Best Hotel Credit Cards for Free Nights
Some hotel credit cards offer annual free nights or points bonuses that can help you get to an award stay.
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Hotel credit cards let you earn points toward complimentary stays. But some of the best products in this category go further, offering a free night each year to cardholders — separate from any points you’ve earned.
Other cards may offer “paths” to this annual perk: a spending threshold you can hit to earn the benefit, bonus anniversary points that could cover a stay, or some combination of the two.
To be clear, a “free” stay is not completely free. All of these cards come with annual fees that must be paid before you can enjoy the perk. But in most cases, that free night’s value more than offsets the card’s yearly cost.
Here are some top hotel cards that offer free stays — or a way to snag them — every year.
Hotel credit cards with free anniversary nights (or a path to one)
Free night included with card membership
Free night if you spend enough
Anniversary points to use toward a free night
Cards that offer a free night certificate every year usually require that you pay your annual fee first. The certificate typically posts to your account a few weeks after your card anniversary. These certificates are often valid for 12 months from issuance and have restrictions on where they can be used.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
Key benefit: Annual free night certificate, good at any Hyatt hotel up to Category 4. You may also earn a second free night when you spend $15,000 in a year. Terms apply.
Annual fee: $95.
Bonus: Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. 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. Plus, earn 2 total Tier-Qualifying Night Credits per eligible night at any Hyatt hotel or resort completed between October 16, 2025 and January 31, 2026, for up to 15 tier-qualifying nights with this offer. Apply by November 20, 2025.
Why we like it: The World of Hyatt Credit Card gets top marks thanks to its slew of perks, including its annual free night certificate. Though Hyatt’s hotel network isn’t as large as Marriott’s or Hilton’s, you can use the free night perk at plenty of unique properties around the world. Since you’d be hard-pressed to find a hotel room most anywhere for under $95, the annual fee is worth it if you’ll use the certificate.
Holders of the World of Hyatt Credit Card can earn an additional free night certificate after spending $15,000 in purchases over the calendar year, instead of the cardholder anniversary year.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Key benefit: Annual free night certificate, good for a Marriott hotel stay with a redemption level up to 35,000 points.
Annual fee: $95.
Bonus: Earn 125,000 Bonus Points + 1 Free Night Award after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Free Night Award valued up to 50,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Why we like it: Named NerdWallet’s Best Hotel Credit Card of 2025, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers elevated rewards at Marriott properties and on everyday spending. Given the chain’s size, you’ll have no trouble finding a Marriott to use your annual free night certificate — good for a stay of up to 35,000 points. While Marriott did away with its award chart, you can still easily find a points redemption that makes the annual fee well worth it.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Key benefit: Annual free night award, valued up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Annual fee: $650.
Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Why we like it: Yes, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card carries a massive annual fee. But for a Marriott enthusiast who stays with the chain even just a few times a year, the card's rich rewards and luxurious perks can outweigh that fee. Each year you hold the card, you’ll receive a free night award valued up to 85,000 points, plus automatic Platinum Elite status. You'll also get up to $300 in statement credits per year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. Terms apply.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Key benefit: Anniversary night each year you renew the card, good for up to 40,000 points. You can also earn bonus points each account anniversary year by hitting spending thresholds. Terms apply.
Annual fee: $99.
Bonus: Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it: If you frequent IHG brands like Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Kimpton and more, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card can offer significant value for a moderate annual fee, including an anniversary night each year. Award prices fluctuate for the IHG Rewards Club program, so the room you can score for 40,000 points will depend on location and season. But cardholders also have the ability to add points from their account to the 40,000 point certificate to book a swankier hotel. For example, if you’re looking to book a room that costs 55,000 points, you could redeem your 40,000-point anniversary award plus 15,000 IHG points. In addition to the annual free night and the chance to earn bonus anniversary points, you’ll also get a unique perk: book four consecutive nights at one hotel using your points, and get that fourth night free.
Unless you're a brand loyalist, it may not make sense to try to chase a spending target for a free night award. Often, hotel cards earn great rewards on purchases made within that hotel brand, but poor rewards in other categories. You may be better off using a brand-agnostic general travel card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which earns 2 miles per $1 on most purchases.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Key benefit: Complimentary night reward each year. You also have the chance to earn two additional nights: one after you spend $30,000 on purchases on the card in a calendar year and another after you spend $60,000 on purchases in a calendar year. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Annual fee: $550.
Welcome offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Why we like it: The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is a premium travel card with a premium annual price tag, but it's loaded with rich benefits, including a free night certificate. Hilton properties are abundant, and unlike Hyatt and Marriott certificates, a Hilton free night certificate can be used at any participating property, no matter the category. Terms apply. Among many other perks, there’s also a $200 semi-annual Hilton resort credit and a $100 on-property credit. Terms apply.
Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card
Key feature: Earn up to two free night awards (see how below).
Annual fee: $89.
Bonus: Bonus points offer of 20,000 to 80,000 points with qualifying spend. You’ll see your bonus points offer before you apply.
Why we like it: Best known for its flagship low-frills hotels, Best Western has thousands of properties, including more upscale options, spanning nearly 100 countries. The chain’s premium branded credit card, the Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card, offers two free night awards: one after your cardmember anniversary and one after you spend $10,000 in an anniversary year. You won’t be able to earn either free night until you’ve held the card for a year.
This card also has a $0-annual-fee sibling, the Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card. This non-"Premium" version awards 10,000 bonus points each year when you spend $5,000 on it — a rarity for a no-annual-fee card.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Key feature: Complimentary night reward after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Annual fee: $150.
Welcome offer: Earn 155,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/14/2026. Terms Apply.
Why we like it: The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with a lower annual fee than its premium cousin above, but doesn’t offer a free night award automatically. It does, however, allow you to spend your way to a complimentary night. Terms apply. As you spend, you’ll rack up a nice pile of Hilton points, too, as the card earns generously in several everyday spending categories.
Anniversary points can be more flexible than annual free night certificates. These points aren’t usually bound by category restrictions; you can use them any day of the week, and they typically have much longer expiration periods than do certificates.
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card
Key feature: 7,500 points each anniversary.
Annual fee: $75.
Bonus: Earn 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Why we like it: Wyndham has a large network of more than 9,000 hotels, including brands like Days Inn, Howard Johnson, La Quinta, Ramada, Super 8 and more. If you have the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card, you’ll automatically earn 7,500 anniversary points to use at these hotels every year. That just so happens to be the base rate for Wyndham’s lowest-tier properties. (Free nights with Wyndham cost 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per bedroom.) You can also use a mixture of cash and points to book, meaning those yearly bonus rewards could instead be put toward a more expensive hotel redemption. (Note: NerdWallet values Wyndham points at 0.7 cent each. That means the 7,500 anniversary bonus points are worth roughly $52.50, which isn’t quite enough to cover this card’s $75 annual fee.)
There's a $0-annual-fee version of this product called the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card. While this non-"Plus" version can also snag you 7,500 anniversary points each year, it's not automatic. You have to spend $15,000 in a year first.
Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®
Key feature: 30,000 points every cardmember anniversary year.
Annual fee: $95.
Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 7 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply.
Why we like it: You can earn a lot of Choice points fast with the Wells Fargo-issued Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® . One way is through the 30,000-point anniversary bonus cardholders receive each year they pay the annual fee. The Choice Privileges program includes redemption options at many of the 7,000 Choice hotels throughout the world, with stays ranging from 8,000 to 35,000 points per night. A night at most hotels will cost more than $95, making the annual fee a good value as long as you’ll use the points.
To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page. All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
The information related to Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2025:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card