If you travel more than once or twice a year, you might become interested in hotel loyalty programs. Through a hotel program, you’ll earn points, which you can use for free nights and to qualify for higher levels of hotel status.
People who travel often assign great value to their hotel status. That’s understandable because having status with a hotel chain can mean room upgrades, lounge access, and free breakfast. Depending on the hotel, you might even get a room in a special wing or on a higher floor reserved for guests with top-tier status.
If you’re a casual traveler, you probably won’t be able to reach the highest levels of most hotel loyalty programs based on stays alone. That’s where having a co-brand hotel credit card can help. These cards often give you a head start on status, perks like free internet, and better value when redeeming points for free nights.
Most hotel chains offer different tiers of co-brand cards. For this post, I’m focusing on the mid-tier offerings—cards that usually come with a moderate annual fee and provide more benefits than the no-annual-fee versions, but fewer perks than the luxury cards offered by some brands.
Note: Annual fees and benefits can change, so it’s always smart to confirm the current terms before applying.
Let’s examine the mid-tier co-brand cards available from major brands (plus a few lesser-known options).
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card ($150 Annual Fee)
Here are the benefits of the Hilton Surpass card.
- Hilton Honors Gold status, which includes an 80% bonus on base points earned on stays, space-available room upgrades, a food & beverage benefit (varies by brand/region), and milestone bonuses.
- $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio.
- When redeeming points, Gold members get the fifth night free on award stays.
- Earn a Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
- If you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- The Hilton Honors Surpass card provides secondary coverage for rental cars.
- Cardholders receive purchase protection coverage, which I’ve found can be handy.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ($95 Annual Fee)
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders receive the following benefits.
- Free in-room premium internet (when booking directly through Marriott)
- Automatic Silver Elite status. Ability to earn Gold Elite status if you spend $35,000 or more in eligible purchases in a calendar year.
- 15 Elite Night Credits each year to help reach a higher status level. This can currently be stacked with the 15-night credits from a Marriott Bonvoy Business card, which can get you to automatic Gold status and gives you a jump towards Platinum.
- 1 Free Night Award every year after your card account anniversary. The award can be used for one night (at or under 35,000 points) at a participating hotel. (Some hotels charge resort/destination fees.)
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
World of Hyatt Card ($95 Annual Fee)
Hyatt provides the following benefits to cardholders of the World of Hyatt card.
- Automatic status — World of Hyatt cardholders get Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as they keep the card. This includes free premium internet over the standard internet offered to all World of Hyatt members. You’ll also get free bottled water.
- Fast track to higher status — Cardholders receive 5 qualifying night credits each year. Plus, every time you spend $5,000 on the card, you earn 2 additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier.
- Free nights — You receive a free night certificate (Category 1–4) every year after your cardmember anniversary. You can earn an extra Category 1–4 free night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card during a calendar year.
IHG Rewards Premier ($99 Annual Fee)
The IHG Rewards Premier provides some great benefits considering the price point.
- Automatic Platinum Elite status — Cardholders are upgraded to IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status as long as they remain a cardholder in good standing. You’ll get a 60% bonus on points earned when staying at IHG hotels and priority check-in. They also claim you’ll get complimentary room upgrades and extended checkout (subject to availability).
- Fourth night free on reward stays — When booking a reward stay for four or more nights, every fourth night is free.
- Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit — Receive up to a $100 credit every four years for application fees charged to the card.
- Anniversary Free Night — Cardholders get an Anniversary Free Night valid at IHG hotels with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less. If a hotel costs more than 40K points, you can add extra points to book the stay (no limit on how many points you can add).
- $50 United TravelBank Cash — After registering your United MileagePlus account with IHG, you’ll receive $25 in United TravelBank cash twice a year. The cash does expire if you do not use it (but there’s a small window when you can combine both amounts).
- Spending threshold bonuses — Spend $20,000 in a calendar year and you’ll receive a $100 statement credit and 10,000 points. Spend $40,000 and you’ll receive IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Choice Privileges Select Mastercard ($95 Annual Fee)
The Choice Privileges Select Mastercard provides the following benefits.
- 20 elite night credits each calendar year — enough to qualify for at least Platinum level status.
- 30,000 points on every account anniversary.
- Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit — Receive up to a $100 credit every four years for application fees charged to the card.
- Cell phone protection — Up to $800 of protection against damage, theft, or unintended separation (subject to a $25 deductible).
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card ($75 Annual Fee)
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus card provides these benefits to cardholders.
- Automatic Platinum status — You’ll automatically receive Wyndham Rewards Platinum status and perks like free WiFi, preferred room selection, early check-in, and late checkout (where available).
- 10% discount on Go Free award redemptions.
- Anniversary bonus — Receive 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after payment of the renewal fee.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Sonesta World Mastercard (Free 1st Year, then $75 Annual Fee)
Sonesta World Mastercard cardholders receive the following benefits.
- Automatic upgrade to Sonesta Travel Pass Gold status upon card approval.
- 30,000 bonus points on your account anniversary if you spend at least $7,500 on purchases during the anniversary year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Drury Rewards Visa (No Annual Fee)
Drury Hotels is a smaller chain, but its properties are popular with families and groups because of the free breakfast, dinnertime snacks, and drinks included with your stay. Besides a sign-up bonus and the ability to earn extra points, the card doesn’t provide extra benefits.
Final Thought
Each of these cards provides useful benefits, including hotel status, which may provide a free breakfast (or at least give you a better chance of not getting the worst room in the hotel). Other useful perks include discounts when redeeming points, plus free nights or points on renewal—or at least the opportunity to earn a free night by meeting a spending threshold.
Depending on your hotel preference, getting a co-brand hotel card could be worthwhile. You’ll usually get a sign-up bonus worth at least a few free nights, and you’ll give yourself a better chance of having a more comfortable stay than if you didn’t have any status at all.
I’d usually suggest not putting a large amount of your spend on one of these cards unless you’re specifically aiming to hit a spending threshold (like the free night on the Hyatt or Hilton cards). For most everyday expenses, you can often get a better return using a different card.
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