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Why I think Hotels.com reward nights are the easiest to use
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
November 1, 2021 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Hotels.com Rewards offers a straightforward system where you earn a reward night after collecting 10 stamps, with each stamp earned for a night booked and stayed through the platform.
The value of a reward night is based on the average price of the 10 qualifying stays, excluding taxes and fees, making it easy to understand and redeem.
You pay only taxes and fees when redeeming a reward night for a stay at or below its value, or pay the difference if the stay costs more.
The program is especially useful for booking independent hotels or properties outside major loyalty programs, with minimal strategy required to maximize value.
What to consider
A $5 redemption fee applies per reward night unless you book through the app or have an eligible co-branded card.
Reward nights and stamps expire if you do not complete an eligible stay at least once every 12 months.
Some discount codes and package bookings are not eligible for earning stamps.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed tactics for maximizing reward night value and real-world examples of using the program for independent hotel stays.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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I've spent hours over the last few weeks maximizing expiring reward night certificates from several major hotel loyalty programs. After all, there's a ton of potential value lurking in these reward nights.
However, even before spending hours on my quest to maximize expiring reward night certificates, I'd already wanted to write a story about why Hotels.com Rewards reward nights are the easiest for me to actually use. After all, I used a Hotels.com reward night earlier this year to stay in Naxos, Greece – and in doing so, I remembered just how simple it is to get value from them.
In light of all the changes happening to hotel loyalty programs, here's how and why you might want to earn and redeem Hotels.com reward nights, including info on my own recent redemption in Greece.
Hotels.com reward night basics
I booked two nights at The Farmington Hotel in Liberia through Hotels.com. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
The ease of earning and redeeming with the Hotels.com Rewards program is undoubtedly one of its strongest points. Not only is the program straightforward to use, but you can also get good value from it.
For each night that you book and stay through Hotels.com, you earn one "stamp." Once you've collected 10 stamps, you get a reward night worth the average value of the 10 stamps (excluding taxes and fees). So, you'll get slightly less than 10% back on each night you book and stay through Hotels.com.
When you're ready to redeem your Hotels.com reward night, you'll pay just the taxes and fees at properties that cost less than or equal to your reward night (excluding taxes and fees). If the night costs more than your reward night, you'll need to pay the difference on top of the taxes and fees. For reasons we'll get to in a minute, I try to book reward nights that are slightly more expensive than the value of my reward night.
Most nights you'll book and stay with Hotels.com will be eligible for earning stamps. However, some discount codes and package bookings are ineligible. Also, note that you'll forfeit your stamps and reward nights if you don't make and complete an eligible Hotels.com stay at least once every 12 months.
You could redeem a Hotels.com reward night at Skamania Lodge in Washington. (Photo courtesy of Hotels.com)
The primary reason I believe Hotels.com reward nights are the easiest to use is that it's simple to ensure you get full value from these nights. I don't fear that I could have gotten significantly better value on a later redemption because it's simply worth what it's worth.
To get as much value as you can from a Hotels.com reward night, aim for a stay with an average nightly rate that's slightly greater than the value of your reward night. After all, you won't retain any value if you book a night that's less costly than your reward night. On the other hand, don't apply your reward night toward a night that's significantly more expensive than you usually book. After all, reward nights don't count toward earning your next reward night, so you'll be better off paying yourself for a costly night – and thus increasing the average value of your next reward night.
Second, you'll want to avoid the redemption fee. Hotels.com charges a $5 redemption fee per reward night. However, you can avoid this fee by booking reward nights through the Hotels.com app or having an open Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card (rates & fees). Check out our review of the Hotels.com credit card if you're interested in adding the card to your wallet.
The information for the Hotels.com Rewards Visa has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Finally, if you have elite status with one or more hotel loyalty programs, you'll usually only want to book with Hotels.com when you are staying with hotels outside of these programs. After all, you won't typically get elite benefits and earnings when you book through an online travel agency such as Hotels.com.
I usually use Hotels.com to book stays at independent properties and hotels in programs where I don't have (or want) elite status. For example, here's a look at how I earned 10 stamps (including nights at The Farmington Hotel in Liberia and even the Hooters Hotel in Las Vegas) for the $92.18 reward night I used this summer in Greece:
(Screenshot from Hotels.com)
I knew I'd book with either Airbnb or Hotels.com for my stay in Naxos, Greece. After all, there are no hotels in major loyalty programs that fall within my budget on the island.
Eventually, I booked two nights at the Sun Beach Hotel through Hotels.com. I could have earned two stamps on my stay and paid $241.97 for two nights:
(Screenshot from Hotels.com)
Instead, I decided to redeem my $92.18 reward night through the Hotels.com app. Doing so dropped the total for my two-night stay to $149.79. On this two-night stay, I got the full $92.18 value from my reward night. On top of that, I still earned a stamp worth $89.57 for the other night, which will count toward earning my next reward night.
Le Meridien Maldives. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Still, this pursuit of maximization requires time and also leads me to hold on to our reward nights for the "perfect" redemption – which is likely why we have so many expiring reward night certificates to use up right now.
In contrast, Hotels.com reward nights have a set value. As long as I redeem one for a night that's slightly more expensive than my reward night and avoid the redemption fee, I'll get good value each and every time without lots of time or strategy required.
As such, Hotels.com Rewards nights are the easiest reward nights for me to actually use. I can get full value from the reward night and not regret that I should have waited and used it for a different stay.
Comments
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.
