The best hotel credit cards, compared
Two of these are hotel co-brands. The other four earn a transferable currency that reaches one or more hotel programs — which, for most travelers, is the better way to end up with hotel points. The table treats them identically, because a hotel does not ask where your points came from.
| Welcome bonusPoints / spend / window | Apply | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pickSapphire Preferredverified Terms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.49% variable APR | 75,000 / $5K in 3 mo | $750 – $1,1251.0¢ portal floor to 1.5¢ best partner | $95 | $15After usable credits | 4.7out of 5 | View at Chase for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card at Chase (opens in a new tab) We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place. |
| Hilton Surpassverified Terms Apply$150 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR | 130,000 / $3K in 6 mo | $650at 0.5¢/pt | $150 | -$113Credits exceed the fee | 3.9out of 5 | Offer not currently available |
| Bilt MastercardmodeledTerms ApplyNo annual fee · 21.24% – 29.49% variable APR | Noneno welcome offer | $0at 1.85¢/pt | $0 | -$66Credits exceed the fee | 4.2out of 5 | Read our review |
| Amex Platinumverified Terms Apply$895 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR | 175,000 / $12K in 6 moElevated offerthe ceiling of an offer American Express varies by applicant — the issuer states welcome offers vary and that you may not be eligible for one at all | $3,150at 1.8¢/pt | $895 | -$503Credits exceed the fee | 4.3out of 5 | View at American Express for The Platinum Card® from American Express at American Express (opens in a new tab) We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place. |
| Bonvoy BoundlessmodeledTerms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.74% variable APR | 4 Free Night Awards / $3K in 3 moeach valid at a property with a redemption level of up to 50,000 points per night | $0at 0.7¢/pt | $95 | -$125Credits exceed the fee | 3.7out of 5 | Read our review |
| Venture Xverified Terms Apply$395 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR | 75,000 / $4K in 3 mo | $750 – $1,2001.0¢ portal floor to 1.6¢ best partner | $395 | -$191Credits exceed the fee | 4.4out of 5 | View at Capital One for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card at Capital One (opens in a new tab) We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place. |
Rates, fees and terms for all 6 cards aboveHide rates, fees and terms
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Chase
Terms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $95
- Purchase APR
- 19.24% – 27.49% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.24% – 27.49% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 29.99% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. Applies if you make a late payment.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
- Minimum interest charge
- $0.50
Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Offers, rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
Rates and fees reconciled against Chase’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. Chase rates & terms
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card American Express
Terms Apply$150 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $150
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.74% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. May apply if you miss a minimum payment or a payment is returned, and once applied it stays in force for at least six months.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select benefits. Visit americanexpress.com to view rates and fees.
Rates and fees reconciled against American Express’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. American Express rates & terms · American Express card page
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Wells Fargo
Terms ApplyNo annual fee · 21.24% – 29.49% variable APRmodeled — see issuer for current rates
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $0
- Purchase APR
- 21.24% – 29.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Late payment fee
- Up to $41
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $41
- Minimum interest charge
- $1.00
The Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Rates, rewards and benefits are subject to change.
These figures model Wells Fargo’s published terms and have NOT been reconciled against Wells Fargo’s pricing-and-terms disclosure. Last edited (not verified) . Confirm current terms on the issuer’s page before you apply. Wells Fargo rates & terms
The Platinum Card® from American Express American Express
Terms Apply$895 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $895
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.74% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. May apply if you do not pay at least the minimum payment due by the payment due date, or a payment is returned. Once applied it lasts at least six months.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
- Authorized user fee
- $195 per card
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select benefits. Visit americanexpress.com to view rates and fees.
