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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:
- Welcome Bonus Offer
- Annual Free Night
- Annual Travel Credit
- Elite Status Boost
- Points Earning Potential
- Annual Fee for Military Families
Hotel Card Welcome Bonus
Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
- Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 3 months.
- 95,000 points valued at $950 if you redeem at 1 cent per point
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 Comparison
| Welcome Bonus | Monetary Value* | Minimum Spend | |
| Amex Bonvoy Brilliant | 95,000 | $950 | $5000 < 3 months |
| Amex Hilton Aspire | 150,000 | $1200 | $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
- 15 complimentary nights toward Platinum status
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 (4th highest tier of 5 available)
- Room upgrade if available
Chase IHG Premier
- Platinum Elite (3rd 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 | Annual Free Night | Hotel/Airline Credit | Total | |
| Amex Bonvoy Brilliant | $1850 | $450 | $300 | $1500 |
| 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 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!):
- First apply for the Aspire and hit the welcome bonus spend to earn the welcome bonus.
- Then apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass and hit the required spend to get that welcome bonus.
- Then apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors card and hit the minimum spend to get that welcome bonus.
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 can only be achieved on the first card due to a 24-month welcome bonus restriction. Read more on credit card applications rules.
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card
- $450 annual fee waived for US military servicemembers and spouses
- Complimentary Diamond Status at all Hilton brands (suite upgrades, breakfast, check in gifts, etc)
- 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points welcome offer after $4000 of purchases in the first 3 months
- 1 weekend night reward after opening your account and every year on renewal
- $250 Hilton Resort Credit
- $250 airline fee credit
- 14x Hilton Honors Bonus Points at Hilton properties
- No foreign transaction fees
- Full review of Amex Aspire card, terms apply
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.
Chase IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- $99 annual fee waived for US military according to Chase MLA policy
- Best Points Offer Ever – Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy a Reward Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck(R) or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG Rewards bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as InterContinental(R), Crowne Plaza(R), Kimpton(R), EVEN(R) Hotels, Indigo(R) Hotels & Holiday Inn(R)
- No foreign transaction fees – essential for international travel
- Learn how to apply for the The World of Hyatt Credit Card card
- Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent
- Hyatt rooms start at just 5000 points, so you could earn 6 nights with just the welcome bonus
- 1 free night at any category 1-4 Hyatt hotel every year you keep the card open
- Earn ANOTHER free night at category 1-4 hotel when you spend $15,000 on the card in a year
- Cardholders get World of Hyatt Discoverist status (Level 2/4) just for having the card, as long as the account is open
- $95 Annual fee waived for US military personnel and spouses with Chase MLA policy
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 100% waived for US military personnel
- Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 3 months.
- Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
- 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.
- Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy(TM) program. 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2 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, Card Members are eligible to select an Earned Choice Award benefit. Benefit options include: Five (5) Suite Night Awards, 85K Free Night Award, and mattress and box spring $1,000 discount from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- $100 Luxury 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 through any Authorized Enrollment Provider for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85) when you pay the application fee with an eligible Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- 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.
- Enroll in Priority Pass 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.
- Enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass(TM) Select membership.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- Cell phone protection: You can be reimbursed for your costs to repair or replace your damaged or stolen cell phone up to $800, subject to a $50 deductible, for 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your prior month's wireless bill was paid utilizing an Eligible Card Account. Terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Hotel Credit Cards FAQ
If you are in the military, the best hotel credit card is probably the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire card or the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. The annual fee is waived on both cards for military servicemembers and spouses! Other cards that waive annual fees for military are Chase World of Hyatt, and Chase IHG Premier.
Hotel credit cards are definitely worth it, especially if you are in the military and your annual fees are waived! You can get upgraded elite status, free nights annually, credit on food, drinks, spa activities, and other room charges. Lounge access, early check in, late check out, and upgraded suites are all benefits that make hotel credit cards worth it!
For military servicemembers, the best Marriott credit card is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. The annual fee is 100% waived for active duty and spouses.
No waived fees as it’s a business card, but I’ve found $95 a year is well worth the perks of the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card with the highest return on gas and utilities I’ve found in any card. Then again, I’m stationed and travel throughout Asia, so the properties compared to CONUS are amazing and a bargain.
https://cards.barclaycardus.com/banking/cards/wyndham-rewards-earner-business-card/