You know the Motel 6 chain originally got its name for charging only $6 per night, but today the one down the street from me charges over $100... it’s not just inflation, the cost of traveling and lodging truly has skyrocketed over the past couple decades. Cards with hotel rewards might not score you $6 rooms, but they can still save you a tremendous amount of money in 2013. Hotel cards fall under two main categories...- Specific Hotel Credit Card: These are cards affiliated with a certain brand of hotels. Typically (but not always) these will give you the best rewards when staying at their affiliated properties. Hotels that offer their own branded cards include Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Ritz-Carlton.
- General Travel Card: These are independently issued by a bank. Even though they're not co-branded with a specific hotel, many offer discounts and benefits at partner hotel chains.
The Best Hotel Rewards Credit Cards for 2013 (by founder Michael Dolen)
This sponsored ranking is constantly updated with the best signup offers available.
*TOP PICK* Capital One® Venture℠ Rewards
You already know this is a popular choice for airfare rewards, but did you also know that you can redeem your miles for any travel expense, including hotel rooms? Each mile is worth a full $0.01 when redeemed for travel expenses. That makes this card the #1 top choice for hotel rewards.- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- As seen in Money® Magazine's "Best" issue three years in a row. - Money® Magazine May 2010, 2011, 2012.
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel.
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense.
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don't expire.
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that.
Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card
This is a new version of the Marriott card that Chase launched last year and so far, I’ve heard rave reviews from consumers. Since Marriott is the leading hotel chain with over 3,400 locations worldwide, there will be plenty of places to earn and redeem your points. It only costs 7,500 points for a free night at a category 1 hotel. If you prefer nice, mid-tier properties then this is arguably the best hotel credit card for the co-branded category.- 5x points at Marriott locations, 2x on on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline, and at car rental agencies & restaurants, 1x on all other purchases.
- Receive 1 free night stay upon account approval and each year upon account anniversary.
- Elite Status: Cardmembers achieve Silver elite status with 15 nights credit toward Elite status. Plus earn 1 Elite night credit for every $3,000 spent on your credit card.
- No foreign transaction fees and built-in EMV smart chip.
- $85 annual fee is waived for your first year.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
When it comes to co-branded cards, it’s hard to beat what Starwood offers. Aside from offering great benefits at their properties, it is also the best credit card for airline miles. Why? Because it’s the only credit card that allows you to transfer points to over 30 airline frequent flyer programs, almost always on a conversion of 1 pt = 1 mile. Plus, you get 5,000 bonus Starpoints every time you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a frequent flyer program.- Among the largest hotel companies in the world. Brands include Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridian, and many others. In total they have over 1,100 properties in nearly 100 countries.
- 2 Starpoints per dollar at their properties, 1 Starpoint everywhere else.
- No blackout dates when redeeming points.
- Earn up to 25,000 bonus points — 10,000 with your first purchase and another 15,000 when you spend $5k within the first 6 months (enough to score you 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel).
- Terms and restrictions apply.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
If you typically stay at premium hotels and want VIP treatment when flying, then the Platinum Card is a must. Why? Because you get $450+ worth of complimentary benefits during each stay at over 750 hotels and resorts worldwide thru their Fine Hotels & Resorts program. These perks include (1) noon check-in upon arrival, when avail (2) room update upon arrival, when avail (3) 4:00 pm late checkout (4) daily breakfast for two (5) an additional amenity unique to each property, such as a dining credit or a massage. This benefit will vary by property.- Option of transferring Membership Rewards points to the following loyalty programs: Best Western Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, Hilton HHonors, and Choice Privileges. Or transfer to nearly a dozen frequent flyer programs, usually at a 1:1 conversion.
- Enjoy airport lounge access with Delta SkyClub, American Airlines Admirals Club, US Airways Club, and Priority Pass Select.
- Up to $200 annually in a statement credits with the airline of your choice to use towards checked bag fees, in-flight food and beverage purchases, flight change fees, and more.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Terms and restrictions apply.
Use this link to earn 25k Membership Rewards Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
If you aren't always loyal to the same brand, then this is the best credit card for hotels. It's the only one that lets you transfer points on a 1 for 1 basis to all of the following loyalty programs: IHG Priority Club Rewards (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, Staybridge Suites, etc), Hyatt Gold Passport, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Marriott Rewards. You can also do 1:1 transfers with some frequent flyer programs like United and British Airways.- Special signup bonus: earn 40,000 points for spending $3k within first 3 mo.
- 2x points on travel (which includes hotels) and dining. 1x on everything else.
- Transfer points to partner hotel loyalty programs -OR- use them to book air/hotel thru Chase Ultimate Rewards and get 1.25 cents value per point. (so your bonus of 40,000 points is worth $400.00 as cash back or $500.00 when used for hotel/airfare!)
- Every year you get a 7% points dividend on all the points earned during the previous 12 months.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® Card
With more than 3,700 properties worldwide, this is another excellent choice for the co-branded category. Unlike the other hotel rewards credit cards on the list, this one has no annual fee. That means that even if you don't always stay at their properties, it can still be a great choice for you, especially since it provides automatic HHonors Silver status as long as you're a cardmember.- Earn 6 HHonors Bonus Points per dollar spent at participating hotels within the Hilton HHonors portfolio*.
- Earn 3 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points per dollar spent on purchases at gas stations, supermarkets, and drugstores*.
- Earn 2 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points per dollar spent on all other purchases*.
- No annual fee* which is a rare feature for a branded hotel credit card.
- Excellent Bonus: Earn 40,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points after you spend $1000 within 4 months of account opening*.
Blue Sky from American Express®
Although this is not specifically a hotel/motel credit card, it's another good choice if you want no annual fee and a rewards program that let's you spend points on hotel stays. Since it's an American Express card, you will get benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty, and the Global Assist hotline.- Points are worth 33% more – earn 1 point per dollar spent. For every 7,500 points you get $100 statement credit towards travel (that's like getting 1.33% on all your spending).
- Use points for practically any travel purchase made with the card. For example, redeem 15,000 pts to pay for a $200 motel stay.
- Get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months (17.24%- 22.24% Variable APR after that).
- Use the link below to earn a bonus of 7,500 points after you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months.
- No annual fee.
- Terms and restrictions apply.
Reviewed and rated by Michael Dolen