Rates and fees reconciled against American Express’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. American Express rates & terms · American Express card page
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card Chase
Terms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.74% variable APRmodeled — see issuer for current rates
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $95
- Purchase APR
- 19.24% – 27.74% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.24% – 27.74% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.49% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. Up to this rate, if you fail to make a minimum payment by the date and time it is due, or make a payment that is returned unpaid.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Offers, rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
These figures model Chase’s published terms and have NOT been reconciled against Chase’s pricing-and-terms disclosure. Last edited (not verified) . Confirm current terms on the issuer’s page before you apply. Chase rates & terms · Chase card page
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Capital One
Terms Apply$395 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
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- Annual fee
- $395
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts at a promotional APR Capital One may offer you. No fee for balances transferred at the standard Transfer APR. Transfers cannot be requested until 10 days after the account is opened, and balances cannot be moved from another Capital One card.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.49% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
Credit cards are issued by Capital One, N.A. Offers, benefits, rates and terms are subject to change without notice and may vary by applicant.
Rates and fees reconciled against Capital One’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. Capital One rates & terms · Capital One card page
What are hotel points actually worth?
This is the table the rest of the page argues from. It is also the reason a hotel co-brand with an enormous welcome offer can be a worse deal than a bank card with a smaller one: the points are not the same size.
| What drives the value up | What caps it | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World of Hyatt | 1.9¢ per point | Unchanged from 1.9¢ last quarter | 8,640 redemptions priced | A published award chart in a dynamic-pricing world. Category 1–4 redemptions are the best value in hotels. | Small footprint — in many cities there is simply no Hyatt. |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 0.7¢ per point | Down 0.05¢ from 0.75¢ last quarter | 22,400 redemptions priced | Off-peak luxury properties and the fifth-night-free benefit. | Fully dynamic pricing since 2022; peak rates have outrun cash rates. |
| IHG One Rewards | 0.6¢ per point | Unchanged from 0.6¢ last quarter | 7,250 redemptions priced | Fourth night free for cardholders; strong value at InterContinental properties. | Dynamic pricing with no cap, and a weak mid-tier portfolio. |
| Hilton Honors | 0.5¢ per point | Unchanged from 0.5¢ last quarter | 17,900 redemptions priced | Fifth night free and premium-property redemptions during peak cash pricing. | Uncapped dynamic pricing; the currency earns fast and spends slowly. |
These are the figures every “worth $X” calculation on Award Rate is derived from, including welcome-bonus valuations in our card comparisons. We revalue every currency quarterly and publish the previous figure alongside the current one, so a devaluation is visible rather than quietly edited away. How we value points →
One program in that table still publishes a fixed award chart. The other three price awards dynamically against the cash rate, which means that when a hotel is expensive in cash it is also expensive in points — the two things people hope will diverge, and the reason a large balance in a dynamic currency is worth less than it looks.
Read the two ends of that table together and the whole category becomes legible. The programs whose cards advertise the biggest earning multipliers are the programs whose points are worth the least, and that is not a coincidence: a program that can reprice a room at will can afford to be generous with what it hands out.
How we picked these cards
What we scored
- What the currency is worth, before what the card earns. Every earning rate is multiplied by our published median redemption value for that currency before it is scored. A very high multiplier on a weak currency scores below a modest one on a strong currency, which inverts most published rankings in this category.
- Status, valued by what it changes on an average stay. Breakfast, late checkout and upgrade priority are scored on how often they actually land, not on the tier name. Status granted outright scores well above status you have to spend your way to.
- Certificate value, after the caps. An annual free night is scored at what it redeems for under its own redemption cap, discounted for resort fees and for the properties the cap excludes — not at the cash rate of the nicest hotel in the portfolio.
- Whether the balance can leave. A hotel currency that cannot be transferred out is exposed to that chain’s next repricing with nowhere to go. Every program in our table has repriced upward in the last three years.
What we deliberately ignored
- Headline earning multipliers. The highest numbers in this category belong to the weakest currency we track. We score the product of rate and value, never the rate alone.
- Portfolio size. A chain with more properties is more useful only if it has properties where you go. We weight footprint against redemption value rather than counting hotels.
