What are the best hotel credit cards with free nights upfront?

The best hotel card with free nights is the IHG Rewards Club Premier card because it offers a free night each account anniversary and gives a 4th night free every time you book a stay of 4 or more nights. Free nights are valid for any IHG booking with a redemption value 40,000 points or less. The Premier card also offers 140,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. And it gives 10,000 points for spending $20,000 and making one additional purchase in any account anniversary year. The annual fee is $0 1st yr, $89 after.

The Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express is another good option. It offers a free night every account anniversary. It also has a 75,000-point bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. And it waives its $95 annual fee for the first year. SPG’s free night award is valid at any Starwood hotel or Marriott-owned property with a nightly redemption value of 35,000 points or less. That covers more than 6,300 of Marriott’s 6,500 hotels. The Starwood Preferred Guest Business card also offers a free night each anniversary.

The World of Hyatt card gives free nights every year on your account anniversary, too. But Hyatt’s free night is valid only at its Category 1-4 properties, which are the least expensive sites in the Hyatt lineup. And there are a few other hotel cards with free nights to consider.

Here are the best hotel credit cards with free nights:

• Starwood Preferred Guest card: Free night each account anniversary. Redeemable at any Starwood hotel or Marriott-owned property worth 35,000 points or less. $0 annual fee for first year, $95 after.
• Starwood Preferred Guest Business: Free night each account anniversary. Redeemable at any Starwood hotel or Marriott-owned property worth 35,000 points or less. $0 annual fee for first year, $95 after.
• Marriott Rewards Premier Plus: Free night each account anniversary. Redeemable at any Marriott-owned property worth 35,000 points or less. $95  annual fee.
• Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business: Free night each account anniversary. Redeemable at any Marriott-owned property worth 35,000 points or less. $99 annual fee.
• IHG Rewards Club Premier: Free night each account anniversary. Redeemable at IHG properties worth 40,000 points or less. $0 1st yr, $89 after annual fee.
• World of Hyatt card: Free night each account anniversary. Valid at Hyatt Category 1-4 properties. Second free night for spending $15,000 in any year. $95 annual fee.
• Hilton Honors American Express Business: Free weekend night for spending $15,000 in a calendar year. Second weekend night for spending an additional $45,000 in the same year. $95 annual fee.
• Radisson Rewards Premier Signature Visa: Free night certificate for every $10,000 spent per year, up to $30,000, when you pay the annual fee. $75 annual fee.

To maximize your hotel credit card’s free nights, you should book your stays with the hotel chain affiliated with your card. If you don’t plan to always stay at the same chain, consider a general travel rewards card such as Capital One Venture or VentureOne. They give 10 miles per $1 spent when you book hotel stays through hotels.com/venture.  

In addition, if you enroll in the Hotels.com Rewards program, you can earn one free night for every 10 nights you book with a Venture Rewards card. That’s essentially a 20% discount on your hotel purchases.