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| This perk makes these cards worth keeping |
| by Brian Kelly |
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Hi everyone,
This week, I’ve asked Eric Rosen to share one of his favorite credit card perks (and a topic we haven’t covered in the weekly newsletter in a while!) — free night awards. Hotel cobrand cards can be a great way to earn hotel elite status and get perks during your stay. Check it out!
BK
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Whenever I consider getting a new credit card, I take all its perks into account, especially if it charges an annual fee. I want to make sure I get more value from a card’s benefits each year than it costs me to keep it in my wallet.
While I love bonus category earning rates, automatic elite status and travel statement credits, when it comes to hotel credit cards, the only perk I truly care about is whether it offers an annual free night.
In fact, I won’t even consider a hotel credit card that doesn’t offer one. You see, that one benefit on its own can more than cover a card’s annual fee, and once I do that, the card’s other benefits are just cherries on top.
How much can these annual free nights be worth?
That depends on the specific card and the terms and conditions of its annual free night.
With the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, for instance, the annual Free Night Award is good for a standard room redemption at pretty much any Hilton-affiliated property around the world, including fancy Conrad® and Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts, while the World of Hyatt Credit Card’s annual free night can only be redeemed at hotels in categories 1-4.
Here are the four hotel credit cards I carry and how much value I’ve gotten from their annual free nights this past year.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: One Free Night Award with your new card, and again every year after renewal. I redeemed mine at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam and got a room that would have cost $2,440 or 150,000 points otherwise!* Annual fee: $550 (see rates and fees).
- World of Hyatt Credit Card: One free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary. I spent mine at the Hyatt Place Montreal Downtown, saving me $280 in cash or 12,000 World of Hyatt points. Annual fee: $95.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: One free night valid at IHG hotels with a point redemption of 40,000 points or less after your account anniversary each year. I used mine at the Kimpton Tryon Park in Charlotte instead of paying $420, or 39,000 IHG One Rewards points. Annual fee: $99.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: One Free Night Award every year after your card account anniversary, valid for a one-night stay at a participating Marriott Bonvoy® property with a redemption level of up to 35,000 points, which can be combined with up to 25,000 additional points. (Keep in mind: certain hotels have resort fees.) I used mine at the JW Marriott Charlotte instead of paying $390*. Annual fee: $125 (see rates and fees).
All told, I got over $3,500 in value for paying $869 in annual fees! Not a bad return.
And I’m aiming to beat that value this coming year, since I just opened the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to take advantage of a recent limited-time welcome offer, which ends on Sept. 30, 2026.
It has a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees) but offers a Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month, worth up to 85,000 points at a participating Marriott Bonvoy property, which I can combine with an additional 25,000 points (remember, certain hotels have resort fees). So I just need to find a hotel where 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can save me over $700. Challenge accepted!
* Price per night varies by date, property and seasonality.
If you want to learn more about hotel free night awards, check out these stories:
Happy travels,
Eric
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| Photo Credit: CARLY HELFAND/THE POINTS GUY. |
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