@okurosetta wrote:
- P2 and I stay at hotels decently often, including all major hotel chains to attain the best value, which means hotel cards tend to be great for us
This brings up a great point about the various strategies that can be pursued with hotel credit cards, @okurosetta. IMO, when someone is venturing into travel cards versus cashback, hotel cards may be the most practical and easiest way to begin. Cards that earn more valuable, transferrable points (AMEX MRs, Chase URs, CITI TYs) often have annual fees, credits, perks, and more complex redemption valuations that make them daunting and possibly a money-losing proposition for the wrong consumer. When traveling, everybody doesn't fly to destination but many (if not most) stay at hotels, so hotel cards suit more consumers than airline-specific cards. And with many hotel-specific travel cards, there are easy credits such as annual free nights that will often fully reimburse the AF and then add additional rewards value back into your pocket, assuming that is money on a hotel room that you would have spent anyway. Hotel credit cards normally reward points at a higher rate in-hotel, and they may also offer the chance to earn higher than 1x rewards on everyday spending categories such as groceries, gas, or dining. And travel card point SUBs are often much more rewardings than cash-back card SUBs.
Given the above, a consumer may decide to:
- Apply for a hotel card for a great SUB; use the card just for the SUB or in-hotel spending in year one; use the points and cancel after the AF renews. Perhaps they got the SUB for a chain where they don't often stay, they are a very-infrequent traveler, or their travel needs are changing.
- Apply for a hotel card for a great SUB; use the card just for the SUB or in-hotel spending; keep the card after the AF renews and allow the annual free night credits to offset the AF. An infrequent-traveler could probably just sock-drawer the card in-between travel usage and the card would be unlikely to be cancelled by the lender due to the AF posting/payment keeping activity on the card. This category of consumer might appeciate the automatic elite status and perks of a card but has no plans to move up the elite ladder.
- Apply for a hotel card at a chain where consumer already has frequent stays and possibly elite status; benefit from automatic or enhanced elite status benefits; earn the great SUB; use the card for not only the SUB and in-hotel spending but also outside the hotel to accelerate earning of hotel points towards future stays.
Someone using the first strategy might say that they don't want to retain even one hotel card in their wallet. Someone using the middle strategy could say there can't be too many hotel cards in their wallet. Someone using the last strategy might greatly appreciate hotel cards, but they prefer to limit the number so that they can focus on building elite status to a higher level at a particular chain. I'm in that category since I'm focused on Marriott, although I've previously added and closed a Chase World of Hyatt card, and currently have an AMEX Hilton Surpass and a Chase IHG Rewards Premier Visa. I do plan to continue my Marriott focus, but I'm evaluating how many other brand cards (with added free nights/loyalty status) that I want to juggle without detracting from my Marriott experience. I'm much more of a Marriott-Hilton-Hyatt-IHG customer currently so I'd be unlikely to apply for some of the other major chain hotel cards such as Wyndham-Choice-Best Western. Nothing wrong with them but they are not frequent destinations for me and there is a limit to how many hotel cards I would consider juggling. I may even close all except my two Marriott cards (personal and business.)
@Aim_High wrote:Someone using the middle strategy could say there can't be too many hotel cards in their wallet.
