Hotels

The Platinum Card is full of caché and its heavy metal design will catch more than a few looks. While the fee isn't small, you get a lot back in the form of monthly credits.

The benefits include a $200 in yearly Uber credits and Uber VIP status as well as $200 in annual incidental airline credits for your chosen airline, $100 in annual Saks Fifth Ave credits, access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes the Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, and Delta SkyClubs when you are flying Delta.

NOTE: This card earns 5x on airfare and hotels, however, the airfare must be booked direct with the airline or at Amex Travel and the hotels must be prepaid at Amex Travel to earn 5x. This site's Estimated Rewards Values will calculate all airfare and hotels at 5x points, so if your hotels are booked directly (which you generally need to do to earn hotel points and status/benefits) please note that they will not earn 5x and your actual rewards value will vary accordingly.

Get complimentary top-tier Hilton Diamond status, an annual $250 Hilton Resort credit, an annual $250 airline incidental fee credit, and a Free Weekend Night Award.

Also includes Priority Pass Select Airport Lounge Access for you and up to 2 guests per visit at no additional charge. (Enrollment required).

Earn Rate:

14x Hilton Honors points at Hiltons; 7x points on flights booked directly with airlines, car rentals booked direct, and US restaurants; and 3x points everywhere else.

Only in 2020 - Additional Hilton Aspire Benefits including Grocery Bonus Points

• Bonus Points earned through eligible purchases on all Hilton American Express Cards, that post to the Card Member’s Hilton Honors account between May 1 through December 31, 2020 will be considered Base Points and will count towards Elite tier qualification and Lifetime Diamond Status.
• Hilton Aspire Consumer Card Members’ eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery, will now qualify toward the $250 Hilton resort credit benefit (June through August 2020).
• Groceries: From May 1 – July 31, 2020, you’ll get 12X points per dollar at US Supermarkets.
• Free Night Awards: Unexpired and new Free Weekend Night Rewards issued now through Dec 31, 2020 can be used any night of the week and any newly issued awards now through Dec 31, 2020 will be valid for 24 months.

NOTE: For the purposes of calculating your expected rewards for this card, we are assuming that the spend you put in "Hotels" is all spent at Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts. If some is spent at other hotels, your actual rewards will be slightly lower.

Earn 4x World of Hyatt points at Hyatt, 2x at restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships.

The Hyatt card gives you a Category 1 - 4 night every card year at renewal and you can earn a second one with $15,000 spend. Additional benefits include automatic Discoverist status and 5 elite nights credited each calendar year as well as the ability to earn 2 elite nights for every $5,000 in purchases.

Keep in mind that all points earned on a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred can also be transferred to World of Hyatt at a 1 to 1 ratio.

NOTE: In calculating your rewards for this card, we are making the assumption that all Hotel spend entered is spent on Hyatt. If part of that spend is on other hotel chains, that spend will earn only 1x on this card, reducing the value of your rewards.

Earn 2x Capital One miles on all purchases. Use as a travel eraser at 1 cent per point or transfer to airline miles at 2:1.5 ratio (equals 1.5 airline miles per dollar spent).

Earn 5% on Capital One Travel-booked hotel and rental car bookings

1) The bonus value for the early spend bonus on this card assumes you will transfer the points to miles. If you use as a purchase eraser, the early spend bonus value will be $500, exactly.

2) 5X on Hotels and Car Rentals applies only when you book via Capital One's own travel service. Otherwise, you will earn the standard 2X miles.

Click below to see details on the airline partners.

This mid-tier Hilton card comes with complimentary Hilton Gold status.

It will allow you to earn 12x Hilton Honors points at Hilton; 6x at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations; and 3x everywhere else.

There is also an opportunity to earn Diamond status and a free weekend night via card spend.

American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

Note: Estimated Rewards Values shown throughout this site assume your hotel spend will be at Hilton brand hotels and resorts. If you have additional hotel spend not associated with Hilton, your actual return will be lower.

This no-fee card offers 1.25x on all purchases and 5X on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel.

Compare this card with the standard Venture which earns 2x miles on all purchases. Spend your miles to erase purchases or transfer them to more than a dozen airlines.

Most people would fare better with the standard Capital One Venture card, despite its annual fee, because it earns at the rate of 2x per dollar instead of 1.25x.

1) The bonus value for the early spend bonus on this card assumes you will transfer the points to miles. If you use as a purchase eraser, the early spend bonus value will be $200, exactly.

2) 5X on Hotels and Car Rentals applies only when you book via Capital One's own travel service. Otherwise, you will earn the standard 2X miles.

Click below to see details on the airline partners.

The card that re-revolutionized points-earning credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a high-end travel rewards card that unlocks transfers from this and any linked Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card to airline and hotel partners and offers rich benefits for a frequent traveler.

It offers 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining. It provides a 50% boost in point value within the Chase portal and you get an annual $300 travel credit each card year which greatly offsets the card's annual fee.

New Lyft and DoorDash Benefits:

• Earn 10X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides
• Get a one-time complimentary Lyft Pink (15% Lyft discounts, free bike/scooter rentals each month, and better cancellation rules). ($19.99 / month value)
• Get $60 in DoorDash credits each year (2020 and 2021).
• Get free DashPass to get free DoorDash deliveries at select restaurants with $12 or more in your order and decreased service charges.

Limited Time Chase Sapphire Reserve Bonus Categories - July 1st - September 30, 2020 Only

• Earn 10X Ultimate Rewards points for Streaming Services
• Earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points at Gas Stations
• Earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points for Instacart
• Get up to $50 in Instacart Express credits

• Qualifying Streaming Services are listed as: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV.

