Hotel Credit Cards
Why hotel credit cards are the best kept secret for travel rewards


A recent survey of over 7,000 credit card users found that those with the highest level of satisfaction used credit cards that offer free hotel night rewards. Click here to read about the survey. We've long agreed hotel nights are a great way to use points, and here are some of the big reasons why.

Easy availability -- if a room is available for sale, you can book it with points
Our favorite hotel reward program, Starwood Preferred Guest, has no blackouts or capacity controls. Put more simply, if a standard room is available for sale, you can book it with your points. Even better, you can do this without paying a special inflated point rate as this benefit is available for standard point levels.

Compare this to airlines, where to use the base miles requirement you are limited to certain flights and times by the airline's capacity controls.

Aggressive intro offers give you free nights right away
The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express offers 10,000 points when you make your first purchase. That's enough for up to 3 nights at less busy locations like the Sheraton Tucson, or one free night at upscale properties like the Walt Disney World Swan Resort or Westin Grand Bahama. 

It's like getting over $200 in cash just for starting with the card. And remember there are no restrictions on when you use points -- as long as a standard room is available for sale you can book it with points.





Fewer points required for valuable rewards
Quite simply, using points for hotel nights is one of the great bargains in travel rewards. You can typically earn the equivalent of 3% or more cash back with hotel night rewards. This compares to the 1% back most cash back cards give you and the 2% value of most domestic flight awards.

Earn rewards more quickly -- fewer points required
Most airlines require you to use at least 25,000 miles for a domestic plane ticket, which if you only use your credit card to earn miles can take up to $25,000 in card spending.

Compare that to hotel rewards. With just $3-$5,000 in credit card spending, you can get a free night at many mid-scale hotels, valued at $100 or more.

No change fees
Airline ticket rewards often have fees of $100 or more to change the dates of your ticket after you've booked. With hotel point rewards there are no fees to change your dates or hotels -- there is just a typical 4pm day of arrival deadline to cancel. This maximizes your flexibililty with friends and relatives.

A healthier industry
Unlike airlines that are prone to go bankrupt and constantly reducing flights, hotels spread their ownership out -- leaving plenty of room for you to book nights, and giving you more options to redeem. Think of hotel points as a 'Swiss bank account' in trouble airline times.

Low or no annual fees
Because hotel loyalty programs are less well known than airline miles programs, the annual fees for their credit cards are generally low. Our favorite card, the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express has no annual fee the first year and just $45 after. It lets you earn points for stays at Sheraton, Westin, W, Le Meridien, Four Points, and other fine hotels.


Our favorite hotel credit card: apply and learn more here
We prefer the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express because of its ability to transfer your points into most major airline miles programs at a 1:1 ratio or better.

Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express
EDITORS CHOICE: Best Overall Credit Card


Read our review and learn how to apply 

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.


 
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