Quick Points: 3 reasons you need a credit card with your favorite hotel brand

20.05.2024 - 15:33 / thepointsguy.com

Many consumers only want to have a few credit cards. But even if you don't want a wallet full of top travel cards, it's likely worth getting and keeping a cobranded hotel credit card with your favorite hotel loyalty program.

Here are three reasons you need a credit card with your favorite hotel brand.

Related: The top 3 hotel cobranded credit cards

There are no-annual-fee hotel credit cards, but it's usually worth getting the annual-fee version, as these offer more perks and sometimes a free night certificate each year.

In most cases, it's relatively easy to get more value from the free night certificate than the annual fee you pay to keep the card. For example, the World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee but provides a free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary. If you redeem your free night at a Category 4 Hyatt hotel, you generally should get more than $95 in value from the free night each year. This easily justifies keeping the card, even if you rarely use its other perks.

Meanwhile, some cards offer enough bonus points on each account anniversary to justify the annual fee. For example, the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card has a $95 annual fee, but cardholders get 15,000 bonus points each anniversary year. TPG's valuations peg the value of 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points at $165, more than the card's annual fee.

The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: 7 of the best hotel credit cards that come with an annual free night

Each hotel credit card is different, but most offer bonus earnings at hotels within their program.

For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. There's also the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which offers 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. However, some of the best cards for travel purchases may offer more valuable earnings, especially if you aren't loyal to one hotel loyalty program.

Most hotel credit cards also offer other program-related perks.

Take the IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card as an example. It offers automatic Platinum Elite status and access to the fourth reward night benefit. The latter is an extremely valuable perk that lets you pay zero points for every fourth night when you redeem IHG One Rewards points for award stays of four nights or longer.

Related: The best hotel credit cards with annual fees under $100

Some hotel credit cards