Hotel Credit Cards

The Capital One hotels.com bonus allows you to earn you a combined 20% discount on hotel stays when you pay with the Venture or VentureOne cards. You’ll get 10 miles per $1 spent with your Venture or VentureOne card at hotels.com/venture, plus a free night every time you pay for 10 nights.

Here’s an example of how the Capital One Venture hotels.com benefit works: Let’s say you book 10 nights with your Venture card, at $100 each. You pay $1,000. You also earn 10,000 miles, worth $100. That’s a 10% discount. On top of that, you get a free night worth the average price of the 10 nights you paid for. That’s another 10% returned from your $1,000 spent.

So $1,000 in hotel bookings would get you $100 in points and a free stay worth $100, for a total discount of 20%.

The Capital One Venture hotels.com 10x miles bonus expires on January 31, 2020. But there are a few more specifics you should know before using it.

Capital One Hotels.com Bonus Rewards:

• 10 miles per $1 spent on hotels.com/venture with a Venture or VentureOne card. Equal to 10% cash back when you redeem miles for travel.
• 1 free night every time you pay for 10 nights.
• Total discount of up to 20% when you pay for 10 nights.
• The Capital One hotels.com benefit applies to the Venture and VentureOne credit cards until January 31, 2020.
• The Venture hotels.com benefit only applies to prepaid bookings. It does not apply to group reservations with 10+ guests, or to reservations that include a flight.
• Bonus miles will post to your account within two billing cycles. You won’t get to keep any miles earned on a cancelled reservation.
• You don’t need a Capital One Venture card to get a free night after paying for 10 nights on hotels.com. But the 10 miles per $1 earning rate is exclusive to Venture and VentureOne.

You can book reservations at more than 213,000 locations on hotels.com/venture, and redeem free nights with no blackout dates or restrictions. And Venture miles are always worth one cent each when redeemed for travel.

The Capital One Venture hotels.com benefit also pairs really nicely with the Venture card’s big initial rewards bonus: 50,000 miles ($500 in travel) when you spend $3,000 within three months of opening an account. All in all, you can earn a ton of free nights, at least $500 of which you don’t have to book on hotels.com if you don’t want to.

Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card users earn one Marriott free night certificate each year after their account anniversary. Marriott free night certificates cover the cost of a night at a category 1-5 Marriott property, but they expire 12 months after being issued. So it’s good they’re easy to redeem online.

Here’s how to use a Marriott free night certificate:

1. Log into your Marriott Rewards account and search for your desired hotel among Category 1-5 locations. 
2. Select “Use Rewards points.” On the reservation page, you will see the option to use your free night certificate (e-certificate). 
3. Continue booking as you normally would. The certificate will be applied to your reservation, giving you a free night stay.

There are no blackout dates for Marriott free night certificates, so you shouldn’t run into any difficulties trying to use yours. But if you do, you can call Marriott Credit Card customer service for help, at 800-432-3117. Hope this helps!

A hotel credit card hold usually is the price of the room, plus tax, and an extra charge of $50 to $200 a day to cover incidentals like room service or mini-bar snacks. If you don’t incur any incidental charges, you’ll only be billed the nightly rate for your room plus tax. But a temporary hold ensures that you can’t spend the money until your stay is over, so you’ll definitely have enough of your credit line available to pay your full hotel bill.

It’s also worth noting that while a hold will temporarily decrease your spending power, only actual transactions will affect your credit utilization ratio. Your credit utilization is based on the balance listed on your statement at the end of the billing period. And that only reflects actual charges. But a hold just ensures that the hotel can make the charges when it needs to.  

Holds can be confusing, and uncertainty while traveling is never fun. But knowing how they work will help make your hotel stays smoother.

Here’s what you should know about hotel credit card holds:

• Most hotels hold $50 - $200 per night on your credit card for incidentals, on top of the room price.
• A credit card hold should be removed within 24 hours after you check out.
• A credit card hold won’t affect your credit utilization. The final charge will.
• If your trip requires that you stay at multiple hotels, and you’re worried that holds will tie up too much of your available credit, talk to management when you book your room or check in. If you explain why you need your credit available and tell them you won’t be making any extra charges, you may be able to the hold waived, reduced or shortened.

A hotel credit card hold can be an inconvenience if you don’t know how much it’s for and how long it will take to get it removed. That’s why it’s a good idea to clarify those points when you check in. 

It’s also worth noting that you don’t want the price of a hotel stay to approach your credit limit when you actually pay. That’s because it’s best for your credit score if you keep your credit utilization under 30%.

The best hotel credit card bonus is 85,000 points by the Radisson Premier Visa Signature Credit Card. You get 50,000 points for making your first purchase and another 35,000 points for spending $2,500 in the first 90 days. You can redeem those bonus points for up to 9 free nights at hotels around the world, starting at 9,000 points per night.

