Are HOTEL Credit Cards WORTH IT? (The TRUTH)
Vložit
- čas přidán 14. 03. 2023
- Are HOTEL credit cards BETTER than the Amex Gold Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred? You’re about to find out! Learn if hotel credit cards are worth it and if you should add them to your wallet. Click “Show More” to see Ad Disclosure, links, and additional information below.
💳👉VIEW CREDIT CARD OFFERS!
markscreditcards.com/offers
🛍 RAKUTEN - Earn Cash Back!
markscreditcards.com/rakuten
🏦 SOFI CHECKING & SAVINGS - Get $25 FREE (or more w/ direct deposit)
markscreditcards.com/sofibanking
📲 MAXREWARDS - Manage credit cards & rewards!
Get Gold level for free with PROMO CODE = markr
markscreditcards.com/maxrewards
🤑 GET FREE STOCKS FROM MOOMOO
markscreditcards.com/moomoo
📈 GET FREE STOCKS FROM WEBULL
markscreditcards.com/webull
🔐 AURA - Identity Theft Protection & More!
Get Your 2-Week Free Trial: markscreditcards.com/aura
🥇 CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP - VIP Perks!
markscreditcards.com/join
When it comes to the best travel credit cards, there are MANY. From bank cards like the Amex Platinum Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve, to hotel credit cards like the Hilton Honors American Express and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, to airline credit cards like the Delta credit cards and American Airlines credit cards, the choices are seemingly endless.
But where do hotel credit cards fit in as part of an overall credit card strategy? Are they even worth getting?
The answer may surprise you, as it’s both YES and NO depending on the situation.
In this video, I’ll explain when hotel credit cards are worth it and how to best use them. I’ll also compare them to some of the best travel credit cards from Chase, American Express, Citi, and Capital One. That way you can see which credit card rewards are best used for everyday spending vs. travel (i.e. when staying at hotels, per the focus of this video).
To put it simply…
Hotel credit cards are usually BAD for:
1. Earning rewards on everyday spend.
2. Saving rewards long term.
3. Flexibility.
Hotel credit cards are usually GREAT for
1. Earning hotel points fast via welcome offers (i.e. signup bonuses).
2. Obtaining hotel elite status by default and via spending.
3. Paying for nights directly at hotels.
4. Free night award certificates!
Here are some of the best hotel credit cards available right now:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card (also called the Hilton Honors Card)
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card (Hilton Honors Surpass Card)
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Hilton Aspire Card)
- Hilton Honors Business Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
- IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card
- IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card
- IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- World of Hyatt Credit Card
- World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
- Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
- Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card
- Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card
- Choice Privileges Mastercard (new version coming in Spring 2023, issued by Wells Fargo)
Disclosure: This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Mark Reese is not a financial advisor.
#creditcards #bestcreditcards #travel - Jak na to + styl
⚠ *CORRECTION @ **5:58**:* The "2X" return should be 3.4% on the Venture card.
⚠ *CORRECTION @ **15:06**:* The "2X" return should be 3.4% on the CSP + Venture cards.
⚠ *TO CLARIFY @ **17:00**:* The higher multipliers shown include the *Card Rates* + *Elite Bonus* only. I did NOT include any _Base Points_ because those have nothing to do with the cards themselves. Rather, you earn those simply by being a member of the hotel loyalty program (even if you pay with a non-hotel credit card).
📲 MAXREWARDS - Manage credit cards & rewards!
markscreditcards.com/maxrewards
💳👉VIEW CREDIT CARD OFFERS!
markscreditcards.com/offers
🛍RAKUTEN - Earn Cash Back!
markscreditcards.com/rakuten
⬆(More links in Description below video!)
💡 *ADDITION:* Hotel credit cards are NOT worth it if you don't stay at hotels (for all my Airbnb, VRBO, etc. fans out there) 😁👍
What’s your choice for best credit card for Airbnb?
@@jlatham - Any of the following can be good choices:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve (3X)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred (2X)
- Chase Ink Business Preferred (3X)
- Amex Green Card (3X)
- Capital One Venture (2X)
- Capital One Venture X (2X)
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve (3X)
- U.S. Bank Altitude Connect (4X)
^ I haven't seen enough data to confirm the 2 U.S. Bank cards, but they _should work_ for Airbnb under their 'Travel' categories.
The custom cash codes airbnb as travel for 5%, confirmed twice
@@KarateMasterKY - Legit, thanks for letting me know!
Great video! I think another good way to compare co-brand cards with 'regular' cards is to directly compare the amount of points they earn in the same category (but in the same 'currency', same kind of points rather than the estimated cash value). So in the Hyatt and CSP case, Hyatt earns you 2x hyatt points on restaurants and CSP gives you 3x UR points. Since UR points can be transferred to hyatt, making the 3x categories the same 'currency', CSP earns 1 additional hyatt point than the hyatt card. This can also be applied to UA cards vs CSP, or Delta cards vs Amex gold, etc.
That's a great way to look at it, too! 💯
The quality in this video is amazing!
Thanks Jeremy!
Whoa great break down on all those cards thanks for sharing and keep the content coming
Thanks Clausell!
Great video! Would definitely watch one on the top end hotel cards versus the top end all purpose cards as well 😉
Glad you enjoyed it & thanks for the video suggestion! 🎬
Great job on lining this out Mark!
Thank you!
I’ve watched a lot of CC videos and this is honestly the best breakdown I’ve seen yet, my dude!
Glad you liked it! 🎬
I agree,Mark always do a good job visually.
Great video on hotel card topic, Mark. I haven't watched one of your videos in months.
Thanks for the support, Mike! 🥇
This video was incredible! Thanks for taking the time to break down the math behind the point structures!
Thanks, glad you found it beneficial!
Thanks, Mark. Gave me a lot to think about. And, yes, please make an airline version.
Glad you found it beneficial! I made the airline one awhile ago, here's the link: czcams.com/video/WhOdp8Qfyus/video.htmlsi=HMKWij82Sjwrk7Gx
Great video. Would have loved to see an intro bonus comparison, showing average/high intro bonus offers for each card and how the value compares
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was very comprehensive! Thanks again for this valuable video.
Glad you found value in it!
You put in so much efforts and times for this one - such useful info. I have the personal Hyatt, business Hilton, and Marriott Boundless. Still thinking to add a couple Hilton or even IHG on the horizon. Truly appreciate your content and they’re super helpful.
Glad you found value in it, Eric! Great that you've got some hotel cards, too 👍
nice VDO, you are the best about giving info
Thanks Subin!
Mark, you never disappoint. Thank you for enlightening us with your hard earned wisdom!
And yes, I am currently binging your videos with an intent to leave this comment on each one. Thank you again Mark!
Thanks so much! Glad to hear you're getting value from the videos 💯
This is EXACTLY the analysis I was looking for. Thanks for all your hard work on this!
You're welcome, glad it was helpful to you!
You killed it! Awesome breakdown!
Thank you!
this video was really helpful comparing hotel credit cards and reward credit cards for me. i'm usually a visual learner so seeing the numbers side by side helps with looking at the options that are available and what can benefit me in the long run.
Glad the presentation format helped you!
Another "tour de force" Mark👋🏾👍🏾 I'm sticking with the flexible currencies for now. Although if I ever decided to bite, I kinda have a crush on the Hilton Aspire and the old Ritz Carlton cards (hate that I gave it up yrs ago).
Flexible currencies rock for spending! 🤙
Great video! Would you consider doing this for business cards? I'd love to see what the break down would be.
Thanks Jay! I'm considering a 'best business credit cards' video 👍
On a recent stay in NYC to see Wicked on Broadway I definitely enjoyed combining annual fee free Hilton Honors with the complimentary Gold status from Platinum card and a promo they had going for 2x base points. $569 stay got me over 20,000 Hilton Honors points total. Yea the points aren't worth a lot but for that cheap of a stay even at .3 CPP that's over 10% return on spend. I was elated when all the points posted. 🎉😊 hope you are well, sir. Thank you for all you do for us, Mark.
