Using hotel credit cards with no annual fee is a great way to gain access to higher reward levels within hotel loyalty programs, multiply points earned per dollar spent, get deals from hotel partners on flights and car rentals, earn free nights at hotels and boost your credit score with responsible use of the card.
However many of the higher tiered credit cards offered by hotels come with an annual fee. These annual fees can cut into some of the advantages of having and using a hotel credit card. While cards with an annual fee typically come with better rewards many people try to avoid cards with fees as they may only use their cards when traveling and they find the fees not worth it.
If you’re looking for hotel credit cards with no annual fee here are 6 cards that fit the bill.
Hotel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee
1. Hilton Honors Card – Hilton Honors offers 3 different levels of cards issued by American Express. Two of the 3 cards they offer come with an annual fee of $95 and $450 respectively. However the basic Hilton Honors card allows you to earn points on every day purchases with no annual fee.
Currently they’re offering a bonus of 70,000 points plus a free night’s stay if you spend over $1,000 within the first 3 months of opening the card. Some of the built in benefits you’ll receive is automatic silver status in their rewards program, 7x bonus points at Hilton hotels, 5x bonus points at U.S. restaurants, gas stations and supermarkets and 3X points on all other purchases.
2. Marriott Bonvoy Bold – The Marriot Bonvoy Bold card is one of two cards that are offered by Marriott Hotel. Both cards are issued by VISA with the Marriot Bonvoy Bold card coming with no annual fee. Currently the Bonvoy Bold card offers the chance to earn up to a total of 100,000 bonus points towards discounts and stays at Marriot Hotels and with their partners. You will earn 50,000 bonus points by spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of opening your account and an additional 50,000 points staying 6 nights at participating Marriot Hotels between now and 1/31/2024.
Other perks of the card include earning 14X points during hotel stays, how it works is you receive 3X points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card, 10X points from Marriott Bonvoy as a loyalty member and 1x points from Marriott Bonvoy with Silver Elite Status. You will also earn 2X points on other travel purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. Lastly you’ll receive15 Elite Night Credits per calendar year which qualifies you for Elite Status.
3. IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card – The IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card is offered by IHG Hotels and Resorts. The card they are offering is a Mastercard issued by Chase bank and does not have an annual fee. Currently you can earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. This can equate to up to 2 free nights at 5,000 of their global location.
Other perks for using the card include up to 17X points while using the card at IHG Hotels and Resorts, 3X points on dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations. You automatically get Silver Elite status when you open your account but they’ll move you up to Gold Elite Status if you spend $20,000 on purchases each calendar year. Card ownership will allow you to redeem 3 nights worth of points and receive a 4th night for free when booking consecutive nights.
A couple of hidden perks are really excellent as well. You’ll receive baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for 3 days, lost luggae reimbursement of $3,000 per passenger, purchase protection and trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance when using your card for booking flights.
4. Best Western Rewards Mastercard – The Best Western Rewards Mastercard is Best Western’s credit card offering issued by Mastercard. Best western offers to versions of its card, one without an annual fee and one with an annual fee of $89 a year. The card with no annual fee offers a bonus of 40,000 points when spending $1,000 within the first 3 billing cycles of earning the card. You’ll also receive 20,000 points when spending $5,000 every 12 billing cycles.
Owners of the card receive automatic Gold status in their reward program. You’ll also receive 13X point on Best Western purchases, 2X point on all other purchases and exclusive member room rats. Other perks include points which don’t expire, no blackout dates for using the rewards, access to an exclusive reservation line, and a Free FICO Score.
5. Wyndham Rewards Earner Card – The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit card is a card issued by Wyndham hotels for their loyalty program. They only offer one credit card and the card does not have an annual fee. Currently you can earn a bonus of 45,000 points by spending over $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of owning the card. This can equate to up to 6 free nights as some of their hotel locations.
When you get approved for the card you will automatically receive a Wyndham Gold member level and receive free WiFi, preferred room selection, late checkout and more. You receive 5X points on any hotel stays, 2X points on dining and grocery store purchases and 1x point on everything else. Your points can be redeemed for free nights at Wyndham Rewards properties, online shopping, gift cards and more. You can also receive up to 7,5000 bonus points each anniversary year if you spend 15,000 during the year.
6. Choice Privileges VISA Card – Choice Hotels has properties such as Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, and EconoLodge under their hotel umbrella. They currently offer 2 different reward credit cards with the basic one having no annual fee. If you signed up now and are approved for the card you will receive 60,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. This is enough to redeem for up to 7 Reward nights as some of their select Choice Hotel properties.
You can receive up to 16X points for stays at participating choice hotel properties. The 16X points will be a combination of 5X points for using your mastercard at participating hotels, 10X points for being a Choice Privileges member and 10% bonus points for Gold status which you receive for having the card. You earn 3X points for purcahses at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans (including land lines and cell phones), and 1X points for all other spending.
Even though these cards do not have any annual fees it’s important to be responsible with your spending while using these cards as interest rates can be above 25% depending on your credit worthiness and debt profile. You’ll also want to review all of the fine print when you receive your card to ensure that you’re receiving all of the benefits and points due to you when using these cards.