As a result, we consider credit cards with standout general-purpose travel rewards, good for stays at any hotel, in addition to hotel credit cards affiliated with a specific chain. We then rank the cards based on two-year cost (the lower the better) to identify the most rewarding options overall.
WalletHub’s Key Rating Components
Two-Year Cost: 38% - We estimate the total cost or potential savings for the average cardholder over a two-year period, factoring in fees, interest, and rewards. Negative figures reflect overall savings for the cardholder.
Rewards: 29% - We evaluate each card’s overall rewards structure – with an emphasis on earnings on hotel purchases, as well as how rewards vary across spending categories – to determine total earning potential and value.
Editor’s Rating: 12% - WalletHub editors provide scores based on a comprehensive assessment of each card’s terms, features, and competitiveness within the market.
Fees: 11% - We review all costs associated with each credit card, including annual, monthly, foreign, and one-time fees, to determine the true cost of ownership.
User Reviews: 7% - We factor in verified consumer feedback to capture real-world usage issues and overall satisfaction.
Other Features: 3% - We review supplemental benefits tied to hotel stays and other travel, including elite status perks, concierge services, lounge access, travel and purchase protections, and other extras that can enhance value for frequent hotel guests.
In addition, a couple of cards are selected to address different needs and may have slight variations in their score distribution as a result. These include cards for individuals with below-average credit scores.
Two-year cost is used to approximate the monetary value of cards for better comparison and is calculated by combining annual and monthly membership fees over two years, adding any one-time fees or other fees (like balance transfer fees), adding any interest costs, and subtracting rewards. Negative amounts indicate savings. When fees or other terms are presented as a range, we use the midpoint for scoring purposes.
Rewards bonuses and credits have been taken into account for two-year cost calculations. However, bonuses applicable to only a very small portion of cardholders are not considered. For example, credits and bonuses awarded for spending or redeeming rewards through a company portal with non-co-branded cards have not been taken into account. Similarly, bonuses and credits related to spending with specific merchants using a non-co-branded card have not been taken into account (for example, if Card A offers credits with DoorDash, this feature would not be factored into calculations because it is hard to assess how many cardholders would use the benefit or exactly how much value they'd get from it).
Cardholder Spending Profiles
Given that people have different goals and are likely to use their credit cards differently, we identified spending profiles that are representative of different users’ financial priorities and behaviors. For each cardholder type, we have assumed a specific amount of monthly spending by purchase type (e.g., groceries, gas, etc.), as well as an average balance, balance transfer amount, amount spent on large purchases and average monthly payment. Spending assumptions are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for consumers and PEX data for businesses
Sources
WalletHub actively maintains a database of 1,500+ credit card offers, from which we select the best hotel credit cards for different applicants as well as derive market-wide takeaways and trends. The underlying data is compiled from credit card company websites or provided directly by the credit card issuers. We also leverage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop cardholder profiles, used to estimate cards’ potential savings.
