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Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

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NCGirl
New Contributor

Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

Next year I'm adding Stage Plays to my business. I will then need put numerous people in hotels a several times within the year, so I'm interested in acquiring a hotel CC at the end of the year. I have received invitations from both Marriott and Hilton to obtain their cc. But I'm not sure which is the better card to have... can anyone provide me with your thoughts. and if you know of another hotel card that you think is better than both of these, please chime in with the reasons. Thanks,


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9 REPLIES 9
enharu
Super Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

You can refer to these threads : http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/For-those-of-us-into-travel-rewards/td-p/2218791/highli...

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Chase-Marriott-Rewards-Premier-Signature/m-p/1434574/hi...

 

Creditscholar did some nice analysis on those 2 cards. Open123 also has some posts about this topic as well, if I remember correctly.

 

More importantly though, are both hotels convenient for you? Do you have a personal preference or you just go along with whichever is cheapest / most convenient / best?

 

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Message 2 of 10
NCGirl
New Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

Thank you. I read through the links, most people think the Citi Hilton card is best... I like the Marriott more, but if I can get better rewards from Hilton, I just might have to be content with those warm chocolate chips cookies at Doubletree.  :-)


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Open123
Super Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

Likewise, aside from the Waldorf and Conrads, I prefer most Marriotts over Hiltons.  

 

But, as you surmised, even with it's recent devaluation, the Hilton program will still likely offer you better value than the Marriott one.  Since there are so many more ways to harvest Hilton points than Marriotts, it's a better choice to start with the former, in my estimation.

 

For example:

 

1.  Amex Hilton - 50K bonus

2.  Citi Hilton - 50K bonus

3.  Hawaiian and Virgin miles all transfer into HHonors with a 100% bonus.

4.  TY points harvested from...er...accelerated methods can transfer into HHonors at 1.5 per TY point.

5.  erewards, emiles & assorted programs where you can harvest an additional 20 - 25K per year, if you were so inclined.

6.  Citi Hilton Reserve - 2 free nights and elite status.

 

If it were me, I'd harvest all the points possible, and app for the Citi Hilton Reserve when you're ready to book and travel.  

 

Good luck!

Message 4 of 10
seattletravels
Valued Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

I just got 70k bonus points with my Marriott Visa Sig.



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Message 5 of 10
Open123
Super Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?


@seattletravels wrote:

I just got 70k bonus points with my Marriott Visa Sig.


Congratulations on the bonus!  

 

So, this alone makes the Marriott rewards program "better?"  Or, you just wanted to share the good news?

Message 6 of 10
NCGirl
New Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

The invitation I received from Marriott was for 70k bonus points also. The Citi Hilton one was only for 50K but there is no annual fee on the Citi Hilton.


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CreditScholar
Valued Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?


@enharu wrote:

You can refer to these threads : http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/For-those-of-us-into-travel-rewards/td-p/2218791/highli...

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Chase-Marriott-Rewards-Premier-Signature/m-p/1434574/hi...

 

Creditscholar did some nice analysis on those 2 cards. Open123 also has some posts about this topic as well, if I remember correctly.

 

More importantly though, are both hotels convenient for you? Do you have a personal preference or you just go along with whichever is cheapest / most convenient / best?

 


Those links have some very good information, although I'd have to lower the estimated values of each after the most recent devaluations:

 

Marriott Point: 0.8 cpp. Anything ~1 cpp or higher is a good value redemption.

Hilton: 0.6 cpp, with anything at 0.8+ cpp being a good value

 

The two questions you should ask yourself are:

 

1. Which chain has properties in the locations you plan to visit most often? Whatever your answer is, pick that. If they're largely interchangable, go to question 2.

2. Will you generate most of your points from actual hotel stays or CC spending? Hotel stays = Marriott, CC spending = Hilton

 

Also if you aren't going to make gold with Marriott, stick with Hilton. Marriott silver (which is what you get via the CC) is close to worthless, and you'll still be hit with internet fees which may run $10-20 per night. These really add up over time, whereas you'll be exempt if you have Hilton Gold via the Citi Reserve.

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American Express Platinum (NPSL) || Bank of America Privileges with Travel Rewards Visa Signature - $23,200 CL
Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard - $20,000 CL || Chase IHG Rewards World Mastercard - $25,000 CL
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature - $12,700 CL || Chase United MileagePlus Club World Elite MasterCard - $26,500 CL
Citibank Hilton Reserve Visa Signature - $20,000 CL || J.P. Morgan Ritz Carlton Visa Signature - $23,500 CL
Message 8 of 10
CreditScholar
Valued Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?

One more thing I forgot to mention:

 

 

If you are planning to go with Marriott, it's generally a good idea to purchase gift cards from gifts.marriott.com. They qualify as Marriott purchases, so they earn 5 points per dollar spent.

 

Add in the code AMT, which gives you an additional 10%. For example, if you order a gift card for $1000, you'll be given a card with $1,100 instead. This essentially gives a 10% discount on your room rate. Also booking through a portal such as TopCashBack will give you another 5%, totalling 15% off any room in Marriott property, anytime. The 10% bonus is good until August 31, but it's run every year. There's no limit on how many cards you can buy during the sale period.

 

Simply book your room with your CC, but ask to pay using the gift card when you checkout. You'll still get your normal points as well (10 base + elite bonuses per dollar spent), in addition to quarterly promos such as Megabonus.

EX 798, EQ 789, TU 784
American Express Platinum (NPSL) || Bank of America Privileges with Travel Rewards Visa Signature - $23,200 CL
Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard - $20,000 CL || Chase IHG Rewards World Mastercard - $25,000 CL
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature - $12,700 CL || Chase United MileagePlus Club World Elite MasterCard - $26,500 CL
Citibank Hilton Reserve Visa Signature - $20,000 CL || J.P. Morgan Ritz Carlton Visa Signature - $23,500 CL
Message 9 of 10
Open123
Super Contributor

Re: Which is better: Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors Credit card?


@CreditScholar wrote:

If you are planning to go with Marriott, it's generally a good idea to purchase gift cards from gifts.marriott.com. They qualify as Marriott purchases, so they earn 5 points per dollar spent.

 

Add in the code AMT, which gives you an additional 10%. For example, if you order a gift card for $1000, you'll be given a card with $1,100 instead. This essentially gives a 10% discount on your room rate. Also booking through a portal such as TopCashBack will give you another 5%, totalling 15% off any room in Marriott property, anytime. The 10% bonus is good until August 31, but it's run every year. There's no limit on how many cards you can buy during the sale period.


Awesome!  Works, and I'm off to buy some.

Message 10 of 10
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