Chase Will Let you “Pay Yourself Back”

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can always use their points to book travel via the travel portal where they get 1.5 cents per point.

Now, you can redeem in the same manner for grocery stores, home improvement stores and dining, including restaurants, takeout and eligible delivery services. Instead of using a “portal” to make the purchases, you just pay as you normally would and then go into the Chase website to “pay” for that purchase with points. You will get the same 1.5 cents per point in value as you get booking travel. The feature is branded “Pay Yourself Back^SM“. 

The Chase Ink Preferred credit card earns 3x Ultimate Rewards points on all travel, advertising, and shipping, as well on Internet, cable and phone services, up to $150,000 a year.

If your business spends a lot in any of these categories, you can earn a ton of points.

It also earns 5X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides.

You'll get complimentary cell phone insurance when you pay your cell phone bill with this card. (See Chase website for details). No foreign transaction fees.

The biggest feature of this card is 3X American Express Membership Rewards points on Travel, Transit and Dining.

The new Amex Green card also comes with a few annual credits:

• $100 credit towards a CLEAR membership for expedited airport security lines.
• $100 credit to Lounge Buddy (airport lounges - a competitor to Priority Pass lounge access

The IHG credit card offers an annual anniversary free night, the fourth reward night free whenever you redeem for 4 or more nights, and Platinum status.

Earn 10x at IHG and 2x at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Also earn 10,000 bonus points when you spend $20,000 plus one additional purchase each card year.

NOTE: In calculating your rewards values for this card, we are making the assumption that all Hotel spend entered is spent on IHG. If part of that spend is on other hotels, that spend will earn only 1x on this card, reducing the value of your rewards.

This card is an excellent general travel and entertainment card with a low annual fee. It earns 3x on all travel and gas, and 2x on entertainment and restaurants.

Thank You points can be transferred to a variety of airline frequent flyer programs, such as Avianca, Etihad, and Cathay Pacific.

The entertainment bonus category is a rare one and will reward you if you spend a lot of money on things like concert tickets or Broadway shows.

Receive Marriott Gold status and 15 elite nights credits every year.

This card earns Marriott points for purchases: 6x points at Marriott and SPG, 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2x points everywhere else.

Comes with an annual free night award (up to 50,000 Marriott Rewards points in value) at renewal and a $300 credit towards Marriott hotel and resort stays.

NOTE: Our rewards calculator is assuming that your total entered in "Hotels" is spend at Marriott properties for the purposes of calculating this card's value to you. If part of your hotel spend is at non-Marriott properties, that spend will earn less than our estimate.

Get an annual main cabin "Buy One, Get One" companion certificate, plus your first checked bag free and priority boarding on Delta.

Earn bonus Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) and bonus miles at tiered spending thresholds. Spending $25,000 in a year on this card will waive the MQDs requirement for Medallion qualification up to Platinum status.

Delta Platinum Bonus Categories

• Earn 3X miles on Delta purchases
• Earn 3X miles on hotels (purchased directly with the hotel - much better than when you have to use a booking portal!)
• Earn 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets
• Earn 2X miles at restaurants, worldwide

Additional Delta Platinum Benefits

• $100 statement credit every 4 years for Global Entry or an $85 credit for TSA Pre✓^® every 4.5 years.
• Buy One, Get One Companion Certificate on select fares.

NOTE: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all "Airfare" is on Delta and is therefore counted at 3x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases and your Reward Values would be lower than indicated.

Earn Marriott points for purchases. Earn 6x at Marriott and SPG and 2x everywhere else. Get a Free Night Award, 15 elite credits, and Silver status every year.

NOTE: In valuing your potential rewards from this card, we assumed that all spend from Hotels is at Marriott brands, which earn 6x points. If some of your hotel spend is at other hotel brands, your actual rewards will be somewhat lower.

This no-annual fee Hilton card comes with complimentary Hilton Silver status, earns bonus Hilton points on Hilton stays, US restaurants, US gas stations, and US supermarkets*.

*American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

NOTE: For the purposes of calculating your expected rewards, we are assuming that the spend you put in "Hotels" is all spent at Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts. If some is spent at other hotels, your actual rewards will be slightly lower.

Perhaps the best "starting out card" in miles and points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a low annual fee, unlocks transfers from this and any linked Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card to airline and hotel partners, comes with excellent built-in trip delay insurance, primary car rental CDW coverage and earns 2x points on travel and dining.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Earn Rate:

• 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides
• 2X Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards on all other purchases

Limited Time Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus Categories - July 1st - September 30, 2020 Only

• Earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points for Streaming Services
• Earn 3X Ultimate Rewards points at Gas Stations
• Earn 3X Ultimate Rewards points for Instacart
• Get up to $50 in Instacart Express credits

• Qualifying Streaming Services are listed as: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV.

Chase Will Let you “Pay Yourself Back”

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardmembers can always use their points to book travel via the travel portal where they get 1.25 cents per point.

Now, you can redeem in the same manner for grocery stores, home improvement stores and dining, including restaurants, takeout and eligible delivery services. Instead of using a “portal” to make the purchases, you just pay as you normally would and then go into the Chase website to “pay” for that purchase with points. You will get the same 1.25 cents per point in value as you get booking travel. The feature is branded “Pay Yourself Back^SM“. 

The only requirement is that the merchant category be in one of the specified categories and you must “Pay yourself back” within 90 days of purchase.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers get the same opportunity, but at a higher 1.5 cents per point cash-out rate.