Jeanine Skowronski is a credit card expert, analyst, and multimedia journalist with over 10 years of experience covering business and personal finance. She has previously served as the Head of Content at Policygenius, Executive Editor of Credit.com, Deputy Editor at American Banker, Staff Reporter at TheStreet and a columnist for Inc. Magazine.
As a senior credit card analyst for Bankrate, Skowronski authored several studies on the payments industry, which were covered by major news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post and Vox.com. She has also appeared as a pundit on Good Morning America, The Willis Report, Yahoo Finance, ABC World News with David Muir, NPR’s Marketplace and numerous local television and radio stations. She has served as a speaker and panelist at several American Banker conferences.
Learn more at her website.
Highlights:
Veteran personal finance and business journalist
Credit card analyst, speaker and panelist
Author of numerous studies, including a highly covered 2014 Bankrate survey on millennials and credit cards
Jessica Merritt is a seasoned personal finance writer specializing in credit cards, consumer banking, and financial wellness. With 8 years of experience analyzing credit card offers, rewards programs, and money-saving strategies, she helps readers make informed financial decisions. Jessica’s expertise lies in breaking down complex financial topics into clear, actionable advice, whether finding the best 0% APR credit cards, maximizing travel rewards, or improving credit scores. Her work has been featured in leading finance publications, including U.S. News, CNN Underscored, and DepositAccounts.com by Lending Tree, guiding consumers toward smarter spending and responsible credit management.
Tracy Stewart is a personal finance writer specializing in credit card loyalty programs, travel benefits, and consumer protections. He previously covered travel rewards credit cards, budget travel, and aviation news at SmarterTravel Media. His money-saving tips have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, MarketWatch, Vice, People, the Zoe Report and elsewhere.
International travel, Luxury hotels, Credit card rewards
Highlights
Travel experience across 130+ countries, 50 states, 7 continents
Speaker, author, lover of points and miles
Founder of wanderingforgood.com
Experience
Stephanie Zito is a professional traveler, self-employed humanitarian consultant and collector of credit card points. She shares savvy travel tips that she’s learned firsthand circling the globe for more than 25 years. She’s a backpacker, expect and premium traveler who’s visited more than 130 countries and all seven continents. Her life motto is “See the world, change the world, have fun doing it!”, and her mission is to inspire others along the journey.
Zito loves teaching aspirational travelers how to access the world. And she shares her tips in her two books: “Upgrade Unlocked: The Unconventional Guide to Luxury Travel on a Budget” and “The Honeymoon Hack.” She’s also presented at many events, including Women’s Travel Fest, The World Domination Summit, Frequent Traveler University, Econome and Creative Live.
Zito’s favorite travel hack is a hotel upgrade that lands her in a soaking tub with a view of the ocean. When she isn’t working from an airport lounge or an over-the-water bungalow somewhere exotic, she can be found hiking and camping in Portland, Oregon. You can learn more about Zito on her website wanderingforgood.com. Zito studied journalism at Samford University where she also discovered her love for international travel while completing studying abroad programs in London and China.
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A hotel credit card can make travel more comfortable and affordable, offering perks and savings that help you stretch your budget while traveling in style. You can earn points good for free nights — sometimes at high-end properties. Some cards offer on-site credits you can use for dining or spa services. Frequent travelers can take advantage of complimentary breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades, which can add up to savings while enhancing your stay. See how a hotel credit card can help you enjoy more travel for less money.
A hotel credit card can make travel more comfortable and affordable, offering perks and savings that help you stretch your budget while traveling in style. You can earn points good for free nights — sometimes at high-end properties. Some cards offer on-site credits you can use for dining or spa services. Frequent travelers can take advantage of complimentary breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades, which can add up to savings while enhancing your stay. See how a hotel credit card can help you enjoy more travel for less money.
CreditCards.com’s Best Hotel Credit Cards of April 2025
Our rating:4.8
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Earn 80,000 points
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual fee
$695
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
See if you’re pre-approved for this card using our CardMatch tool.
Our rating:4.7
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
6X
Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
4X
Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
3X
Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Earn 130,000 points plus a Free Night Reward
Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
Annual fee
$150
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.99% variable
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Our rating:4.6
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
5X
Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants.
3X
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual fee
$99
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.49% variable
Recommended credit
670-850 (Good to Excellent)
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Our rating:4.4
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
5X
Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
3X
Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Earn 70,000 points plus a Free Night Reward
Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.99% variable
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Our rating:4.4
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®.
3X
3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
2X
2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual fee
$650
Regular APR
20.24% - 29.24% variable
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Our rating:4.1
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. The score seen here reflects the card's primary category rating. For more information, you can read about how we rate our cards.
Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.
At A Glance
Intro offer
Discover Match®
Unlimited Bonus: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles.
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
18.24% - 27.24% variable
Recommended credit
670-850 (Good to Excellent)
CreditCards.com credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
The information about the Citi Prestige® Card, the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, World of Hyatt Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Comparing the best hotel credit cards
Credit card
Best for
Hotel rewards rate
Intro bonus
Annual fee
CreditCards.com Rating
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Luxury travel perks
5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
80,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first 6 months
Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
Hotel credit cards reward travelers with points or miles good for hotel stays, and typically offer hotel and other travel perks such as free nights and airport lounge access. Co-branded hotel cards are tied to a specific hotel chain and travel rewards cards offer flexible points you can use across multiple hotel brands.
If you’re loyal to a particular brand, co-branded hotel cards typically offer the most value and may offer brand-specific perks such as room upgrades or late checkout. Many hotel cards earn bonus rewards on hotel, travel, and everyday purchases, so you can use regular spending to earn free hotel stays.
Pros and cons of hotel credit cards
Hotel credit cards can bring a ton of value to the right traveler, but there are reasons some guests should think twice before checking in with a new card. See below for the advantages and disadvantages of hotel cards:
Pros
Free night rewards: Many hotel credit cards offer free nights as a sign-up or anniversary bonus, or you can accumulate points to redeem for a hotel stay.
Loyalty status: Hotel cards can help you climb elite status and get exclusive benefits such as dining credits, early check-in, and room upgrades.
Substantial sign-up bonuses: With many hotel credit cards, you can get many points soon after opening your account and spending the required amount in a certain timeframe.
Sweeten your stays: Some hotel cards come with perks that’ll improve your travel experience, including expedited security credits and airport lounge access.
Cons
Annual fees: Some hotel cards have annual fees as high as $500 to $700.
Inflexibility: Cobranded cards may have limited redemption options beyond booking free nights.
Who should get a hotel credit card?
You should get a hotel credit card if:
You frequently stay at hotels, especially if you’re loyal to a particular brand.
You want to earn free nights or hotel status faster.
You can use cardholder benefits such as dining credits, early check-in, late checkout, and room upgrades.
You shouldn’t get a hotel credit card if:
You don’t travel frequently.
You usually stay at Airbnbs, campgrounds, or other non-hotel lodging.
How to choose a hotel credit card
Hotel cards often come loaded with attractive benefits and lucrative welcome offers, but before you jump on an offer, consider these key factors:
How often do you stay in hotels—and with which brands? If you’re loyal to a specific hotel chain or frequently stay in hotels for business or leisure, a co-branded card can offer strong value through bonus points, elite status, and on-property perks. But if your travel habits vary or you prefer flexibility, a general travel rewards card might be a better fit.
What kind of perks matter most to you? Some hotel cards offer benefits like free breakfast, room upgrades, or annual free night certificates. Others focus more on point-earning potential or elite status boosts. Think about whether you’d use those benefits often enough to justify the card’s annual fee.
Will you earn enough points to make it worthwhile? Review the bonus categories and everyday earning potential. If you won’t be spending much at hotels throughout the year, make sure the card also rewards your typical spending—such as groceries, dining, or gas—so you’re not leaving value on the table.
Are you likely to carry a balance? Hotel credit cards typically have higher APRs than low-interest cards. If you won’t pay your balance in full each month, the interest charges could outweigh any travel rewards. In that case, a low-interest card or general travel card with flexible redemptions may be a better choice.
How to make the most of your hotel credit card
Book directly with hotel brands to earn the highest rewards and qualify for perks such as upgrades, free Wi-Fi, or late checkout.
Keep track of your benefits, including annual credits or free night awards.
Earn points with hotel and everyday purchases.
Sign up for hotel brand offers and bonus point events to earn more for your stays.
Alternatives to hotel credit cards
If a hotel credit card doesn’t align with your travel habits or spending habits, here are a few alternatives that might offer more flexibility or broader value:
Cash-back credit cards: If you prefer simplicity and versatility, a cash-back card might be a better fit. Instead of travel-specific perks, you earn a percentage of your spending back as cash, often with elevated rewards on categories such as dining, groceries, or gas. You can use those rewards to book any hotel, cover other travel costs, or simply offset your monthly statement.
Hotel loyalty programs without the card: You don’t need a credit card to join a hotel’s loyalty program. You can still earn points and enjoy some perks — like free Wi-Fi or discounted member rates — just by booking directly with the hotel and using your loyalty number. While you won’t earn as quickly as you would with a co-branded card, it’s a no-cost way to get rewarded for your stays.