This is pretty much where P2 and I are at - even if we add a slew of hotel cards, there probably won't be too many unless we doubled up on all of them. We stay at Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt/Choice most often (at least once but often multiple times per year), but IHG/Best Western/Wyndham often enough as well (usually at least once per year). As mentioned before, we'll have stayed at all seven this calendar year by the end of this month. This is our current plan:
Hilton
- Cards: I currently hold the $450 Aspire and $95 Surpass, will downgrade Surpass to no AF in hopes of an upgrade offer to second Aspire - very likely (90%+ chance) to keep both long-term, unless the card structure is majorly revamped and the value is no longer there
- Swipes: Have spent $15k on Surpass for certificate in the past, but is harder to hit the $15k with how diversified my set-up has become (what was once non-category is now at a bonus on some card, such as utilities at 5% on Elan MCP that used to hit $3k+ of the $15k required annually) - with double Aspire will be pretty much only used at Hilton, but an occasional swipe for dining to keep active if needed
- Recoup: Nearest major airport (EWR) is a United hub, usually being the cheapest option for domestic economy, so United Travel Bank is valued in full + we use night certificates for special occasions, such as two nights at the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh for our anniversary this fall
Marriott
- Cards: P2 and I both hold the $125 Amex business card and both of us will open the $95 Chase personal card - very likely (90%+ chance) to keep all four long-term
- Swipes: Pretty much only used at Marriott, but an occasional swipe for gas or dining (business) / gas, dining, or grocery (personal) to keep active if needed
- Recoup: Certificates would typically go towards a Marriott in P2's son's city that goes for $300-350 but we value at $240, with the cheapest decent hotels there starting at $160, so definitely well worth $95/$125 - reward availability is reliable for most nights at least a few weeks out
IHG
- Card: P2 holds $95 Chase personal card - somewhat likely (60%+ chance) to keep long-term
- Swipes: Pretty much only used at IHG, but an occasional swipe for travel, gas, or dining to keep active if needed
- Recoup: We have less experience with this ecosystem, but P2 obtained the card when the SUB was 175k and is sitting at 196k, which we'll try to use the 4 nights for 3 nights worth of points, then will see how easy it is to use the certificate
Hyatt
- Card(s): P2 will apply for $95 Chase personal card at some point - very likely (90%+ chance) to keep long-term, may even obtain a second one myself
- Swipes: Pretty much only used at Hyatt, but an occasional swipe for dining or transit to keep active if needed
- Recoup: We would likely use certificates at one of the Jersey City Hyatt's, both of which are right near the Newport PATH station (making it a very good option for trips involving lower to midtown Manhattan, with much cheaper parking on the Jersey side and skipping a hefty toll), and both Hyatt's usually go for at least $200, often $250-300+
Choice
- Card: I hold $95 Wells Fargo personal card - very likely (90%+ chance) to keep long-term
- Swipes: Largely only used at Choice properties, but is the highest return at home improvement stores for my set-up, so usually don't need occasional swipes elsewhere to keep active
- Recoup: We saw great return at the Cambria in Chelsea (NYC) for 30k points, plus there is a midtown option at 20k points - we also hope to use this for a hotel in Maui next winter at 30k/night, which isn't a high-end property but the Maui floor so far has been $400/night for anywhere - Choice also works well with Citi Premier, so if we need extra points for a redemption, so far we have always been able to transfer points as necessary
Best Western
- Card: I will apply for the $89 FNBO personal card - very likely (90%+ chance) to keep long-term
- Swipes: In addition to Best Western stays, would aim to spend $5k on non-category every 12 billing cycles for the 40k points bonus - being a Mastercard, this would work well with my Curve + Citi Premier + Citi Custom Cash x2 set-up
- Recoup: We love traveling and nature and Best Western often has solid options near national parks, such as the one we recently stayed at near Bryce Canyon - might only redeem every 2-3 years, but points structure would be flexible for such
Wyndham
- Card: I will apply for the $95 Barclays business card - somewhat likely (60%+ chance) to keep long-term
- Swipes: Wyndham properties and gas
- Recoup: This joins IHG as another ecosystem we are less familiar with, but searches for using Wyndham points for vacational rentals via Vacasa have showed potentially solid return
All in all, that makes 2 Hilton cards, 4 Marriott cards, and 1 each for Hyatt, IHG, Choice, Best Western, and Wyndham, for a total of 11 cards. 9 of the 11 are very likely to be kept long-term. 8 of the 11 would be recouped via certificates (and airline credit in the case of Aspire) while 3 of the 11 would be recouped via points (with $5k in spend every 12 cycles required for Best Western). I'd use 3 of the 11 regularly outside of stays, but the other 8 of 11 all have dining as a bonus category, so it's as simple as swiping for an occasional meal to keep active, if even needed in the first place.
I'll also add that Hilton being our primary chain allows us to be more of free agents in general, as we don't need to do anything besides hold an Aspire to be at top status, thus no need to stay a minimum number of times. And we've found whatever status is conveyed by other cards to be enough: for example, Marriott Gold got me a room upgrade recently at the Courtyard SoHo, meaning a large-for-NYC room on a high floor. Choice Platinum got us a higher floor at Cambria Chelsea, which was nice given how loud the neighborhood can be, despite them not being able to offer an upgrade to the room type. It's usually not huge differences, but if the annual fee is already recouped via certificate or points and we/I occasionally get an additional something out of the status conveyed by the card, it's a nice bonus, even if small.
