Many frequent travelers choose Marriott Rewards
as their hotel loyalty program of choice, and for good reason.
I have long favored Starwood
as a hotel loyalty program and just this year began to experiment with Hyatt.
Similar to airlines, hotels have frequent guest programs (also known
as hotel loyalty programs) where guests gain elite status by reaching specific tiers.
As a hotel loyalty program, the SPG program differs from bank - established points programs (e.g., Chase Ultimate Rewards) since you do not need to have an affiliated credit card to start earning SPG Starpoints.
Many frequent travelers choose Marriott Rewards
as their hotel loyalty program of choice, and for good reason.
Not exact matches
A spate of
hotels aims to make loyalty programs more valuable to customers more quickly — immediately, in some cases — with little extras such as coffee and the morning news (Omni Resorts & Hotels), free WiFi (InterContinental Hotels Group), free WiFi and health club admission (Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) and room upgrades (Small Luxury Hotels of the W
hotels aims to make
loyalty programs more valuable to customers more quickly — immediately, in some cases — with little extras such
as coffee and the morning news (Omni Resorts &
Hotels), free WiFi (InterContinental Hotels Group), free WiFi and health club admission (Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) and room upgrades (Small Luxury Hotels of the W
Hotels), free WiFi (InterContinental
Hotels Group), free WiFi and health club admission (Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) and room upgrades (Small Luxury Hotels of the W
Hotels Group), free WiFi and health club admission (Fairmont
Hotels & Resorts) and room upgrades (Small Luxury Hotels of the W
Hotels & Resorts) and room upgrades (Small Luxury
Hotels of the W
Hotels of the World).
Some rewards programs — such
as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards — allow you to transfer points to
hotel loyalty programs.
And Hyatt,
as one of the largest
hotel and resort chains in the world, has a valuable
loyalty program to rack up points with.
They reward brand
loyalty by allowing you to earn extra perks such
as early boarding on flights, late checkout at
hotels, free companion tickets and free checked bags.
Some rewards programs — such
as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards — allow you to transfer points to
hotel and airline
loyalty programs.
This is one of our favorite credit card reward programs,
as it allows you to transfer your points to some great airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
Some rewards programs — such
as Chase's Ultimate Rewards and Amex's Membership Rewards — are even more flexible and allow you to transfer points to airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
Of course, you can increase the balances in these
hotel loyalty program accounts by using credit cards, such
as those shown in the table below:
You'll be able to redeem your points for cash back
as you always did, or you can transfer them to airline or
hotel loyalty programs.
You have the option to transfer miles from several other
hotel loyalty programs
as well.
Depending on your category of membership,
hotel cards and
loyalty programs often offer benefits such
as early check - in, late check - out, breakfast and more.
Hyatt
Hotels has announced a couple of changes to their World of Hyatt
loyalty program, and
as a pleasant surprise, they both appear to be positive for most members.
Some rewards programs — such
as Chase's Ultimate Rewards and Amex's Membership Rewards — are even more flexible and allow you to transfer points to airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
This is one of our favorite credit card reward programs,
as it allows you to transfer your points to some great airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
They reward brand
loyalty by allowing you to earn extra perks such
as early boarding on flights, late checkout at
hotels, free companion tickets and free checked bags.
Consider this if you want to earn points that can be used
as cash back or transferred to airline /
hotel loyalty programs.
Points can be transferred to top frequent flyer partner programs, such
as Delta and JetBlue, or to
hotel loyalty partner programs like Hilton.
Once you've registered for a few
loyalty programs, use an online points manager such
as AwardWallet, which allows you to keep track of the
loyalty programs you participate in, such
as frequent flyer miles,
hotel and credit card points.
«Purchased points, points transferred between Members, points converted from
hotel and car
loyalty programs, and e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club, points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment, tier bonus points, flight bonus points, and Partner bonus points (excluding bonus points earned on the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase) do not qualify
as Companion Pass qualifying points.»
In 2017, the Hilton Honors
loyalty program was reconfigured; it no longer uses award charts like other major
hotel loyalty programs such
as World of Hyatt and Marriott Rewards.
By employing strategies such
as joining a
loyalty program and using a travel rewards credit card, it's possible to earn free stays at
hotels.
Some rewards programs — such
as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards — allow you to transfer points to
hotel loyalty programs.
You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to participating airline and
hotel loyalty programs
as long
as you have an eligible American Express credit card.
With most airline and
hotel loyalty programs, they will likely have their own portals
as well.
Don't forget that each airline and
hotel have partners that either allow you to book through the same
loyalty program or transfer points to other programs to book awards
as well.
The Starwood Preferred Guest
loyalty program is often thought of
as a
hotel rewards program.
You can also transfer reward points to your favorite
loyalty program
as airline miles or
hotel points.
