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Romania will soon become the 70th country I’ve visited, and I want to make it memorable.
To do so, I combined two valuable credit card perks to book a stay at the city's highest-rated hotel. I used the up to $300 semiannual hotel statement credit* from my American Express Platinum Card® to book and prepay three nights through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts; then, I added a fourth night using my annual free night certificate from an IHG credit card.
I'm making the trip to Bucharest this winter and will spend the four nights with a close friend. We plan to see a $35 symphonic concert, unwind at the massive Therme spa complex and enjoy a refined hotel stay without spending a fortune.
By stacking these perks, I turned what could have been a simple weekend getaway into one of my best-value trips yet.
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Booking the InterContinental Bucharest through Fine Hotels + Resorts
I booked a three-night stay at the InterContinental Athenee Palace Bucharest, a historic IHG property in the heart of the city. It’s currently ranked the top hotel in Bucharest out of nearly 200 properties on TripAdvisor, making it a fitting choice for this milestone trip.
My total for three nights came to $441. That rate already included a third-night-free promotion, one of the best ongoing offers in the Fine Hotels + Resorts program. These free-night deals are especially common for offseason travel and can stretch your dollars much further at luxury properties.
After paying with my Platinum Card, I received the $300 prepaid lodging statement credit within three days, dropping my actual out-of-pocket cost to just $141.
Benefits included with my stay
Through FHR, I’ll enjoy:
- Noon check-in (when available)
- Room upgrade (when available)
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
- Daily breakfast for two (perfect for me and my friend)
- A $100 food and beverage credit to use during the stay (which we'll use this for dinner and drinks one night)
These perks can easily add hundreds of dollars in value, elevating a standard booking into a truly premium experience.
Related: Our favorite American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts properties where you can get elite perks
Earning Amex points
Because FHR bookings code as prepaid hotel purchases, my booking earned 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on the $441 charge, for a total of 2,205 points.
At TPG’s November 2025 valuation of Amex points at 2 cents each, that’s roughly $44 in rewards value.
Adding a free night through IHG
To make it a four-night stay, I redeemed my annual free night certificate from my IHG One Rewards Select Credit Card. The certificate covers stays up to 40,000 points, and since rooms during my dates were priced at 36,000 points per night, it was an ideal use.
The information for the IHG One Rewards Select Credit 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.
While the IHG Select Card is no longer available to new applicants, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees) and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) both offer similar annual free night certificates.
Related: How my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card pays for itself each year
Total value received
Between the Amex Platinum benefits, the FHR promotion and my IHG certificate, this four-night stay delivered exceptional value for very little out-of-pocket cost.
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
| Free third night (FHR promo) | $147 (approximately) |
| Free fourth night (free night certificate) | $147 (approximately) |
| Daily breakfast for two (three days) | $180 (approximately) |
| $100 dining credit | $100 |
| Membership Rewards points-earning | $44 |
| Total estimated value | $618 |
This doesn’t even account for a potential room upgrade or noon check-in, or the guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
My out-of-pocket cost for this stay was just $141; however, I pay an $895 annual fee for my Amex Platinum (see rates and fees; renewed at $695 in September) and $49 for the IHG Select Card.
Even so, the value I receive from both cards far exceeds what I pay each year. The Platinum’s travel and lifestyle benefits, paired with IHG Select’s annual free night certificate, continue to justify their annual fees — and this Bucharest stay alone covered a sizable chunk of that.
Related: How I scored a $35 per night Hilton stay in Portugal with two Amex cards
Bottom line
For $141 out of pocket, I’ll spend four nights at Bucharest’s top-rated hotel, complete with daily breakfast, a $100 dining credit, and the chance of a room upgrade — all while earning valuable Amex Membership Rewards points.
Even with annual fees, this trip shows how much real-world value travel rewards cards can deliver when used strategically. By pairing Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts program with an IHG free night, I’ve turned standard card benefits into a memorable, high-value experience.
For me, this trip is the perfect example of how the points game can transform everyday card perks into a luxury experience shared with a loved one.
To learn more, read our full review of the American Express Platinum Card.
Related: 10 hotels where your Amex Platinum hotel credit covers half (or more) of your stay
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
