The best credit card for hotels
On hotel stays, Chase Sapphire Reserve earns the most: $8.00 per $100, $0.00 more than the next card.
Rate × what the points are worth, so points and cash back compare in dollars. Counts as: Hotels and motels.
The short version
- Earns the most: Chase Sapphire Reserve, $8.00 per $100, with a $795 annual fee.
- Best with no annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph, $4.50 per $100.
- Is the fee worth it? Only if you spend over $22,800 a year on hotels, counting this category alone. Below that, the free card wins.
| # | Card | EarnsThe rate the card advertises here, in its own currency: cash back, points or miles. | Point valueWhat one point or mile in this currency is worth, in cents: the median of the published valuations we read. Every ranking multiplies by it. | Per $100What $100 of spending earns, in dollars: the rate multiplied by what the currency is worth. This is what the table is ranked by. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sapphire Reserve
Chase, $795/yr
Booked directly with the airline or hotel
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 2 |
Sapphire Reserve for Business
Chase, $795/yr
Booked directly with the airline or hotel
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 3 |
Autograph Journey
Wells Fargo, $95/yr
|
5x | 1.50¢ / pt | $7.50 |
| 4 |
Ink Business Preferred
Chase, $95/yr
Travel and internet, cable and phone — the first $150,000 each account year, shared with shipping and advertising. Up to $150,000 per year, then the base rate
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 5 |
Classic Green Card
American Express, $150/yr
Travel, including airfare, hotels, campgrounds, car rentals and cruises
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 6 |
Strata Premier
Citi, $95/yr
|
3x | 1.60¢ / pt | $4.80 |
| 7 |
Autograph
Wells Fargo, No annual fee
|
3x | 1.50¢ / pt | $4.50 |
| 8 |
Altitude Connect
U.S. Bank, No annual fee
Travel — airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxis, limousines, passenger trains and cruise lines
|
4% | 1.00¢ / pt | $4.00 |
Cards that pay more here with a condition attached
Not ranked above because each needs a chosen category or a specific store. If that fits how you shop, these can beat the table.
- Custom Cash (Citi) — 5x if you choose Hotels as your category; Up to $500 per billing cycle, then the base rate.
- Bonvoy Boundless (Chase) — 6x only at Marriott.
- Hilton Honors Surpass (American Express) — 12x only at Hilton.
- Hilton Honors Card (American Express) — 7x only at Hilton.
- World of Hyatt (Chase) — 4x only at Hyatt.
- IHG One Rewards Premier (Chase) — 10x only at IHG.
- Hilton Honors Aspire (American Express) — 14x only at Hilton.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (American Express) — 6x only at Marriott.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold (Chase) — 3x only at Marriott.
- IHG One Rewards Traveler (Chase) — 5x only at IHG.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful (Chase) — 6x only at Marriott.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (American Express) — 6x only at Marriott.
- World of Hyatt Business Card (Chase) — 4x only at Hyatt.
- IHG One Rewards Business (Chase) — 10x only at IHG.
- Hilton Honors Business Card (American Express) — 12x only at Hilton.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business Card (American Express) — 6x only at Marriott.
- Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards (Bank of America) — 3% if you choose Hotels as your category; Up to $50,000 per year, then the base rate.
How to use this list
- Check the store codes as hotels. Issuers pay by how the store is registered, not by what you bought. This page counts: Hotels and motels.
- Start with cards you have. Your highest one in the table is your card for hotel stays today.
- Read the notes under each card. A cap or "US only" can change the answer.
- Then consider a new card, judged on your whole year of spending.
Why dollars and not multipliers
A multiplier means nothing until you know what a point is worth. Every rate here is converted at a published valuation first, which is why the order can differ from the advertised multipliers.
Point values: published industry valuations, most recently read 2026-09. We track The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, NerdWallet, Frequent Miler and AwardWallet.