Flights are huge savings for us when it comes to using credit card points and miles, but another area where we see big savings is on hotel stays. One of my favorite things about points and miles is being able to stay in fancy hotels that would normally be outside of my budget. We have saved thousands of dollars by using hotel points that we have earned from credit card bonuses.

There are four major hotel chain brands, each with its own credit cards: Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG. Let’s compare the four major hotel brand credit cards to see which is the best fit for you. If you are like us, you will eventually hold credit cards from many, if not all, of these brands!

 

Things to Consider When Choosing a Hotel Brand Credit Card

When it comes to choosing a hotel card, there are some things you may want to take into consideration:

• Brand Loyalty- Do you typically book a certain hotel brand? If so, then it makes sense to open a credit card with that brand.
• Vacation Destination- If you are trying to travel to a certain destination then you want to make sure the hotel card you pick has hotels in that destination. For example, if my goal is to go to Hawaii, then I probably won’t be opening an IHG card for that trip. IHG doesn’t have any luxury resorts in Hawaii and when I go to Hawaii I prefer luxury over budget hotels.
• Current Welcome Offer- Many hotel credit cards will offer limited-time increased signup bonuses. I like to time my applications with these bonuses. Hyatt is the exception. I haven’t seen them offer an increased bonus in a couple of years. Marriott seems to offer limited-time bonuses a couple of times a year. 
• Business Travel- Do you or your spouse do some travel for work? Does your work prefer you to stay with a certain hotel brand? If so, it makes sense to open a card with that brand.
• Are You a Business Owner?- If you own your own business, then you can also look into business credit cards.
• Chase 5/24 Count- If you have opened five or more cards in the last 24 months, then Chase will not approve you for any more of their cards. Two of the Marriott cards listed below, the World of Hyatt card and the IHG card, are issued by Chase, so you would not be approved for these cards. If you are over 5/24, you could apply for one of the Amex-issued Marriott cards or a Hilton credit card, which is also issued by Amex.

 

Marriott Hotel Credit Cards

Marriott has a very large footprint all over the world, with 30 brands and over 7,000 hotels globally. Marriott used to have an award chart but has moved to dynamic pricing. Unfortunately, that means that their stays now cost more in points.

There are six Marriott credit cards you can choose from, three issued by Chase and three issued by American Express. You won’t be able to open both a Chase and American Express card, you will need to choose just one brand. Marriott has a great benefit of your 5th night free when booking award stays. Here is a list of all of the Marriott credit cards:

• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card 
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Credit Card

 

 

 

Hyatt Hotel Credit Card

World of Hyatt Credit Card

Hyatt keeps things simple! There are only two Hyatt credit cards, The World of Hyatt Card and The World of Hyatt Business Card, which are both issued by Chase. Hyatt offers no resort fees on award stays, and this can be a big saving! I really like Hyatt because I can transfer my Chase Ultimate Rewards into my Hyatt account. I can do this with Marriott and IHG as well, but it’s not a good value. It is a good value with Hyatt because of Hyatt’s pretty reasonable award chart. 

The World of Hyatt card has a free annual night certificate that can be used at a category 1-4 hotel. You can also earn another free night if you spend $15,000 on the card in a year. To learn more about the Hyatt card and why I love it, check out this post.

 

 

 

Hilton Hotel Credit Cards

Hilton offers four credit cards- a no-annual fee card, a personal card with an annual fee, a business card, and a luxury card. What is great about Hilton is they allow you to hold each card, which gives you the potential to rack up a lot of Hilton points! Add your significant other to the mix, and you can REALLY accumulate a lot of Hilton points. As a holder of any Hilton card, you will get your 5th night free on award stays.

Hilton cards are issued by American Express, which means these cards fall under the “once per lifetime” rule…meaning you can’t receive the bonus on these cards more than one time. Hilton also makes it easy to get elite status. Just by holding the Hilton Aspire card, you will have Diamond Status, Hilton’s top-tier status. If elite benefits are important to you, then Hilton may be the way to go! If you would like a more detailed guide to the Hilton cards, check out this post.

 

IHG Hotel Cards

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

This is IHG’s entry-level card. It doesn’t have an annual fee and does not come with a free night certificate each year. I would only get this card if I wanted to increase my IHG points.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

IHG stands for Intercontinental Hotel Group. These include brands like Intercontinental, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and more. The IHG card is offered by Chase  

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

Between these four major hotel brands, you will find a lot of credit card choices! We recommend going with an annual fee card, you won’t get as big of a signup bonus or lasting benefits (like an annual free night certificate) from a no annual fee card. Remember the things to consider that were listed at the beginning of this post when trying to decide which card is right for you. As always, send us an email anytime if you’d like a more personalized recommendation.