Best hotel credit cards of January 2022: Free nights and more

The information about the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card, The World of Hyatt Credit Card, and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

Compare Bankrate’s top 2022 hotel credit cards

A closer look at our top hotel credit cards

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Best no-annual-fee Hilton card

• This card is best for: Loyal Hilton customers who want exceptional rewards rates in a variety of purchase categories, all with no annual fee.
• This card is not a great choice for: Hotel guests who insist on elite benefits, which is a common tradeoff for no-annual-fee hotel cards.
• What makes this card unique? The two-stage welcome offer: 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 points after you spend a total of $5,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months.
• Is the Hilton Honors Amex card worth it? Well-rounded rewards are hard to come by with a no-annual-fee hotel card. There are more luxury-oriented options, but the Hilton Honors card is a strong pick for budget-conscious travelers.

Read our full Hilton Honors American Express Card review.
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The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Best for business travel

• This card is best for: Hilton-loyal business travelers who want to earn stellar rewards rates in several purchase categories.
• This card is not a great choice for: Business owners whose budgets don’t match up with the more narrowly defined purchase categories.
• What makes this card unique? You’ll earn 12X points on purchases made through Hilton hotels and resorts—one of the most generous rewards rates you’ll find anywhere.
• Is the Hilton Honors Business card worth it? Only if you stay at hotels very often throughout the year. New cardholders can offset the first-year cost by earning the welcome offer, plus the long-term value of rewards on hotel purchases makes it worth it.

Read our full Hilton Honors American Express Business Card review.
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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Best for loyal Marriott customers

• This card is best for: Travelers who want premier benefits for staying at Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis, plus solid rewards rates in a variety of purchase categories.
• This card is not a great choice for: Anyone who’s easily susceptible to sticker shock. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card carries a $450 annual fee.
• What makes this card unique? Unlike some co-branded hotel cards, this one has rewards categories that extend to eligible airfare purchases (3X points on airfare booked directly through airlines).
• Is the Marriot Bonvoy Brilliant card worth it? If you can take advantage of statement credits to offset the annual fee, the benefits and rewards can be worth the annual fee.

Read our full Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card review.
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Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

Best for rewards on business spending

• This card is best for: Business travelers who stay at Marriott on their frequent business trips and want a card that rewards them for purchases across an array of categories.
• This card is not a great choice for: Business owners who don’t spend a lot in the more specific 4X categories. Small budgets in those areas won’t help you get maximum rewards value.
• What makes this card unique? It has a great welcome offer, but you can also get automatic Silver Elite status (enrollment required) with the card.
• Is the Marriott Bonvoy Business card worth it? Like many other hotel rewards credit cards, this one is worth it if you travel for business often, stay at Marriott properties and take advantage of statement credits.

Read our full Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card review.
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

Best hotel welcome offer

• This card is best for: Travelers who want their new hotel card to make a big entrance with a hefty welcome bonus.
• This card is not a great choice for: Those who value consistency in points value. Hilton’s dynamic pricing system means that the cost of a free night fluctuates based on a variety of factors.
• What makes this card unique? The card’s welcome offer of 130,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months of card membership and another 50,000 points after $10,000 total in the first six months is a jaw-dropping bonus.
• Is the Hilton Honors Surpass card worth it? The annual fee is $95, but you could easily erase the first-year cost with the welcome offer. The rewards rates hold the potential for significant long-term value.

Read our full Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card review.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Best for flexible travel

• This card is best for: Travelers who aren’t attached to a single hotel chain and want a variety of options for redeeming their rewards.
• This card is not a great choice for: People loyal to a hotel brand that isn’t included among Capital One’s transfer-eligible travel partners.
• What makes this card unique? The Venture’s calling card is how it provides flexibility in using miles. Options include booking travel through the Capital One portal, transferring miles to airline and hotel partners or getting a statement credit for eligible travel purchases made within the past 90 days.
• Is the Venture Rewards card worth it? If you value flexibility in redeeming your travel rewards and a straightforward, flat-rate rewards program, the $95 annual fee just might be a worthwhile expense.

