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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Quick Points: Can you use free night certificates to book a hotel room for someone else?
Kyle Olsen is the former points and miles reporter at TPG. He specializes in maximizing points and miles, elite status and credit cards so readers travel more comfortably and at a lower cost.
February 1, 2022 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Major hotel loyalty programs offer free night certificates as part of their rewards structures.
Hyatt allows members to gift a free night certificate by making a reservation in another person's name, but does not permit transferring certificates between accounts.
Most other major programs, including Hilton, Marriott, IHG and Radisson, restrict certificate use to the member who earned it and do not allow gifting or transfer.
Policies vary, so understanding each program's rules is important for maximizing certificate value.
What to consider
Hyatt requires you to call customer service to book a free night for someone else using your certificate.
Adding a second guest to a reservation with IHG may not guarantee a friend can use the certificate without your presence.
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of each hotel program's free night certificate policies and practical tips for using or gifting them.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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
Hyatt Centric Key West. (Photo by Kyle Olsen/The Points Guy)
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).
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
La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton. (Photo by Kyle Olsen/The Points Guy)
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.
Unfortunately, unlike Hyatt, once a free night award is issued, it can only be used by the individual named on the award.
Marriott Bonvoy
Pine Cliffs, A Luxury Collection, Marriott. (Photo by Kyle Olsen/The Points Guy)
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.
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
InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, an IHG Hotel. (Photo courtesy of IHG)
You can earn an IHG reward night certificate by holding The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. This reward night certificate can be redeemed for a maximum of 40,000 points.
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
Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Malta Golden Sands. (Photo courtesy of the RadissonBlu Malta Golden Sands/Facebook)
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.
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.
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.
