No fee Chase Marriott card
 

If I want to swap my current Chase Marriott card ($95 annual fee) for the new no-fee Chase Marriott card, will i get dinged with the Chase 5/2 rule? What is the best way to do this swap with minimal effect to my credit score, relationship with Chase and impact on my Marriott account?

Call Chase and tell them you'd like to do a product change from your current card to the no annual fee card, preferably after you've held your current card for at least one year.

Is there any way to have my cake and eat it too? In other words, can I claim the sign-up bonus?

Not if you do a product change. That's only for new applications.

Forbes has an article that includes a section on "Eligibility" for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericros.../#510fa11336f2

I'm not impressed with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card.

For Marriott Bonvoy credit cards with an annual fee, there's also an annual e-certificate for hotel night (category depends on card type). It's easy to get far more value than the annual fee from that. Not surprisingly, there's no such certificate with the no-fee card.

Earning "three points per dollar spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels" may sound good — until you realize the other Marriott Bonvoy cards provide six points per dollar spent at these hotels.

I suppose it could be a good card for someone who wants a no-fee card, seldom stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, wants to earn some Marriott Bonvoy points from everyday purchases — and is eligible for the sign-up bonus.

With the sheer amount of Bonvoy credit cards (Amex and Chase, and the crazy alliteration of names for every single one of them), why don't Marriott just name them after status tiers?

Bonvoy Bold -> Bonvoy Silver
Bonvoy Boundless -> Bonvoy Gold
Bonvoy Brilliant -> Bonvoy Plat

Or is that confusing with actual status tiers?

Demographics, it's smart for the credit card issuer and Marriott. They are appealing to the young Instagram demo and hopefully building a long term banking and/or hotel relationship.

Here is the extract from the Forbes article: So, if OP is a current cardholder (as appears to be the case), the OP may not be eligible for the free card anyway.

Actually, there are three paragraphs in the article that deal with eligibility for the card and the bonus — not just one. And those three paragraphs are more meaningful in the context of the whole article. That's why I posted the link to the article, not just a single paragraph, out of context.

One issue is that both the Bold and Boundless cards provide only 15 elite night credits, so either will only get you to silver.

I actually like the Bold card. The 50K bonus points on signup and then 15 elite nights a year means that it is a good sock drawer card. I'll charge my Netflix subscription on it every month to keep the account warm, but otherwise won't use it very often.

I just opened up a Bonvoy Card.

I was under the impression that you receive 15 elite nights your 1st year within 60 days and in subsequent years around the beginning of the year.

However, a Chase agent said you don't get the elite nights your 1st year. Just on subsequent years.

I did hang up and call again and spoke with a different agent. Again, I was told that the 15 elite night credit is not for the first year.

Can anyone clarify?

Thank you.

I signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card a couple of months ago and received my 15 elite nights shortly thereafter. 😀

Same with me.

I believe in the Amex’s world they post every year.