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Best Hotel Credit Card Rewards 2020

Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings and MileValue may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer available. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. You can view our current offers here.

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.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

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

Top Features

  •  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

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)
  • 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.

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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

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Top Features

  •  Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
  •  Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants.
  •  Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  •  Enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive 4-night IHG® hotel stay.
  •  Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business card member
  •  Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card

The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card Rewards points provide 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.

Kimpton Seafire, Grand Cayman

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
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3. IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card

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Top Features

  •  Earn up to 17 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
  • Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, gas stations, and restaurants.
  •  Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
  •  No Foreign Transaction Fees
  •  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 American Express Aspire Card

 Earn 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.  Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of Select Travel eligible purchases Including flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies.  Earn 7X on Dining At U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.  Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.  Includes Complimentary Diamond Status, Annual Free Weekend Night Award, $250 Resort Credit, and a $250 Airline Incidentals Credit.  Terms Apply

Top Features

  •  Earn 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
  •  Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of Select Travel eligible purchases Including flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies.
  •  Earn 7X on Dining At U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
  •  Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
  •  Includes Complimentary Diamond Status, Annual Free Weekend Night Award, $250 Resort Credit, and a $250 Airline Incidentals Credit.
  •  Terms Apply

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by basictravelcouple.com

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.

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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.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings and MileValue may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The comments section below responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Top Credit Card Offers

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Chase Freedom Flexâ„ 

5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%.
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An easy-going, fun-loving couple who have a passion for adventure and exploring the world! Our strategies have saved us over $100,000 in travel over the last four years, and our goal is to help you do the same.

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