The Top Hotel Credit Cards for May 2017

Hotel credit cards are definitely not created equally and measuring them up against each other is very difficult for a number of reasons. For one, they often offer perks like elite status that is hard to quantify and personal preference plays a large role in determining the value of sign-up bonuses. Furthermore, some cards like the SPG and Marriott cards offer unique ways to redeem points, such that the value in cents per point easily dwarfs other cards. With that being said, here are my top 7 hotel credit cards as of May 6, 2017. 

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1. Marriott Rewards Card

• 80,000 Marriott points after $3,000 spend; 7,500 points when you add an authorized user
• $85 annual fee (not waived)
• Free anniversary night at category 1-5
• Automatic Silver status

At .08 cents per point, this total sign-up bonus is estimated at around $700 of value. Plus, you get the free anniversary night at category 1 through 5 hotels, which can add another couple of hundred of bucks in value each year (although you have to pay the annual fee).

87,500 Marriott points can definitely get you a couple of nights at some high quality properties. But this card is special because you can transfer these Marriott points to SPG for about 29,000 SPG points, which can be transferred to nearly 30 different airlines as approximately 34,000 miles (due to the 25% SPG transfer bonus).

And while the card earns bonus category points on restaurants, car rentals, and airlines, it’s probably best to put your spend on the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express to earn more Marriott points.

• Read more about the Marriott Rewards credit card here.

It’s important to note that while the personal version of this card is subject to 5/24, the business version of this card is not.

2. Hilton HHonors™ Surpass® Card from American Express

• 100,000 Honors points after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months
• Annual fee $75 (not waived)
• Free weekend night award after your first anniversary of Card Membership.
• Automatic Hilton Honors Gold status.

The Hilton HHonors™ Surpass® Card from American Express card is offering its best ever sign-up bonus and it now comes with a free night after your first anniversary. That free weekend night can be used for almost any Hilton property including those at the top, meaning that it could hold value near $1,000! So if you combined that free night with your 100,000 Hilton points from the sign-up bonus for maximum value, you could be looking at close to $2,000 in value. 

I think this card is perfect for couples looking to plan a trip around two years in advance and hoping to stay at top Hilton properties. I have it placed above the other Hilton cards because I think it offers the best value after year one.

• You can read more about the card here.

3. Chase Hyatt Card

• 2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide of any category when you spend $2,000 or more during the first 3 months
• Get 5,000 bonus points after you add an authorized user to your account and make a purchase with your card during the first 3 months from account opening
• Plus, 1 free night every year after your cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 property
• $75 annual fee (not waived)

What makes this card so valuable is that it offers you two free nights at Hyatt properties of any category and they can be used on any night of the week. So unlike the Citi® Hilton HHonors Reserve Card, you’re not limited to only weekend plans and it makes it much easier to utilize this benefit. Like the Ritz-Carlton, standard rooms at the top categories like the Park Hyatt can sometimes go for close $1,000 a night, so there’s potential to gain a ton in value from this card.

The card offers the new “Discoverist” elite status which leaves a bit to be desired but the free anniversary night can easily cover the annual fee so this card can definitely be a keeper. Also, this is one of the few Chase cards not subject to the 5/24 Rule and for that alone, it’s a more appealing card.

• Read more about the Chase Hyatt Card here.

4. Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

• Earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months
• Annual fee: $95 (waived first year)

I value this card a lot because you can can use SPG points for free nights at SPG properties, transfer them at a 1:3 ratio to Marriott, transfer them out to over 30 airlines at a 1:1.25 ratio when transferring 20,000 points or more, and utilize them in a number of other different ways, such as SPG Moments.

The business version of the SPG card is very similar but it also offers Sheraton lounge access, although it comes with a higher minimum spend at $5,000.

5. Hilton HHonors Card from American Express

• Earn 80,000 HHonors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months.
• Silver Honors status and fast track to Honors Gold status when you make $20,000 or more in purchases each calendar year
• Earn 500 Hilton Honors Bonus Points when you use your Card to both book online and pay for your Hilton stay
• No annual fee

I have this card ranked so high because 80,000 Hilton Honors points for no annual fee is a great deal. 80,000 Hilton Honors points can get you a couple of free nights at a major city if you play it right or you could stretch those into several nights at a lower property. Considering that this card has no annual fee, I consider this to be a keeper. ‘

Plus, you might eventually get an offer from American Express later on to upgrade to the Surpass and be able to earn an additional sign-up bonus without incurring a hard pull on your credit report.

6. Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card

• 2  free nights after $5,000 spend at Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton properties
• Priority Pass lounge access
• Marriott Gold status (first year)
• $300 annual travel credit 
• $450 annual fee (not waived)

I recently stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park in New York and while I wasn’t overly impressed with the property, I got two free nights which would’ve have each cost about $1,000 a night! So there’s potential to get a large return in value with this card and the Priority Pass lounge access (valued at $399) is a sweet addition to the card. I might hold off on this card to see if the 3 free night offer returns, however.

• Read more on my take of the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card here.

 

7. Hilton Honors™ Reserve Card

• 2 free weekend nights after making $2,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening and a $100 statement credit
• Hilton Gold Status
• $95 annual fee (not waived)

There are multiple Hilton cards but this card offers you the most potential value (from a sign up bonus) since you could redeem your free night certificates for the most expensive Hilton properties, which could go for over $1,000 a night. Still, the weekend only limitations on the certificate make this card less attractive than the Hyatt card, in my opinion.

However, unlike the Hyatt card this card offers better status. Gold status can offer you a range of benefits including:

• 5th night free
• Complimentary internet
• With Gold elite status, you automatically receive a 25% bonus on all the HHonors Base Points you earn.
• Complimentary Breakfast
• Eligible for upgrades and occasional executive lounge access

The downside is that there’s no free anniversary night (unless you make $10,000 on purchases each year) so this card is less of a keeper in my book. Also, this card is subject to Citi’s 24 month rule, which means that you can’t receive another Citi Hilton bonus until another two years, which is a bit of a bummer.

• Read more about the Citi Hilton Reserve here.