Fantastic return on that stay, nicely done! 💯
Great video, Mark! You always do all your homework so we don’t have to! 🙌🏼
Thanks Kathy!
Thanks for all the work you put into that.
You're welcome!
Mark, excellent video! I think another good thing about Hotel CCs is simplicity. Pay and get points directly to your program account. When transfering MR point to Hilton, you get a worse redemption rate.
Simplicity is a good point!
Nice work Mark!
Thanks Lando!
Excellent presentation.
Thank you!
I took tons of notes of this video to study the point values. Thanks Mark!
Well done! Glad to help.
Great content, Mark! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks Andrés!
Great video!! loved it. Can you please do the same comparison for top elite cards, Aspire card, marriott bonvoy brilliant etc
Glad you enjoyed it! I'll consider it (probably not until a potential HH Aspire update happens...lots of strong rumors right now) ✌
One thing I love about your videos is the charts breakdown. Probably the only CZcamsr that does it. Keep it up man 🤙🤙
Appreciate hearing that, BDawg! 🥇
This video has insanely great information
🏆
Awesome video as always, Mark! Did you factor in the hotel status you get by owning these cards which effectively change the multipliers when you spend on their hotels?
Sure did! See 16:40 🎬
I included the card earning rate + elite bonus on base points.
I left out the base points themselves since you can earn those regardless of if you use a hotel credit card or not
Mark, you are great!!!
Thanks Mehran!
I already have the world of Hyatt card and the only other hotel card I want is the Marriott boundless. Hyatt has very nice properties for low amount of points and I recently stayed at the Westin and Jw Marriott in Anaheim and both of those hotels were very nice! I mainly stay at Hyatt hotels and resorts but I’m starting to look at Marriott places
Great to hear! 💯
Very interesting. Looks as if a lot of research went into this. I pays for me to have the Hilton Surpass card because I'm a Grand Vacation owner as well. I would like a AM Ex gold or platinum some day but just don't want to pay the crazy high annual fees! I think I get straight up more value with Surpass knowing my goal is to get nights and go on vacation with the family.
HH Surpass is an excellent hotel card 🏆 Great to hear you find value in it.
The $95 AF hotel CCs are worth it IMO if you can get good value from the FNC. With all the devaluations, changes, etc - I think it makes more sense for most people to be hotel free agents nowadays. Thanks for the info + video!
Good points above, Jimmy 👍
For single travelers or as a couple would agree or those that only redeem as one-two night bursts. For families and those that like to redeem in larger number days at time, hotel is best use of points for any travel rewards. 1 room holds 2-4 people versus airline redemption of 1 seat each way. Also couple of the hotel brands have 4th or 5th night free on award stays upping value of said redemption.
Sheesh you put in the work in this video 💯 really helped thanks!😎
Glad it helped!
I really want the Aspre card before it's devaluation, but I also want to fall below 5/24 for Chase Inks! Tough choice!
Welcome to The Game 😅
Just stumbled on this one, and this one is GOLD 💵💵💵
Glad you liked it! 🏆
Great work!
Thank you!
Love the Hilton aspire card. But if amex decided to change it like current rumors. I’m gonna have to have a long conversation with myself to keep it or not.
We'll see what happens 😬
And then it gets tricky as points issued by all of these different cards are not worth the same. And then sometimes when redeeming hotel points like Marriott, points are sometimes valued differently. Before redeeming hotel points, it is a good idea to check the room rate. And sometimes cards can compliment each other such as getting Gold Status at Marriott with Amex Platinum, which gives 15% more bonus points than the Silver Status from the Bonvoy Card, and then putting all food and drink spending on the Boundless for 6x. Overall you can probably get a bit more value using a hotel branded card but you do lose redemption flexibility as compared to Amex.
