The best hotel credit cards in September 2024
Published 3:01 PM EDT, Thu May 16, 2024
If you travel frequently, or even irregularly, it can make sense to pay for your lodging with one of the best hotel credit cards. Hotel credit cards offer you rewards for your spending, and may include valuable benefits such as travel insurance and credits to your account to cover eligible purchases. Hotel co-branded credit cards from major chains typically come with perks to enhance your stay, sometimes even including a free night each year.
We’ll take a close look at the best credit cards for hotel rewards, and help you find one that meets your needs.
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Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel?
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Our team of experts evaluated dozens of credit cards that either earn hotel points directly or earn points you can use to book hotel stays. We considered various factors including rewards, hotel-specific perks and select fees. Using a data-based approach, we narrowed down the list to the top 11 credit cards that scored highly based on our weightings. Read our full methodology below.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card: Best hotel credit card
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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for non-chain hotels
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The Platinum Card? from American Express: *Best for hotel elite status
The information for the The Platinum Card? from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card: Best small business card
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Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express: *Best for top-tier elite status
The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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The World of Hyatt Credit Card: *Best for Hyatt hotels
The information for the The World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant? American Express? Card: Best for Marriott hotels
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass? Card: Best for Hilton hotels
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IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: *Best for IHG hotels
The information for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card: *Best for Wyndham hotels
The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard?: *Best for Choice hotels
The information for the Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
All information about Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
The Platinum Card? from American Express
*The information for the The Platinum Card? from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
*The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
All information about Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
*The information for the The World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant? American Express? Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass? Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
*The information for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card
*The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard?
*The information for the Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Our picks at a glance
| ? | Annual fee | Welcome bonus | Best for | Notable feature? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card?
| $95
| 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel?
| Hotels
| Up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year toward prepaid hotels booked through Chase Travel
|
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card?
| $395
| 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
| Non-chain hotels
| Up to $300 per year in Capital One Travel credits
|
The Platinum Card? from American Express?
| $695
| 80,000 Membership Rewards? points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening
| Hotel elite status
| Up to $200 in annual credits toward eligible hotel bookings made with Amex Travel
|
Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card?
| $95
| 90,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
| Small businesses
| Generous welcome offer and earning rates on travel
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Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express * The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ? | $550
| 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of opening an account
| Top-tier elite status
| Free night reward valid at almost any Hilton hotel after each year with the card
|
The World of Hyatt Credit Card * The information for the The World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ? | $95
| 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, plus up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points per dollar spent in the first six months on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point on up to $15,000 spent
| Hyatt hotels
| Anniversary free night valid at lower four Hyatt hotel tiers
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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant? American Express? Card?
| $650
| 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
| Marriott hotels
| Anniversary free night reward worth up to 85,000 points
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass? Card?
| $150
| 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass? Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
| Hilton hotels
| Up to $200 in statement credits to cover Hilton spending each year
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IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card * The information for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ? | $99
| 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
| IHG hotels
| Anniversary free night worth up to 40,000 points
|
Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card * The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. | $75
| 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights at participating properties after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days
| Wyndham hotels
| 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. (then a 20.99% - 29.99% variable APR)
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Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard? * The information for the Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ? | $95
| 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first three months
| Choice hotels
| 30,000 points (worth up to three free nights) each card anniversary
|
All information about Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Benefits of hotel credit cards
Some of the most common hotel credit card benefits are:
- Rewards on spending: A co-branded hotel rewards credit card offers bonus points for purchases made at that hotel chain. You’ll also earn rewards for other types of spending, often including bonuses for other travel expenses. General travel rewards credit cards typically earn bonus points on travel, including hotel stays.
- Benefits during your stay: With a co-branded hotel credit card, you can expect to receive additional perks at the hotel. These may include priority check-in, late checkout, room upgrades and free breakfast.
- Elite status: Co-branded hotel credit cards typically offer elite status in the hotel’s loyalty program. Additionally, spending on a hotel credit card may unlock credits toward the next level of elite status. Higher status can get you more valuable benefits during your stays.
