Best Hotel Credit Cards of 2021

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card lets you earn a large influx of Hilton Honors points in a short period of time – which can be redeemed at over 5,700 Hilton properties in 113 countries, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and more.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers an extremely high welcome bonus with a low spend requirement: 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $10,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months.

The card also offers a generous rewards rate for using the card in popular travel categories: Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card charges an annual fee of $95. Also note that you can only use your free reward night for a standard room on a weekend. Terms may apply.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card cardmembers receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, which comes with guaranteed member discounts, late checkout, fifth standard reward night free, complimentary breakfast at all hotels, no resort fees on reward stays and more (enrollment required). Plus, earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year when you spend $40,000 on your card in a calendar year.

In addition to hotel stays, Hilton Honors points can be redeemed for experiences (such as concerts or travel excursions), vacation packages, travel and transportation, merchandise, dining and charitable donations. Points can also be transferred to a number of travel partners, including American Airlines, Amtrak, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and more, although not necessarily at a 1:1 rate.

• Free Weekend Night Reward after you spend $15,000 in a calendar year (enrollment required)
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which includes 10 complimentary lounge visits each year, once enrolled
• Foreign transaction fees: None
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• 24/7 access to the Global Assist Hotline
• Extended warranty and purchase protection
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership – which gives you complimentary two-day shipping – upon enrollment
• Terms apply.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card, which is currently the only Hyatt-branded credit card, comes with the following sign-up bonus: Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points - Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Earn up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member. Cardholders also earn 2 bonus points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from airlines, on local transit and commuting fares and on fitness club and gym memberships, and earn 2x on all other purchases up to %15,000 in the first six months of card membership.

World of Hyatt Credit Card members receive automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status, which entitles you to a 10% bonus on points earned on eligible stays, access to preferred rooms, internet access, 2 p.m. late checkout, complimentary bottled water and more. You’ll also receive five qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year and two additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier status each time you spend $5,000 on your card.

Additionally, the World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with an annual fee of $95, and you will be required to spend quite a bit in the first six months of card membership to earn the entire sign-up bonus.

If you are looking to book a trip at one of the more than 900 Hyatt properties (Andaz, Alila, Grand Hyatt, Thompson Hotels and more) in over 65 countries, the World of Hyatt Credit Card should be on your radar.

You can redeem Hyatt points for free night stays, room upgrades, dining at participating locations, experiences, car rentals and more. Free night redemptions start at 5,000 points – meaning, the current sign-up bonus could potentially get you up to 10 free nights at a category 1 hotel.

You can also transfer points to several airline partners, including Aeroméxico, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways, although the transfer rate is poor: 2.5 to 1. So, for example, if you transfer 5,000 Hyatt points to Delta Air Lines, you will only receive 2,000 Delta SkyMiles.

• One free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort each year after your account anniversary
• Additional free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort when you spend $15,000 during your card member anniversary
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement, up to $3,000 per passenger
• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, up to $5,000 per trip
• Purchase protection of up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account
• Complimentary, 24/7 access to Visa Concierge Service
• Foreign transaction fees: $0

IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card cardholders earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Earn up to 25 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

As an IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card member, you will automatically receive Platinum Elite status, which gets you 50% bonus earnings on top of base points, elite rollover nights, exclusive rates, complimentary internet, priority check-in, complimentary room upgrades and more.

The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card charges a $89 annual fee.

If you’re looking to earn a large amount of rewards points from your stays at InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) properties as well as a generous sign-up bonus, take a look at the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.

IHG points can be redeemed for free night stays at more than 5,000 IHG Hotels and Resorts, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Kimpton Hotels, Staybridge Suites and more, starting at 10,000 points.

We found a nightly rate of 12,500 points at the Holiday Inn in Dallas, Texas in Sept. 2021. With the current sign-up bonus, you can get 11 free night stays at this location.

