Looking for a Hotel Credit Card

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I'm looking for a hotel credit card that gives me a free night or enough points for a free night at each anniversary year.

I understand that I will have an annual fee with this card.  Please let me know which card you recommend and why.  The main cards that I really looking into are: Chase IHG, Club Carlson Business, Club Carlson Premier Visa Signature, Chase Hyatt, & Chase Marriott.

My credit is in good shape.  Credit information below:

• Overall Utilization: 7%
• Payment History: 100%
• Derogatory Marks: None
• AAOA: 6 years 11 months
• Total Accounts: 6 (all credit cards)

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Chase Hyatt for sure.

Two free nights after 1k/3months at any Hyatt property.

People typically use it at 5-star Park Hyatt locations, like Park Hyatt New York, Chicago, Paris, San Fracisco, Tokyo, etc.

 The annual free night is only at a category 1-4 hotel.

I would disagree on the Ritz. $395 annual fee, no waiver on first year, and you only get two nights.. Points are hard to accumulate and the redemption amounts are high.

Not a fan of IHG hotels. They are mostly Holiday Inns.

Marriott is a good offer. 80k/3months. Properties are nice. AF is only $75, and the annual free night is category 1-5.

[Anonymous]

Isn't annual fee $85 for the Marriott?
Also it's metal
Also Marriotts are nice
Also I understand that you prob won't get the free night in Manhattan or some really high profile city

[Anonymous]

I would take an intercontinental every year over a category 4 Hyatt. Any tier two city that doesn't have ic will at least have a crowne plaza

Hyatt's tiny footprint makes it hard to earn points via stays, whereas IHG has tons of promos

[redpat]

If you travel a lot I'm finding the  best hotel cards with great value and have many, many other travel perks aren't hotel cards, it's Amex plat and Citi Prestige.

What's not to like.  Amex; FHR $100 property credit and free breakfast, Hilton gold, SPG gold and hotel collection $75 credit on 2 night stay.  Plus all the other benefits of lounges, car rental status and reimbursement of global entry or TSA pre.  Net AF after airline credit $250.

Citi, 4th night free, how many points do you need to have a free night with a hotel card?  Also all the other perks of lounge access, TSA pre, global entry, free golf, rental car status for a the cost of $200 after airline credit.

The reason I like these two cards is because I'm not stuck with one hotel chain and I get so much more in valuet vs the cost, plus other travel benefits that a hotel card can't offer.

So if you just want a hotel card for one free annual night that is fine you may not travel that often, but if you do travel a lot these cards should be looked at even though they are not strictly "hotel cards".

[RonM21]

After hearing some of the suggestions, did it make you lean a bit more towards any of them? It's really going to come down to what fits you and how you would use it.

[Anonymous]

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@redpat wrote:

If you travel a lot I'm finding the  best hotel cards with great value and have many, many other travel perks aren't hotel cards, it's Amex plat and Citi Prestige.

What's not to like.  Amex; FHR $100 property credit and free breakfast, Hilton gold, SPG gold and hotel collection $75 credit on 2 night stay.  Plus all the other benefits of lounges, car rental status and reimbursement of global entry or TSA pre.  Net AF after airline credit $250.

Citi, 4th night free, how many points do you need to have a free night with a hotel card?  Also all the other perks of lounge access, TSA pre, global entry, free golf, rental car status for a the cost of $200 after airline credit.

The reason I like these two cards is because I'm not stuck with one hotel chain and I get so much more in valuet vs the cost, plus other travel benefits that a hotel card can't offer.

So if you just want a hotel card for one free annual night that is fine you may not travel that often, but if you do travel a lot these cards should be looked at even though they are not strictly "hotel cards".

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I am itching to apply for the Amex Platinum bc the perks are amazing. ...but I'm afraid of the possible rejection..... 

[Anonymous]

I would go for the Marriott. 

First, Chase is a good place to be with in my opinion. Second, Marriott has very good costumer service and nice hotels. The free night every anniversary is category 1-5, which doesn't seem great at first but the Renassiance in Downtown Phoenix is included (Cat 5) and it's one of the nicest hotels in the city. I'm sure there are similar ones in other cities as well. 

Additionally, the Marriott card gives you 15 nights towards elite level every year, which puts you at silver member status. This gets you all sorts of goodies, like room upgrades, bonus points for stays, late check out. For every $3k you spend, you get an additional nihgt towards Gold/Platnium, which are even nicer. Finally, the sign on bonus at 80,000 points for $3k spent in 3 months will get you 2 nights in a very very nice hotel, or 5 in a "crappy" one, which is still a Marriott. Also, if you add an AU and they use thier card wihtin the first three months, you get another 7,500 points. 

[Anonymous]

I forgot to add that the Marriott card itself is black and metal. When I was swipping cards at a movie theatre for a year they were some of the nicest you'd see, and there weren't very many of them. The 2x points on resturants, airfare, and car rentals is also nice. 

[ways2go]

I like my IHG card.   You can use the free night anywhere,   but it all depends if the hotel has any available free nights at the time you want to use it.  I'm flying out of and into jfk next week with a layover at jfk for one night,  and I could have stayed in a Times square hotel for free ,  where most of the rooms are a couple of hundred dollars +,  for just the annual fee of $49.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree that IHG free night is great holiday inns are meh to me. I like luxury..not many with IHG unless it's the intercontinental and those aren't everywhere. Martiott has the best footprint and 17 points per dollar isn't bad with the credit card. I like IHG's reward structure, 2x grocery, gas, and restaurants with the credit card but the hotels aren't that great.