- Travel insurance and purchase protection coverage: Some hotel credit cards come with built-in travel insurance and purchase protections when you use your card.
How do co-branded hotel credit cards work?
Co-branded hotel credit cards are issued by a bank or other financial institution in partnership with a hotel chain. For example, Chase offers co-branded cards with Marriott, Hyatt and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). These cards work like any other credit card, except you’ll earn and redeem rewards with the hotel’s loyalty program, not the issuer’s.
When you have a co-branded hotel credit card, the chain’s loyalty program will likely offer at least entry-level elite status with the chain, which can grant you perks such as better rooms or late checkout.
How do generic travel cards work?
General travel cards typically earn rewards that are more versatile than those earned from co-branded cards. For example, the Sapphire Preferred is a popular travel rewards card, but it isn’t co-branded with a hotel chain. Card holders earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points which can be redeemed for travel booked through Chase, including hotels, airfare and car rentals.
Sapphire Preferred card holders can transfer points to over a dozen airline and hotel partners (including World of Hyatt) or use points to book a Hyatt hotel directly through Chase. This strategy can save you points, as one booking method might use fewer points than the other.
American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points? and Capital One miles offer similar flexibility.
How to choose a hotel credit card
If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll first want to consider a card from a chain that you stay with often. But if you’re not loyal to a particular brand, you might choose a card based on your future travel plans. Consider which hotel chains offer the best properties in your price range in the places you travel the most.
You’ll also want to weigh a card’s benefits and how they apply to your travel style. For example, a family traveler might value suite upgrades and free breakfasts, while business travelers might be more interested in priority service and bonus points for charging other travel expenses to their card. And since many hotel chains offer multiple cards with different annual fees, rewards and benefits, you’ll want to consider if the perks you get are worth the price.
How to redeem hotel credit card points
Compared to airline frequent flyer miles, hotel rewards credit card points are easy to redeem. Typically, you’ll receive the most value when you use your points for free nights, rather than for experiences or other travel rewards.
To maximize your chances of finding an award night for the lowest number of points, book your stays as far in advance as possible. This is especially true during holidays, special events and other periods of peak travel. Many hotel loyalty programs have award charts where properties fit into different categories at a fixed points price or price range. However, hotel chains are increasingly moving toward dynamic pricing, where they price award nights based on the dollar price of the room, demand and other factors.
Maximizing your hotel credit card points
While redeeming hotel credit card points is usually straightforward, it takes a bit of skill to receive the highest value. First, you’ll want to use your card for spending, especially in bonus categories, to earn the most points possible.
Be sure to double check the cash price of a hotel room before using your points. If the cash price is very low, it may make sense to pay for your stay and save your points for free nights when rooms are more expensive. For longer stays, some programs offer a free night. For example, when you stay at Hilton with any level of elite status (available with Hilton credit cards), every fifth night is free on standard room reward stays of five or more consecutive nights.
Even though many hotel rewards programs charge additional points for award nights during peak times, it can still be worth it to book with points. For example, you might be asked to pay 20% more points for an award night during a special event, when the price of the hotel has tripled.
Methodology
Our money and data analytics teams reviewed dozens of hotel credit cards — from co-branded cards with major hotel chains such as Hilton and Marriott to cards that earn transferable, flexible points. We narrowed down our list to pick the best hotel credit cards in different categories by giving them a star rating out of five, based on the following factors and our editorial judgment:
Sign-up bonus value (25%)
Hotel credit cards with big sign-up bonus offers can kickstart your travel with a hefty chunk of points. Using points valuations from travel website The Points Guy, we assigned each bonus a dollar value, and gave better scores to cards with higher potential returns.
Rewards value (25%)
Using spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and estimates of rewards values from The Points Guy, we calculated which cards offer the most rewards value. The hotel credit cards that scored highly in this category not only offer a bonus on spending at the chain, but also earn rewards in other useful spending categories, such as travel, dining or gas.