Points can also be redeemed for merchandise, IHG Rewards Club access, cash, magazine subscriptions, gift cards, digital entertainment and charities. Or, you can transfer points to airline transfer partners, such as Alaska Airlines, American Airlines AAdvantage®, British Airways, Delta SkyMiles®, JetBlue TrueBlue, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and more.

However, the transfer rate for IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card points to airline miles is 5:1 or poorer. So, for example, if you transfer 40,000 IHG points to American Airlines, they will only be worth 8,000 AAdvantage miles.

• 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 and make one additional purchase on the card each account anniversary year
• Free rewards night after each account anniversary
• Fourth reward night free when you redeem points for any stay of four or more nights
• Reimbursement for your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application every four years
• Baggage delay insurance for up to $100 per day for three days
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
• Purchase protection of up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account
• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance of up to $5,000 per trip

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card currently comes with the following sign-up bonus: Earn 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening + 10X total points per $1 spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores within 6 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!

The card also offers the following rewards rate: Earn up to 17X total points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and 2X points on all other purchases.

You can redeem points for free night stays at more than 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels in 130 countries and territories. Redemptions start at 5,000 points for an off-peak night at a category 1 hotel and 7,500 points for a standard night. This means, the current sign-up bonus can get you 15 free off-peak nights or 10 free standard nights at a Category 1 property.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card comes with an annual fee of $95.

If you regularly stay at any of the 30 Marriott Bonvoy hotel brands across the globe, including Aloft Hotels, Le Meridien, Marriott Hotels, Residence Inn, Sheraton, St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels and Westin, check out the benefits of having the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

In addition to hotel stays, Marriott Bonvoy points can also be redeemed for airfare, car rentals, travel packages, merchandise, gift cards and charitable donations, or transferred to more than 40 airline partners – including American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus – mostly at a 3:1 rate.

As a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card member, you will automatically receive Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, which includes 10% more points on stays, priority late checkout, exclusive member rates and complimentary room Wi-Fi.

The card also allows you to reach Gold status, which includes 25% bonus points on stays, enhanced room upgrades, 2 p.m. late checkout and more, each account anniversary year when you spend $35,000 or more with the card.

• Free night award each year after your account anniversary
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
• Foreign transaction fees: $0
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Purchase protection of up to $500 per claim, up to $5,000 per account
• 24/7 Visa Signature concierge service

The Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Card card offers the following sign-up bonus: Earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, plus earn an additional 15,000 bonus points after spending a total of $2,000 in the first 6 months.

Cardholders can also earn 5 points per dollar on gas and eligible Wyndham hotel purchases, 2 points per dollar on eligible dining and grocery purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Wyndham rewards can be redeemed for free night stays starting at 7,500 points. This means that the current sign-up bonus could get you up to four free nights. You can also redeem points for tours and activities, gas at participating Marathon Gas locations in the U.S., merchandise, gift cards and charitable donations.

There is also an intro APR offer on balance transfers: 0% for the first 15 billing cycles, after which an APR of 15.74%, 19.99% or 24.99% variable will apply. However, there is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

The Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Card offers a much lower sign-up bonus and less benefits than the other hotel credit cards in this post, however, the annual fee is $0.

The Wyndham portfolio of hotels is made up of more than 9,000 hotels around the world, including Wyndham Grand, La Quinta, Wingate by Wyndham, Ramada, Howard Johnson, Travelodge and more. If you regularly stay at one of these properties, you should take a look at the Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Card.

Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Card holders automatically receive Gold status, which gives them preferred room selection, late checkout, complimentary Wi-Fi, member room savings and more. Plus, if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases a year, you can earn 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year, which is enough for up to one free night every year.

You can also transfer Wyndham rewards to several loyalty partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage, Amtrak Guest Rewards, Caesar Entertainment, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles, United MileagePlus and more, at varying rates. While you can transfer Wyndham points to Caesar Rewards and La Quinta at a rate of 1:1, the transfer rate to airline partners is 5:1.

• 6,000 bonus points each year after your account anniversary
• $0 fraud liability
• Foreign transaction fees: $0