- Whether the card pays us. Two of the six cards below earn Award Rate nothing — the Bilt Mastercard, an unpaid listing, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, also unpaid — and a third currently has no live offer to send anyone to. All three are ranked on merit and labeled where they appear.
Number 1. Best card for hotel points that hold their valueChase Sapphire Preferred® Card
We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place.
Read our full Sapphire Preferred reviewIt transfers 1:1 into the only major hotel program that still publishes a fixed award chart — the one currency in our valuation table worth several times what the big dynamic-pricing programs are worth, and the reason a modest balance here buys more hotel nights than a very large balance in a co-brand currency. The limitation is real and worth stating: that chain has a small footprint, and in a lot of cities there is simply no property to redeem at. Where there is one, nothing else on this page competes.
Best forAnyone who wants hotel nights that cost a predictable number of points
- Welcome bonus
- 75,000 / $5K in 3 mo
- Bonus value on this card
- $750 – $1,1251.0¢ Chase Travel℠ floor to 1.5¢ via Air Canada Aeroplan
- Annual fee
- $95
- Top earn rate
- 5×Travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
Bonus value is the offer priced between the rate this card guarantees (1.0¢ through Chase Travel℠) and the best rate its own transfer set reaches (1.5¢ via Air Canada Aeroplan). Our blended Chase Ultimate Rewards valuation of 1.9¢ is not used here.
What we like
- Transfers to fourteen partners, including three that regularly price premium cabins far below cash
- Primary rental car coverage and trip delay protection are genuinely best-in-class at this fee level
- No foreign transaction fees
- The anniversary points bonus quietly offsets a meaningful slice of the annual fee
- The June 2026 refresh added fuel, EV charging and vacation-rental earning at the same annual fee
What we don’t
- World of Hyatt — the partner this card was built around — now converts at 4:3 rather than 1:1 for anyone approved on or after June 15, 2026, and for everyone else from October 1, 2026
- Chase’s 5/24 rule shuts out applicants who have opened five or more cards in 24 months
- The hotel credit only works through Chase Travel, which is not always the cheapest booking channel
- Bonus categories are good, not exceptional, once you leave dining, travel and fuel
Terms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $95
- Purchase APR
- 19.24% – 27.49% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.24% – 27.49% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 29.99% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. Applies if you make a late payment.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
- Minimum interest charge
- $0.50
Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Offers, rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
Rates and fees reconciled against Chase’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. Chase rates & terms
- Chase 5/24: you will generally be declined if you have opened five or more personal credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.
- Not available if you currently hold any Sapphire card, or received a Sapphire new-cardmember bonus in the past 48 months.
Number 2. Best card for hotel status that pays out on every stayHilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Mid-tier status arrives with the card rather than being earned, and at most brands in the portfolio it includes breakfast or a food-and-beverage credit — a recurring cash saving on every single stay, which is worth considerably more than the points this card earns. That last clause is the honest part: the currency sits at the bottom of our valuation table, so the very high headline earn rates translate into ordinary returns. Note also that the elevated welcome offer this card was known for has expired; the smaller offer shown is the one American Express publishes now, and the apply link below is dormant because that replacement has not reached our affiliate channel, not because there is nothing to apply for. We have kept the card ranked on merit.
Best forTravelers who stay at Hilton properties several times a year and eat breakfast
- Welcome bonus
- 130,000 / $3K in 6 mo
- Bonus value, our valuation
- $650130,000 points × 0.5¢
- Annual fee
- $150
- Top earn rate
- 12×Eligible purchases charged directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio
Bonus value is the advertised points total priced at our published 0.5¢ valuation for Hilton Honors, not a best-case redemption.
What we like
- Gold status is granted outright and includes complimentary breakfast or a food-and-beverage credit at most brands, which is a recurring cash saving on every stay
- The earning multipliers are the highest headline numbers of any card we track, across categories that are not limited to hotels
- The fifth-night-free benefit is the most effective single defense against dynamic award pricing in any major hotel program
- No foreign transaction fee, on a card whose whole purpose is stays away from home
- Top-tier status is reachable by spending alone, with no nights required — rare, and genuinely useful to some travelers
What we don’t
- Hilton Honors points are worth the least of any major currency in our valuation model, so the impressive earn rates translate into ordinary returns
- Award pricing is fully dynamic with no cap and no published chart, and peak pricing at desirable properties has run well ahead of cash rates
- The statement credits are quarterly and expire unused, so a traveler with an irregular schedule forfeits some of them every year
- The points cannot be transferred anywhere useful, which puts a hard ceiling on what a large balance can ever be worth
- The Free Night Reward requires a substantial spending threshold that most cardholders will not reach without deliberately routing spending here
Terms Apply$150 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $150
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.74% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. May apply if you miss a minimum payment or a payment is returned, and once applied it stays in force for at least six months.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select benefits. Visit americanexpress.com to view rates and fees.
Rates and fees reconciled against American Express’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. American Express rates & terms · American Express card page
- American Express applies a once-per-lifetime welcome offer rule: if you have or have previously held this card, you are generally not eligible for a new-cardmember bonus on it.
- Welcome offers across the Hilton Honors American Express family are assessed together — holding or having held another Hilton card can make you ineligible for this one’s bonus.
- Amex generally approves no more than one new credit card every five days and two every 90 days.
- Most customers are limited to holding five Amex credit cards at one time.
- Amex’s pre-qualification tool is the only reliable way to check your eligibility before a hard inquiry.
Number 3. Best card for hotel points at no annual costBilt World Elite Mastercard®
The only no-fee card in our database that reaches the fixed-chart hotel program, and it reaches two of the dynamic ones as well — so a rent payment can become a hotel night at the best redemption rate in the category, with no annual fee to recover. Two hard constraints: points only post in statement periods with at least five card transactions, and there is no welcome offer at all, so this is a card you hold rather than a card you open. Award Rate earns nothing if you take it; it is here because it earns its place.
Best forRenters who want the fixed-chart hotel currency without paying to hold a card
- Welcome bonus
- None
- Bonus value, our valuation
- $00 points × 1.85¢
- Annual fee
- $0
- Top earn rate
- 3×Dining, including takeout and delivery
Bonus value is the advertised points total priced at our published 1.85¢ valuation for Bilt Points, not a best-case redemption.
What we like
- Rent earns transferable points with no processing fee, which is otherwise impossible — paying rent by card normally costs more in fees than the rewards are worth
- The transfer partner list is as strong as the major bank programs, including the fixed-chart hotel program that produces the highest reliable redemption values
- No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, so there is no ongoing cost to holding it
- Rent Day gives a predictable, calendar-anchored moment to route large purchases through the card
- Rent reporting to all three bureaus is free and genuinely useful for a thin file
What we don’t
- Rent earning is capped per calendar year, and a renter in an expensive market will hit that ceiling well before December
- You must make at least five transactions on the card in a statement period or you earn nothing at all that month — including on rent
- No welcome offer, ever, which removes the single largest source of first-year value on every competing card
- Non-rent earning rates are ordinary; on dining and travel this card is beaten by cards you probably already hold
- The card cannot be used for cash advances, and the app-mediated rent flow adds a dependency between you and your landlord’s payment system
Terms ApplyNo annual fee · 21.24% – 29.49% variable APRmodeled — see issuer for current rates
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $0
- Purchase APR
- 21.24% – 29.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Late payment fee
- Up to $41
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $41
- Minimum interest charge
- $1.00
The Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Rates, rewards and benefits are subject to change.
These figures model Wells Fargo’s published terms and have NOT been reconciled against Wells Fargo’s pricing-and-terms disclosure. Last edited (not verified) . Confirm current terms on the issuer’s page before you apply. Wells Fargo rates & terms
- Wells Fargo generally approves only one new consumer credit card per applicant every six months.
- A Bilt Rewards account is required, and rent earning only works where your building or landlord can be paid through the Bilt platform.
- Points post only in statement periods in which you make at least five transactions on the card.
Number 4. Best card for hotel property credits and instant status at two chainsThe Platinum Card® from American Express
We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place.
Read our full Amex Platinum reviewIt hands over mid-tier status at both of the largest hotel groups at once, and its property-booking credit routinely comes with a room upgrade, breakfast for two and a property credit on top of the rate — benefits that ordinarily require a lot of nights. Membership Rewards also transfers into two of the four hotel programs we track. The case against it is the fee, which is the largest here and is defended by credits narrow enough that our model discounts most of them heavily; it breaks even for a disciplined traveler and loses money for everyone else.
Best forPeople who book upscale hotels and want the on-property benefits without the stays
- Welcome bonus
- 175,000 / $12K in 6 mo
- Bonus value, our valuation
- $3,150175,000 points × 1.8¢
- Annual fee
- $895
- Top earn rate
- 5×Flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel
Bonus value is the advertised points total priced at our published 1.8¢ valuation for Amex Membership Rewards, not a best-case redemption.
What we like
- The Centurion Lounge network remains genuinely better than the alternatives, and access to it is unlimited
- Membership Rewards transfers to more airline programs than any competing currency, including several that price premium cabins off a real chart
- Airline and hotel elite status arrive by enrollment rather than by flying or staying
- No foreign transaction fees, and the insurance package is substantive rather than decorative
- The credit list has grown rather than shrunk, and the hotel and dining credits are the ones a traveler is most likely to clear
What we don’t
- The value case rests on a coupon book — credits split by month, by quarter and by half-year, each of which expires unclaimed if you forget
- Earning is thin outside travel booked through American Express; day-to-day spending belongs on almost any other card
- Delta Sky Club access is now rationed to a fixed number of visits a year rather than unlimited
- Several credits are tied to merchants many cardholders would never otherwise use, so the headline value overstates what a normal person recovers
- Amex is not accepted as widely as Visa or Mastercard outside major cities and abroad
- The annual fee is charged up front, in full, before you have used a single credit
Terms Apply$895 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $895
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.74% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. May apply if you do not pay at least the minimum payment due by the payment due date, or a payment is returned. Once applied it lasts at least six months.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
- Authorized user fee
- $195 per card
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select benefits. Visit americanexpress.com to view rates and fees.
Rates and fees reconciled against American Express’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. American Express rates & terms · American Express card page
- American Express applies a once-per-lifetime welcome offer rule. Its own terms say you may not be eligible if you have or have had this card, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, or previous versions of any of them.
- Eligibility for a welcome offer also turns on your history with balance transfers, your history as an American Express card member, and how many cards you have opened and closed.
- Amex generally approves no more than one new credit card every five days and two every 90 days.
- Most customers are limited to holding five Amex credit cards at one time; charge cards are counted separately.
- American Express tells you your exact welcome offer after you apply and before you accept the card, so the offer you are shown may differ from the public one.
Number 5. Best card for one predictable free night every yearMarriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place.
Read our full Bonvoy Boundless reviewThe anniversary free night is the entire proposition and it arrives whether or not you spend anything on the card, which makes the arithmetic unusually simple: if the property you would redeem it at costs more than the fee, the card pays for itself, and if it does not, nothing else here rescues it. The certificate is capped at a redemption level that excludes many of the properties people actually want, and the currency is among the weaker ones we track. This is an unpaid listing — we receive nothing if you take this card.
Best forTravelers who take at least one Marriott stay a year and want it covered
- Welcome bonus
- 4 Free Night Awards / $3K in 3 mo
- Bonus value, our valuation
- $00 points × 0.7¢
- Annual fee
- $95
- Top earn rate
- 6×Purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
Bonus value is the advertised points total priced at our published 0.7¢ valuation for Marriott Bonvoy, not a best-case redemption.