The most valuable redemptions are those made through UR partners such
as airline and
hotel loyalty programs.
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and
hotel loyalty programs and the Ultimate Rewards ® travel partners and the participating programs include airline travel partners such
as: British Airways Executive Club, Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM, Korean Air SKYPASS, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards ®, United MileagePlus ®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and more.
Several benefits that are unique to this card include the 1 to 1 transfer of points to Chase's travel partners, including airlines such
as Southwest (one of his
loyalty program memberships), United, Korean Air, British Airways, and
hotel chains such
as Hyatt, Ritz - Carlton, Marriott (another one of his
loyalty program memberships), and Priority Club.
Another option is to transfer AMEX points to a frequent flyer partner program, such
as Delta and JetBlue, or to a
hotel loyalty partner program like Hilton and Starwood.
Synchrony also rewards member
loyalty with travel rewards such
as car rentals, and
hotels.
The «Lowest
Hotel Rates Guarantee» policy applies only to online rates available to the general public and excludes (1) rates or discounts that are not available to the general public, including, but not limited to, corporate, group, charter, meeting / convention, AAA, government / military, and senior citizen rates / discounts; or (2) hotel rooms booked through or in combination with frequent stay, loyalty, points, coupon promotions, rooms won through contests or sweepstakes or transferred, or rooms booked on opaque websites that do not allow you to see the name of the hotel until your reservation is complete; or (3) promotional packages, deals, all - inclusive packages, or bundles that may include additional amenities such as parking, meals, or entertainment, and (4) rates booked through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS pro
Hotel Rates Guarantee» policy applies only to online rates available to the general public and excludes (1) rates or discounts that are not available to the general public, including, but not limited to, corporate, group, charter, meeting / convention, AAA, government / military, and senior citizen rates / discounts; or (2)
hotel rooms booked through or in combination with frequent stay, loyalty, points, coupon promotions, rooms won through contests or sweepstakes or transferred, or rooms booked on opaque websites that do not allow you to see the name of the hotel until your reservation is complete; or (3) promotional packages, deals, all - inclusive packages, or bundles that may include additional amenities such as parking, meals, or entertainment, and (4) rates booked through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS pro
hotel rooms booked through or in combination with frequent stay,
loyalty, points, coupon promotions, rooms won through contests or sweepstakes or transferred, or rooms booked on opaque websites that do not allow you to see the name of the
hotel until your reservation is complete; or (3) promotional packages, deals, all - inclusive packages, or bundles that may include additional amenities such as parking, meals, or entertainment, and (4) rates booked through the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS pro
hotel until your reservation is complete; or (3) promotional packages, deals, all - inclusive packages, or bundles that may include additional amenities such
as parking, meals, or entertainment, and (4) rates booked through the FINE
HOTELS & RESORTS program.
For example, 100,000 points are worth $ 1,500 toward travel 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and
hotel loyalty programs Access to 900 + airport lounges worldwide with complimentary Priority Pass ™ Select membership Up to $ 100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre ✓ ® No blackout dates or travel restrictions -
as long
as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Your best bet for accumulating reward points via
hotels is to stick
as much
as possible to one chain — or chains parked under one brand's
loyalty program.
Some of these cards are co-branded by a specific airline or
hotel, while others are part of a network that allows points to be transferred to airline or
hotel loyalty programs, such
as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou and Amex Membership Rewards.
Most cardholders have a variety of shopping portal choices available, including portals from their card issuers,
as well
as airline frequent - flyer and
hotel loyalty programs.
Other
hotel loyalty programs partner with Virgin Australia
as well.
Many credit cards connected with
hotel loyalty programs will get you automatic silver or gold status benefits at that chain, which can mean room upgrades, late check - in and (
as with Ritz - Carlton) access to airport lounges.
If you are not ready to commit to a
hotel chain, there are other options
as well, including cards that earn flat - rate rewards that you can redeem for travel expenses or credits, or that allow you to transfer points to a
hotel loyalty program.
Convert
as many
hotel loyalty program points
as you like,
as often
as you like, but there's a minimum of 5,000 points per transfer in order to get that 25 % bonus.
Personally, my Hilton Honors Diamond status and cheap and plentiful access to Hilton Honors points,
as well
as Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond status and cheap and plentiful access to Hyatt points through Ultimate Rewards, together mean that I have no interest in spinning up another
hotel loyalty relationship.
The American Express Membership Reward points can be used to book travel through AmEx or transferred to
hotel and airline partners such
as Delta, British Airways, Hilton and more than a dozen other
loyalty programs.
Others pointed out,
as I have, that in some cases award charts need to be inflated if points are earned and redeemed based on spend, a feature of most
hotel loyalty programs.
You can redeem points for airline miles but can not convert miles back to points,
as with most
hotel loyalty programs.