How we picked the best hotel credit cards
Our editorial team and expert review board analyzed more than 340 travel credit cards to identify the top hotel credit card offers currently on the market. The main factors we considered include:
Base rewards rate and points value: Co-branded hotel credit cards can offer anywhere between 3X and 10X points on brand purchases. General purpose travel cards offer between 1.25X and 2X rewards on general purchases. We looked at where a card’s return rate fell in those applicable categories. We also considered how much points were worth within a hotel’s loyalty program or the issuer’s rewards program.
Welcome bonus and/or anniversary bonus: The best hotel credit cards often offer extra points worth a free night’s stay or simply a free night’s stay in exchange for spending a certain amount of money on the card within a set timeframe, usually your first three months. Some also offer a free night or big bonus points on your account anniversary. We more heavily weighted cards that touted these benefits.
Ancillary perks and amenities: Common “extras” associated with top hotel credit cards include elite status within the brand’s loyalty program, which entitles you to room upgrades, free Wi-Fi, late checkout, early check-in, complimentary bottles of water and more.
Rates and fees: Hotel credit cards are rewards credit cards, which tend to carry higher APRs than low interest credit cards. They also sometimes charge an annual fee for membership. We still considered whether the APR was reasonable for this card category and if an annual fee was justified or easily recouped via the card benefits.
Full criteria used: Rewards rates, rewards categories, welcome bonuses, size of hotel network, transfer partners, point values, other travel benefits, annual fee, other rates and fees, redemption options and flexibility, customer service, credit needed, elite status, ability to upgrade and downgrade.
† All information regarding credit card point valuations is provided by The Points Guy
A hotel credit card is usually co-branded with a specific hotel chain, such as Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt. These cards reward you primarily for spending with that brand and often come with perks like elite status, free nights, and on-site credits.
In contrast, a general travel rewards card earns flexible points or miles that can be redeemed with multiple hotel brands, airlines, or for other travel expenses. If you’re loyal to one hotel brand, a co-branded hotel card may offer better value. But if you prefer flexibility, a general travel card could be a smarter choice.
Many hotel credit cards offer an annual free night certificate as part of their benefits. These certificates are typically valid for a hotel stay within a certain category or points cap, and they often expire after 12 months. Some cards also offer a free night after reaching a certain spending threshold. Be sure to read the fine print—blackout dates may apply, and you may be responsible for resort fees or taxes.
Yes, many co-branded hotel credit cards automatically grant you entry-level elite status in the hotel’s loyalty program. This can include benefits like room upgrades, late checkout, free breakfast, or bonus points on stays. Some premium cards may offer mid-tier or even top-tier status, while others allow you to earn higher status through annual spending milestones.
Yes, though redemptions for hotel stays usually offer the best value. Many hotel loyalty programs allow you to redeem points for things like gift cards, merchandise, or experiences—but these options often yield a lower value per point. Some programs also let you transfer points to airline partners, which can open up more flexible travel options if you have a large point balance.
It depends on the card and how you plan to use it. Some hotel cards offer value even to occasional travelers—particularly those with no annual fee or annual free night certificates that can offset the cost of the card. However, if you rarely stay in hotels or aren’t loyal to a specific brand, a cash-back or general travel rewards card may offer more flexibility and year-round value.
About the Author
Jeanine Skowronski
Jeanine Skowronski is a credit card expert, analyst, and multimedia journalist with over 10 years of experience covering business and personal finance. She has previously served as the Head of Content at Policygenius, Executive Editor of Credit.com, Deputy Editor at American Banker, Staff Reporter at TheStreet and a columnist for Inc. Magazine.
About the Author
Jessica Merritt
Jessica Merritt is a personal finance writer with 8 years of experience covering credit cards, banking, and financial wellness. She specializes in turning complex financial topics into clear, actionable advice, with work featured in U.S. News, CNN Underscored, and DepositAccounts.com.
About the Editor
Tracy Stewart
Tracy Stewart is a personal finance writer specializing in credit card loyalty programs, travel benefits, and consumer protections. He previously covered travel rewards credit cards, budget travel, and aviation news at SmarterTravel Media. His money-saving tips have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, MarketWatch, Vice, People, the Zoe Report and elsewhere.
About the Reviewer
Stephanie Zito
Stephanie Zito is a professional traveler, humanitarian and credit card points collector sharing savvy travel tips she has learned firsthand from more than 20 years of circling the globe as a backpacker, expat and premium traveler in more than 125 countries and all seven continents.
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