As a benefit, several co-brand hotel credit cards offer a free night in return for meeting a spending threshold in a calendar year. At the beginning of the year, the spending counter resets to zero. Once you meet the required amount, a free night is deposited into your account. Typically, this free night is good for one year from when it arrives in your account.
There are co-branded credit cards available from Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott, which offer a free night after spending $15,000. However, each free night comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. The question is whether it is worth putting $15,000 on any of these credit cards in order to earn an extra free night.
World of Hyatt Visa
With the World of Hyatt card, you earn an additional free night at any category 1-4 hotel if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year.
Unfortunately, most top-level properties located in large cities in the Americas, like Park Hyatts, Andaz and Thompson, are out of reach since they’re category 5 or higher. There are some nice places you can stay, including the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando and the Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Piñon Pointe. You’ll be able to find a Category 4 hotel anywhere except a large city like New York, Miami, or San Francisco.
However, if you’re traveling to Southeast Asia, the Park Hyatt in Siem Reap and Hyatt Regency Danang are category 4 or lower.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
The Hilton Honors AMEX Surpass doesn’t include a free night on renewal. Instead, you earn a Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Unlike Hyatt’s free night, Hilton’s version is usable at almost any Hilton property worldwide, with only a small list of exclusions. That flexibility makes it one of the most valuable free night perks at this spending level.
We’ve now earned this free night two years in a row, and both times used it for stays that would have cost over $300 per night. Most recently, we redeemed it at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing. With Hilton’s top-tier properties now charging up to 250K points per night, the ability to redeem a free night at nearly any hotel in the portfolio is a huge win.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy AMEX & Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful
Both the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (American Express) and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful (Chase) cards award a 50K free night certificate after $15,000 in calendar-year spend.
One advantage Marriott has over Hyatt is the ability to “top up” a certificate with up to 15,000 additional points. That means your 50K cert can book a night costing up to 65K points.
In our case, we already hold Marriott cards with 35K and 85K free nights. We’ve found that many everyday properties in popular destinations — think city hotels, resorts in vacation markets, or even airport locations during peak demand — often price just over 50K points. That makes the 50K certificate easy to use if you’re willing to add a few extra points.
That said, while the cert is practical, the dollar value per point tends to run lower than comparable free nights from Hyatt or Hilton.
Final Thoughts
Whether spending $15,000 on a hotel credit card for an extra free night is worth it depends on your travel patterns and how you value flexibility.
- Hyatt offers strong value but limits you to Category 1–4 properties, which takes many aspirational hotels off the table.
- Hilton offers the most flexibility, as the free night is redeemable at almost any property — a huge win if you choose to redeem it at resorts or big-city hotels, where rates can easily exceed $300.
- Marriott sits in the middle: the 50K certificate isn’t flashy, but with the 15K point top-up, it’s surprisingly practical for everyday properties in popular destinations.
The key is opportunity cost. That $15,000 in spend could go toward hitting a welcome bonus on a new card, earning more points in bonus categories, or unlocking other valuable perks. If you have organic spend and a plan for the free night, it can be a great deal. If not, you may be better off putting your dollars elsewhere.
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