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Hotel credit cards include valuable benefits like automatic elite status and bonus points on paid stays. However, one of the best perks is being able to earn a free night at one of your favorite hotels. Some cards include a free night just for being a cardholder, while others give a free night based on your annual spending. Here are the best hotel credit card free night benefits based on your annual spending or simply for renewing the card.
What are hotel credit card free night benefits?
Free night benefits from hotel credit cards are one of the most valuable perks that these cards offer. The value of these free nights easily justifies paying the card’s annual fees when used correctly. However, many of these free night benefits have restrictions that you need to factor in when which hotel credit card to choose.
Learn more about these hotel credit cards and their current offers.
10 Hotel Credit Cards That Offer Free Night Benefits
World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Annual fee: $95
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card. A second free night when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year.
- Restrictions: Free night is good for Category 1-4 properties.
I used a World of Hyatt credit card free night benefit at the Hyatt Place Knoxville in June 2021. The location is perfect if you want to explore Knoxville’s downtown area. And its rooftop bar is a great place to have a drink and relax with friends.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- Annual fee: $95
- Free night benefit: One free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
- Restrictions: Good at almost any Hilton property (see list of exclusions).
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Annual fee: $450
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card. A second free night when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.
- Restrictions: Good at almost any Hilton property (see list of exclusions).
Hilton Honors Business Card
- Annual fee: $95
- Free night benefit: One free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
- Restrictions: Good at almost any Hilton property (see list of exclusions).
Anna and I used our Hilton Honors credit card hotel free night benefit at the Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri. It was part of our December 2016 $12,000 romantic Italian vacation that only cost us $1,200 out of pocket.
IHG® Rewards Premier Card
- Annual fee: $99
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card.
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 40,000 points. Members can add IHG points to book rooms at a higher point value.
IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Annual fee: $99
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card.
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 40,000 points. Members can add IHG points to book rooms at a higher point value.
You can add as many points as you need to the IHG credit card free night benefit. This provision provides maximum flexibility when redeeming the free night, as long as you have enough IHG points.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase
- Annual fee: $95
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card.
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 35,000 points. Members can add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to book rooms up to 50,000 points.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Annual fee: $250
- Free night benefit: One free night when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 50,000 points. Members can add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to book rooms up to 65,000 points.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Annual fee: $650
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card.
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 85,000 points. Members can add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to book rooms up to 100,000 points.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card
- Annual fee: $95
- Free night benefit: Annual free night when you renew your card. A second free night when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.
- Restrictions: Redeem at hotels up to 35,000 points. Members can add up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to book rooms up to 50,000 points
Visit our hotel credit card affiliate page to learn more about these cards and their latest offers.
How to choose a hotel credit card with annual free night benefits
While many of these hotel credit cards are attractive, how do you choose between them? There are many factors that you need to consider, including annual fees, earning power, welcome bonus, and free night restrictions. Additionally, there’s a big difference between the free nights you get for renewing the card versus those that require you to meet a spending requirement.
- Annual fee. Are the benefits worth the cost of the credit card?
- Earning power. Do the card’s bonus categories align with how you spend money every month?
- Welcome bonus. Is the bonus large enough for the effort? And can you realistically meet the spending requirement in the allotted time without overspending?
- Elite status. Does the hotel credit card offer automatic elite status?
- Free night requirements. Is the free night included at renewal or do you have to spend in order to earn it?
- Free night restrictions. How do these restrictions affect the way you travel? Can you easily redeem the hotel credit card free night benefit?
- Additional benefits. What other perks does the card offer, like annual credits, TSA PreCheck reimbursement, and lounge access?
The Bald Thoughts About Hotel Credit Cards That Offer Free Night Benefits
In my opinion, hotel credit cards offer some of the best bangs for your buck as a traveler. Most offer automatic elite status just for being a cardholder. Plus, many include an annual free night when you renew the card or based on your spending. We typically redeem these hotel credit card free night benefits for rooms that are far more expensive than the annual fee that we’re charged. We’re going to travel anyway. So, having these credit cards is a way for us to prepay for our travel at a discount.
What’s your favorite property to use for your hotel credit card annual free night?
This article was originally published on BaldThoughts.com on January 3, 2023.