What we like
- The anniversary free night is the whole value proposition and it is a good one, because it is delivered whether or not you spend anything on the card
- Annual elite night credits are handed over automatically and stack with nights actually stayed
- The hotel earning rate is genuinely high, and it stacks on top of base member earning and any elite bonus
- No foreign transaction fee, which matters for a card designed to be used abroad
What we don’t
- Marriott prices awards dynamically with no published chart and no cap, so the same night can cost wildly different amounts week to week — and our published valuation for the currency reflects that
- The free night is capped at a redemption level that excludes many of the properties people actually want, and topping it up with points is only worth doing at a good rate
- Non-hotel earning is unremarkable, and the bonus categories are capped at a level a normal household clears early
- Bonvoy points are among the weaker currencies we track; earning a lot of them is not the same as earning value
- The Bonvoy card family has some of the most restrictive cross-brand application rules in the market, and they trip up applicants constantly
Terms Apply$95 annual fee · 19.24% – 27.74% variable APRmodeled — see issuer for current rates
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $95
- Purchase APR
- 19.24% – 27.74% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.24% – 27.74% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.49% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
- Penalty APR
- Up to 29.99%. Up to this rate, if you fail to make a minimum payment by the date and time it is due, or make a payment that is returned unpaid.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Returned payment fee
- Up to $40
Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Offers, rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
These figures model Chase’s published terms and have NOT been reconciled against Chase’s pricing-and-terms disclosure. Last edited (not verified) . Confirm current terms on the issuer’s page before you apply. Chase rates & terms · Chase card page
- Chase 5/24: you will generally be declined if you have opened five or more personal credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.
- Not available if you currently hold this card, or received a new-cardmember bonus on it in the past 24 months.
- You are not eligible if you have opened any Marriott Bonvoy credit card — from Chase or American Express — in the past 30 days.
- You are not eligible if you have received a new-cardmember bonus on any Marriott Bonvoy personal card in the past 24 months.
- Holders of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and certain other Amex Bonvoy products are excluded from this card entirely, in both directions.
Number 6. Best card for people who book hotels on price, not on brandCapital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
We are not compensated for this card. It is here because it earned its place.
Read our full Venture X reviewIf you are not loyal to a chain, hotel points are a worse product than flexible ones: an annual travel credit and a fixed-rate eraser let you book any property at any price and cover part of it, with no blackout dates and no award chart to lose to. Add lounge access for the primary cardholder, and a paid add-on rather than a free one if a second traveler wants it too. What you give up is everything that happens on property — no status, no breakfast, no upgrades — which is exactly the trade a brand-agnostic traveler should be happy to make.
Best forTravelers who choose a hotel by location and rate rather than by loyalty program
- Welcome bonus
- 75,000 / $4K in 3 mo
- Bonus value on this card
- $750 – $1,2001.0¢ Capital One Travel floor to 1.6¢ via Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Annual fee
- $395
- Top earn rate
- 10×Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Bonus value is the offer priced between the rate this card guarantees (1.0¢ through Capital One Travel) and the best rate its own transfer set reaches (1.6¢ via Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles). Our blended Capital One Miles valuation of 1.7¢ is not used here.
