7 Best Hotel Rewards Credit Cards (Feb. 2024)

A number of factors influence how much you enjoy a trip, whether traveling on business or vacation. For many, a good hotel experience is key to happy travel, since it’s very hard to overcome a disappointing hotel stay. Often, it’s the perks — or lack thereof — that color your opinion of your lodgings. That’s where a hotel rewards credit card can help.

The best hotel credit cards not only earn you points toward a free hotel stay, but many come with additional perks such as room upgrades, complimentary meals, and in-room WiFi. Here’s our list of the nine best hotel credit cards, including our picks for the best overall credit cards, the cards with the best sign-up bonuses, the best rewards programs, and the best branded hotel cards.

Best Overall | Best Sign-Up Bonuses | Best Rewards Programs | Best Branded Cards

A good hotel rewards card provides a range of offers and bonuses in addition to extra features that save you money and make your hotel stay more enjoyable. We’ve examined all the pros and cons of the top hotel cards, and identified the best ones for you:

We named the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as the best overall hotel rewards card for 2017 because it does everything well. You get a generous number of bonus points when you meet the new-account purchase requirements or add an authorized user, especially considering its modest annual fee.

The points can be used for dining, cash, or gift cards — but you get extra point-power by redeeming them for travel booked through Chase. The points you earn with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be transferred to any Chase travel partner for additional flexibility.

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

at Chase'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.9

OVERALL RATING

4.9/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	21.49%-28.49% Variable	$95	Good/Excellent

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also gets bonus points for style; the unique metallic card has a great design and feel.

You earn a sign-up bonus by spending the required amount on purchases during the initial period after opening the account. For example, a card might offer you 50,000 points or miles if you purchase $5,000 in goods and services during the first three months.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a great trade-off between bonus miles and required spending. The card rewards are flexible — you redeem a statement credit to use your miles, and there are no restrictions on hotel brands or airlines. Flyers will appreciate the fact that there are no blackout dates. The ratio of miles rewarded to dollars spent is excellent.

2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.8

OVERALL RATING

4.8/5.0

Our Review »

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel

• See application, terms and details.

See Rates & Fees

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)	$95	Excellent, Good

3. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.9

OVERALL RATING

4.9/5.0

Our Review »

• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel

• See application, terms and details.

See Rates & Fees

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
0% for 15 months	0% for 15 months	19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)	$0	Excellent, Good

4. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

at Chase'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

4.7/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™; Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	22.49%-29.49% Variable	$550	Good/Excellent

You can apply for a Chase Sapphire Reserve® through the online application. Keep in mind, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will have more stringent requirements for approval than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

A good rewards program offers generous rewards as well as easy redemption, with a limited number of blackout dates or unavailable room types.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ pays generous cash back on purchases within the quarterly bonus categories, up to the capped amount. All you have to do is opt into the bonus category each quarter. It also has an excellent introductory interest rate on purchases, as well as a low spending requirement for its introductory bonus.

5. Chase Freedom Flex℠

This card is currently not available.

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★

N/A

OVERALL RATING

N/A

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Additional Disclosure: The information related to Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card has been collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

The sign-up bonus is modest but easily earned, and there is a separate bonus for signing up an authorized user. Cash-back rewards don’t expire as long as you keep the account open.

A branded card carries the name of a company, separate from the bank issuing the card. In most cases, the points you use will only be redeemable through the branded company and its partners. Here’s a look at the top options.

6. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card is the new mid-tier card that resulted from the rebranding of the Marriott and Starwood programs after their merger. The card offers six points per dollar on Marriott purchase and two points on everything else.

• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at eligible Marriott Bonvoy properties
• Earn 2X on all other purchases
• Pay $95 annual fee

Cardholders receive automatic Silver Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy and can earn Gold Status by spending $35,000 on purchases each account year. Users can also enjoy free premium in-room wifi and an annual free night award after the account anniversary.

(Non-Monetized. The information related to Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card was collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates.com does not receive commission for this product/card.)

7. Hilton Honors Ascend Card

The Hilton Honors Ascend Card is not only a quick route to free stays with its double-digit rewards rate for Hilton purchases, but the card also provides you with complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and airport lounge access passes.

• Earn 12X Hilton Honors™ points per dollar for Hilton purchases
• Earn 6X points for purchases at US restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations
• Pay $95 annual fee

The Hilton Honors Ascend Card is also great for big buyers, as you can earn a free Weekend Night Reward when you spend at least $15,000 on your card in a single calendar year.

Hotel rewards cards (and the perks that go with them) are perfect for frequent travelers and voracious vacationers — or those who simply want to take advantage of a great sign-up bonus to earn a free hotel stay. Whatever your motivation, you can likely find a hotel card that fits the bill.

If you know you’ll be making big-ticket purchases during the introductory period, pick the card with the best sign-up bonus.  If you regularly travel abroad, you’ll want to select a card with no foreign transaction fees. Otherwise, choose the card that gives you the most perks and most generous rewards — for the least money.