It's definitely some juggling and work, but I enjoy such (at least currently), and it is nice to earn such a high return at all of the major chains. Spreading our stays and spend means filling many points pools at a slower but very efficient rate, plus holding the cards makes it easier to keep the points active (for those that can expire).
P2 
P2 Future 
Chopping Block 
Was going to wait till May to apply for Choice Privilages Select Mastercard & Best Western Rewards Premium Mastercard once my score is over 800, decided to apply for both last week on the same day after 6 months of opening a new card, got approved for both since I opened a checking account with Wells Fargo in 2nd quarter of this year with direct deposits and have Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard & Evergreen cards with FNBO. Have posted in Washington and Oregon Reddit forums for any Best Western Hotels recommendatios to stay since I am taking a 18 months break from cross country road trips after 4 in the last 24 months, last was one was Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine in September, sticking with west coast and western states. I do have Diamond Select status with Best Western through status match using my Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Platinum Status. I appreciate @Aim_High for his continuous informative wake up call responses to my posts and to my non stop reckless behavior applying for new credit cards 
. Thank you for responses and your strategy with hotel cards. P2 has the IHG credit card, been happy with our stays with their hotels and their late check out policy. I have noticed that many are happy after IHG Hotels revamped its loyality program.
in addition to buying those points if I recall from when I was looking at the card earlier in the year you buy points 1ppc but the trade in value is 2ppc at least at the hotel I was looking at in Salem OR.
Making it a great redemption value vs simply putting on a card pretty favorable. I ended up not doing it because I was trying to shed HP and new account penalties and plan to keep doing so til about April 2024.
@AyaMai wrote:Have posted in Washington and Oregon Reddit forums for any Best Western Hotels recommendatios to stay since I am taking a 18 months break from cross country road trips after 4 in the last 24 months, last was one was Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine in September, sticking with west coast and western states.
Congratulations on your approval! I also grabbed the Best Western Premium a few months ago. I am not sure if Bryce Canyon may be in your travels but in May we stayed at the Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn for two nights. There are three Best Westerns just outside of the park with the Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn being the "middle" of the three. We didn't use points, since we didn't have any at the time, but it would have been just over .6cpp if we had. (It actually ended up being a great use of Citi Premier's $100 credit, as the portal price was $5 less than booking direct.)
We really enjoyed our stay - the pool was nice and we were right across the hall from it. There is a general store with an absolute ton of stuff available, basically a combination of a small grocery store/market and a large gift shop, plus a small post office to boot. It was really nice to be able to walk down the hall and grab an affordable snack and a beer or two after a long day at the park. The restaurant was decent too - other options nearby were limited with most requiring a car, which we did not have (family trip with a rented RV). Finally, the shuttle stop for the loop was right outside the hotel, so access to the park was very easy.
In any case, that real just over .6cpp example helped steer me towards getting the card, and I have since already obtained the SUB and used the points. We just came back from a trip to the Scottish Highlands that included two nights in Inverness. We had a $565 booking but happened upon the Best Western Inverness Palace Hotel & Spa closer to our trip, which was $595 or 80k points for two nights (.74cpp). The Best Western was 10 minutes walking closer to the city center than our previous booking, which made up for the $30 difference, especially as we walked both nights in the rain; a combined 40 minutes less in the rain was certainly valuable. They upgraded us to a larger room with a view, though the view was obscured by scaffolding, which I had known would be a possibility before the trip. All in all it was a decent stay - parking was hard to come by on one of the two nights, but that is an issue with any booking in that area of the city. We had paid ~$300/night for our nights in Glencoe and Portree and the Best Western was not as nice, so I'd probably put the "what we'd happily pay" value closer to $250/night, which would still lead to .63cpp return.
All in all I am happy with the card, especially as a sponge for non-category spend. Assuming .63cpp value and over-shooting the $5k required for the 40k bonus by $200, 50.4k total points is worth $317.52, minus $89 AF for $228.52, $228.52/$5.2k = ~4.4% return. I hope you see similar (or better) results and that you enjoy your travels!