Read our full Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Best for premium cardholder benefits

• This card is best for: Travelers who want premium benefits that they’re unlikely to find anywhere else and aren’t hesitant about paying a steep annual fee ($695) to get them.
• This card is not a great choice for: Not just travel minimalists, but people who aim for anything less than extravagant. The American Express Platinum is one of the flagship cards in the travel category with good reason.
• What makes this card unique? Complimentary gold-level status (enrollment required) with not one but two hotel brands: Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status.
• Is the Amex Platinum card worth it? Although many travelers will find the $695 annual fee cost-prohibitive, impressive rewards rates and premium benefits have a value of their own. Access to American Express Global Lounge Collection®, American Express Platinum Concierge and other benefits can go a long way toward offsetting the annual fee, if not erasing it. Rates and Fees

Read our full The Platinum Card® from American Express review.

What is a hotel credit card?

A hotel credit card is a type of card that rewards its users for brand loyalty. You earn points in the hotel chain’s loyalty program by using the card to book rooms at the chain’s hotels or resorts, and in some cases by making eligible non-travel purchases. Other incentives may include free nights, free room upgrades and access to the hotel chain’s travel partners.

Hotel credit cards can help you make the most of your travel experience, especially if you prefer to stay at the same brand of hotels wherever you travel. Additionally, some general-purpose travel cards have partnerships with certain hotel chains. Certain hotel credit cards, co-branded or general purpose, could be worthwhile for less frequent travelers, given their welcome offers, rewards on non-hotel purchases and fee structures.

How do hotel credit cards work?

There are two types of hotel credit cards. One is a co-branded hotel card that works through a partnership between an issuer and a hotel brand. These cards usually include enrollment in the hotel’s loyalty program. The other type of hotel credit card is a general travel rewards card that might offer hotel-related perks but isn’t associated exclusively with a single chain.

You earn points with a hotel credit card each time you use it to make a rewards-eligible purchase. Depending on the card, these purchases could include hotel stays, airfare, meals at restaurants or everyday purchases such as groceries and gas.

Generally speaking, non-branded travel cards work best for those who value flexibility in where they earn their rewards and how they redeem them over loyalty to one chain of hotels. Co-branded cards are best-suited for travelers who want to maximize the benefits of their loyalty with high rewards rates and brand-specific benefits. Either kind of card has the potential to help you get more value out of your travel budget and improve your travel experience.

Why get a hotel credit card?

While it’s important for every traveler to have a general travel credit card to earn points on a variety of travel-related purchases, adding a co-branded hotel credit card can take your travels to the next level. Most hotel cards offer cardholders benefits designed to enhance your hotel stays. You can expect features like room upgrades, free breakfasts, complimentary elite status and certificates for free nights with a number of hotel credit cards. If you’re a regular guest of a hotel chain, perks like these are an obvious choice to elevate your travels.

Pros and cons of hotel credit cards

Whether or not a hotel card is the right choice for you depends on your travel habits, budget and financial priorities. Make sure to weigh the pros and cons before deciding on a particular card.

Who should get a hotel credit card?

As a niche product, hotel credit cards appeal to fairly specific types of consumers. Here are some of the ways that you might fit the profile:

Frequent travelers

Regular hotel guests will benefit the most, of course, but you don’t have to be constantly on the road. A hotel card could be worthwhile with even a comparatively modest travel schedule, something along the lines of one month of hotel stays per year.




Brand loyalists

If you regularly stay at the same hotel chain, a card that earns points with every eligible purchase offers an effective way to reward yourself for your brand loyalty.




Bargain hunters

The chance to earn free nights and perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades are sure to appeal to travelers always on the lookout for value.




Luxury seekers

Some of the top hotel credit cards include access to luxury hotel and resort collections where amenities include spas, wine tastings, executive clubs and more.

How to choose the best hotel credit card for you

Wondering how to pick the best hotel credit card? The right hotel card for you will vary based on your travel habits and preferences. Follow these steps to help you in your search.

1. Evaluate how often you’ll stay at hotels. If you only travel once or twice per year, it may be a safe bet to rule out cards with high annual fees. If you stay at hotels frequently though, all the perks and benefits that come with a hotel card may be worth it. You’ll be able to best determine this after taking a close look at your travel habits.
2. Choose your favorite hotel or hotel brand. Co-branded travel cards tend to partner with large national and international hotels brands. (Most hotel credit cards carry the names of chains such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG and Radisson.) If your favorite hotel is a small regional brand or you prefer to stay at smaller hotels when you travel, you may be better off with a general travel credit card.
3. Determine your travel goals. What you want from your card will determine the best card for you. If you’re a luxury traveler looking for perks like free room upgrades or late checkout, the card for you will be different from say, a budget-conscious traveler looking to earn points on general purchases.
4. Look in your wallet. Having a general-purpose travel card might be enough for a casual traveler who isn’t dedicated to any particular hotel brand.

