Lazy Guide: Hotel Loyalty Programs
Tl;dr: Hotel points can be useful—but they’re rarely the best use of your credit card points. In most cases, you’re better off saving those for flights and booking hotels with cash or simple rewards. The exceptions? Hyatt (consistently strong value), Choice (especially for budget and Japan stays), and the occasional transfer bonus or high-price redemption. For most people, the easiest strategy is to focus on one or two hotel programs, pick up a solid hotel card, and otherwise stay flexible.
Welcome to the Lazy Guide to hotel loyalty programs. This guide is for casual travelers who want good value without overthinking hotel loyalty or transfer ratios. This is not a comprehensive guide or a list of ways to get “maximum” value from these programs. Instead, we’re providing an overview of the major programs and their best options we have found for lazy value with each. We don’t recommend transferring points to hotel programs as a regular practice—flight redemptions usually provide more value—but in some cases it can be worthwhile to save some cash or access a luxury redemption if you are so inclined.
Quick Picks
🥇 Best overall: Hyatt
🧳 Best for budget travel: Choice
💎 Best for hidden gem redemptions: Marriott
🗾 Best for Japan travel value: Choice
🇪🇺 Best for Europe travel value: Hilton SLH
💳 Best premium credit card: Hilton Aspire
💳 Best mid-tier credit card: IHG Premier
💳 Best no-fee credit card: Choice Privileges Mastercard
🔁 Sometimes worth transferring: Hyatt, Choice
🦥 Simplest: Hyatt
When Should You Care About Hotel Points?
If you are an infrequent traveler, accumulating hotel points can be risky: some programs can require tens of thousands of points for a single award night, and devaluations are a constant risk—if you accumulate points too slowly, the goalposts can move. That’s where a hotel credit card can be helpful. These can offer a big welcome bonus, high earning rates on spending, elite status and perks, and increased loyalty points as a result of status. This accelerates points earning to make redemptions more accessible, faster.
Our household has IHG Premier and Hilton Aspire cards, so we concentrate on those programs when the prices are right, and otherwise mostly book through alternative options like bank travel portals, Rove, OTAs, or Airbnb.
More frequent travelers can benefit from investing heavily in programs like Hyatt (which has excellent top-tier status) or Marriott (which can unlock benefits like status with United Airlines). We’ll mention those in this guide, but it’s not our focus.
When Should You Transfer Hotel Points?
We don’t usually recommend transferring points to hotel programs. That’s because points transfers to airlines can provide great value, while there are usually many quality options for accommodation, making it hard to get true value—especially if you’re budget-conscious. For example, even if your 10,000 credit card points can book you a $150 hotel once transferred (1.5¢ per point), there’s likely to be a similar hotel bookable for less, so the true value of those points can be lower.
But points transfers can make sense in some situations, e.g.:
When cash prices are high (e.g. peak season, special events, luxury) and points present an arbitrage opportunity
When there is a big transfer bonus that makes the math more favorable
When transferring a small number of points to top off your balance and make a redemption accessible
When you’ve done the math and know you’re getting good value
The following chart shows how many hotel points you can receive when transferring points from each of the major credit card point currencies:
| Program | Accor | Choice | Hilton | Hyatt | IHG | Marriott | Wyndham |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — |
| Bilt | 0.67 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1 |
| Capital One | 0.5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Chase | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Citi | 0.5 | 1.5 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wells Fargo | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
*Bilt members receive 5,000 additional Marriott points for each 20,000 Bilt points transferred.
Points are ultimately there to save money and unlock experiences, though, so if a transfer can accomplish something for you, go for it!
Loyalty Program Lazy Breakdowns
Hilton Honors: Best Premium Credit Card
Transfer partners: Amex (2), Bilt
What to know
Hilton requires an enormous number of points for most bookings, resulting in a generally low value per Hilton point, often about 0.6¢ each. The best option I have found is Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties in Europe, which can often be booked for around 50k points per night. Hilton status offers a fifth night free on award stays, which can make those nightly award rates palatable. The no-fee Hilton Honors Amex card offers Silver status, and occasionally offers a free night certificate as part of a welcome offer.
Although points can be transferred at a 1:2 ratio from Amex, that’s rarely a great deal, especially without a solid transfer bonus. I earn 34 Hilton points per dollar spent on Hilton with my Hilton Aspire, which only barely makes direct bookings worth it. Although there used to be opportunities for value with high-end luxury properties, those options are limited after recent devaluations. What makes Hilton special is the Aspire, which can make extremely expensive properties accessible for just the cost of holding the credit card.
Lazy take
I wouldn’t engage with Hilton without an Aspire for earning rates and status benefits. I would never transfer points or earn Hilton points without it. Pre-Aspire, I used Hiltons for low-cost HotelSlash or portal bookings.
IHG One Rewards: Best Mid-Range Credit Card
Transfer partners: Chase, Bilt
What to know
What to know: IHG’s most famous brand is the Holiday Inn, but it has a large portfolio of hotels across the world. As with Hilton, redemption rates tend to be high at IHG properties, resulting in a generally low value per point, about 0.6¢ each. IHG has more variability in pricing than Hilton in my experience, so it can sometimes be possible to find awards that don’t break the points bank, and points pricing is sometimes quite good abroad, although major cities and destinations like Japan still tend to cost tens of thousands of points per night. IHG offers a fourth night free on award stays to IHG Premier cardholders, which is often the best way to maximize points.
