Marriott Boundless Offer: $350 eGiftCard + 50K points

The Chase Marriott Boundless card has an offer that differs from the standard public offer of three 50k free night certificates. The issue with free night certificates is that they expire after one year and this can cause pressure to redeem for a less than ideal scenario. If you redeem for a lower priced property, say 35k per night, you lose the remaining 15k of the 50k certificate. If you stay at a higher end property, you can only add up to 15k points to get a maximum 65k redemption. So, theoretically, you could get 150k worth of redemption, but, in the real world, you may get far less. The eGiftCard and 50k worth of points is far more flexible. To get this offer, got to https://MarriottBoundless.com/NextStay and apply.

The card is $95 per year (not waived the first year) and requires a $3,000 spend within three months of account opening to get this offer. If you choose to renew, you get 35k free night certificate which is an OK benefit. The card also provides Marriott Silver status plus 15 Elite Night credits if you are chasing additional status. Combine it with the AMEX Marriott Business card (which includes Marriott Gold status) and you will have a combined 30 Elite Nights without ever staying in a Marriott (it takes 50 nights to reach Marriott Platinum).