Comparing the Best Travel and Hotel Credit Cards

Generally speaking, travel cards pay dividends for everyday spending—you earn points as you pay for purchases with the card, though certain spending categories may be excluded.² But they are particularly beneficial if you travel a lot. That’s because when you use the cards for travel-related spending, you tend to accumulate points more quickly—usually at a higher rate of several points for every dollar you spend.¹ You can then cash in those points for more travel or travel-related perks. 

Some issuers provide several “tiers” of cards with different levels of benefits and annual fees.² Also, some cards include big sign-up bonuses, awarding tens of thousands of points if you spend a specified amount within a few months of signing up—more than enough for some domestic or even international flights.¹

With general-purpose travel credit cards, your rewards are not tied to a specific airline or hotel chain.² You accumulate points in the card issuer’s program, and you can use those points to buy travel via the issuer’s online portal or transfer them to a variety of partners, such as airlines, hotel chains, and ride-share services.¹

Some cards also provide benefits you can use throughout your journey. Depending on the card, these may include:

• Discounts for TSA PreCheck^®, Global Entry, or CLEAR^® Plus Membership fees
• Free rental-car insurance and roadside assistance¹
• Credits for ride-share services and restaurant meals
• Elite membership status at selected hotel chains, entitling you to perks like room upgrades, free breakfast, Wi-Fi, and early check-in¹
• Elimination of fees that are usually added to each transaction in a foreign country—the savings can add up if you spend a lot while traveling abroad³                   

Hotel credit cards are co-branded by a hotel company and a card issuer.¹ With a hotel credit card, you typically accumulate points in the hotel’s rewards program, not the card issuer’s program.

As with general-purpose travel cards, you typically earn points for everyday purchases, but rewards may be bigger for travel-related spending on flights, restaurant meals, and some other expenses, such as gas. As you might expect, you can often earn even more points per dollar when you spend directly at the chain’s hotels and resorts.

Because your points accumulate in the hotel’s rewards program, hotel credit cards may deliver the biggest benefits for people who are loyal to a particular hotel chain and spend a significant amount on hotel expenses.¹

One example of this is the no annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card.⁴ Card Members can earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, as well as 5X Points on dining at U.S. restaurants including takeout and delivery, and 5X Points at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.⁵

For someone who prefers to stay at Hilton properties and uses their card frequently for other, everyday eligible purchases, these points can add up – helping you turn your everyday purchases into a future stay at Hilton properties. Terms and conditions apply, so be sure to visit the Card page for more details.

Typical hotel credit card benefits may include:

• Membership in the hotel’s loyalty program, which comes with perks like free breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades²
• Free hotel stays, room upgrades, and vacation packages at resorts owned by the same company²
• Some loyalty programs may let you transfer points—although sometimes at a lower exchange rate—to different companies for airline miles, car rentals, and other services.⁶
• Some cards pass along card-issuer benefits such as auto rental insurance, roadside assistance, no foreign transaction fees, and access to airport lounges.

Depending on your travel patterns and goals, it could make sense to combine a general-purpose travel card with a hotel card, experts say.⁶ The hotel card maximizes the benefits of staying at your favorite hotel chain, while the general travel card provides points-earning opportunities that a branded hotel card may not cover, such as flights, cruises, and stays at different hotels.