How To Choose a Hotel Credit Card
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Written by
Sarah Silbert
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Edited by
Emily Gadd
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron
If you travel even once or twice a year, a hotel credit card could be a great way to save money and unlock extra perks. The key is choosing one that matches your travel habits and preferred hotel brands. And in some cases, the travel credit card you already have in your wallet is plenty rewarding.
What To Consider When Choosing a Hotel Credit Card
The right hotel credit card for you depends on several factors, including how much you travel, where you travel, what you value most during a hotel stay, and your favorite hotels to stay in. Consider the following when narrowing down the list of best hotel credit cards for you.
How Often Do You Travel?
Here’s a quick rule of thumb: If you travel less than five nights a year, stick to a no-annual-fee or general travel card. If you travel five to 10 nights per year, a mid-tier card like the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card might make sense. For 10+ nights, a premium hotel credit card can start to pay off.
For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the top-of-the-line Hilton card, offering the highest level of Hilton status (Diamond) to cardholders, along with up to $400 in Hilton Resort credits each year and 14x points earned on Hilton hotel stays booked directly through the hotel chain. However, it has a $550 annual fee, so if you think there’s even a slight possibility that you won’t take advantage of its statement credits and other perks each year, you’ll do better with a lower-fee card.
If Hilton is your hotel program of choice but you only anticipate one or two quick hotel stays per year, the Hilton Honors American Express Card with no annual fee, or even the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card with a $150 annual fee, could be a smarter pick.
Which Hotel Chain Best Aligns With Your Travel Plans?
Some hotel programs, like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, have properties that each cover almost every nook and cranny of the globe. Others, like World of Hyatt, have more limited portfolios.
Depending on your travel plans, that may or may not be an issue. I have The World of Hyatt Credit Card, even though there are several destinations I’ve visited that don’t have Hyatt hotels. The card’s $95 annual fee is still worth it to me because I can easily use the annual free night at a Category 1-4 hotel to book a stay near Disneyland in Anaheim. That alone is worth the card’s annual fee to me, and if I book any other Hyatt stays throughout the year, the card earns me 4 Hyatt points per dollar on that spending, and I get complimentary Discoverist status just for being a cardmember.
Which Perks Matter Most?
Are you looking to earn maximum points when you book a hotel stay? Do you want to save as much money as possible on your hotel bookings? Or do you want luxe perks like complimentary upgrades?
Premium hotel credit cards like the Hilton Aspire Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card will give you all the bells and whistles, from the highest points multipliers to elite status to statement credits, but they’re only worth it for hotel loyalists who book multiple stays per year.
For everyone else, a more mid-range card is likely good enough to enhance hotel stays.
Is a Hotel Card Right for You?
Before you apply for a hotel card, ask yourself a few key questions.
Do You Prefer Boutique Hotels or Airbnbs?
Not everyone wants to stay at a chain hotel; some people prefer to soak up the local culture in a more intimate boutique hotel or a home rental like Airbnb or Vrbo. Most hotel credit cards really only make sense if you’re happy staying with a bigger hotel chain. Two exceptions are the Wells Fargo One Key™ Card and One Key+™ Card, which earn rewards that you can redeem for travel with Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.
That’s not to say that hotel chains can’t feel unique. The Autograph Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, the InterContinental brand by IHG, and the Curio Collection by Hilton are examples of hotel brands from bigger chains that generally offer a less “cookie-cutter” stay. Still, be honest about your preferences before deciding a hotel credit card is immediately worth it.
Is It Worth the Annual Fee?
Most hotel credit cards have an annual fee, though there are some exceptions. Beyond evaluating whether you stay enough with a given hotel chain, weigh the perks against a hotel credit card’s annual fee. If you usually only book cheap stays at airport hotels, for instance, you might not get enough value from a hotel credit card.
Do You Already Have a Credit Card With Hotel Perks?
You might not even need a co-branded hotel credit card if you already have a general-purpose credit card that earns points you can redeem for hotel stays.
For example, I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which earns points that I can transfer to Hyatt to book hotel stays. Yes, I also have the World of Hyatt Card thanks to its annual free night benefit, but if I were looking to minimize credit card annual fees, I would keep the Sapphire Reserve and cancel the Hyatt card because I can also use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to book award flights and hotel stays through other travel partners.
Should You Get a Co-branded Hotel Card or a Travel Credit Card?
There are both pros and cons of travel credit cards, but they’re generally more versatile than hotel credit cards.
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Citi Strata Premier® Card, an advertising partner, earn flexible points that can be redeemed for travel directly through the issuer’s portal or transferred to a variety of travel partners, including both hotel and airline programs. So if you only want one card, a travel card is the way to go over a hotel card.
The best travel credit cards also offer valuable protections, like trip delay and baggage insurance, so you get peace of mind in addition to more flexible points earning and redemptions.
If you’re wondering how to choose a travel credit card, you’ll want to take a look at each transferable points program’s partners to see which is the most useful for you based on your travel preferences. As mentioned above, I love Chase Ultimate Rewards because I can transfer these points to World of Hyatt to book award stays.
The information related to the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Hilton Honors American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, Choice Privileges® Mastercard®, The World of Hyatt Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Hotel Credit Card
Which credit card is best to use for hotel stays?
The best credit card to use for hotel stays depends on your favorite hotel chains and what perks matter to you most. If you want to book award stays at a variety of hotel chains and don’t care about elite status, a general travel credit card like the Sapphire Preferred Card could be the best. For loyalists, a co-branded hotel credit card will offer more chain-specific perks like elite status and bonus rewards with the hotel program.
Which hotel credit card has the best free night certificate?
The best hotel credit card free night certificate depends on your favorite hotel program, but some of the top options include the World of Hyatt Card, which offers a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel each cardmember year, and the Hilton Aspire, which offers an annual free night award that can be used at almost any Hilton property with no category limit.
What’s the difference between a hotel card and a travel rewards card?
The main difference between a hotel card and a travel rewards card is that a hotel card earns points within a specific hotel program, such as IHG Rewards or World of Hyatt, while a travel rewards card earns flexible points that can be redeemed with a variety of travel partners or directly through the bank’s travel portal.
What is the best hotel card with no annual fee?
The best hotel card with no annual fee depends on your hotel program of choice, but some top options include the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, the Hilton Honors American Express Card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, and the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®.
Do hotel credit cards include travel protections?
Some hotel credit cards include travel protections like trip cancellation and interruption coverage, but coverage varies widely depending on the card, the issuer, and the annual fee. In general, travel rewards credit cards offer broader travel protections with higher coverage limits than co-branded hotel credit cards.