Benefits (20%)
One of the big incentives to open a hotel credit card is the perks you get when you stay with the chain. Day-of-travel benefits, such as those that come with elite status, got a heavy weight in this category. Extra benefits and protections such as travel insurance and purchase coverage were also included.
Select fees (20%)
We weighed each card’s annual fee against the rewards and benefits it provides, giving higher scores to cards with no annual fee and cards with an annual fee that’s easily justified by perks (such as an annual free night award). Cards with the best overall value for the money got a boost in this category. Cards that add foreign transaction fees scored lower.
Annual credits and bonuses (10%)
Cards with an automatic anniversary free night scored well here, as did those that offer annual statement credits toward travel, dining or other eligible spending. We also looked at additional free nights for meeting spending thresholds.
What didn’t make the cut
Plenty of other co-branded hotel and travel cards offer compelling benefits and solid value, but didn’t make our list for various reasons. Depending on your spending habits and travel goals, any of the following cards are worth a look:
- Small business co-branded hotel cards: Many major chains offer a business version of their cards, which are sometimes better than a similar personal version.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: This card is a solid runner-up to the Sapphire Preferred, offering flexibility in redeeming rewards and decent travel protections. But it doesn’t have a hotel statement credit.
- Capital One Venture X Business: Similar to the Venture X, this card comes with up to $300 in Capital One Travel credit and numerous redemption options. However, the high minimum spending requirement to unlock the welcome bonus puts it out of reach for many small business owners.
- Citi Strata Premier? Card * The information for the Citi Strata Premier? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : This card could be a good fit for those who can maximize its 3x bonus categories and use its annual $100 off a $500 hotel stay booked through the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal. It still doesn’t beat out the Sapphire Preferred, which comes at the same price point.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve?: The big sibling to the Sapphire Preferred, this $550-annual-fee card is a great choice for frequent travelers who can maximize its perks, including airport lounge access and a very flexible travel credit of up to $300 per account anniversary year. But a competing luxury card, the Amex Platinum, throws in elite status.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes, many hotel loyalty programs offer different types of awards besides free nights. For example, you may be able to redeem points for a suite upgrade, spa services at the hotel, or even for flights and car rentals. However, you’ll often receive the most value from your hotel points when you redeem them for free nights.
Hotel credit card annual fees can be worth it when the value of the benefits you receive exceeds the annual fee. Annual-fee cards typically earn higher rewards rates in bonus categories than their no annual fee siblings, so you’ll want to evaluate the value of the rewards you earn as well. Several entry-level hotel rewards cards don’t have annual fees, but they’re usually lighter on benefits.
Some hotel credit cards are premium travel rewards cards that include travel insurance, such as rental car insurance, trip delay/trip interruption coverage, and lost and delayed baggage insurance. Entry-level cards with no annual fee may still offer travel protections, but you’ll usually get better coverage with annual-fee cards.
You can use your hotel rewards card to unlock more rewards and benefits from a hotel loyalty program. You’ll usually earn more points in the loyalty program by using your credit card, and you may have a shortcut to higher levels of elite status. Elite status can save you money and make your travel experience more comfortable, with perks such as late checkout, free breakfast and room upgrades you might not have qualified for without the credit card.
Yes, it’s possible to have a credit card from every hotel chain. Having multiple hotel credit cards can be a great way for frequent travelers to enjoy extra perks wherever they stay, but make sure opening another credit card is a good choice for you.
To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card? from American Express, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant? American Express? Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass? Card, please visit this page.
All information about Choice Privileges? Select Mastercard?, Citi Strata Premier? Card, Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, The World of Hyatt Credit Card and Wyndham Rewards Earner? Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, hotel chain, or other commercial entity and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of such entities.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended and should not be understood to constitute financial, investment, insurance or legal advice. All individuals are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial professional before making any financial, insurance or investment decisions.
Note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
