How I'm Saving $1,500+ In Accommodation Costs For My July Europe Trip
We all love saving money, but we all love to travel as well. How do we reconcile these two seemingly polar opposite activities?
Using credit cards can be one excellent way to help cut down on expensive travel costs. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card's new, limited-time sign-up offer is compelling when used correctly. In this brief read, we'll highlight the sign-up offer and how I'm using it for my upcoming Europe trip in peak travel season July.
The Awesome 5-Night Sign-up Offer
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is offering a limited-time 5 Free Night Award (redeemable for up to 50k pts per night) after spending $5k in the first three months. Historically, this card usually has a 3 free night award offer, so this elevated offer matches what is usually considered the best possible offer for this card.
And to be clear, 5 free nights on this card is no joke, especially considering the redemption cap of 50k pts per night. In theory, you could get almost 250k pts worth of free nights with these certificates. Marriott points are usually valued around 0.7-0.8 cents per point, meaning you could score (in theory) about $1,750–2,000 in hotel value just by getting this card and finding optimal redemptions. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me!
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
How I'm Using This Offer
Once I heard about this offer, I immediately jumped on the gravy train and got the card. I had been planning a Europe trip for quite some time, but accommodation pricing during July is generally just busy. Making this worse is the fact that Taylor Swift is touring Europe during this time, pushing prices even further up.
I had been eyeing some hotel options in Europe, but they were all pretty pricey overall. However, I noticed that they cost 50k pts per night as well, so I realized there was a significant opportunity to take advantage of this card's incredible offer.
A refundable (up to 48 hrs before first night) 3 night stay in Paris runs for about $300 euros per night
By getting the Boundless card and hitting the $5k spend requirement, I was then granted five 50k certificates which I planned to use to lock down these hotels for my parents. In total, we used 3 certificates for Paris and 2 certificates for Milan, saving us a ton of money in the process.
Even though I'm a Hyatt loyalist, it just made too much sense to book my parents this room so that we could save money on this family trip. Notably, while my brother and I will be staying at Hyatts nearby (<3 min walking), we could also get another Boundless to cover all costs. However, I'm still using Hyatt points to cover those rooms, so the impact is more minimal there.
How Do You Use The Nights?
Using the nights is actually quite easy. First, you have to meet the minimum spend requirement. After, I got the nights just a few days after hitting the minimum spend—I didn't even have to wait for the statement to close or anything. You can check if your certificates have come in by navigating to your account's activity page, linked here.
Then, if you click "how to use your certificate," there is a link that takes you to award searches. You can search for results as normal, but just make sure you have "Use Points/Awards" turned on. Marriott will then price the total cost of the award for the entire stay, and if you click in, you'll be able to automatically see your certificates being applied.
You can use the nights in any combination you like, meaning you can use 1 or all 5 certificates on a stay. Additionally, you can top off each certificate with up to 15k pts each.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Earn up to 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points. Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases and an extra 50,000 bonus points after you make an additional $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
What Are Some Of The Best Redemptions Available With These Certificates?
My situation is by no means the best way to use these Marriott certificates—I just had an immediate use case for them that saved over USD $1,500. There are many Marriott options worldwide that may provide better overall value.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
This beautiful Marriott hotel typically starts at about $300-400 USD per night, but with these incredible certificates, you could score several nights for completely free. Point rates seem to float around (on average) 60k per night, with the lowest being 41k pts in 2024. Nonetheless, being able to save that amount of money per night with just one credit card is incredibly awesome.
JW Marriott Hotel Nara
Japanese accommodations are known to be extremely expensive, and this beautiful hotel is no different. Rates seem to start at around $400 per night, but you can redeem Marriott certificates here. In some cases, you may have to top off certificates with up to 15k pts, but regardless, the value you can get at this hotel is wonderful. Plus, you get to say hi to some deer!
JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa
Cabo is always a fun place to visit, and these free night certificates just make it even better. Rates for this hotel float around the 40-60k range, but start at around $400 per night. I even found some options for 50k pts/night vs $550 USD (over 1 CPP for Marriott points is awesome).
The Hidden Secret Of The Boundless Card: Upgrading To The Ritz Carlton Card
One of the more hidden benefits of this card is the ability to upgrade it to the coveted Ritz-Carlton card after owning the Marriott Boundless for 12 months or more. The Ritz-Carlton card is an extremely powerful card with the following benefits:
- Annual free night award for up to 85,000 points
- Annual $300 airline incidental credit
- Priority pass membership with restaurant access & unlimited guests
- Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck, or NEXUS every four years
- Annual fee of $450
To be eligible to get this card, make sure you follow the steps:
- Apply for and hold the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for at least 1 year
- Ensure you have an available credit limit of at least $10,000
- Call the Chase number on the back of your card and request an upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton card
Conclusion
For anyone planning on staying more than 5 nights in a hotel in the next year, the Boundless may be worth considering. With its current fantastic sign-up bonus and annual free night award (for up to 35,000 points), it can provide significant value for those looking to save money on their hotel stays and can be a keeper card down the road.
Likewise, there is a strong argument to hold the card for at least 12 months so that you can upgrade to the coveted (and arguably the best Marriott card) Ritz-Carlton card. For Marriott-loyalists and cost-conscious travelers alike, this card is most certainly worth considering.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