What we like
- The travel credit and anniversary miles arrive automatically and require no enrollment, no monthly windows, and no merchant list
- Flat earning on everything else means you never have to think about which card to pull out
- Transfers at 1:1 to a partner list that covers all three major alliances
- Primary rental car coverage, real trip protections and no foreign transaction fees
- Even after the lounge change, the unconditional credits still offset most of the fee before a single lounge visit
What we don’t
- Lounge access for additional cardholders is now a separate annual charge per person — the benefit this card was best known for is no longer included
- Guests are no longer free either, and complimentary guest access is now gated behind a spending threshold most cardholders will never reach
- The travel credit only pays out through Capital One Travel, and the portal’s inventory can lag the airline’s own site on schedule changes
- Capital One’s lounge network is still small; outside its handful of hubs you are relying on Priority Pass, which is increasingly crowded
- Transfer ratios are excellent but the partner list lacks a marquee domestic airline — there is no Hyatt-equivalent hotel sweet spot either
- Capital One is unusually strict about application velocity, and a recent card from them is often an automatic decline
- Earning is flat, which means it never beats a good category card on dining or groceries
Terms Apply$395 annual fee · 19.49% – 28.49% variable APR
See full rates & feesHide rates & fees
- Annual fee
- $395
- Purchase APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Balance transfer APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% variable
- Balance transfer fee
- 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts at a promotional APR Capital One may offer you. No fee for balances transferred at the standard Transfer APR. Transfers cannot be requested until 10 days after the account is opened, and balances cannot be moved from another Capital One card.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Cash advance APR
- 28.49% variable
- Cash advance fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
Credit cards are issued by Capital One, N.A. Offers, benefits, rates and terms are subject to change without notice and may vary by applicant.
Rates and fees reconciled against Capital One’s published pricing and terms on . Issuers may change offers, rates and terms at any time without notice; confirm current terms on the issuer’s own page before you apply. Capital One rates & terms · Capital One card page
- Capital One states that existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new-cardmember bonus on this product in the past 48 months.
- Not published by the issuer, but consistently reported: Capital One generally approves only one new personal credit card every six months.
- Not published by the issuer, but consistently reported: most applicants are limited to two open Capital One personal credit cards at a time, and Capital One is one of the few issuers that pulls all three credit bureaus on a consumer application.
Which cards produce each hotel currency?
Check this before you apply. For 1 of the 4 programs below there is no co-branded card in our database at all — the only way in is a transfer from a bank currency, and only some issuers have the relationship.
| Hotel program | Cards that earn it directly | Cards that transfer into it |
|---|---|---|
| World of Hyattfixed award pricing |
| |
| Marriott Bonvoydynamic award pricing |
| |
| Hilton Honorsdynamic award pricing |
| |
| IHG One Rewardsdynamic award pricing | None in our database |
|
The row worth staring at is the first one. The most valuable hotel currency in the table above is produced by no card in our database and reached by exactly two issuers’ currencies — which is why the top of this list is a general travel card rather than a hotel card, and why a reader chasing hotel nights should look at how that program prices its rooms before choosing a card at all.
Which hotel card should you pick?
Stop at the first line that is true of you.
- If you are not loyal to any hotel chain
- Chase Sapphire Preferred. It reaches the fixed-chart hotel program and four airline programs from one balance, so the points stay useful whatever you end up booking.
- If you stay at Hilton properties several times a year
- Hilton Honors Surpass for the status, not the points — breakfast on every stay is the benefit, and the welcome offer is currently between versions, so there is no urgency.
- If you rent, and want hotel points without an annual fee
- Bilt Mastercard. The only no-fee route to the fixed-chart hotel program, and it reaches two of the dynamic ones as well. Remember the five-transactions-per-statement rule or you earn nothing.
- If you book upscale hotels and want on-property benefits
- The Platinum Card from American Express. Status at both large groups plus a property-booking program that usually adds an upgrade and breakfast. Check it againstour premium card list before committing to the fee.
- If you take exactly one Marriott stay a year
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, and judge it on one question only: does the property you would use the certificate at cost more than the annual fee? If not, skip it.
- If you pick hotels by location and price
- Capital One Venture X. A travel credit and a fixed-rate eraser beat hotel points for a traveler who will never build a balance anywhere.
- If you are choosing your first rewards card of any kind
- Start with our travel card list rather than here. A hotel co-brand is a second or third card, almost never a first one.
Is status or are points the reason to hold a hotel card?
Status, in almost every case. Points from a hotel co-brand are earned in a currency the program can reprice at will, and three of the four programs we track do exactly that. Status is a contractual benefit that changes something on every stay: breakfast for two, a late checkout you would otherwise pay for, an upgrade that occasionally turns a room into a suite.
The arithmetic is unusually easy to run. Count the nights you stayed at that chain last year, multiply by what breakfast for your party costs at those properties, and compare it to the annual fee. For a family staying four or five nights a year at full-service hotels, mid-tier status covers a three-figure fee on breakfast alone, before a single point is counted.
Points from a hotel card are a bonus on top of that, not the reason. Which is why the top of this list is a card that earns no hotel points at all, and simply transfers into the one program whose prices do not move.
Worked through on the top pick: the Sapphire Preferred’s current offer is 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening†, worth $1,425† at our published valuation for Chase Ultimate Rewards — and because those points transfer 1:1 into a program our model values roughly the same per point, that bonus is worth about the same number of hotel nights whether the chain is having a cheap week or an expensive one. That is the property no dynamic currency has.
Frequently asked questions
Are hotel credit cards worth it?
A hotel co-brand is worth it for two things and almost nothing else: elite status handed to you on day one, and an annual free-night certificate. Both are predictable benefits that arrive without you doing anything, and both can exceed the annual fee on a single stay. What is not worth it is treating a hotel co-brand as your primary earning card — three of the four hotel currencies we track are priced dynamically with no cap, which means the program can raise the price of a room in points whenever the cash rate rises, and your balance quietly shrinks in value while you sleep on it.
Which hotel points are worth the most?
World of Hyatt, by a wide margin, and the reason is structural rather than promotional: it is the only major program that still publishes a fixed award chart, so a category-four room costs the same number of points in a peak week as in a quiet one. Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards price dynamically and sit far below it in our model. Hilton Honors is the lowest-valued major currency we track — it earns extremely fast and spends extremely slowly, which is a genuine trade-off rather than a flaw, but it means a large Hilton balance is worth less than a much smaller Hyatt one.
Is hotel elite status from a credit card worth anything?
More than airline status from a card, and it is the strongest argument for holding a hotel co-brand. Mid-tier hotel status typically delivers free breakfast or a food-and-beverage credit, late checkout and space-available room upgrades — benefits that apply on every stay rather than occasionally, and that a family of four notices immediately at breakfast. Top-tier status from a card is rarer and usually requires a spending threshold high enough that most cardholders will not reach it without deliberately routing spending there.
Do free night certificates cover taxes and resort fees?
They cover the room rate and the tax on it, but resort fees and destination fees are frequently charged on top — the rules differ by program and by property, and the properties most likely to charge a resort fee are exactly the ones people want to use certificates at. Certificates also expire, usually a year after issue, and most programs will not extend them. Before you value a certificate at the price of the room, check the specific property’s fee policy and the certificate’s redemption cap, because both of those can halve what it is really worth.
Should I get a hotel credit card or a transferable points card?
Get the transferable card first unless you are genuinely loyal to one chain. A transferable currency can become hotel points when a hotel award prices well and airline miles when it does not, and — critically — it is the only route into the highest-value hotel program on our valuation table, because no card in our database earns those points directly. Add a hotel co-brand on top only when you stay at that brand often enough for the status and the annual certificate to beat the fee on their own, without counting the points.
Do hotel points expire?
Yes, and hotel programs are stricter about it than airlines. Most major hotel currencies expire after a period of account inactivity — commonly a year to two years — though any qualifying activity resets the clock, and holding the program’s co-branded credit card generally counts as activity by itself. That is a quiet, real benefit of a no-fee co-brand: it keeps a balance alive. Check the specific program’s policy before you park a large balance, and never transfer bank points into a hotel program speculatively, because transfers cannot be reversed at any issuer.
Is the fifth night free benefit worth chasing?
It is the most effective single defense against dynamic award pricing that any hotel program offers, because it applies a fixed discount to a price the program can otherwise raise at will. On a five-night award stay it is a straight reduction of a fifth. The catch is that it only helps if your trips are actually five nights or longer and booked as a single award reservation — split the stay across two bookings, or stay four nights, and it does nothing. Plan the trip around it or ignore it; there is no partial credit.