Don’t Sleep on this Marriott Boundless Welcome Offer
Elevated welcome offers come and go with credit cards. I am going to outline why I have told friends and family to pay attention to Chase Marriott Boundless credit card’s elevated welcome offer. Keep reading to learn about the long game travel value you can get through opening this card. Spoiler alert – it is your pathway to family airport lounge access.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card (friend referral link)
Here are all the details about the elevated welcome offer. From now until July 16, 2025, the welcome offer for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is 5 free night certificates at 50,000 per certificate after $5,000 spend in 3 months.
The annual fee is $95 and does not count towards the $5,000 spend. A 35,000 free night certificate is issued annually around your card anniversary date.
Free night certificates expire 12 months from the date they are issued and can be topped off with an additional 15,000 points/per certificate. 50,000 Marriott points generally are worth ~$400/night, so 5 free night certificates are valued around $2000. There are some hotels where you could get out-sized value, or do better than the average, as much as $1000/night.
Category spend bonuses include 6x for Marriott spend, 3x for grocery, gas and dining up to $6,000 annually, and 2x everywhere else.
You must be under 5/24 to be approved for this card. This means Chase will not approve you if you have opened 5 or more personal cards in the last 24 months. Generally, you will not be eligible for this welcome offer if you have earned a welcome offer in the last 24-30 months with a Marriott Bonvoy personal credit card. This includes some of the American Express Bonvoy cards. The Frequent Miler has a chart to outline these eligibility rules.
Where to use your Free Night Certificates
You have lots of options both domestically and internationally to use the 50K free night certificates. The Travel Mom Squad has a lengthy post on some places to use Marriott 50,000 free night certificates.
If I had an adults-only trip in mind, I would book the Castello Hotel San Vida in Mallorca with the 5 nights for the end of October.
We have used our 50K Marriott free night certificates for weekend trips to NYC and have stayed at The Courtyard Marriott Marriott Manhattan – Midtown East. The hotel is centrally located and the rooms are large to accommodate my family of 5.
We also used free night certificates at The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. It is close to the Denver airport with an indoor and outdoor water park. It was a great way to end our ski trip in Colorado.
Long-term strategy – Airport Lounges
The main reason I am encouraging my friends and family to look into this card is NOT for the hotel stays. One of the best credit cards out there for family access to airport lounges is The Ritz Carlton Credit Card. Unfortunately, there is not a direct way to apply for this card, but you can still get it! After holding a Chase Marriott Bonvoy card for 1 year – you can call Chase to product change to the Ritz Carlton Credit Card.
Ritz Carlton Credit Card
The annual fee for the Ritz Carlton card is $450, but the perks outweigh the annual fee.
- 6x for Ritz and Marriott spend, 3x dining, airline tickets with airline, and car rental agencies
- Annual 85,000 free night certificate, which can be topped off with an additional 15,000 points
- 3 club level upgrades and $100 hotel credit for 2 night stay or longer
- $300 annual travel credit which can be used for airline incidentals, including checked luggage
- Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited guests
The 85,000 free night certificate alone can cover the majority of the annual fee, valued at $600 or more. I would probably use my free night certificate at The Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa, Avon, Vail Valley to ski in March at Beaver Creek Resort.
Priority Pass – Airport Lounges
Airport lounges are commonly associated with business class travelers and elite status through lots of travel with an airline. Lounges offer a great space in the airport with comfortable seating, free food and drinks. Some even have showers and quiet rooms. Most premium credit cards provide lounge access for the primary cardholder and some give access to guests. Usually, the number of guests is capped or comes with an extra charge. This is not ideal for families. Examples of these premium cards are Capital One Venture X, American Express Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve.
In contrast, The Ritz Carlton credit card uniquely allows lounge access for unlimited guests for no extra charge. Authorized users on this credit card also can get their own Priority Pass account and receive the same benefits as the primary cardholder, for NO additional charge. Lounge access for my family of 5, can easily save us $100+ per airport visit.
A website I like for quickly searching lounges and reviews is This Lounge. You can filter by Priority Pass or Chase Sapphire Reserve lounges to search the airports you are flying in and out of. In addition to Priority Pass lounges, Ritz Carlton card holders have access to Chase Sapphire Lounges (with unlimited guests). Note that Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can access most Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, but that is not currently extended to Ritz Carlton Credit Card holders.
My family upgraded our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card this year to the Ritz Carlton Card and the 5 of us enjoyed delicious food and drinks at the Goldair Handling Lounge in the Athens airport this April. There were many plant-based options and treats for my kids to enjoy. This was the perfect way to start our long journey back to New York.
If you can make use of 5 free nights at a Marriott hotel within the next year, and you have interest in visiting Airport lounges with your family in the future – do not sleep on this welcome offer!
