000-point cert used at a St. Regis pricing $650/night: the certificate covers a night that would cost real money, so it alone claws back most of the $650 fee. Stack the dining credit and the card can run net-positive.
3. Top-up trick. Your Boundless cert caps at 35,000, but the hotel prices at 42,000. Add 7,000 of your own points and you've stretched a "Category 4" certificate onto a nicer night.
Fine print worth knowing
- Dual-issuer rules: because Chase and Amex share the program, eligibility for a new Bonvoy card and its welcome bonus depends on which Bonvoy cards you already hold or have held. Check the current rules for both issuers before applying — one can block the other.
- Chase 5/24: the Boundless is a Chase card, so it's subject to Chase's 5/24 approval rule (5+ new cards in 24 months = likely denial).
- Amex "once per lifetime" welcome-bonus language applies to the Bevy and Brilliant — a bonus you've had before won't repeat.
- Free nights expire ~12 months after issue and are date/availability-restricted; don't sit on them.
- Points don't expire with activity every ~24 months.
Who should get which
- Casual Marriott guest: Boundless — the 35,000-point night pays the fee, Silver + 15 nights build status.
- Frequent traveler who wants status without chasing nights: Brilliant — instant Platinum, an 85,000-point night, and credits that offset a chunk of the fee.
- In between: Bevy — a bigger cert and Gold status at a middle fee.
- Fee-averse: Bold ($0) keeps you in the program and earning, but skips the free night that makes the others worth it.
Bottom line
Marriott's cards are a free-night play, not a points play. Pick the tier whose annual certificate and status match how you travel, use it every year, and the fee mostly pays for itself. If hotel point value is your priority, the World of Hyatt card earns a far richer currency; for sheer earn-rate volume, compare the Hilton Honors Amex cards.
Apply Now → see the current offer
Related: How much are your points worth? · Transfer partners · World of Hyatt card · Hilton Honors Amex cards
