Quick Points: Can you use free night certificates to book a hotel room for someone else?
What's better than a "free" night at a hotel?
You can earn free night certificates with World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas. But if you have an expiring certificate you can't use yourself, you might be wondering if you can gift it to a travel-loving friend to use in your place. The answer is: maybe.
Let's take a look at the major brands to see what their policies are for letting others use one of your free night certificates.
World of Hyatt
There are a few ways to earn Hyatt free night certificates — through the World of Hyatt Credit Card and through World of Hyatt's loyalty program.
With the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you earn one Category 1-4 certificate annually just for having the credit card open, and a second certificate after spending $15,000 on the card in a single calendar year.
Further, after you spend 30 nights or earn 50,000 base points with Hyatt in a single calendar year, you are eligible to earn a Category 1-4 free night certificate. Then, once you stay 60 nights or earn 100,000 base points with Hyatt in a calendar year, you are eligible to earn a Category 1-7 free night certificate.
Plus, for every five different Hyatt brands that you stay at, you can earn a Category 1-4 free night certificate (up to 15 different brands). For reference, this doesn't have to be over the course of a single calendar year.
This means that Globalist members who spend $15,000 or more on their World of Hyatt Credit Card earn an impressive four free night certificates annually, one of which can be used at Category 1-7 properties:
- Two with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (one for keeping the account open and one for spending $15,000 in a calendar year).
- Two with the World of Hyatt loyalty program (one after staying 30 nights or earning 50,000 base points and one after staying 60 nights or earning 100,000 base points).
Related: The 11 hotels where you’ll get the most out of your Hyatt reward night certificate
Giving a Hyatt free night certificate to a friend is permissible. According to Hyatt:
" ... a member may gift a Free Night Award to a third party by making a reservation in that person’s name, but Free Night Awards cannot be transferred into points or transferred to another member for that member to gift to another person."
You can't transfer a free night certificate to another account. You will need to make a reservation for someone else using the free night certificate by calling World of Hyatt at 1 (800) 544-9288.
Hilton Honors
You can only earn Hilton free night certificates through a co-branded American Express credit card. With the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you earn a one-night-free certificate by having the account open and another after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year. Many Aspire cardholders, like myself, received a targeted offer to earn another free night certificate after spending $8,000 on the card. The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex 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.
You can also earn a free night certificate on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
Lastly, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card allows all cardholders to earn a free night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year. However, if you spend an additional $45,000 on the card (for a total of $60,000) in that same calendar year, you can earn a second free night certificate.
Related: How to get maximum value from Hilton free night certificates
Unfortunately, unlike Hyatt, once a free night award is issued, it can only be used by the individual named on the award.
Marriott Bonvoy
Unless you select the 40,000-point, free night Annual Choice Benefit certificate for achieving Titanium Elite status (75 nights), all Marriott free night certificates are earned through co-branded Chase and American Express credit cards.
You can earn a 35,000-point free night certificate with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (a second after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year) and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.
Related: How to use a Marriott Bonvoy 35,000-point certificate
You can also earn an annual 85,000-point free night certificate with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to be used on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Similar to Hilton, Marriott's terms clearly state that e-certificates (or free night certificates) cannot be transferred or gifted once they've been issued.
IHG Rewards
You can earn an IHG reward night certificate by holding The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. This reward night certificate can be redeemed for a maximum of 40,000 points.
Related: Top hotels for redeeming the IHG Premier Card’s anniversary reward night
As with Hilton and Marriott, IHG free night certificates cannot be transferred. When we reached out to IHG to confirm this, we were told that a member can add their friend as a second guest on the reservation when making a booking. However, if you do this, you should still be present during the stay to avoid having your account reprimanded.
Radisson Rewards Americas
Through the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature® Card, you can earn a free night for every $10,000 spent per year, up to $30,000. These free night certificates are valid at any Radisson property in the U.S.
Unfortunately, Radisson's terms clearly state, "the Radisson Rewards Americas member must make the reservation and be the traveler to receive the Free Night e-Cert."
The information for the Radisson Rewards Premier 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.
Related: Best hotel credit cards of February 2022
Bottom line
Earning free night hotel certificates reaffirms a member's loyalty to a given hotel rewards program. However, with the exception of Hyatt, free night certificates cannot be shared with others. So if you have an expiring free night certificate, it's worth using it if you can, even if it's for a staycation close to home.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees