If you're not a frequent guest of Hilton properties, however, you won't be rewarded for your stays with non-Hilton properties and might be better served by
a more general travel rewards card.
We researched more than 40 co-branded hotel cards and more than 50
more general travel rewards cards, using a lot of the criteria outlined in this guide, to get down to our list of the best hotel cards.
You might also consider
more general travel rewards cards such as the Capital One Venture Rewards card (free the first year, then $ 59 a year) or the Barclaycard Arrival card ($ 89 annual fee, waived the first year), where the rewards are pegged to the cost of the hotel room and can also be redeemed for plane tickets, rental cars and other travel expenses.
Hot Tip: Some cruise lines offer their own credit cards with cruise rewards, but
a more general travel rewards card like The Platinum Card ® from American Express almost always offers a better value.
To earn
more general travel rewards, an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards and includes the ability to transfer points to any of the 20 loyalty partners may be more your speed.
For those who travel infrequently, or like to have flexibility in which airline they fly,
the more general travel rewards cards will work better.
Otherwise,
more general travel rewards credit cards, such as the Starwood Preferred Guest ® Credit Card from American Express or the Citi ThankYou ® Premier Card provide better value.
Alternatively, consumers who hold no particular loyalty to American Airlines can find the best savings on
more general travel rewards credit cards, which we go over at the end of this article.
But there are also
more general travel rewards programs out there where you earn credit towards more than flights such as hotel stays, car rentals, and more.
In fact, frequent travelers may carry an airline card, a hotel card and one or
more general travel rewards cards, to realize the unique benefits offered by each.
Not exact matches
The Bank of America
Travel Rewards credit card, on the other hand, is the better
general spending card, for those consumers with
more varied spending.
If you're choosing between the cards, the Arrival is probably a better bet as a
general spending card if you have a broad array of expenses, while Sapphire Preferred is a
more rewarding card for the
travel focused and will leverage Ultimate
Rewards to its maximum.
These two cards act as
general travel cards with
rewards that have
more flexibility, so would it make sense to still choose the SPG American Express?
While co-branded airline credit cards offer special benefits to frequent flyers of one specific airline,
general travel rewards cards can offer
more flexibility in redeeming award flights and other
travel bookings.
Even though the
rewards given out here are referred to as «points», they have far
more in common with airline miles than
general travel points.
If you're not a frequent
travel but like the idea of saving money on a future vacation, you may want to look at
more general rewards card programs.
However, if you are in the market for a
general travel card, then you should consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card, as it gives cardholders
more rewards redemption options, especially for domestic air
travel.
The Bank of America
Travel Rewards credit card, on the other hand, is the better
general spending card, for those consumers with
more varied spending.
If you want
more of a
general travel rewards card then check out The Best Travel Rewards Credit
travel rewards card then check out The Best Travel Rewards Credit
rewards card then check out The Best
Travel Rewards Credit
Travel Rewards Credit
Rewards Credit Cards.
A new type of
travel card is a
general travel rewards credit card, which lets you earn and use your
rewards more freely.
If you're choosing between the cards, the Arrival is probably a better bet as a
general spending card if you have a broad array of expenses, while Sapphire Preferred is a
more rewarding card for the
travel focused and will leverage Ultimate
Rewards to its maximum.
We researched
more than 40 co-branded hotel cards and
more than 300
general travel rewards cards, using a lot of the criteria outlined in this guide, to get down to our list of the best hotel cards.
The Starwood Preferred Guest ® Credit Card from American Express — one of our favorite hotel credit cards — offers a superior
rewards rate and more flexible rewards, making it a better choice than the Marriott Rewards ® Premier Plus Credit Card for those looking for a general trave
rewards rate and
more flexible
rewards, making it a better choice than the Marriott Rewards ® Premier Plus Credit Card for those looking for a general trave
rewards, making it a better choice than the Marriott
Rewards ® Premier Plus Credit Card for those looking for a general trave
Rewards ® Premier Plus Credit Card for those looking for a
general travel card.
After analyzing over 40 different hotel
rewards credit card offers (and even
more general travel cards), here is our list of the 10 best hotel credit cards.
«Unless you're a frequent international premium class flier,
general travel reward credit cards tend to be
more lucrative — and easier to redeem,» says Charles Tran, the founder of credit card comparison site CreditDonkey.com.
While the
rewards on the Blue Delta SkyMiles card are pretty valuable for a no - annual - fee card, cardholders would likely get better use out of a
general travel rewards card with
more flexible point options.
If you spend
more than this, however, a
general travel rewards credit card, like the Barclays Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ®](#barclaycard - arrival - plus), may be better.
If you like Discover but prefer cash back: Discover it credit card: The sister card of the it Miles is the regular Discover it card, which is
more of a
general purpose
rewards card as opposed to a
travel rewards card.
Finally, these
general travel reward cards are
more likely to offer bonus points or miles for non-
travel categories, so infrequent travelers can still rack up points for everyday purchases.