Following these steps will help you to determine the best hotel credit card for you. The right card for you will align with your travel habits and elevate your travel experience by giving you benefits you can actually use.

Who should skip getting a hotel credit card?

Travelers seeking flexibility

If you’re the type of traveler who prefers the amenities of a resort for one vacation and the privacy of an Airbnb for another you might not see much value from a hotel credit card. You won’t rack up as many rewards this way, and redemption options are much more limited with hotel credit cards than general travel rewards cards.

Travelers who prefer boutique hotels

If you prefer to stay at smaller boutique hotels during your travels, a hotel credit card may not be right for you. Many of the larger hotel chains—like Hilton and Marriott—are beginning to incorporate smaller hotels into their rewards programs, but there are many smaller hotels with rewards programs that aren’t co-branded with credit cards.

How to get free nights at hotels

Earning free hotel stays is a great way to save money as a frequent traveler. There are several ways you can use your hotel credit card to get free nights at your favorite hotels. Here’s everything you need to know to get a free night at your most-visited hotel.

Earn your stay. Most co-branded hotel cards—and their corresponding loyalty programs—allow for redeeming points as hotel stays. So if you get a card like the Hilton Honors American Express Card that earns 5X points on U.S. supermarkets and at U.S. gas stations, you can do your everyday spending while earning free nights. Keep in mind that you’ll usually need 10,000 points minimum to begin redeeming free nights.

Snag a sign up bonus. Many hotel credit cards offer cardholders enough points in their signup bonuses to qualify for free nights. Some even offer free nights straight away as the sign up bonus. Remember that you’ll have to meet the spending requirements to qualify for the signup bonus.

Lean into hotel loyalty programs. Pairing your hotel credit card rewards with status in a hotel loyalty program is one of the best ways rack up free nights at hotels. You earn points through the hotel’s loyalty program—which is typically free to sign up for—when you book your hotel stay. You’ll also earn points when you use your hotel credit card to book, by doubling up on rewards that can be applied to your next hotel stay you’ll stack points for a free hotel night in no time.

How to earn elite status with a hotel loyalty program

In most cases, the road to elite status runs through frequent use. You become eligible after you stay a required number of nights in a year. One example is Marriott Bonvoy:

However, you might be able to find a shortcut to elite status through a credit card offer. Examples of cards that offer complimentary elite status for becoming a cardholder include:

How to maximize hotel rewards points

Even the best hotel credit cards are only worth it when you take full advantage of the hotel rewards programs and associated perks. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your card and the hotel reward points you’ll earn:

• Make sure you’re a member of the associated hotel rewards program. They’re free to sign up for and will provide you with extra resources on how to get the most out of your booking. As a loyalty member and co-branded cardholder, you’ll earn points in two ways for every stay.
• Pair multiple credit cards. Your new hotel credit card will give you big point totals for hotel purchases, but not necessarily on everything else. Hotel cards are excellent complementary cards—use them in addition to cash back cards and other travel cards with higher rewards rates on spending in other categories.
• Book directly through the hotel or issuer’s shopping portal. You usually glean extra value by booking your room through the hotel’s website or an issuer’s shopping portal, like Chase Ultimate Rewards. Booking through third-party sites may not qualify for the expected rewards rate.
• Use your rewards. While it can be tempting to hoard points for a huge payout, it’s actually much smarter to redeem more frequently. Award night pricing changes often, especially for hotels that have dynamic pricing. When a deal comes your way, take advantage of it.

Bankrate guides to hotel loyalty programs

Learn more about some of the programs that reward hotel customers who stay loyal to their favorite brands.

• Best Western Rewards
• IHG Rewards Club
• Radisson Rewards

More resources from Bankrate

• A guide to Airbnb insurance
• How to get a refund for an Airbnb cancellation

Learn more about hotel cards and loyalty programs

When it comes to hotel credit cards and travel tips, Bankrate has a huge collection of resources at your service:

• Hotel Credit Card Reviews
• Guide to Marriott points value
• A complete guide to World of Hyatt
• Guide to the Hilton Honors rewards program

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.