Best Hotel Credit Cards of April 2024

If you're a frequent guest of any hotel chains, picking up one of the best hotel credit cards is a game changer. These cards all earn rewards points that you can turn into free nights and score big savings on every trip.

In addition, many hotel cards have special benefits that improve your travels, such as elite status in hotel loyalty programs, complimentary breakfasts, and even statement credits toward hotel purchases. All you need is the right hotel credit card for you. You'll find the best offers below.

Here are the key details for the top hotel credit cards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Great for: Travel rewards bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers one of the bigger travel rewards bonuses we've come across. It earns versatile and valuable Ultimate Rewards points that you can use with multiple hotels.

Read the full Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Great for: Luxury travel perks

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a high-end travel card with a $300 annual spending credit toward travel purchases. Cardholders get special hotel benefits when booking with The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection℠.

Read the full Chase Sapphire Reserve® review

Citi Premier® Card

Great for: Hotel rewards and savings

The Citi Premier® Card earns an impressive 3 points per $1 in multiple bonus categories, including hotel purchases. It includes a $100 hotel savings on a single hotel stay of $500 or more booked through thankyou.com once per calendar year.

Read the full Citi Premier® Card review

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Great for: Luxury travel perks

The Platinum Card® from American Express is packed with travel benefits, including a robust rewards program, elite status with multiple hotels, and valuable statement credits. Terms apply.

Read the full The Platinum Card® from American Express review

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Great for: Marriott benefits

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has a modest annual fee that is justifiable even for the occasional traveler staying at Marriott properties. The rewards program and sign-up bonus are standout features.

Read the full Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card review

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Great for: Marriott benefits

If you frequent Marriott properties, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a practical no-brainer. While the annual fee is high (see rates and fees), it packs in a big welcome offer and lucrative rewards program. Terms apply.

Read the full Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card review

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Great for: IHG® benefits

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers a free night every account year, complimentary Platinum Elite status, and up to 26 points per $1 spent at IHG® hotels.

Read the full IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card review

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

Great for: Hyatt benefits

The World of Hyatt Credit Card includes up to two free nights per year, complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status, and a big introductory welcome bonus.

Read the full The World of Hyatt Credit Card review

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Great for: Premium Hilton benefits

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card includes a robust rewards program on Hilton Hotels, certain flights, and U.S. restaurants (terms apply). But you'll need to frequent the properties to make the most of the annual fee (see rates and fees).

Read the full Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card review

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Great for: Hilton benefits

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is the lower annual fee cousin of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. While the fee is lower, the card still includes a big welcome offer and rich rewards program (terms apply, see rates and fees). This is the Hilton card to choose if you're staying at Hilton properties a few times per year.

Read the full Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review

A hotel credit card earns points that you can redeem for free hotel stays. Most hotel credit cards are tied to a specific hotel chain and earn points in that hotel's loyalty program. The cards in this travel category often have special hotel benefits, such as complimentary elite status in the hotel brand's loyalty program and free night certificates every card membership year.

There are also hotel credit cards that aren't tied to a specific hotel brand. Instead, they earn travel points that you can use for bookings with multiple hotel chains. Some of the best travel credit cards let you book with a variety of hotels and airlines using your rewards. Since they're not connected to a single hotel chain, these cards give you more flexibility with the hotels you book. But they usually don't have the hotel-specific benefits you get with more traditional hotel credit cards.

To compare hotel credit cards, first decide if you want a card tied to a hotel chain or a more general travel credit card with a rewards program that lets you book multiple hotels. This helps you narrow down your options.

Once you know which type of card you want, you can compare credit cards side by side. Here are the most important features to look at:

• Welcome bonus: An introductory offer for new cardholders. These bonuses typically include a bonus amount and a spending requirement, such as 100,000 points for spending $4,000 on eligible purchases in three months.
• Rewards: The amount of points a credit card earns on eligible purchases. Hotel credit cards usually earn more points in certain bonus categories, such as purchases at the hotel itself.
• Annual fee: The annual cost of a credit card. You can find hotel credit cards at every price point, from no annual fee at all to over $500 per year. Many of the best credit card offers fall into the $95-to-$250 range.
• Hotel benefits: Any special hotel perks the credit card offers, either with a specific hotel or multiple hotels. Popular hotel benefits include complimentary elite status, free night certificates, and hotel booking discounts.

The best credit card for hotels is The Platinum Card® from American Express. It includes complimentary Marriott Bonvoy™ Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status (enrollment required), premium rewards on hotels booked through amextravel.com, and complimentary benefits at over 1,000 properties through the Fine Hotels & Resorts® program. It also earns American Express Membership Rewards points that are transferable to multiple hotel chains. Terms apply. Although it has a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees), it's the perfect choice if you want luxury perks with a variety of hotels.

Keep in mind that no hotel credit card is right for everybody. Depending on your travel habits, you may prefer a different option, such as a travel credit card with one hotel chain that you visit frequently. Or, if you travel outside the United States quite a bit, it would make sense to review credit cards for international travel. Check out all the best hotel credit cards so you can pick the one that will reward you the most.

Here are the biggest pros and cons of hotel credit cards:

Pros explained

Now, let's take a closer look at the advantages of hotel cards:

• Money-saving hotel benefits: The perks offered by the best hotel credit cards can save you hundreds of dollars in travel expenses every year. Free nights, elite status, and other benefits make hotel bookings much more affordable and improve the quality of your stay.
• Hotel rewards on purchases: Every hotel card earns points that you can use to book a hotel stay. They also almost always have bonus categories, which are great for maximizing credit card rewards.
• Big welcome offers: Credit cards with a sign-up bonus provide lots of upfront value. While bonus amounts vary depending on the rewards credit card, most hotel cards start you off with a big bonus reward that can get you one or more free nights.

Cons explained

It's also important to consider the disadvantages of hotel credit cards:

• Most hotel credit cards charge an annual fee: You can find travel cards with no annual fee, including hotel cards, but these are few and far between. They also don't offer nearly as much value as hotel cards with an annual fee.
• Rewards may be tied to a single hotel chain: The traditional hotel rewards credit card earns points in one hotel chain's loyalty program. If you get this type of card, then you can't use your points anywhere else or for any other travel, such as airfare.
• High interest rates: Rewards credit cards, which include hotel cards, tend to have higher interest rates than cards that don't earn any rewards. This isn't an issue if you pay your bill in full every month, but if you plan to carry a balance, it's better to look at 0% intro APR credit cards.

A hotel credit card is right for you if you stay at hotels multiple times per year. If you usually stay at the same hotel chain, look for a card with that hotel. Cards tied to a specific hotel loyalty program can be very rewarding for the hotel's most loyal guests. If you don't have a particular hotel you use most, then a more all-purpose hotel rewards card would be a better choice.

Our travel credit cards methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate travel credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria Includes rewards systems and bonus categories, rewards redemption flexibility, and sign-up bonuses.

Our highest-rated travel credit cards have:

• Rewards system and bonus categories (the earn rate of flat-rate rewards, or tiered spending categories)
• Rewards redemption flexibility and points programs (booking travel, transfer partners, statement credit, etc.)
• Sign-up bonuses that can drastically boost card value in the first year
• Perks that can offset annual fees like airport lounge access, travel credits, and TSA PreCheck reimbursement

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best travel card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring travel credit cards from reputable brands.

Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.