Best for hotel loyalty
Best Hotel Credit Cards
Loyal to one hotel chain? These cards reward that loyalty.
Pick a card that fits how you spend—and how you like to earn rewards.
For Marriott loyalists
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Free night award at Marriott.
$175/year on the sample profile
Annual fee
$95
Welcome offer
3 free nights · Spend $3,000 in 3 monthsFor Hilton loyalists
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Silver Status.
$301/year on the sample profile
Annual fee
$0
Welcome offer
70,000 points · Spend $2,000 in 6 monthsFor Hyatt loyalists
World of Hyatt Credit Card
Free night (up to Cat 4) at Hyatt.
$229/year on the sample profile
Annual fee
$95
Welcome offer
60,000 points · Spend $15,000 in 6 monthsHighest modeled value, any chain
Citi Strata Premier
Transfer points to 11 airline and hotel partners.
$569/year on the sample profile
Annual fee
$95
Welcome offer
60,000 points · Spend $4,000 in 3 monthsCurrent offer shown; issuer determines eligibility.
Things to know
Hotel co-brand cards have one benefit the cash ranking deliberately doesn't count: an annual free night. On several cards that free night books at more than the card's fee — a ~$250 fee against a night that would cost $400+ is a net win on its own, if you'll actually use it. Elite status (free breakfast, late checkout, upgrades) adds real but unpriceable value. The trade-offs are the usual ones: the free night is often capped at a points level that won't cover peak-season or top-tier properties, and the points are locked to one chain. So: if you're loyal to one hotel brand and will use the free night every year, the co-brand can beat everything here on total value; if you stay wherever's convenient, a flexible card nets more cash and books anywhere.
Our sample spending
groceries: $150/mo · dining: $180/mo · gas: $60/mo · travel: $750/mo · streaming: $30/mo · everything else: $240/mo · total $1,410/mo
Enter your numbers above and every pick recalculates. Rank every card for this spending in the finder →
See full ranking
Which one is right for the kind of person you are —
Other strong options
Same ranking, same spending — the next cards after the picks above.
Best long-term value and best first-year opportunity: Citi Strata Premier ($569/yr ongoing; $1,469 first year). A one-time bonus never changes the ongoing ranking.
Show rewards math
- For Marriott loyalists — Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: The best value among the cards that earn this program.
- For Hilton loyalists — Hilton Honors American Express Card: The best value among the cards that earn this program.
- For Hyatt loyalists — World of Hyatt Credit Card: The best value among the cards that earn this program.
- Highest modeled value, any chain — Citi Strata Premier: The highest net value on this spending. Money determines rank.
Guide text reviewed July 7, 2026 · figures computed at build from cards verified November 4, 2026 or later · Methodology v2026.09.4 · Ranked by net annual value (rewards minus the full annual fee — credits count only if you use them), not by who pays us.
Points valued at typical value (1.5¢ for transferable points). A different redemption style can change this order — switch yours in the finder and watch it change.
The best hotel card comes down to loyalty. Stay with one brand? Its free night usually beats everything. Stay wherever is convenient? A flexible card earns more.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless — where the monthly rewards come from on the sample profile
| Category | Monthly | Rate | Rewards per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| travel | $750 | 2x | $11 |
| other spending | $240 | 2x | $3 |
| dining | $180 | 3x | $4 |
| groceries | $150 | 3x | $3 |
| gas | $60 | 3x | $1 |
| streaming | $30 | 2x | $0 |
Check bonus requirements
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Requirement: Spend $3,000 in 3 months
Welcome bonus progress
Your regular spending appears sufficient.
Estimated eligible spending: $1,410 × 3 = $4,230 against the $3,000 requirement.
Spending here means this profile’s spending.
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Requirement: Spend $2,000 in 6 months
Welcome bonus progress
Your regular spending appears sufficient.
Estimated eligible spending: $1,410 × 6 = $8,460 against the $2,000 requirement.
Spending here means this profile’s spending.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
Welcome offer: 60,000 points≈ $1,020 at our typical valuation
Requirement: Spend $15,000 in 6 months
Welcome bonus progress
Estimated shortfall $6,540
Below the $15,000 requirement based on the spending entered. Estimated eligible spending: $1,410 × 6 = $8,460.
Check whether ordinary eligible expenses are missing from your estimate. Don't make unnecessary purchases just to earn a bonus.
Spending here means this profile’s spending.
Citi Strata Premier
Requirement: Spend $4,000 in 3 months
Welcome bonus progress
Your regular spending appears sufficient.
Estimated eligible spending: $1,410 × 3 = $4,230 against the $4,000 requirement.
Spending here means this profile’s spending.
Best for earning on hotels · Best first-year opportunity
Big welcome offer. See what you need to earn it.
Citi Strata Premier
$1,469 first year
- $569/year ongoing
- + $900 one-time welcome offer (60,000 points at our typical value)
- $95 annual fee, charged in full
$900 is one-time. $569/year is ongoing.
Requirement: Spend $4,000 in 3 months
Welcome bonus progress
Your regular spending appears sufficient.
Estimated eligible spending: $1,410 × 3 = $4,230 against the $4,000 requirement.
Spending here means this profile’s spending.
- Why it stands out
- Large first-year value, still ahead after the $95 annual fee — every figure here already subtracts it.
- After year one
- Approximately $569/year at this profile’s spending.
- Our take
- Excellent signup opportunity if you can naturally meet the requirement, and it is essentially tied with Citi Strata Premier long-term.
Worth considering if you already want this type of card.
How we value points
Figures use typical point values — the same values as Find a Card, read from one table, never typed on a page.
- Marriott Bonvoy: 0.7¢ per point typical · 0.2¢ cash floor
- Hilton Honors: 0.5¢ per point typical · 0.2¢ cash floor
- Hyatt Points: 1.7¢ per point typical · 0.2¢ cash floor
- Citi ThankYou Points: 1.5¢ per point typical · 1¢ cash floor
More card details
Best hotels card on sample spending
Best for hotel loyalty
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
$250/yr a free hotel night (up to 35k points), every year
- Why it wins:
- Free night award — use at 35k point hotels or less. Worth ~$250 against the $95 fee — +$155 ahead before a dollar of spending, if you'll actually use it. Deliberately not counted in the cash ranking above.
- Standout benefit:
- Free night award at Marriott
- Annual fee:
- $95
- Trade-off:
- $95 annual fee — already subtracted from every figure here.
+4 more benefits
- — $100 Airline Credit (limited-time)
- — Silver Elite status
- — 15 elite nights
- — No Foreign Transaction Fees
Listed, not priced: perks never become dollars here, and credits count only if you tell us you use them.
Advertising disclosure: we may earn a commission if you apply through this link. This does not affect your ranking. Full disclosure
Spend across more than these categories?
Enter every monthly number and we'll re-rank all 67 open consumer cards against exactly how you spend.
Run my full numbersFigures are estimates from our net-value model on a sample hotels-weighted profile unless you enter your own, with fees counted category-aware (credits count where you'd realize them). See our methodology page. Rates and fees change — verify on the issuer's site before applying.