I'm on the hunt for a travel credit card (or a few that work well together) for my specific situation. I work for an airline so I get free domestic flights and very cheap flights internationally so I'm not interested in flight benefits. I would prefer to use my points and rewards towards hotels and accommodation but am unsure of which card to choose. I am not loyal to a specific hotel brand, usually just choosing where I stay based on my desired location in each city and what available and comparing price to amenities and reviews. From my research on travel cards so far it seems that transferring points to a hotel partner with that card is the best value for redemption. How do I know what partners to look for if I am not loyal to one hotel brand? Things I want in the card is no foreign transaction fees, and rental car insurance through the card would be nice but not necessary. I already have global entry and recheck but priority pass would be nice too. Any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Best credit card for hotel benefits?
byu/SuitableCamel5907 inCreditCards
Posted by SuitableCamel5907
4 Comments
Just look for catch-all type travel cards that have good transfer partners. For your situation, I could see the WF autograph journey being great since it’s 5x on hotels. Could also go with the ventureX which 2% catch-all travel card.
If you plan on transferring points then you’ll need to be aware of brands each main chain transfers to.
AMEX: Marriott, Choice, Hilton
Chase: Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham, IHG
Capital One: Accor, Choice, Wyndham, I Prefer
Citi: Accor, Choice, I Prefer, Wyndham, Leaders Club
If you plan on going the transfer route, you’ll want to consider a few brands that you like (or prefer) over others by choosing the right ecosystem(s). I’m bias, but AMEX and Chase (to me) are the best as you have Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG… sounds good if you’re traveling the world.
If you’re truly not loyal and don’t care about earning elite nights/stays towards status:
– AMEX has Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) and The Hotel Collection (THC) portals. Both Platinum Cards (personal and business) also offer annual credits for FHR. The benefits you receive are nice. You’ll get global lounge access (Priority Pass, Delta SkyClub, Centurion Lounge, etc).
– Capital One’s hotel partners aren’t the best to me (I’m bias, but you might like their choices), but the Venture X card basically pays for itself. High earning rate booking through their portal, easy to redeem rewards (any travel at 1 cent or more to their partners). The 2X miles on everything is a nice touch. Combine it with the Savor Card if you spend money on groceries and you have a solid setup. Very flexible card and rewards (and easy/simple to use).
– Chase has “The Edit” which is similar to AMEX’s FHR/THC. The Reserve and Business Reserve offer benefits. Someone aligned with Chase loyalty can chime in, but again… solid option if you don’t mind booking through bank travel portals.
– Citi has a fantastic ecosystem and great cards, but they don’t scream “hotel” to me. I feel like they’re best for building rapid points that can be put towards air travel.
Primary Rental insurance = Chase. AMEX offers secondary by default, but you can sign up for Primary and AMEX will charge you $19.99 (or somewhere around that) every time you rent a card (it will kick in automatically). Still cheaper than the rental car places $100 per day (slight over exaggeration) [I use AMEX for my Primary Insurance].
You can’t avoid Priority Pass now-a-days. They give it away like candy… basically on any mid-tier to upper-tier travel card. Same with no foreign transaction fees. That’s just about all travel cards in the US.
Wells Fargo also exists. Journey is good, but that’s not my wheelhouse. Bilt… is Bilt. Haven’t kept up with them after the whole 2.0/2.1/Bilt Cash stuff.
The only way to actually see what a room costs in points is to search the hotel company’s website using “book with points.”
Websites that are more general about points don’t seem to show accurate information in my opinion. I think they mostly exist to sell people on more points credit cards.
Priority Pass isn’t something I’d suggest paying for either. If you do buy it, maybe verify you can actually get in when you’re flying standby.
If you get a cash back credit card instead you could save for any hotel with no restrictions and no annual fees.
Beware all the people pushing Venture X. They explicitly list in their terms they don’t match member prices on hotels.
Hilton Aspire earns 34x at Hilton, it’s insane