There are some hotel credit cards that I would consider "keepers," in that they are cards that you should get, set, and forget (but remember to use their annual benefits!). The reason is because they provide a key benefit: one free hotel night every year that can more than easily offset the annual fee of the card.
This article will highlight the current cards on the market that give an annual free night certificate that can help save you money in the long run, with the only true requirement being that you stay in a hotel once per year (which is applicable to most people reading this article).
What Are Hotel Cards?
Hotel cards are credit cards offered by a major hotel chain and issued by one of the major US banks. Instead of earning transferable points, these cards earn hotel points that can be used for future hotel stays, which can have both good and bad consequences. Hotel points are typically worth less than transferable points, so there's an opportunity cost to using them over other cards.
These cards also typically have a few interesting perks, including instant elite status, free hotel nights per year, or automatic elite qualifying nights.
Hotel Cards With Annual Anniversary Nights
One of the most powerful benefits of hotel cards is the annual free anniversary night. This is typically more than enough to offset the annual fee of the card.
The IHG Premier card provides an Anniversary Free Night with a redemption cap of 40,000 points every cardmember anniversary after your first year. You can definitely squeeze out a lot with just 40,000 points—notably, you also have the option to add on points ontop of the reward to get a bit more value.
For instance, for this Los Angeles hotel, while one night costs ~$262 USD after fees, the free night certificate would cover the entire thing. Essentially, at face value, you are paying $99 for the night, which results in a net saving of about $163.
The Marriott Boundless card also offers a free night award after each card account anniversary, but this one is capped at 35,000 points/night, which makes it a bit harder to use. However, the certificate can also be topped off with points to help access a wider range of hotels.
One of the more hidden benefits of this card is the ability to upgrade it to the coveted Ritz-Carlton card* after owning the Marriott Boundless for 12 months or more. The Ritz-Carlton card is an extremely powerful card with the following benefits:
- Annual free night award for up to 85,000 points
- Annual $300 airline incidental credit
- Priority pass membership with restaurant access & unlimited guests
- Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck, or NEXUS every four years
- Annual fee of $450
Anecdotally, the Ritz-Carlton card is basically just a Chase Sapphire Reserve® in disguise. To be eligible to get this card, make sure you follow the steps:
- Apply for and hold the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for at least 1 year
- Ensure you have an available credit limit of at least $10,000
- Call the Chase number on the back of your card and request an upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton card
The Hyatt card is almost a necessity for anyone chasing Hyatt Globalist status or for those who plan on staying at Hyatts at least once a year. Not only do you earn 4x points on Hyatt stays, you also get a Free Night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel each year after the first cardmember anniversary. Furthermore, after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, you also get another Free Night alongside 6 EQN (2 EQN for every $5,000 spent on the card).
BRAND
Category
Off-Peak
Standard
Peak
Cat 1
3,500
5,000
6,500
Cat 2
6,500
8,000
9,500
Cat 3
9,000
12,000
15,000
Cat 4
12,000
15,000
18,000
Cat 5
17,000
20,000
23,000
Cat 6
21,000
25,000
29,000
Cat 7
25,000
30,000
35,000
Cat 8
35,000
40,000
45,000
What makes this annual free night so powerful is the fact that it can be used at any Category 1-4 hotel, as long as there is award availability. That means even at peak pricing, you can squeeze out up to 18,000 Hyatt points in savings with this free night, which can be very valuable.
The Marriott Brilliant card carries a hefty annual fee, but offers a powerful Free Night Award after each card anniversary: a free stay worth up to 85,000 points. That is enough to redeem stays at even fancier Ritz Carlton properties worldwide.
Despite the annual fee, the free night award could easily offset a huge chunk of it, given the savings you can get with the card.
Last, but not least, featuring arguably the most powerful annual free award night is from the Hilton Aspire card. This card's annual free night award is given after the first year of card membership and every year upon card renewal. What makes this award special is that it is uncapped, meaning it can be redeemed at any Hilton property worldwide, with no restrictions.
This is absolutely ridiculous because some Hilton hotels run for $1,000+ a night, and you can score that completely for free.
Unfortunately, the only catch is that you need to call Hilton to book these rewards—they can't be booked online.
Conclusion
Several hotel cards give free hotel nights per year and combining them together can make for almost a week's worth of trips for free. The ones with lower annual fees are arguably keeper cards that you can own for years to come, given how easy it is to breakeven with them on a year to year basis while getting ancillary benefits.
Editorial note: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
*All information about the Ritz-Carlton card has been collected independently by Roame. The Ritz-Carlton card is not available through Roame.
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