If you spend a lot of time on the road, and enjoy staying at quality hotels and resorts, a hotel rewards credit card might be a smart option.
While hotel rewards credit cards don’t offer the perks of 0% APR credit cards or low APR balance transfer credit cards, if you pay your credit card balances off each month these credit cards can save you serious money on hotel costs.
Hotel rewards cards are typically divided by hotel group, such as Starwood and Hilton. Both offer great deals to consumers who rack up a good amount of credit each month.
Let’s take a look at the two rewards programs to discover the pros and cons of both programs.
First we’ll look at the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express®:
The big benefit here is the 10,000 free Starpoints that you get with your first purchase so long as it’s within the first year of your credit card being open, and that you are a first-time Starwood member. Keep in mind that 2,000 Starpoints is enough for a “Category 1” hotel on a weekend night.
The Starwoods hotel rewards credit card also gives you 1 starpoint for every $1 charged, and hotel reservations have no blackout dates. And if you transfer 20,000 Starpoints into airline miles, you’ll be awarded 5,000 bonus miles.
Starwoods hotel group also includes some amazing hotels such as the Sheraton group, W hotels, Le Meridien, Westin, and St. Regis just to name a few, located throughout the world.
The only real downside is the $45 annual fee, which is waived the first year the credit card is open.
The next hotel rewards credit card we’ll review is the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Card from American Express®:
The clear benefit of using the Hilton HHonors credit card is the lack of an annual fee, along with 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase and 2,500 bonus points for each of your first four stays at any Hilton.
The rewards point can add up fast if you take advantage of their 5 to 1 HHonors points to dollars ratio by using the credit card at supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants, and everyday bills.
You’ll also get to take advantage of the quality Hilton family of hotels throughout the world, and if you charge a decent amount each month, you’ll be able to earn free nights fast. Keep in mind that to earn the bonus 10,000 HHonors bonus points, you need to make a purchase within the first month of approval.
Both of the above hotel rewards credit cards are solid picks, but the decision really depends on which hotel group you prefer to stay with. And if you don’t mind paying $30 a year for the Starwoods credit card. Either way, these credit cards are a great way to earn free hotel stays quickly and frequently.
With a hotel rewards specific credit card, you can earn free hotel stays much, much quicker than using a traditional rewards card.
