How do I pick a hotel credit card?

This question is about Hotel Credit Cards

John S Kiernan, Managing Editor

@John 03/12/20 This answer was first published on 10/31/18 and it was last updated on 03/12/20.For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

Permalink Report

How you go about comparing hotel credit cards and choosing one to apply for depends on a few individual factors:

Your travel habits obviously matter because you need to decide whether you travel enough for a hotel credit card to make sense and, if so, whether you can commit to a single hotel chain.
Your credit score is important, too, because most hotel credit cards require good or excellent credit for approval. If you don’t know your score, you can check it for free on WalletHub.
Your rewards preferences also play a role. Are you more interested in a big initial bonus or a card to use for years?

These should be your biggest considerations when you start looking for a hotel credit card.Once you start to narrow down your options, the following tips will help you pinpoint the right choice:

Convert Earning Rates to Dollars – Credit card points and miles are worth about a penny apiece on average. But values vary widely among hotel credit cards. To find out how many points you’ll need for a free night at each hotel chain. And compare the amount you’d have to spend to earn that many points with the cost of purchasing a reservation in cash.
Get a Personalized Recommendation – WalletHub’s latest report on the Best Hotel Rewards Programs includes a tool that will help you find the right hotel rewards for your individual needs.
Read Reviews – Hotel credit card reviews can tell you a lot about each individual offer. And you can learn more from reviews of each hotel’s rewards program, more generally. For example, you can see what WalletHub’s editors think of Hilton Honors, Marriott Rewards, IHG Rewards and the rest of the most popular hotel loyalty programs.
Consider All-Purpose Travel Rewards – Hotel credit cards require you to sacrifice flexibility by committing to a single hotel chain. General-purpose travel rewards credit cards, on the other hand, reward you at the same rate on all travel-related purchases. And they allow you to redeem earnings for any travel expense. So if you discover that you won’t earn considerably more with a hotel credit card, you may opt for the more flexible option.

WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information. Information on WalletHub Answers is provided “as is” and should not be considered financial, legal or investment advice. WalletHub is not a financial advisor, law firm, “lawyer referral service,” or a substitute for a financial advisor, attorney, or law firm. You may want to hire a professional before making any decision. WalletHub does not endorse any particular contributors and cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of any information posted. The helpfulness of a financial advisor's answer is not indicative of future advisor performance.

WalletHub members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we encourage everyone to do so while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.

Ask a Question

140

Ask Question

WalletHub Transparency

We are committed to being fully transparent with our readers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s and/or WalletHub editors'. WalletHub editorial content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. In addition, it is not any company’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.