My top 4 picks for the best cobranded hotel credit card

8 hours ago 1

I have eight hotel credit cards, and I believe each card provides enough perks to justify paying its annual fee for the foreseeable future.

However, readers and friends often ask me which hotel card is best. My answer typically depends on the person’s preferred hotel loyalty program, budget and travel style. After all, the best hotel credit card for me may not be the best for you.

Even so, here are my top four picks for the best hotel card.

My picks for the best hotel credit card

Winner: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Runner-up: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Honorable mention: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees) and World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees)

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The Hilton Aspire is easily the best hotel credit card in my eyes due to the sheer value it provides.

Cardmembers receive Hilton Honors Diamond status, the program's current highest status tier. While Hilton will introduce a higher Diamond Reserve status tier in 2026, Diamond status still offers valuable perks. These include space-available room upgrades, executive lounge access, and food-and-beverage benefits on most stays.

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The Hilton Aspire offers 14 points per dollar spent at Hilton properties and a free night reward each year. Many hotel credit cards offer annual free night certificates; however, most programs limit these certificates to specific point ranges or categories. The Hilton free night reward is unique and extremely valuable because it can be used for a standard room award at almost any Hilton property. In recent years, I've received excellent value when using Hilton free night certificates at various Maldives resorts.

The Hilton Aspire also provides many other benefits that can help justify the card’s $550 annual fee (see rates and fees), including:

Up to $400 in Hilton resort credit (up to $200 biannually) each calendar year for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts using your card
Up to $200 in airline fee credit (up to $50 each quarter) each calendar year for flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com
Up to $209 in Clear Plus credit each calendar year when you pay for a Clear Plus membership using your Aspire credit card

As you can see, even the Hilton resort credit and airline fee credit can offer more value than the card's annual fee. To learn more, check out our full Hilton Aspire card review and our story on why to get the Hilton Amex Aspire card.

Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

The Marriott Brilliant is a strong contender for the best hotel credit card if you value Marriott Platinum Elite status but don't stay the number of nights typically required to earn and maintain this status. After all, cardmembers receive Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status as a card benefit and 25 elite night credits toward higher Marriott elite tiers.

Cardmembers also receive a dining credit of up to $300, providing up to $25 in statement credits per month for eligible purchases made with the Brilliant card at restaurants worldwide. Using this credit in full each month lets you recoup $300 of the card's $650 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Additionally, Marriott Brilliant cardmembers receive a free night award every year after their card renewal month, which can be used for one night at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel with a redemption level of 85,000 points or less. You can also top off the free night award with up to 15,000 points from your Marriott Bonvoy account to use it for a night with a slightly higher redemption level. Based on TPG's December 2025 valuations, 85,000 points are worth $595.

JW Marriott Maldives Nicky Kelvin Review

Marriott Brilliant cardmembers can also enroll in a Priority Pass Select membership. Plus, cardmembers unlock a statement credit for a Global Entry application fee (up to $120 every four years) or a TSA PreCheck application fee (up to $85 every 4 1/2 years) when paying the application fee with their Brilliant card.

To learn more, check out our full Marriott Brilliant Amex review and our story on whether the Marriott Brilliant is worth its annual fee.

Apply here: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

The IHG Premier card provides several benefits that, when combined, make it one of the best hotel credit cards for travelers who like IHG hotels and resorts.

First of all, the IHG Premier card offers cardholders an anniversary reward night with a redemption value of 40,000 points or less for one standard room night each account anniversary year. However, you can add points from your IHG One Rewards account to redeem your anniversary night at hotels above the 40,000-point redemption level.

Based on TPG’s December 2025 valuations, 40,000 IHG One Rewards points are worth $200. So, even if you use your anniversary night for a night that would otherwise cost 20,000 IHG points, you’ll effectively recoup the card’s annual fee. Regardless, it should be easy to get more value from your anniversary night.

The IHG Premier also offers a valuable fourth-night-reward benefit. The perk lets cardholders pay zero points for every fourth night on reward stays of four nights or longer. Although this perk isn’t helpful if you don’t redeem IHG points for stays of four nights or longer, it provides significant value to me since I usually stay at least four nights.

Finally, the IHG Premier card grants cardholders Platinum Elite status and offers a statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus when charged to your card. You'll also get up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each calendar year, provided you register your IHG Premier card with your MileagePlus account.

To learn more, check out our full IHG Premier review and my story on how my IHG Premier pays for itself each year.

Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers fewer value-heavy perks than the other cards in this post. However, I still include it because it can be instrumental when earning Hyatt elite status.

The card grants cardholders Hyatt Discoverist status and five qualifying night credits toward their next tier of status every year. You can also earn two additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier for every $5,000 you spend on your card.

Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist status requires 60 tier qualifying nights or 100,000 base points. So, if you want to qualify for Hyatt Globalist status on nights and have the World of Hyatt card, you could:

Stay 55 nights
Stay 49 nights and spend $15,000 on your card
Stay 39 nights and spend $40,000 on your card
Stay 19 nights and spend $90,000 on your card
Stay zero nights and spend $140,000 on your card

If you have the World of Hyatt card and are working toward earning Globalist status, you can see where you stand near the end of each year and get the remaining nights you need through spending.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card also gives you one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary, and an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 during a calendar year. The free night each year can provide more than enough value to justify paying the card's $95 annual fee.

To learn more, check out our full World of Hyatt Credit Card review and our story about whether the World of Hyatt credit card is worth the annual fee.

Apply here: World of Hyatt Credit Card

Bottom line

Many hotel cobranded cards can offer tremendous value, but the four cards highlighted above are the ones I find myself recommending most frequently.

However, keep in mind that the best hotel credit card for you is personal. Consider your goals and preferences when deciding which card is best for you.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.

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