Chris was a reporter at The Points Guy, where he covered the intersection of credit card rewards and travel. At TPG, he wrote a broad array of stories ranging from in-depth features and reports to trending travel news as it related to loyalty, card benefits and consumer behavior.
February 9, 2022 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Major hotel loyalty programs are updating how annual free night certificates work, allowing members to combine certificates with additional points for higher-value stays.
Marriott and IHG are introducing more flexible redemption options, but these changes coincide with the rollout or expansion of dynamic award pricing, which may increase the points required for free nights.
Hilton already allows certificates to be redeemed at any property, offering broad flexibility, while Hyatt maintains value through a published award chart and generally lower redemption rates.
These program changes may appear positive, but looming devaluations and increased award costs could diminish the overall benefit.
What to consider
Dynamic award pricing can lead to unpredictable and potentially higher redemption rates for free nights.
Marriott and IHG certificates will allow top-offs with points, but flexibility may be offset by higher costs or limited availability.
Hyatt and Hilton certificates offer unique advantages, such as no resort fees or broader property access, but each program has its own restrictions and value propositions.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of how each major hotel loyalty program structures its free night certificates and strategies to maximize their value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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There are perks aplenty on cobranded hotel credit cards, including automatic elite status and elevated earning rates on stays.
But perhaps the single most lucrative benefit is the annual free night certificate included with select hotel cards. Certificates work differently for each of the major hotel chains, but for most travelers, they can provide outsized value that offsets a card's annual fee.
When changes to this perk occur, cardholders should take notice. In the coming weeks, both Marriott and IHG will make major adjustments to their certificates, providing flexibility to top off a redemption with additional points.
While this is certainly a positive on the surface, look a bit deeper and you may realize it isn't all good news. Potential devaluations are on the horizon, and perhaps most significant is the launch of dynamic award pricing from Marriott.
Let's take a closer look at why flexible free night certificates may not be all that they're cracked up to be.
The EDITION Bodrum. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
First, what's changing?
Marriott
Late last year, Marriott announced the long-rumored (and much-dreaded) news that dynamic award pricing would be coming in March 2022. But there was a small glimmer of seemingly good news as well.
Bonvoy members will be able to upgrade Free Night Awards with up to 15,000 points from their accounts. For example, under this new policy, the up to 35,000-point annual Free Night Award certificates from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card will be redeemable for award nights that cost up to 50,000 points (as long as the member has enough points in his or her account to cover the difference).
IHG
IHG announced earlier this year that members will have the ability to top off the card’s annual reward night certificate on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and upcoming IHG Premier Business Card.
These certificates are currently limited since they have a 40,000-point ceiling. With IHG's upcoming changes (also in March), you can top off with as many points as you need, meaning the chain’s entire roster of properties can be redeemed with a certificate (provided you have the additional points).
Dynamic award pricing may mean higher redemption rates
The lobby of the Kimpton EPIC Hotel in Miami. (Photo courtesy of Kimpton EPIC Hotel)
Free night certificate flexibility may not be a good thing if we see an overall increase in award pricing.
At an undisclosed date in March, we will see the introduction of Marriott's version of dynamic award pricing. For Marriott, the ability to top off certificates with additional points is going to be even more important when pricing can change on a daily basis. The majority of properties will stay within current off-peak and peak pricing bands through 2022, but that is subject to change next year.
IHG has had dynamic award pricing since 2020. But this year, it is making wholesale (and yet to be fully announced) changes to its loyalty program. Therefore, flexibility with the 40,000-point reward night on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (and business card) may become even more crucial.
Flexibility is only a positive if we don't see dramatic increases in award pricing. But at the very least, it does soften the blow of a seemingly negative consumer change. Only time will tell how these changes really play out.
Hilton allows you to use certificates at any property
Using a Hilton free night certificate at the LXR Susona Bodrum. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
In some ways, Marriott and IHG seem like they're playing catch up to Hilton.
Hilton has had dynamic pricing to some extent since 2013, and Hilton's free night certificates can be redeemed across the entire portfolio — including top-tier brands like Conrad, Waldorf Astoria and LXR (all without resort fees).
There is no category cap. So, you can redeem your free night at some genuinely exceptional Hilton properties as long as there is standard award availability and your stay falls on the weekend. Plus, Hilton made many weekend night certificates valid on weekday nights in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, neither Marriott nor IHG will provide nearly as flexible a certificate as Hilton. (Granted, the Aspire carries a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees) while Marriott and IHG have cards under $100 per year and still offer certificates of some kind.)
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can redeem a Hyatt free night certificate at the Park Hyatt Istanbul. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
Hyatt continues to be a standout program in terms of value, with a published award chart and, in general, lower points pricing than its competitors.
First, you don’t pay resort fees at Hyatt (similar to Hilton) when staying on a free night award, unlike Marriott and IHG.
So while the World of Hyatt Credit Card seems like it has a fairly limited free night award each year after your cardmember anniversary — it's only applicable at a Category 1-4 hotel — there are many ways to still get outsized value.
For example, TPG points and miles editor Andrew Kunesh recently redeemed a Category 1-4 award night at the Confidante Miami Beach. The same night would have otherwise cost well over $450, providing a great deal.
These great deals are possible largely because World of Hyatt has kept standard award charts and made free night certificates available at all hotels in a select number of award chart categories. This makes it easier to get outsized value, as the points cost of a free night doesn't affect your ability to redeem a free night certificate.
While we like loyalty programs making things more flexible for members, there is also the ever-present potential of looming devaluations.
Both Marriott and IHG will change their free night certificates for the better. At face value, there is no doubt that's good news. Just know that it's not all that it's cracked up to be in the grand scheme of things, as award nights could get more expensive as the programs change.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
