The best hotel credit cards offer perks for frequent travelers, such as automatic elite status, points for hotel stays and other spending and the potential to earn free hotel nights and elite status. Some hotel credit cards offer a free night as either an annual membership benefit or through spending milestones, which helps make those cards more valuable and offset a card’s annual fee.
In this guide, we cover the best hotel credit cards that offer a free night award, plus other important details you should know about each one.
Top hotel credit cards for free nights
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is an excellent choice for Hyatt enthusiasts. You can earn a free night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary and an additional free night if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year. For a $95 annual fee, you’ll also get automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status, five elite qualifying night credits, and an extra two elite night credits for every $5,000 spent on the card. World of Hyatt points are significantly more valuable than other hotel programs, worth around 2.3 each.
Pros
The potential to earn two free nights annually for a $95 fee offers outstanding value.
You can earn up to 9X World of Hyatt points on Hyatt stays, which is over a 20 percent return.
Cons
Free nights earned with this card won’t work at Hyatt’s top properties.
If you use a free night certificate, you can’t use other awards like suite upgrades on the same reservation.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card provides solid mid-tier value with a free night award worth up to 35,000 points each year on their cardmember anniversary. You can also top-up this award by 15,000 points, meaning you can book a room worth up to 50,000 points. Other cardholder benefits include earning up to 17X points on paid Marriott stays, automatic Silver Elite status, 15 elite night credits each year and an additional elite night for every $5,000 spent on the card.
Pros
The ability to top-up the free night certificate allows for more booking flexibility.
The card earns bonuses in many everyday spending categories.
Cons
Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t as valuable as other currencies, worth around .7 cents each.
The lower value of the free night certificate excludes many Marriott properties from consideration.
The best use of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card free night award is at international properties, which tend to have lower point rates. The award is worth up to 40,000 points, but you can top it up for as many additional points as needed for any property. You’ll also get Platinum Elite status, your fourth night free when redeeming points and a $100 credit if you spend $20,000 in a calendar year.
Pros
Stacking the fourth-night-free benefit with the free night certificate can provide substantial savings.
You can earn up to 26X points on IHG stays, a return of over 18 percent.
Cons
Free night certificates aren’t as valuable domestically due to higher point rates.
This card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is Hilton’s premium hotel credit card, offering significant value in exchange for a $550 annual fee. You’ll get a free night certificate each year, with the potential to spend your way to an additional two free nights. Hilton is the only program that offers unrestricted free night certificates that you can use at the most expensive properties. You’ll also get automatic Hilton Diamond status, $400 in Hilton Resort statement credits, $200 in airline credits and more.
Pros
You can get substantial value if you use free night certificates at Hilton’s luxury resorts, especially when combined with Hilton resort credits.
Airline credits work on a broader range of purchases than the credits on other American Express cards.
Cons
The high annual fee can be difficult to justify if you don’t maximize your credits and free night certificate.
You can earn better rates on everyday spending with lower-fee Hilton co-branded cards.
While the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard doesn’t earn a free night award, you get the flexibility of earning 30,000 bonus points each year on your account anniversary. With point rates starting at 8,000 points, this can be worth up to three free nights. You also won’t have to deal with an expiration date like other free night certificates. The card also gives you automatic Platinum elite status and a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck of up to $120 every four years.
Pros
The anniversary bonus points can easily offset the card’s annual fee.
Getting points instead of a free night certificate offers more flexibility.
Cons
Choice properties don’t offer as many top-tier brands.
Additional benefits on this card are lacking compared to other hotel cards.
Comparing the best hotel credit cards for free nights
Hotel credit cards offer free night incentives in different ways, some more valuable than others. Here are our top picks for hotel credit cards offering free night perks.