That's right, point values can vary widely!
idk if theres a chance it might not be enough points to redeem thru transfer partners across flights and hotels. For instance you have enough points to have nice business/first class ticket but not enough left to redeem for hotels. If that's the case hotel cards might be able to play a role here. imo lets say if you mainly prefer staying at Marriott branded hotels, then at least to have one hotel card like the Bonvoy Brilliant and treat it as a backup card might be a good option since those hotel cards give you status and free nights.
Bank cards w/ transferrable points + hotel cards can work well together 👍
This video is/was super helpful!
Glad to hear it!
Awesome video!
Thanks!
You are amazing! Thank you again!
Glad to help!
You’re awesome! Great content
Thanks Neno!
Excellent content🎉
Thank you!
This was amazing. My first capital one card was the best points stockpiler the whole time?! (I specifically looked for car rentals, which I do on trips a lot). Can you add the us bank altitude connect on the comparisons?
Glad it was useful! I don't plan on adding the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect, at least not now. The focus is more on points w/ transferrable options.
This was such a great video! Thank you Mark. I'm trying to decide right now whether I want to keep my Gold card or use a hotel card as a daily driver. I know the value of the Gold is superior. But since I'm a Marriott loyalist, I really like the perks of having a Marriott card that gives a better ROI for Marriott spend, a free night and status. Thanks for giving me more information to consider.
Glad you found it helpful!
Everyone has marriott status though
Just got my second aspire card today
Legit, congrats Jett! 💯
Can you do a comparison of all the marriott cards? I cant choose which one to get 😂 and you do the best, thorough comparisons 🙏🏻
I've been thinking about it!
Needed another card from amex I was thinking delta but now checking out the hotel cards wasn't sure if it was worth it.
55K subs grow the beard out 😆
😂👊
Good luck on the application if / when you decide to go for one! Also, I just made a post about the Hilton Honors cards on the Community tab of the channel. Check it out (offers are expiring soon).
I do a lot of one night stays at different hotels because I do multiple cruises every year and I always fly into port the day before, so hotel cards that provide free nights are always great keeper cards that maintain their value well above the annual fee year over year for me.
Excellent use of hotel cards! 💯🛳
Good video bro I was just wondering should I get a hotel card and run up points for years and eventually use them down the line
Hopefully this video helps you make the right decision for you 💯
You just prevented me from opening a hotel credit card, I'll keep utilizing my platinum & reserve points :) thanks
Glad to help!
You are the “Chart” master !!!
😎👊
I think the Surpass actually pays higher at hilton properties because it grants Gold status which is 80% of base points back stacked on top.
Elite status = extra boost 🏆 I didn't factor that into the multipliers because it's a separate benefit.
Why not biz Hilton?
I use my Surpass and Hilton Business AMEX for everyday spend up to $15k each due to FNC. If it is worth $500, then than is worth an additional 3.3%, right?
It works well for me bc I like to cruise fairly often, which often means flying in one day early. One night at a time at a nice hotel (usually cruise port cities have pretty nice Hilton properties) makes availability pretty easy to find. It seems like a pretty good setup to me.
Also, I have the Aspire card, so Diamond and the resort credit kinda traps me in the Hilton world. Congratulations, Hilton, you have me caught in your loyalty web
Great to hear the Hilton card lineup is providing you with strong value, esp. for those cruise stays! 🛳️
Thanks for the breakdown, Mark. I fell out of the credit card game after I got tripped up by about $7.5k in annual fees I couldn't pay off late last year
Yikes. Good reason to exit. Time to focus on 💵
@@MarkReese I have tons of points from the welcome offers but can't use them because I'm broke. Working on getting a new job because I can't get an more new cards. These banks flat out refuse me and when I call into recon they say my debt to income is too high even though I put $30k estimated for my sole prop business even though I'm not making anything right now.
I take all your advice, Mark. It has left me with quite a bit of debt, but I know you're here for us.
I have the CSP, considering the Hilton cards just because they are not a transfer partner. I have the Wyndham Business Card just for status. Basically all I'd use the Hilton Cards for.
💯👍
Would love to see choice rewards card on this
Same conclusion.
This video was so helpful. I am currently considering getting the Hilton Honors card but after watching this, I can see how the Amex Gold card would be a better card overall. With that card, I can use it at any hotel as opposed to just one. This would be my first AMEX card so trying to make the right decision for me.
Glad to hear you found it helpful, Tiffany!
Take into consideration the sign up points. I just got the HH card with 150K bonus points. I already had 100k Those points will help a lot.
I have the Citi premier but won’t use it to buy flight cuz of the flight protection for the I use my sapphire card
Makes good sense 👍
I don’t have a hotel card yet but I’m considering a IHG or Hilton card in the future it’s just not a priority for me at the moment.
IHG card bonus is at an all time high. If you want it, now's a great time.
Sounds good!
A cool thing to compare is benefits of purchasing through Amex’s fine hotels and resorts vs spending directly with the hotel to utilize your status with them.
I think that would be the deciding factor for hotel credit cards!
Good point, David! Only valid for those who hold the Amex Platinum / Centurion Cards, however, as those only the only cards providing access to the FHR program.
Can you compare the new choice cards that just came out
No plans for the near future, but perhaps at some point.
Great video. Love all the comparison charts. Got my first hotel card with Hyatt, and am just figuring out all the perks.
One thing I'm confused about, though, is the points via free hotel membership programs. For the Hyatt card, at 17:12 in the video, you show it at 4.5x = 6:75% with Automatic Elite Status Earnings. I wonder if you take into account the World of Hyatt membership, which gives 5x. As I understand it, that 5x is on eligible rates, i.e. not portals. Including that 5x member base points and 4x hyatt credit card bonus points and 10% bonus points (0.5x), we'd get 9.5x = 14.25%, right? If we book through a portal, I think we'd lose all that and just get the 8.5% or whatever from the portal. Am I thinking about that right?
Correct, Hyatt awards 5X base points as well. However, I left that out because they don't have anything to do with the credit card (i.e. you'd still earn them by being a WOH member & using any credit card you like) ✌️
@@MarkReese I see the reason not to include it. But from the video, I might think the portals give the highest percentage and I can choose between slightly higher portal percentage or more perks booking direct. Actually, the portals disqualify the base points, so they are a lower percentage. I understand the scope isn't these free memberships unrelated to credit cards, but maybe it should be. It's part of the same decision of what the optimal way to pay is.
Or maybe another video about hotel memberships vs portal discounts.
@@resonator06 agreed.
As I mentioned to Mark earlier, I think the best way to go is a combo of everyday card and hotel card and even airline card. 1 card won't handle most situations the best.
@@resonator06 - Excellent thought process above. Yes, this video was focused on whether or not hotel credit cards (as individual products) are worth it. The topic of maximizing _total value_ for a hotel booking would be a different focus as that would involve valuing portal rates, program perks, base hotel points (if earned), etc. It could be compounded further by adding additional portals (like Rakuten), additional credits (like Amex/Chase/Citi offers), promo rates, etc.
Wow I had never seriously considered a hotel card before!
1. You mentioned travel lifestyle. I travel 75% of the year for work and mostly stay at IHG since the company has a preferred rate. Would it make sense to get one of the IHG cards to use for the hotel bookings and then stick with my Amex gold/chase sapphire reserve for all other spend to maximize rewards?
2. Would you consider IHG a good brand for economy/budget travelers in terms of redemption? I know Hyatt is a good one but just wanted to check for IHG!
3. Aside from spend and the intro bonus for the first year, how do you offset the annual fee each year for the IHG card?
1. Up to you. If you value earning IHG points and/or the Platinum Elite benefits, then yes, adding the IHG Premier card can be a good idea.
2. IHG can be decent for economy / budget travelers, primarily when point rates are discounted for cardholders. Like with most hotel chains, there are great / good / ok / bad / really bad redemptions. It can vary.
3. I use the annual night certificate to offset the annual fee.
My favorite personal card is the Hilton Aspire and my favorite business card is the Hilton Business. Hotel cards are great and can provide great benefits.
2 excellent hotel cards right there 💯
Marriott Business is much better, and not just because Marriott has better hotels.
@@mrb152 Hilton Business is better than the Marriott Business (not even close). I do think the Marriott Business is the best Marriott card. I prefer Hilton properties and Hilton cards are much better (not even close).
Yes. Hyatt is my favorite Marriott then Ihg are second.
💯💯
The Hyatt card bonus is literal shit. I'm waiting on this to be more tempting. Not going to waste my time spending on the hyatt card for just an additional point when I could be putting spend on another higher point earning card.
Then don't apply for it.
@@MarkReese I like your breakdown, though. Literally a 1.5% different in earning using hyatt card over the chase ink preferred
I have the Wyndham Earner Business Card. It actually works fine with gas purchases.
Excellent card for gas purchases 🏆
Which credit card can I stack my free night rewards
Are you referring to using them for the same stay / same property? In that case, they'd need to be from the same brand (e.g. Marriott + Marriott).
The Marriott boundless is an amazing card for me. Getting 35K for hotel for only $95 is great. A hotel within my point generally get me a $150 hotel without spending any money.
Right on!
Question for the non-resident alien, globetrotter, German citizen living in Germany on spending categories:
In some cases US or worldwide is indicated after the spending category factor, in other cases nothing is indicated regarding the applicability (US versus or and/or worldwide).
May I assume that travel (airfare, hotels, rental cars etc.) is always worldwide?
I've seen one specific case (Amex Gold) only where worldwide was indicated for restaurants/dining after the 4x factor.
Which of all categories across all cards where noting is explicitly mentioned on the applicability are valid worldwide (in addition to travel)?
Per my understanding, rewards categories should work worldwide if no restriction is specified. However, I cannot guarantee this across all cards from all issuers. Also note that the cards I cover on this channel are for U.S. residents. I cannot speak about the German card market at this time.
@@MarkReese"Also note that the cards I cover on this channel are for U.S. residents " - This not correct - They are for everybody who can get them, i.e the non-resident alien, German citizen living in Germany based on an US address, US cell phone no, ITIN and a corresponding good FICO or other score.
@@wigandweirich308 - Good point 👍
I own the Chase Trifecta (flex, unlimited, preferred), Amex Gold and the Venture X. I’m looking for a new card to add to my arsenal. Which card would you recommend? These are the two I’m looking at:
- World of Hyatt
- Hilton Surpass
I would appreciate and tips and feedback. Awesome video bro’.
Rather than adding a card "just because," start with the reason first. What are you trying to achieve?
@@MarkReese it’s not “just because”. We stay at a lot of hotels. I live in Vegas. So we do staycations a lot and do getaways to California. So i figured a hotel card might be worth it.
@@Ryan-iq2zd - Got it. Are you willing / able to spend $15K per year on the Hilton card in order to get the free night?
Thank you for the video. Thats a lot of maths lol
You're welcome! 💯👨🏫
Would you choose hilton or marriott credit card?
Both.
Whats the best card to travel to Asia?
That doesn't exist ✌ You'll likely want to get cards that earn flexible / transferrable point currencies. Examples include:
- Amex Membership Rewards points
- Citi ThankYou points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- Capital One Venture / Spark miles
- Bilt Rewards points.
Too much math. All that matters is the cash value of the rewards I get for spending a certain amount of money each year. If I put $20K on card A and another $20K on card be, all I need to know is which one gives me $500 of value back and which one gives me $1,000 back. If I get more points for buying booze than I get for buying airplane tickets, that's also useful to know.
Great to keep things simple 👍
Will you compare the higher end hotel cards with the higher end travel cards, or would the comparison be more or less the same as this video?
I'll consider it ✌️
@@MarkReese yes, a comparison of the best, top cards.
When you book hotel, will you use a certain hotel credit card or a credit card that can earn the hotel points?
I personally use hotel credit cards when paying for a stay, provided I have the hotel card for the chain's program. If the chain doesn't offer a card, or if it's a program I don't care about, then I'll use a standard 'bank card' that has a hotel multiplier (e.g. Citi Premier Card earning 3X).
Enjoyed the video as usual. For me hotel card isn’t worth it,
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think the only hotel card that won't keep you calculating all points change to book an award is hilton aspire.
Rest all of them you need to make sure that their is availability where you are traveling and the rooms are below the free night certificate points limit.
Most of marriot properties are not averaging around 40 to 50 k points which means you need to spend a lot more to get extra points to top off for the free night ,
For me it is hilton aspire and surpass that are the best ones out there for hotels.
Even hyatt has changed the categories of many hotels, which will make it harder for you to find one to use the fnc and they also have way less properties to choose from.
Also I don't understand why so many people and youtubers value marriot brilliant. It's not worth 650 annual fee at all. The fnc covers only 85k points where as most high end properties are 100k to 120k.
For as long I can transfer the airline fee credits every year for united travel bank. I will keep my aspire card. Might even get a second one if it makes sense in the future
The free night awards from the HH Aspire + HH Surpass are fantastic 💯 Gotta love the lack of a cap on the value.
People may have their own reasons for liking the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. For me, it's an excellent tool to work towards lifetime elite status, which is a big focus for me at the moment.
@Mark Reese // Credit & Finance could you please explain briefly if possible how can you get lifetime platinum which this card? Also do you think they might change the rules in the future for obtaining lifetime status? Thank you for very well presented video. Really like the cash back equivalent for all the cards
@@rudra1087 - To achieve Lifetime Platinum in the Marriott Bonvoy program, there are 2 qualifying criteria:
1. 10 total years of being a Platinum Elite. These don't need to be consecutive years.
2. 600 total lifetime nights. These include paid nights stayed, award nights stayed, elite night credits (ENCs) from credit cards, and ENCs from limited-time promotions.
The Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with automatic Platinum Elite Status + 25 ENCs every year, and both of those count towards the qualifying criteria for Lifetime Platinum 👍
NOTE: You can also earn up to 15 more ENCs from a Marriott business credit card. Combined with the Bonvoy Brilliant, that'd be 25 + 15 = 40 ENCs from credit cards alone each year.
I don't have a way of knowing if the Lifetime requirements will change in the future.
@@MarkReese right on Mark
I'd rather have a diversity of basic earners that each have a diversity of two or three Hotel transfer partners.
👍👍
15:43 math is incorrect for CSP. 2cpp times 1.7 = 3.4
Great catch, thanks Tony! I'll add a correction to the pinned post right below the video 👊
Also noticed similar errors w/ the C1 Venture. Added those corrections, too.
Who said that Amex gold has a return rate of 1.7c
No way have I seen a return more than 1c on that card even for travel
That's accomplished via transfer partners. It's possible to get 2¢, 4¢, 6¢, or more when done strategically. Learn more here: czcams.com/video/ae1WayyrwnE/video.html
I think the Amex Green would have been a better choice for this comparison. It's $150 annual fee is closer to the AFs of the other cards. Also, it is a travel card while the Amex Gold is more of a dining and grocery card.
Fair point, Flint! 👊
I always use my CSR at Marriott properties rather than my Marriott brilliant. I prefer 3 UR points which I value at 6 cents vs 6 Bonvoy points that I value at 4.5 cents
CSR = excellent choice of card 💯
@@MarkReeseafter annual fees? Ur =?
@@Ricocase- I don't factor in the cost of annual fees when it comes to the value of points. UR = Ultimate Rewards points from Chase.
@@MarkReese mind blowing, does csr outweigh ritz at marriotts? Not even sure that want ritz. Same trend for hilton, csr > biz hilton at 0.6 ccp?
@@Ricocase - Depends how you use CSR's points. If you earn at 3X and redeem at 1.5¢ per point, then it's a tiny bit better at Marriotts than the Marriott credit cards, but the Hilton cards are better for Hilton stays.
If you redeem strategically via transfer partners, CSR's 3X points can beat both Marriott and Hilton.
Do you keep your hotel status if you cancel the hotel credit card?
Nope ✌️ I'm not sure if the status will end the exact day you cancel or if there's a delay. Regardless, status will not continue to renew each year once the card is canceled.
This is not really complete. There is no account of the milestone rewards or benefits at each status level. This is more of a comparison of the return on spend of each card. If you are traveling a lot and sticking to one chain, you may have more benefits than just the return on spend when using the hotel credit card.
That's because milestone rewards are not a credit card benefit. Rather, they're a part of the hotel loyalty program. This video was focused on credit card products, not the broader loyalty programs.
Hey Mark, great topic!
Looks like all of the annual fees but for the Amex gold is $95? Is it fair to include one that charges almost 3 times the other's fees? And with the Marriott card, for example, are you including all of the Amex and membership multipliers in your comparisons charts for that card?
Just want to understand the process and what the comparisons are actually comparing. Hope that made sense.
1. Amex Gold = $250, IHG Premier = $99, all others = $95 at the time of recording this video.
2. I included the Amex Gold Card as it's one that so many people ask about. Perhaps a fairer comparison would've been the Amex Green Card.
3. What do you mean by, "...are you including all of the Amex and membership multipliers?"
@@MarkReese Yes, I agree with you on the Green card.
You touched on #2 later in the video. Will you earn base points going thru a card's portal, like Chase?
@@chriseverydailyshow4164 - I'm not aware of a way to know for sure if hotel base points will be earned via 3rd-party portals. Sometimes you can...sometimes you won't. It can vary based on the program, the property, and the portal...so a lot of variables in play.
If using a portal, the best shot to try to earn base points is to include your hotel loyalty# on the reservation (if there's a text field to include it) and/or ask the front-desk agent to add it when you check in.
@@MarkReese Fair point and suggestion. I think most portals don't offer base points, like Chase, before or after. That's the incentive to get their card. Just makes getting their card better. Not necessarily for daily spending multipliers, but hotel benefits.
I think that's the conclusion here for me is that these cards work best together, not separate.
As you might see, I really like this topic so I actually scanned some of the other comments and replied in some cases. Unusual for me to do that. But I was curious what was said on this one. 🎉
Why we have considered only 6 points for marriott Bonvoy purchases? Should it be 17 points?
Marriott points have a higher average value than Hilton.
You could say the same for Hyatt (only 4X). However, Hyatt points are worth more on average than both Marriott and Hilton (by a lot).
@@MarkReese i mean apart from 6 points we also get 10 points for being marriott Bonvoy member. Why don’t we consider that into calculation. That makes it 16x points
@@Kunnigupta - This video is focused on the card products, not the loyalty programs, so I don't include base points in the program. Those 10X base points are separate and can still be earned even if you don't have a Marriott credit card.
If you want to include them, that's fine, but you'll have to do the same for Hilton & all the others to keep the comparison equal. All programs offer base points.
Mark, which hotel brand (card) transfer to their airline partners? I heard Marriott Bonvoy can do it, right? To JAL partner?
Yes, but the transfer rate is poor. 3 Marriot points for 1 airline points
You can transfer points from all 4 hotel programs mentioned in this video to airline partners. However, as mentioned at 12:01, you'll likely be disappointed with the transfer ratios when doing so.
Mark Reese is cool
Thanks Dips 👊
IHG card gives you 26-X points at ihg hotels not 10
Not quite. The card gives you 10X. The IHG One Rewards program also awards 10X for those who are enrolled, even if they don't have an IHG credit card. Then, Platinum Elites earn an additional 6X due to their status.
So, adding those up, you get 26X.
The marketing language used makes it seem like the card itself earns 26X, but that's simply not true.
Anyone without an IHG card can still earn 16X provided they're enrolled in the free program and have Platinum status.
@@MarkReesei guess technically lol . Thanks for the videos Mark your the MAN!!
lots of info/data, but little firm direction.
👍
No.
😬