Hotels.com Visa Rewards Card by Wells Fargo

Matt9543 · ‎09-13-2020

Hey everyone,

I saw on DoC that Wells Fargo is now issuing a Hotels.com Visa Card, but you earn 1 stamp for every $500 you spend on the card. They claim that 1 stamp is worth $110, so wouldn't that necessarily make this effectively 20% back? Or am I not understanding this properly?

If anybody has different insights on this, or how the program works, please let me know!

FICO Scores (current as of November 24, 2020): Equifax: 740 | Experian: 751 | TransUnion: 732

Anonymous · ‎09-13-2020

Looks like stamps are worth $11, so 2.2% back?

You can also get stamps from booking nights, but that's still a low return

I'd rather stick booking direct with the big brands. Currently, HH Diamond + the current promo gets me ~35% back in points without even using a Hilton Amex for extra pts. You can get similar high returns with other brands.

Booking direct has a lot of other benefits. Easier to adjust reservations would be the biggest thing.

Citylights18 · ‎09-13-2020

I don't know about stamps. But you do get a free night every 10 worth at the average dollar stay per night.

Stamps sound like another dip on the program.

It would be then a triple dip 1) buying through a shopping portal, 2) stamps using the hotels.com visa, 3) free night every 10.

edit: It sounds like stamps work like they do with a free night in 10. Normally you'll get 1 stamp when booking online without the credit card but if you book online with the credit card it sounds like you'll get 2 stamps. Then whenever you spend $500 plus on a hotel purchase you'll get an extra stamp. I guess the idea is it will accelerate your free night earning.

I'd definitely call them up though until that is clear. You'll lose the ability of getting discounts from gift cards if you buy the hotels directly with credit card instead.

Matt9543 · ‎09-13-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
Looks like stamps are worth $11, so 2.2% back?

You can also get stamps from booking nights, but that's still a low return

I'd rather stick booking direct with the big brands. Currently, HH Diamond + the current promo gets me ~35% back in points without even using a Hilton Amex for extra pts. You can get similar high returns with other brands.

Booking direct has a lot of other benefits. Easier to adjust reservations would be the biggest thing.

Gotcha. This part of Wells Fargo's page confused me "Collect 1 stamp worth $110 each time you spend $500 on purchases with your Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Card.Footnote 33" It also includes this in the terms "The redemption value of the Hotels.com Rewards Visa Card Stamps for the purpose of determining Your reward night is currently $110 per Stamp."

I guess the way they are wording this seems to be very poorly.

Edit: it appears that the way the program works is that it averages those 10 nights and gives you one reward for that amount. So I assume if you spend the $5,000 needed to get 10 stamps, you would then get $110 as a free night reward since each stamp is valued at $110. This would be different if you spent nights at the hotels since those stamps will be calculated as the price you paid per night. Which could in turn end up causing your free night to be higher or lower.

FICO Scores (current as of November 24, 2020): Equifax: 740 | Experian: 751 | TransUnion: 732

CreditCuriosity · ‎09-14-2020

card is junk imho.. better off with just a cashback 2%-3% card.

Anonymous · ‎09-14-2020

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
card is junk imho.. better off with just a cashback 2%-3% card.

Yes, although one niche use listed in the comments, a way to prevent your existing hotels.com stamps from expiring without having to stay in a hotel.....

Citylights18 · ‎09-14-2020

As a Hotels.com frequent user I think I would still do better buying it through a shopping portal at 3-5% return and sticking on my AMEX Green then messing with this card.

Here is why I still believe that. Let's say you spent 10 nights at $100 dollar average. That would give you 2 extra stamps toward that $100 dollar average room, or 20% ($20 dollars).

If you instead spent those 10 nights on the AMEX Green through the shopping portal and the average return was 6% between both that is 6% on 1,000 dollars or $60. From my perspective that is a superior rate of return. Even if you considered popping through a shopping portal with the Hotels.com card for a 4% overall RTR the AMEX Green is going to beat it.

notmyrealname23 · ‎09-14-2020

@Citylights18 wrote:
As a Hotels.com frequent user I think I would still do better buying it through a shopping portal at 3-5% return and sticking on my AMEX Green then messing with this card.

Here is why I still believe that. Let's say you spent 10 nights at $100 dollar average. That would give you 2 extra stamps toward that $100 dollar average room, or 20% ($20 dollars).

If you instead spent those 10 nights on the AMEX Green through the shopping portal and the average return was 6% between both that is 6% on 1,000 dollars or $60. From my perspective that is a superior rate of return. Even if you considered popping through a shopping portal with the Hotels.com card for a 4% overall RTR the AMEX Green is going to beat it.

I went ahead and grabbed it anyway because a) SUB, b) no AF, c) still doing rebuild so it'll be helpful even if it's mostly sock drawered (I also have an AMEX Green). It's basically a 2% card for giving you hotels.com funny money (but really a bit less because of breakage if you get a $80 hotel room with a $90 free room credit).

Approved for $5k, it will probably live in a sock drawer after the SUB (I expect there to be promotions for hotels.com though).

notmyrealname23 · ‎09-14-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditCuriosity wrote:
card is junk imho.. better off with just a cashback 2%-3% card.
Yes, although one niche use listed in the comments, a way to prevent your existing hotels.com stamps from expiring without having to stay in a hotel.....

You also get Hotels.com Silver elite status, which isn't nothing, if it's not amazeballs. I've gotten some decent customer service gestures as a Silver.

notmyrealname23 · ‎09-14-2020

@Anonymous wrote:

I'd rather stick booking direct with the big brands. Currently, HH Diamond + the current promo gets me ~35% back in points without even using a Hilton Amex for extra pts. You can get similar high returns with other brands.

Booking direct has a lot of other benefits. Easier to adjust reservations would be the biggest thing.

In my experience, you are often paying a premium outside the USA for big brands that overwhelms the bonus points you get back (though if you're going through a corporate rate and it's not your money, you'll get reimbursed...I see your point). I often find the best deals for traveling outside the US in terms of star quality/location/value aren't the Hiltons/Hyatts/IHG/etc., but local brands or hotels that are available on Expedia (and their hotels.com subsidiary). It doesn't mean I won't stay at a Hilton or whatever US chain fits the bill, but having the flexibility to NOT have to stay at the inconveniently located Hilton but the conveniently located local hotel is often worth it to me.