Card name
Best for
Free night perk
Annual fee
Recommended credit score
The World of Hyatt Credit Card*
Point value
Get a free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year on your cardmember anniversary. Earn an extra free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
$95
670 – 850
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*
Mid-level free nights
Get a free night on your account anniversary with a redemption level of up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
$95
670 – 850
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card*
International value
Get a free night on your account anniversary with a redemption level of up to 40,000 IHG One Rewards points
$99
670 – 850
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*
Luxury resorts
Get an annual free night reward for any Hilton property every year upon card renewal. Earn an additional free night reward if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year. Earn an additional free night reward if you spend $60,000 in a calendar year
$550
Good to Excellent
Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®
Anniversary points
Earn 30,000 bonus points each account anniversary, enough for up to 3 reward nights at Choice hotels
$95
670 – 850
How to choose the best hotel credit cards for free nights
The best hotel credit card for free nights is subjective based on your needs. Consider the following factors when deciding which hotel credit card is best for you.
Choose your favorite hotel brand
If you frequently stay with the same hotel brand or prefer specific luxury resorts, picking up one of their co-branded credit cards makes sense. If multiple cards are available, decide which offers you the best value for your money and spending needs.
Evaluate the annual fee
While many hotel credit cards charge annual fees, some charge as little as $75, while others charge as high as $650. These premium hotel credit cards can be worth the fee if you use all their perks, but it still helps to decide what kind of annual fee you’re willing to pay and whether it’s worth it. Weigh the value of the perks and the free night certificate to ensure you’re coming out ahead.
Decide on additional perks
You’ll also want to consider which benefits will give you proper value. Must-have perks for frequent travelers might include automatic elite status, property credits, airport lounge access or statement credits for expedited security screening. When evaluating the value of free night certificates, you could shop around to see the cash rates at properties where you might consider using them. If you choose a card with a high annual fee, you’ll want to make sure the perks you get help offset the cost.
Maximize welcome offers
The initial welcome offer you can earn can significantly boost your point balance, which can work well with the new features your card offers. Just make sure you can meet the minimum spending requirement. Since hotel points are worth different amounts, look over hotel redemption options to see how you might use the points you earn and what they are logistically worth.
Alternatives to hotel credit cards
You might think that free night certificates have too many restrictions, such as an expiration date or limitations on which properties they can be used for. You might also not want to be tied down or loyal to a specific brand and prefer added flexibility. If so, consider flexible travel cards, particularly those that offer hotel programs as transfer partners. Here are the hotel partners that each major issuer allows you to transfer points to:
Issuer
Hotel partners
Transfer ratio
Chase
IHG One Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy®
World of Hyatt®
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
American Express
Choice Privileges
Hilton Honors
Marriott Bonvoy®
1,000:1,000
1,000:2,000
1,000:1,500
Citi
Accor Live Limitless
Choice Privileges
Leaders Club
Wyndham Rewards
1,000:500
1,000:2,000
1,000:200
1,000:1,200
Capital One
Accor Live Limitless
Choice Privileges
Wyndham Rewards
1,000:500
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
Wells Fargo
Bilt Rewards
Accor Live Limitless
Hilton Honors
IHG One Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy®
World of Hyatt®
3,000:2,000
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
1,000:1,000
Frequently asked questions
The number of points you need for a free hotel stay varies dramatically based on the program. For example, free nights with the World of Hyatt program start as low as 3,500 points over off-peak dates. On the other end of the spectrum, booking a top-tier luxury resort with Hilton can easily set you back 100,000 points or more per night.
Free hotel night certificates typically let you book a free night up to a certain amount of points with a specific hotel brand. Depending on the program and card, you can also top up the value by a certain amount. For example, Marriott allows you to pay up to 15,000 additional points for a room exceeding the value of your certificate, meaning you can use a 35,000-point certificate to book a night worth 50,000 points if you have the additional points available.
Free hotel night certificates can be well worth it if you use them. If the cash value of the night you use your certificate exceeds what you paid for the annual fee, you come out ahead.
What’s next?
Check out the resources below to find a card that matches your travel needs and can help you budget for your next trip.
The bottom line
The best hotel credit cards for free nights offer incentives for free night awards, whether on your cardmember anniversary or through spending incentives, as well as perks like automatic elite status and elevated on-property earnings.
Most cards that offer this perk set a limit on the number of points a free night can be redeemed for. Make sure to read the fine print regarding how you can use your free night award to help you stay at the properties you aspire towards or will get the best use from.
*The information about the World of Hyatt Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