You also get 40,000 points when you renew your card by paying the $75 annual fee. And you’ll get 10 points for every $1 spent at the Radisson Family of Hotels, as well as 1 point per $1 everywhere else.

Of course, it’s good to have a few backup options in your pocket as well. 

Here are more good hotel credit card bonus offers:

• Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card: 75,000 point bonus for spending $3,000 in the first three months. That’s worth up to 10 free nights.
                                            
  $85 annual fee, waived the first year. 5 points per $1 at Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood hotels. 2 points per $1 on tickets purchased directly with airlines, car rental agencies and restaurants. 1 point per dollar everywhere else. 1 free night for your account anniversary. This card requires good credit.

• IHG Credit Card: 60,000 point bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months. 10% of your rewards back when you redeem, bumping your bonus to 66,000 points. That’s worth up to 6 free nights.
                      
  $49 annual fee waived the first year. 5 points per $1 at IHG hotels and 2 at gas stations, department stores, and restaurants. 1 point per $1 everywhere else. This card requires good credit.

• Capital One Venture: 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first three months. The bonus is worth $500 when redeemed for travel, including hotels.
                        
  $95 annual fee, waived the first year. 10 points per $1 at Hotels.com/venture, and 2 on all other purchases. This card requires good credit.

A hotel credit card bonus can save you serious money if you’re a frequent traveler. And since all the chains behind the major hotel credit cards operate around the globe, you can redeem your points for free nights anywhere you want. Radisson operates hotels in over 50 North American locations, as well as 16 South American, and 20+ Asian and African. Marriott has 5,301 hotels around the world. And IHG operates in over 100 countries.

The best Marriott credit card is Marriott Rewards Premier Plus from Chase. This card gets you 100,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in your first three months. You’ll earn six points for every $1 spent at participating Marriott-owned hotels and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. 

If you prefer a non-hotel specific rewards card, Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in your first three months. Through Chase’s partnership with Marriott, you can transfer these points to a Marriott Rewards account at a 1:1 ratio. But you might not want to do that since Marriott points are worth about 0.86 cents each and Sapphire Preferred points can be worth up to 1.25 cents through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Sapphire Preferred also gets you 2 points per $1 spent on dining and travel purchases and 1 on all other purchases.

Members of Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards would benefit from the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card.  As a Marriott subsidiary, Ritz-Carlton allows its rewards members to earn points and receive benefits at Marriott hotels, and vice versa. You’ll earn two free nights at any participating Ritz-Carlton hotel when you spend $4,000 in your first three months. And you’ll get 5 points per $1 at participating Ritz-Carlton and other Marriott-owned properties. There’s also a $300 annual travel credit redeemable toward baggage fees, airline seat upgrades and other airline incidentals.

Here are the best Marriott credit cards:

• For Marriott Perks: Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card

100,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in your first 3 months. 6 points per $1 at participating Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood hotels. 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. Points do not expire as long as you make purchases on the card every 24 months.
Free annual one-night stay at a Marriott property (valued at up to 35,000 points) after each account anniversary. No foreign transaction fee. $95 annual fee. Good credit required. 

• For Affordable High Rewards: Chase Sapphire Preferred

50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. 2 points per $1 on travel and restaurants and 1 on all other purchases. Points worth $625 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Points eligible for 1:1 transfer to Marriott Rewards and 10 other hotel and airline loyalty programs. Rewards don't expire as long as your account is open. 
No foreign transaction fee. No annual fee for the first year, $95 after. Excellent credit required.

• For Biggest Earning Potential: Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. Points worth $750 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 3 points per $1 on travel and dining and 1 on all other purchases. Points eligible for 1:1 transfer to Marriott Rewards and 10 other hotel and airline loyalty programs. Rewards don't expire as long as your account is open. 
$300 annual statement credit for travel purchases. No foreign transaction fee. $450 annual fee. Excellent credit required.

• For Ritz-Carlton Perks: Ritz-Carlton Credit Card

2 free nights at any participating Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton hotel when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. 5 points per $1 at participating Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and Starwood hotels. 2 points per $1 on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, car rentals and dining at restaurants. 1 per $1 on all other purchases. Points redeemable through the Ritz-Carlton or Marriott rewards programs. 
$300 annual travel credit redeemable toward baggage fees, seat upgrades and other airline incidentals. No foreign transaction fee. $450 annual fee. Good credit required.

To find the best Marriott credit card for you, prioritize the key features that mean the most to you, like low fees or high rewards. Then, consider your credit level and how much you spend. Lastly, decide whether you want a card that focuses on a single hotel chain or something that offers greater flexibility earning and redeeming points.