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Personally I prefer the Marriott card since it's Af is $85 and you get a free night every year with it which easily makes up the AF. I have found though I have went to more Hiltons then Marriotts so closed it and now have the Citi Hilton and Amex Hilton card both which have $0 AF and using those cards along with my Citi AA plat card for AA miles
It's not a CC but look at Amex Plat, you get gold status at SPG and Hilton and Fine Hotel & Resots benefit.
In addition you can get all the other travel perks that come with the card.
Also, look at Citi Prestige with the fourth night free benefit and other travel benefits.
IMO, you can get better hotel benefits without having a hotel CC.
@redpat wrote:It's not a CC but look at Amex Plat, you get gold status at SPG and Hilton and Fine Hotel & Resots benefit.
In addition you can get all the other travel perks that come with the card.
Also, look at Citi Prestige with the fourth night free benefit and other travel benefits.
IMO, you can get better hotel benefits without having a hotel CC.
IF all you want is Gold stattus with Hilton you can get the Amex Hilton Surprass or the citi Hilton reserve and get Gold status for $75 which is cheaper than the Amex Plart AF of $450.
I don't know about MR points or TYP value in transferring to HHonors points but If they aren't 1:2 than the Hilton cards are better for making the most amount of points with a CC. The SPG I havent looked at personally but I have read that it has the best point evaluation with then equalling around 2.5 point = 1 cent or something?
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@redpat wrote:It's not a CC but look at Amex Plat, you get gold status at SPG and Hilton and Fine Hotel & Resots benefit.
In addition you can get all the other travel perks that come with the card.
Also, look at Citi Prestige with the fourth night free benefit and other travel benefits.
IMO, you can get better hotel benefits without having a hotel CC.
IF all you want is Gold stattus with Hilton you can get the Amex Hilton Surprass or the citi Hilton reserve and get Gold status for $75 which is cheaper than the Amex Plart AF of $450.
I don't know about MR points or TYP value in transferring to HHonors points but If they aren't 1:2 than the Hilton cards are better for making the most amount of points with a CC. The SPG I havent looked at personally but I have read that it has the best point evaluation with then equalling around 2.5 point = 1 cent or something?
Annual fee is really $250 after $200 airline credit. Also, you get reimbursed for TSA or Global Entry.
My point wasn't just about gold status, it was about the other benefits that these none hotel cards offer. The benefits can far outweigh the AF cost, that is of course if you travel a lot.
CSP & Ink+ are really a hotel card itself, I transfer points to Hyatt & Marriott for award stays.
So with CSP, Ink+ and Amex I think I cover myself with some pretty good Hotel benefits without having a Hotel CC.
The Citi Prestige interesting because of the 4th night free stay and 1.60 per point with AA.
@Anonymous wrote:
@deltatee wrote:I really like the Hyatt card! It's less useful since you have the CSP and can transfer points to Hyatt, but it does have a few nice perks.
Thanks for the response! I see in your Sig you have both the Sallie Mae and Amazon Visa. Can I ask why you have the Amazon Visa open still or what value you see in it as the Sallie Mae card offers more rewards? I am thinking of closing my Amazon card and gotta figure out if there are any benefits to keeping it open. Thanks
The Amazon Visa is my oldest card by a long shot, so I keep it open for that reason. I always have pretty decent balance transfer offers on that card and it is my lowest APR, so that is pretty much the only thing I use it for anymore.
@deltatee wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@deltatee wrote:I really like the Hyatt card! It's less useful since you have the CSP and can transfer points to Hyatt, but it does have a few nice perks.
Thanks for the response! I see in your Sig you have both the Sallie Mae and Amazon Visa. Can I ask why you have the Amazon Visa open still or what value you see in it as the Sallie Mae card offers more rewards? I am thinking of closing my Amazon card and gotta figure out if there are any benefits to keeping it open. Thanks
The Amazon Visa is my oldest card by a long shot, so I keep it open for that reason. I always have pretty decent balance transfer offers on that card and it is my lowest APR, so that is pretty much the only thing I use it for anymore.
ohh I got you! I just noticed your siggy is very blue / steel lol! It's not a bad first card to have and I think those benefits you mentioned are more than enough reasons to keep it open. I luckily opened it 1 year ago. I just have to let there be no activity for 30 days so I can transfer the CL to my other chase card.
How have we gotten then far and noboy has mentioned the Ritz? Granted, it's a Chase card, so you have the potential 5/24 issue, but that applies to the Marriott card as well. I still say that the SPG is the best hotel card, but then you have to stay at Starwoods properties, which some people don't like. Ritz (and Marriot) work at all Marriott properties, with awesome benefits. That said, if I had to pick one card to use for hotels, it would probably be CSP or Ink+. The ability to combine with Freedom and the versatility can give 5% back, which is less than the 10-15% back that you can get back with some cards, but better than non-hotel specialized cards.
SPG (Starwood) AMEX is my favorite! It's my primary (everyday) card. Not only can you redeem points for Starwood properties around with world:
Take Your Card Around the Worldan ideal travel companion
Earn free nights at any of Starwood's ten distinct brands‡ including St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W® Hotels, Le Méridien®, Westin®, Sheraton®, Aloft®, Element℠ Hotels, Four Points® by Sheraton and Tribute™. Some hotels may have mandatory service and resort charges.
You can also redeem them for airline miles:
Turn Starpoints into Airline Miles with SPG Flights
Redeem Starpoints for free flights on over 150 airlines with SPG Flights with no blackout dates. Transfer Starpoints to nearly 30 airline frequent flyer programs, mostly on a one-to-one basis.‡Receive a 5,000 Starpoint bonus when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a participating frequent flyer program.‡
AMEX is known for their excellent customer service, and we myFICO'ers know about the handy 3x CLI option.
Hotel perference should be a major factor in your decision-making process. Also, consider that Starwood just merged with Marriot in a transaction that will create "world’s largest hotel company".