While this is pretty average for an airline card, many
general travel rewards cards offer higher overall
rewards rates, as well as greater opportunities for earning extra points by providing
more comprehensive bonus categories, such as double points on entertainment, dining and gas purchases.
While the
rewards on the Blue Delta SkyMiles card are pretty valuable for a no - annual - fee card, cardholders would likely get better use out of a
general travel rewards card with
more flexible point options.
If you like Discover but prefer cash back: Discover it credit card: The sister card of the it Miles is the regular Discover it card, which is
more of a
general purpose
rewards card as opposed to a
travel rewards card.
On the other hand,
general travel rewards cards, such as the American Express Gold or Platinum, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Citi ThankYou Premier, offer far
more flexibility.
Though the United TravelBank card offers a good
rewards rate for an airline card with no annual fee, cardholders may be better off searching for a
general travel card with
more flexibility.
If you want
more flexibility in what hotels you stay in, consider a
general travel rewards card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
-- Best Airline in Asia / Pacific: Singapore Airlines — Best Airline in Europe / Middle East / Africa: Transaero Airlines — Best Airline in the Americas: American Airlines — Best First Class Lounges: Lufthansa — Best Business Class Lounges: Swiss International Air Lines — Best Airport in Asia / Pacific: Singapore Changi Airport — Best Airport in Europe / Middle East / Africa: Dubai International Airport — Best Airport in the Americas: John F. Kennedy International Airport — Best Airline Alliance: Star Alliance — Best Frequent Flyer Program: Lufthansa Miles &
More — Best Airline Food and Wine: Emirates Airline — Best Hotel Chain in Asia / Pacific: Hilton Hotels & Resorts — Best Hotel Chain in Europe / Middle East / Africa: Hilton Hotels & Resorts — Best Hotel Chain in The Americas: Hilton Hotels & Resorts — Best Hotel Chain / Group Loyalty Program: Hilton HHonors — Best Hotel Chain Dining / Restaurant: Hilton Hotels & Resorts — Best Credit / Charge Card Points Program: American Express Membership
Rewards — Best Mobile Phone Coverage in North America: AT&T — Best Web Site for Booking
Travel: Expedia — Best
General Travel Site: FlyerTalk — Best Car Rental Chain in the World: Hertz — Best Car Manufacturer in the World: BMW — Best Luggage Maker: Samsonite
If you fly less frequently, a
general travel rewards card may make
more sense since you can use it with any airline.
Membership
Rewards is a good general rewards program that allows you to redeem points for gift cards, Amazon shopping and more, but it also has excellent travel benefits, including the ability to transfer points to some of the best airline loyalty programs in the
Rewards is a good
general rewards program that allows you to redeem points for gift cards, Amazon shopping and more, but it also has excellent travel benefits, including the ability to transfer points to some of the best airline loyalty programs in the
rewards program that allows you to redeem points for gift cards, Amazon shopping and
more, but it also has excellent
travel benefits, including the ability to transfer points to some of the best airline loyalty programs in the world.
Discover it Miles, VentureOne
Rewards and Barclaycard Arrival Plus are all
more general travel cards.
Other types of cards, such as
general travel reward cards or cash - back cards, generally have
more straightforward ways to earn and redeem
reward points.
General travel cards with flat - rate
rewards, such as the Capital One ® Venture ® Rewards Credit Card, can help you to go on vacation every once in a while without making it more difficult to earn r
rewards, such as the Capital One ® Venture ®
Rewards Credit Card, can help you to go on vacation every once in a while without making it more difficult to earn r
Rewards Credit Card, can help you to go on vacation every once in a while without making it
more difficult to earn
rewardsrewards.
For those who prefer
more flexible
travel rewards redemption, a
general travel card is probably a better option.
If, however, you're just looking for a
general purpose
travel credit card, there are better cards that produce
more flexible
rewards faster.
So in
general I use my Amex since I like the fact that their
rewards program allows me to shop for gift cards, electronics,
travel, etc.
more flexibly, but this is a good backup card since not everyone takes Amex.
While a
general - purpose
travel rewards card is the choice of many who don't have a favorite airline, others, particularly frequent travelers, are
more likely to have an airline loyalty account — and a growing balance of frequent flyer miles.
If you're a frequent flyer looking to maximize your
rewards,
general travel credit cards may look better than airline cards because they're generally
more flexible and offer
more rewards earning options.
Depending on how you redeem
rewards, you might get
more value than with a
general travel card.
If you do so only occasionally, a
general travel rewards credit card offers
more flexibility.
Keep in mind that the Hilton credit cards listed below and membership in the HHonors program can help you earn points much
more quickly than most
general travel rewards cards.
If you're just looking to earn bonus points on
travel and business purchases, there are
more general small business credit cards out there that will
reward you handsomely for those purchases without the Hilton brand hanging over your head.