How to Stay for Free with a Hotel Credit Card

A hotel credit card is a type of rewards credit card that’s created by a hotel company in partnership with a major credit card brand.² As you might expect, it provides the greatest benefit if you frequently stay in that hotel company’s properties.³

As you spend with a hotel credit card, you typically earn points if you are enrolled in the hotel’s rewards program.³ You can redeem them for free stays and other perks at the hotel company’s network of properties.¹ That network may include many more lodging options than you might think: Some big companies own thousands of hotels and resorts worldwide, operated under a variety of brand names.⁴ Of course, some hotels may add fees even to “free” stays—resort fees are a popular example.

While free hotel stays are one of the most popular rewards, hotel credit cards also may provide a suite (pun intended) of other benefits, like complimentary breakfast and late check-out. Some big hotel companies offer several tiers of hotel credit cards, ranging from cards with no annual fee to premium cards with fees of hundreds of dollars a year. As you’d expect, premium cards offer fatter benefits, which may include free hotel nights. Experts say those benefits can be worth more than the annual costs if you’re a frequent traveler.¹

To get the most out of a hotel credit card, it may help to think about optimizing each of the two main aspects of using the card:

Now for the fun part—converting your hoard of points into free stays and perks. Hotel credit cards may let you redeem a certain number of points for free stays (plus any applicable hotel fees that may apply).

Getting the most value per point. Though some hotel chains advertise that rooms start as low as 5,000 points per night, you may find “prices” much higher for your desired locations and dates. A search for rooms at two major hotel chains in Hawaii during August turned up a number of options at around 50,000-60,000 points, with some as low as 25,000 and the highest over 200,000. To figure out which rooms offer the best value per point, simply compare the price in points with the dollar price; you can often view both prices on the hotel company’s website. If you don’t have enough points for a room, you may be able to use a combination of points and cash.

Enjoying extra free nights and other benefits. If you have a hotel credit card and book a four-night stay using reward points, some brands give you a fifth night free. In addition, some hotel credit cards, especially the higher-tier offerings, automatically give you at least one free night’s stay per year.¹ Some reward you with an extra night’s stay, over and above all the points you accumulate, if you spend more than a threshold amount with the card—say, $60,000.

Some hotel cards also come with cash credits that you can spend at the hotel.¹ Hotel credit cards also often come with elite membership when you’re enrolled in the hotel brand’s loyalty program, which can bring you perks such as complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi, late checkout, room upgrades, and gym access.¹ Furthermore, card issuers often provide a range of benefits in addition to the hotel company’s perks. These may include car rental insurance, free access to airport lounges, and extended warranties.¹