These last few weeks, we’ve seen some of the best hotel credit card reward offers that I’ve seen in quite some time. It seems that banks are stepping up the competition to be the best Hotel Credit Card out there. I will give a review of the latest updates as of today, October 5th, 2020. I will also put in order of which one I would get first. If you are looking for other credit card offers, be sure to check out our Top Credit Cards Page.
- $95 annual fee
- Earn 3 free nights (each valued at 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Earn 3x on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Annual free night (up to 35,000 points) on the account anniversary
- Earn up to 17x Bonvoy points per dollar at over 7,000 hotels participating
- 15 Elite Night Credits each Calendar Year
- Automatic Silver Elite Status
- Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend
For a limited time, you can get 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months of card opening. If you are under 5/24, this is definitely a great card to get if you are looking for hotel stays. Keep in mind these free certificates have a 12-month expiration date.
If you haven’t seen Rob’s article of the Top 5 Aspirational Marriott Properties, there were a few gems that are less than category 7. One of my favorites I am looking forward to is the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort and Spa in Vietnam.
Let’s check out a few other locations you can stay at.
Locations you can stay at for 50,000 points or less:
- The Ritz-Carlton Bali (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- Le Méridien Bora Bora (50,000 off-peak, 60,000 standard, 70,000 peak)
- The St. Regis Singapore (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- JW Marriott Chicago (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- Especially great if you love the Pink Flamingos in Aruba!
- Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort (40,000 off-peak, 50,000 standard, 60,000 peak)
- The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, Autograph Collection (50,000 off-peak, 60,000 standard, 70,000 peak)
- Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa (12,500 points per night- I know its not the standard rates but this hotel was amazing)
- To see other locations, check out Marriott.com here.
I highly recommend combining with the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you are looking for an airline card first. Their elevated 80,000 welcome offer won’t last long.
Don’t quite need Airline or Hotel credit cards just yet? If you are looking for a Cash Back Credit Card, 0% intro APR or a Balance Transfer Card, we’ve got you covered with our Top Credit Card Offers.
2. IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
- $99 annual fee, waived the first year
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points + 1 free night after spending $3,000 in 3 months
- Free reward night when you redeem points for any stay 4 nights or more
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
- Earn up to 26 points per $1 when you stay at an IHG hotel
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit up to $100 every 4 years
The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is normally IHG 80,000 Rewards points and provides incredible value for what you get. Annual free award night certificates, Platinum Elite Status, and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credits? This card is a definite must. Again, like the Marriott, you must be under 5/24 to apply.
This past February, Dave & I took a trip to Grand Cayman and stayed at the Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa. Rates are around 70,000 per night meaning with this card you can get almost 2 nights at this beautiful resort. Team up with the Southwest Companion Pass, and you have a long weekend getaway for free with you and your loved one! Want to conserve your points? Let us check out some other options.
Locations you can stay at for 5+ nights
Besides the amazing Kimpton Seafire, there are plenty of high-quality resorts you can stay at within the Intercontinental portfolio to get the most bang for your buck. In fact, there are plenty of 10,000 point night rooms which would give you 2 weeks somewhere for free! This makes the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card one of the best hotel credit card reward points for 2020.
- Holiday Inn Cape Town City Center- (South Africa) 10,000 points per night- 2 weeks free!
- InterContinental Osaka (Japan)– 60,000 points per night (we stayed here in 2019 and it was incredible value) – 2 nights
- Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea (Jordan)- 20,000 points per night for a one week stay
- Holiday Inn Express Bali Raya Kuta (Indonesia)- 10,000 points per night
- InterContinental Pattaya Resort (Thailand) – 15,000 points per night- 9 night stay
- Kimpton Journeyman (Milwaukee, WI)- 30,000 points per night
- Holiday Inn Mauritius Mon Tresor (Mauritius)- 20,000 points per night
- Holiday Inn Paris – Versailles – Bougival (France)- 15,000 points per night
3. IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card
- $0 Annual Fee
- 80,000 bonus after $2,000 spend in 3 months
- Redeem 3 nights, get the 4th night free
I wanted to give the IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card an honorable mention. This card has great value at a $0 annual fee card and also has less spending requirements in those 3 months. You can use this card with the same above hotels as the points are the same, you just earn less of them. Again, you have to be under 5/24 for this Chase branded card.
**The only reason this is before the Hilton Card is if you are under 5/24**
4. Hilton Honors Aspire
- $450 Annual Fee
- 150,000 Hilton Honors Points after you spend $4,000 in 3 months
- Diamond Status
- Annual Weekend Night Reward
- $250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit
- $250 Airline Fee Credit
- $100 On Property Hilton Resort Credit
- Priority Pass Select
While the Hilton Honors Aspire offer hasn’t significantly changed, this is one of my favorite hotel credit cards. This card does come with the highest annual fee, but it is a card I have in my wallet and will stand by it for the benefits. If you maximize the $250 Hilton Resort and $250 Airline Fee credits each year, this card makes you $50. Then add in the free annual weekend night reward, you really benefit. We used the free weekend night rewards at the Hilton Conrad Osaka which was over $600 a night. The automatic diamond status also gives you access to club lounges, which has saved us hundreds over the years on food and beverages.
Best Hotel Credit Card Rewards for Hilton
Hilton nights are definitely higher point-value wise than the other previously mentioned hotels. However, I believe there is plenty of value to be found by utilizing their points.
- Conrad Bali (Indonesia)- 35,000-60,000 points per night
- Hilton Athens (Greece)- 60,000 points per night
- Conrad Osaka- 95,000 points per night
- Hilton Reykjavik Nordica (Iceland)- 60,000 points per night
- Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan Hotel & Casino- 50,000 points per night
- Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach (Hawaii)- 50,000 points per night
- Hilton Tokyo Odaiba (Japan)- 44,000 points per night
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the Top Hotels to book with Hilton Honors points to get the best bang for your buck! If you are UNDER 5/24, this is not the card for you. Snag one of the other Chase cards first then come back to get this later on.
Basic Review
Our Best Credit Card Reward Offers out there right now made the list based on welcome offer bonuses as well as the value of the card. Most of these offers are only available for a limited time so be sure to apply for them sooner or later. Remember, you can always take time to stack up your points to book an epic vacation once travel gets back to normal. We love building up our points and finding out where we can utilize them for a big summer trip.
If you are looking for more points booking opportunities, check out some of our yearly overviews below for more ideas!
Lastly, we appreciate if you use our links as it does help support our website and keep it running. You can find our links on our Top Credit Cards Page.
