If you are a frequent traveler, for business, pleasure, or both obtaining a Hotel Rewards credit card is a very good idea. Specialty credit cards for those who are looking for low APR’s, low/ no fee’s, or gas reward cards are becoming more and more popular, so why not have a credit card for just hotel bookings? You can earn rewards such as free night(s) at a participating hotel after staying a certain number of times. It is important to remember that many different hotel chains come from the same “branch”, meaning that different hotels may have different names and different marketing strategies but many times they are run by the same parent company.
If you stay in a hotel for 9 or less nights a year investing in a hotel rewards card is likely a waste of your time. You may be able to squeak out one free night at a hotel, but you have to spend time searching for a hotel rewards card, applying for it, keeping up with another card… It will just be more hassle than it is worth. However if your yearly hotel stays top 10 nights or more you should really look into getting one of these cards. No one likes having a half dozen or more different credit cards all for different purposes, but that is the way it is these days. Some hotel reward credit cards are operated by the hotel chains themselves, meaning you can only earn rewards if you book at a specific hotel, other cards come from credit card companies themselves and can help you earn rewards no matter which hotel chain you decide to go with.
Hotel specific cards are nice because you will generally earn the most rewards with them. Hotel chains not only want you to finance your trips with their card, they want you to choose their hotels over others so that they can grow their market share. This gives hotel specific cards two reasons to want your business instead of just one. One of my favorite hotel specific cards is the Mariott Rewards Credit card from Chase. You earn “double points” when you stay at any Mariott hotel around the world and there are plenty of other opportunities to earn points. The more points you earn the more perks, such as a free night’s stay at any Mariott hotel, you will achieve. As far as hotel specific cards go this is the cream of the crop.
If you prefer to have one hotel rewards card that you can use at any hotel in the world, Chase Sapphire is the card you are looking for. You can use this card for just about any purchase, but it gives double points for airfare bookings and extra points for hotel bookings as well. Your points will never expire for any reason and there are no limits as to how many points you can earn and redeem. APR is variable for the card but it starts at a very low 13.2%. Perhaps the best part about owning a Chase sapphire card is that you will pay no annual fee, ever! In addition you will have a 24/7 live support team, meaning you get to talk to a real human being that speaks English whenever you have a problem with your card or you just need general support. This is a great card to use for any purchases, especially travel related purchases, if you have good enough credit to qualify for this credit card you would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity.