Best Hotel Credit Card 2023 | Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt

If you are in the military, hotel credit cards can be extremely valuable.

For those who have taken the plunge into the world of military credit cards, this is old news, but to those who are new to the scene, there are some common questions and uncertainties.

Two of the most common question I hear are:

“What credit card should I get next?” and “Which card gives me the most benefits?”

There is a common answer to both of these questions…”it depends!”

First, it depends on how far along you are with the military credit card hobby. If you are brand new to military credit cards, I recommended starting with Spencer’s guide to military credit cards, the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, or the best military credit card bonuses this month.

Second, it depends on what your goals are.  Are you hoping to get points to book a hotel for your honeymoon, to fly your parents out to visit, to rack up free Uber rides?

There are many reasons for pursuing credit card points. One of the most common is to accrue hotel points to pay for vacation stays.

But there are so many different hotel credit cards out there, which one is the best? Well, allow me to shed some light on the subject.

Comparing the Best Hotel Credit Cards

There are four global hotel brands that offer travel reward credit cards: Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and International Hotel Group (IHG).

Each hotel brand has their own “heavy hitter,” which is the best luxury card offered for that brand:

• Marriott – Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card
• Hilton – American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card
• Hyatt – Chase World of Hyatt
• IHG – Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier

These are the cream of the crop. Thanks to the Chase Military Lending Act and Amex Military Lending Act programs, military service members and their spouses don’t have to pay annual fees for any of these cards!

There are many other hotel credit cards available, but their benefits are significantly inferior, therefore they will not be discussed in this post.  As we compare the benefits of each card, we will focus on six major categories:

1. Welcome Bonus Offer
2. Annual Free Night
3. Annual Travel Credit
4. Elite Status Boost
5. Points Earning Potential
6. Annual Fee for Military Families

Hotel Card Welcome Bonus Offers

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership

Amex Hilton Honors Aspire 

• 150,000 Hilton points after spending $4000 in first 3 months
• 150,000 valued at about $1000 if you redeem at 0.7 cents per point

Chase World of Hyatt 

• 30,000 World of Hyatt points after spending $3000 in the first 3 months
• 30,000 points valued at $6000 if you redeem at 2 cents per point

Chase IHG Premier

• 140,000 IHG points after spending $3000 in first 3 months
• 140,000 points valued at $700 if you redeem at 0.5 cents per point

Best Hotel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offer Comparison

	Welcome Bonus Offer	Monetary Value*	Minimum Spend
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	95,000	$950	$6,000 < 6 months
Amex Hilton Aspire	150,000	$1,200	$4000 < 3 months
Chase World of Hyatt	30,000	$600	$3000 < 3 months**
Chase IHG Premier	140,000	$700	$3000 < 3 months

* Value based on typical redemption rates listed above

Annual Free Night Award

Amex Bonvoy Brilliant 

• Annual free night each account anniversary redeemable at Marriott property up to 85,000 points

Amex Hilton Aspire

• Annual free weekend night each account anniversary at Hilton property
• No point limitation, but only valid for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night stay 

Chase World of Hyatt 

• Annual free night each account anniversary redeemable at category 1-4 Hyatt property
• One night at category 4 property equivalent to 15,000 points 

Chase IHG Premier

• Annual free night each account anniversary redeemable at IHG property up to 40,000 points

Hotel Credit Card Annual Free Night Comparison

	Annual Free Night?	Points Ceiling	Monetary Value *
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	Yes	85,000	$850
Amex Hilton Aspire	Yes	None**	$500
Chase World of Hyatt	Yes	15,000	$255
Chase IHG Premier	Yes	40,000	$200

** Only valid Friday, Saturday, or Sunday

Annual Restaurant/Hotel/Resort/Airline Credit

Amex Bonvoy Brilliant 

• $300 annual Restaurant credit, available as $25 per month

Amex Hilton Aspire

• $250 property credit valid at Hilton Resort properties only 
• Valid for charges to room only
• $250 airline credit for incidental fees on single airline of choice 

Chase World of Hyatt 

• No property or airline credits 

Chase IHG Premier

• No property or airline credits

Annual Property/Airline Credit Comparison

	Annual Credit?	Annual Airline Credit?
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	Yes ($300)	No
Amex Hilton Aspire	Yes ($250)	Yes ($250)
Chase World of Hyatt	No	No
Chase IHG Premier	No	No

Elite Status

Amex Bonvoy Brilliant

• Marriott Platinum Elite Status (3rd highest tier of 6 available)
• Room upgrade if available
• $100 credit at Ritz Carlton or St. Regis properties when booking 2-night minimum with the card
• Fifth night free when redeeming points for a 4+ night stay
• Each calendar year you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.

Amex Hilton Aspire

• Hilton Diamond (highest status offered by Hilton)
• Complimentary continental breakfast 
• Room upgrade if available
• $100 credit at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad properties when booking 2-night minimum with Aspire card
• Fifth night free when redeeming points for a 4+ night stay

Chase World of Hyatt 

• Elite Discoverist (4^th highest tier of 5 available)
• Room upgrade if available

Chase IHG Premier

• Platinum Elite (3^rd highest tier of 5 available)
• Room upgrade if available
• Fourth night free when redeeming points for a 4+ night stay

Elite Status Comparison

	Status	Relative Rank
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	Platinum Elite	3rd of 6 tiers
Amex Hilton Aspire	Diamond	highest status available
Chase World of Hyatt	Elite Discoverist	2nd of 5 tiers
Chase IHG Premier	Platinum Elite	3rd  of 5 tiers

Hotel Points Earning Potential

Amex Bonvoy Brilliant

• A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member.
• 6x points at Marriott properties, valued at 5.4 cents per dollar 
• 3x Marriott Bonvoy® points Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines., valued at 2.7 cents per dollar
• 2x points all other eligible purchases, valued at 1.8 cents per dollar

Amex Hilton Aspire

• 14x points at Hilton properties, valued at 8.4 cents per dollar
• 7x points at airlines, select rental car companies, and U.S. restaurants, valued at 4.2 cents per dollar 
• 3x points all other purchases, valued at 1.8 cents per dollar

Chase World of Hyatt 

• 4x points at Hyatt properties, valued at 6.8 cents per dollar
• 2x points at airlines, local transit and commuting, and fitness club/gym memberships, valued at 3.4 cents per dollar
• 1x points all other purchases, valued at 1.7 cents per dollar

Chase IHG Premier

• 25x points at IHG properties, valued at 12.5 cents per dollar
• 2x points at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, valued at 1 cent per dollar
• 1x points all other purchases, valued at 0.5 cent per dollar

Value of Points Earned per Dollar Spent

	On Property	Select Categories	Generic
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	5.4 cents	2.7 cents	1.8 cents
Amex Hilton Aspire	8.4 cents	4.2 cents	1.8 cents
Chase World of Hyatt	6.8 cents	3.4 cents	1.7 cents
Chase IHG Premier	12.5 cents	1 cent	0.5 cent

Hotel Credit Cards Annual Fee

Annual Fee Comparison	Annual Fee	Annual Fee for Military
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	$650	$0!
Amex Hilton Aspire	$450	$0!
Chase World of Hyatt	$95	$0!
Chase IHG Premier	$0 first year, then $89	$0!

Cumulative Value of Each Card Compared

	Welcome Bonus Offer	Annual Free Night	Hotel/Airline Credit	Total
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant	$950	$450	$300	$1700
Amex Hilton Aspire	$900	$500	$500	$1900
Chase World of Hyatt	$850	$255	$0	$1105
Chase IHG Premier	$625	$200	$0	$825

Examples of Hotel Cards in Action!

Offering between $900 and $1900 of value, these cards are certainly capable of upgrading your travel life. The best part?? They are free for military members and their spouses! 

My husband and I have used these cards to take some amazing trips that we never would have been able to afford otherwise.

We have used our Amex Bonvoy Brilliant annual free nights at the Ritz Carlton Chicago multiple times and even took a $9000 Scottsdale vacation for only $900 thanks to the welcome bonuses offers we received from our Bonvoy cards.

Likewise, we used our Amex Hilton Aspire cards to take an amazing weekend getaway to the Waldorf Astoria Orlando valued at $3,200 for only $500.

Even better, we just booked a 6-night vacation to the Grand Wailea Maui entirely on points all thanks to our Hilton Aspire cards.  

The Bonvoy Brilliant and Hilton Honors Aspire are our favorite premier hotel cards. But with $1900 in value and the highest hotel elite status available, we would argue the Hilton Aspire is the best.

How to Get 3 Amex Hilton Aspire Cards

It’s important to note that Amex allows an individual to hold 3 (or more) Aspires at once and to receive a welcome bonus on each card. This is how I did this (and you can too!):

1. First apply for the Aspire and hit the welcome bonus spend to earn the welcome bonus offer.
2. Then apply for the Amex Hilton Honors Surpass and hit the required spend to get that welcome bonus offer.
3. Then apply for the Amex Hilton Honors card and hit the minimum spend to get that welcome bonus offer.

After one year upgrade the Surpass and Honors cards to Aspires, and finally, find a fun way to spend your 3 free weekend nights, $750 resort credits, and $750 airline incidental fees.

Side note, if you have a spouse, you can refer Hilton cards to each other.  For example, my husband applied for the Aspire first, then referred me the card, earning him a 15,000 referral bonus.  We did the same thing for the Surpass and Honors cards, and by doing so accrued an extra 75,000 Hilton points!

It is also possible to hold multiple Bonvoy Brilliant cards, but a welcome bonus offer can only be achieved on the first card due to a 24-month welcome bonus offer restriction. Read more on credit card applications rules.

American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $550 annual fee waived for military servicemembers and military spouses
• Complimentary Diamond Status at all Hilton brands (suite upgrades, breakfast, check in gifts, etc)
• 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points welcome offer after $6,000 of purchases in the first 6 months offers ends 17 January 2024
• 1 weekend night reward after opening your account and every year on renewal
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit – $200 each semi-annual period
• $200 airline fee credit – Earn up to $50 statement credit each quarter
• $189 Clear Credit
• 14x Hilton Honors Bonus Points at Hilton properties
• No foreign transaction fees
• The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Military Money Manual and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Full review of Amex Aspire card, terms apply
• All information about American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card has been collected independently by MilitaryMoneymanual.com

Chase IHG Premier vs Chase World of Hyatt

The IHG Premier and World of Hyatt cards have their place, especially for those looking to apply for Chase products first to avoid the 5/24 restriction.

For anyone interested in acquiring these cards, here is my suggestion: save the welcome bonus points until your one-year account anniversary, that way you can combine the free anniversary night with multiple nights from the welcome bonus to build a free extended stay.

For example, the IHG Premier welcome bonus plus the anniversary night up to 40,000 points could get you 4 free nights at the Intercontinental Bangkok! Likewise, the World of Hyatt welcome bonus plus the anniversary night at a category 4 Hyatt property could get you 4 free nights at the Hyatt Waikiki Beach!

Final Thoughts on Hotel Credit Cards

At first glance it may seem like a lot of work to manage multiple credit cards and multiple hotel loyalty accounts, but I assure you, it’s not. It’s actually a lot of fun!

In our 2019 travels, my husband and I spent over $20,000 worth of hotel/airline points and credits. To put that $20,000 into perspective, a W2 employee in an upper middle class tax bracket would have to earn would have to earn about $30,000 before taxes, which is 3 to 4 months of paychecks. Yikes.

But the good news is, thanks to MLA and SCRA, all military servicemembers and their spouses can learn the very simple rules of credit card rewards programs to access the opportunity to take the travels of their dreams. I hope you choose to do so!

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $650 Annual Fee* See details about American Express protections for you and your spouse 
• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® program. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Brilliant Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck(R) (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy® member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass(TM) Select, which offers unlimited access to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• Terms Apply.

Hotel Credit Cards FAQ