Lazy take
The IHG Premier is a great keeper card and one of my favorites. High value. Happy to keep it in my wallet for a direct-booking option. Would never transfer points.
World of Hyatt: Greatest Award-Chart Value
Transfer partners: Bilt, Chase
What to know
Hyatt has a much smaller global footprint than competitors like Marriott, Hilton, and IHG. Hyatt has historically offered the most valuable hotel points, and some of the most valuable points of any kind. After a recent devaluation, higher-end and peak-date properties will be much more costly (as much as 75k points, up from 45k), but Hyatt’s award chart still makes it possible to book low-end, off-peak properties for less than 10k points per night. Hyatt points can be so valuable for certain redemptions that it can even make sense to buy points in some situations.
The flipside is that paid stays earn fewer points, and Hyatt’s co-branded credit card doesn’t accelerate earning by all that much—a Bilt or Chase card can earn you more Hyatt points in almost every scenario. If you do invest in Hyatt, though, their top-tier Globalist status is considered the best high-end status.
Lazy take
Hyatt can offer a solid-value, go-to hotel option for Bilt and Chase points, but it may not be the pathway to luxury bookings on the cheap that it once was.
Marriott Bonvoy: Occasional Deals, Great for Road Warriors
Transfer partners: Amex, Chase, Bilt
What to know
Marriott has the largest global portfolio of hotels, but it is mostly a shared loyalty program—most hotels are not brand-owned, so Marriott is known for consistency issues. Marriott has wide variability in award pricing in my experience, offering more opportunities for low-cost redemptions, but also more hotels with eye-watering award rates. The value of Marriott points therefore varies depending on how you use them, but I generally find them slightly stronger than IHG or Hilton points.
Marriott has co-branded credit cards with both Amex and Chase, resulting in some complex welcome bonus eligibility rules. The ultra-premium Amex Bonvoy Brilliant offers Platinum status and strong earning rates with Marriott, but is less approachable for casual travelers than the Hilton Aspire given its high fee and minimal offsetting credits. The mid-tier Boundless is solid, but weaker than rivals like the IHG Premier. You can also get Marriott elite status from an Amex Platinum or by having United Airlines Premier Gold status or above. Meanwhile, if you reach Marriott Titanium status, you can receive United Silver status, but you’ll need 75 “elite night credits” to get there.
Lazy take
With hotels occasionally bookable for fairly low rates, Marriott is a decent option for occasional travelers, while the hotel and airline perks available at the higher levels of status make Marriott a solid option for very-frequent travelers, too.
Choice Privileges: Japan Sweet Spot, Value Plays
Transfer partners: Amex, Capital One, Citi (1.5), Wells Fargo (2)
What to know
Choice hotels tend to be less premium, especially in the US, but they are available in many overseas destinations. In Japan, their small business hotels are often bookable for just 8k points, especially outside Tokyo and Kyoto centers. Even in the US, lower-end properties like motels can be bookable for under 10k points. Status can be earned after just 5 nights, including award nights. Occasional point sales can offer excellent value. Choice’s Wells Fargo-issued co-branded cards are solid as well.
Lazy take
I’ve booked many Choice hotels in Japan, but the points are surprisingly valuable elsewhere. Transfers are a great use of Wells Fargo points given the transfer ratio, a solid use of Citi points, and can be useful in spots with Amex or Capital One points, although I wouldn’t recommend it generally.
Accor Live Limitless: Fixed Value, but Fast Expiration
Transfer partners: Bilt (.67), Capital One (.5), Citi (.5)
What to know
Accor is a European hotel chain, but it operates over 5,000 hotels globally. It has a fixed-value points system: Accor Live Limitless (ALL) points can be redeemed in 2,000-point increments for 40€, or the equivalent, off of the cost of your stay, for a value of 2 Euro cents per point. That fixed redemption value assures a good value floor, at least if the cash price is solid, but limits upside. Points expire after just 12 months without extending activity, making them a risky or high-maintenance currency to invest in.
Lazy take
For most casual travelers, Accor points are more risk than reward.
Wyndham Rewards: Low Value, but Some Opportunities for Families
Transfer partners: Bilt, Chase, Capital One
What to know
Wyndham’s focuses on lower-end properties, although there are some exceptions to that general rule. Points are typically worth about 0.7¢ each, but there can be significant variation. Wyndham uses a simple award chart based on hotel category and number of bedrooms, so there can be some value to be had by booking higher-occupancy rooms (like suites) during peak travel times if you can find availability.
Lazy take
Wyndham might be worth exploring if you are traveling as a family and don’t want to pay for multiple rooms, but the program’s upside is limited.
Lazy Take 🦥
There are opportunities to get great value from hotel points, but they tend to be less valuable than other currencies from airlines and banks, and their value is trickier to assess. Having a hotel credit card can help maximize your chances to earn and redeem efficiently, as can choosing a simpler program like Hyatt. Because the value of points can be so low, we don’t recommend transferring points in most circumstances, and recommend focusing on one or two programs for earning from direct bookings. With so many alternative booking options and credit cards with hotel booking credits, it’s easier than ever to be a free agent.