Top 3 Hotel Point Earning Credit Cards

Hotel credit cards can be effective ways to rack up points for your next great trip to some island getaway, or to be sure you don't get stuck staying in your in-laws basement for a week the next time you need to visit them. But, they may not always be the best card for you. You should use BestCashCow's credit card maximizer tool to review the best travel rewards cards for your spend profile. You should also check out BestCashCow's list of the top travel rewards credit cards for spend and our list of the top 10 travel rewards credit card sign-up bonuses.

Here are three hotel credit cards we have always liked.

The Fairmont Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card From Chase (Discontinued in 2017)

The Fairmont rewards credit card ranks highly on our list of leading hotel credit cards because it offers an outstanding card member sign up bonus and access to the exclusive Fairmont® brand which includes The Savoy in London, The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, and some of the nicest hotels in Canada and Hawaii.

Key features are as follows:

  • New Cardmember bonus: Receive 2 free nights at any Fairmont hotel worldwide when you spend $3,000 in your first three months of card membership. Eligibility is limited to those who have not received the same award in the prior 24 months.
  • Receive one free night at any Fairmont hotel worldwide when you spend $12,000 annually.
  • Earn 5 points for every dollar charged at Fairmont properties and 2 points for every dollar charged at restaurants, car rental agencies and on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 annual fee
  • Terms and Restrictions apply.

The Hyatt Credit Card from Chase

The Hyatt credit card accumulates Hyatt Gold Passport Points which we rank as the most valuable loyalty points in the entire travel industry. A night in even the most luxurious category 7 Park Hyatt hotels is still only 30,000 points, even after the January 2014 point devaluation. In 2020, Hyatt is moving to a variable redemption system where category 7 redemptions will vary between 35,000 points a night during peak periods and 25,000 points a night during off-peak periods.

Key features are as follows:

  • New Card member bonus: Receive 25,000 Hyatt points when you spend $3,000 in your first three months of card membership. Receive an additional 25,000 Hyatt points when you spend a total of $6,000 in your first six months of card membership.
  • Receive one free night at any category 1 through 4 hotel each year, awarded on your cardmember anniversary.
  • Earn 4 points for every dollar charged at Hyatt properties (in addition to the 5 points per dollar that you earn as a Hyatt member), 2 points for every dollar charged at restaurants, local transit and on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, 2 points on gym membership. 1 point everywhere else.
  • No foreign transaction fees; Smart chip with Signature Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe.
  • $95 annual fee.
  • Terms and Restrictions apply.

Radisson Rewards Rewards Visa Signature Card® from US Bank®

Radisson Rewards is the new new name for the Club Carlson card. These points are redeemable at Radisson Blu, Country Inn and Suites, Park Inn and Park Plaza hotels worldwide.

Key features are as follows:

  • New Cardmember bonus: Receive 50,000 Club Carlson Gold points immediately after signing up for the card, plus another 35,000 Club Carlson Gold points when you spend $2,500 in your first 3 months of card membership. Receive an additional 40,000 Club Carlson Gold points, awarded each year on your cardmember anniversary.
  • Earn 5 points for every dollar charged on the card, 20 points for every dollar charged on the card at one of the hotel's properties.
  • 70,000 Club Carlson Gold Points can be redeeemed for a night at the May Fair in London or at The Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago. 9,000 Club Carlson points can be redeemed for a night at the Park Inn by Radisson Orlando where your sign up bonus gives you more than 9 free nights!
  • Receive automatic Gold Elite Status.
  • $75 annual fee.
  • Learn more and apply today.
: BestCashCow's Editorial Board has been led by Ari Socolow since 2008.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

User Generated Content Disclosure: Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.


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