Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs > Credit Card Programs
Reload this Page >

The dust has settled - which hotel credit card is now king?

The dust has settled - which hotel credit card is now king?

Old Jan 8, 2014, 7:20 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 498
idk I like a lot of the hilton properties. Although the points were devalued there are still some excellent properties that give great value for their points.
Add to that:
churnable citi card at 50k every 65 days
2 weekend nights free from the reserve card *get it the year you take your trip* and you can do well.
http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/...serve/index.do
Have a spouse sign up also and you can bookend a trip with 4 weekend nights free...
You could conceivably meet spending with amazon payments alone and end up in some great hotels with no fees towards that spending.
aeneas3 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 7:32 pm
  #17  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
It really depends on what you will use the points for. I use the Freedom/CSP combo because of how easy UR points are to get. This month already, after my Freedom statement closes, I will have earned about 15k UR alone, not including dividends of 7% and 10% at the end of the year. With the ease of getting UR points and having the CSP to transfer them, that limits me to IHG, Marriott or Hyatt. Hyatt has some NICE high end properties that I'll use for splurging on vacations, but anything that's just an overnight I'll still pay for, with whatever company is cheapest.
PainCorp is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 9:26 pm
  #18  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,574
Originally Posted by aeneas3
idk I like a lot of the hilton properties. Although the points were devalued there are still some excellent properties that give great value for their points.
Add to that:
churnable citi card at 50k every 65 days
Even better you can get 2 cards (100K) within 10 days

Mixed type Example:
Day 1 50K HHonors Visa
Day 9 50K HHonors Visa
Day 66 50K HHonors Visa
Day 74 50K HHonors Visa
Day 161 or later 50K HHonors Visa

There are some nice Cat 7 oceanfront Hilton properties in the Clearwater beach area.

8 nights = 380K points on 2 AXON awards, during peak season that's close to $3,500

I'm hoping to get 10 of these HH visa cards this year, $1000 spend over 4 months make them easy for just about anyone

That's why these generic 'which is better" threads come down to where the person is going to stay.

Within 5 miles of Clearwater Beach there are ocean or bayfront properties by Hilton, Doubletree, Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt , IHG and Wyndham so between them all I am always able to get 8 free nights per year since 2004. This is why we chose this spot for our spring vacation every year

Last edited by flyer4512; Jan 8, 2014 at 9:53 pm
flyer4512 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 9:40 pm
  #19  
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
Originally Posted by flyer4512
Even better you can get 2 cards (100K) within 10 days

Mixed type Example:
Day 1 50K HHonors Visa
Day 9 or later 50K Personal Platinum Visa
Day 66 or later 50K Business #1
Day 74 or later 15K ThankYou Preferred
Day 161 or later 50K Business #2

There are some nice Cat 7 oceanfront Hilton properties in the Clearwater beach area.

8 nights = 380K points on 2 AXON awards, during peak season that's close to $3,500

I'm hoping to get 10 of these HH visa cards this year, $1000 spend over 4 months make them easy for just about anyone

That's why these generic 'which is better" threads come down to where the person is going to stay.

Within 5 miles of Clearwater Beach there are ocean or bayfront properties by Hilton, Doubletree, Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt , IHG and Wyndham so between them all I am always able to get 8 free nights per year since 2004. This is why we chose this spot for our spring vacation every year
What business card are you referring to?
mnscout is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 9:51 pm
  #20  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 142
I've got the hyatt card and will be getting a SPG card soon as well.

My two free nights at hyatt are Paris park hyatt Vendome. It's nearly $800 USD a night, so I'd say that sign up bonus is pretty stellar if you use it right. I also enjoy the platinum upgrade (upgrades where available, free wifi domestically), and the free anniversary night, which at a lot of properties is worth $150-200 or more.

SPG points are just so valuable that I can't overlook that card.

I personally don't get the hilton system. I've looked at rooms that are $169 a night that run 60-70k points per night. I look at that award chart and an amazed that people redeem anything with them. I stay at Hiltons sometimes, but I have gold status (through Amex plat), so I'd be happier to pay out of pocket, especially on discount travel sites and then take advantage of the Gold benefits. I don't have enough experience with the other hotel chains to be able to speak about their cards, but I plan on keeping the hyatt and SPG.
Bigserver1 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 9:52 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,574
Originally Posted by mnscout
What business card are you referring to?
It's just a copy/paste from the AA thread showing how often Citi card can be applied for

Maybe I should edit it a bit
flyer4512 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 10:00 pm
  #22  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,574
Originally Posted by Bigserver1
I've got the hyatt card and will be getting a SPG card soon as well.

My two free nights at hyatt are Paris park hyatt Vendome. It's nearly $800 USD a night, so I'd say that sign up bonus is pretty stellar if you use it right. I also enjoy the platinum upgrade (upgrades where available, free wifi domestically), and the free anniversary night, which at a lot of properties is worth $150-200 or more.

SPG points are just so valuable that I can't overlook that card.

I personally don't get the hilton system. I've looked at rooms that are $169 a night that run 60-70k points per night. I look at that award chart and an amazed that people redeem anything with them. I stay at Hiltons sometimes, but I have gold status (through Amex plat), so I'd be happier to pay out of pocket, especially on discount travel sites and then take advantage of the Gold benefits. I don't have enough experience with the other hotel chains to be able to speak about their cards, but I plan on keeping the hyatt and SPG.
Axon 7 makes those 60k rooms 42,500 ( 4 nights 190k) but it's not just the amount of points it's the current ease at which they can be collected and all without an AF. Unless Citi changes the deal I'll get about 520K hilton points for spending $10K

Your Hyatt stay was great but it's a one time deal and that "free" anniversary night actually costs $75 as you have an AF

Everybody should do what works for them.
flyer4512 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 10:37 pm
  #23  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 940
Like most people said already, it's really a personal choice.

Personally, I like the Hilton, Starwood/IHG, Hyatt, club carlson "properties" in that order, but in terms of "cards" (from an AF/benefits perspective) I'd say IHG and Club Carlson wins it for me. IHG for its initial 80k bonus and free night each year and club carlson for 3rd night free and 5x earnings.

That said, none of the hotel cards are my go-to cards. When I do use them, I tend to go for club carlson for the 5x, followed by Hyatt (more valuable than IHG, and I don't have SPG). So as you can tell, my hotel card choice does not match up with my preferred brand/properties.

Hilton isn't even on my list as a go-to card since the devaluation, which is a shame because I used to really like Hilton. However, their devaluation had been massive and disruptive, and while you could earn points with relative ease, I don't plan to make much of an effort because it's only a matter of time before Hilton devalues it even more. I don't intend to focus on Hilton points unless I have some specific plans in mind.
BOShappyflyer is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2014, 11:54 pm
  #24  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,574
Originally Posted by BOShappyflyer

Hilton isn't even on my list as a go-to card since the devaluation, which is a shame because I used to really like Hilton. However, their devaluation had been massive and disruptive, and while you could earn points with relative ease, I don't plan to make much of an effort because it's only a matter of time before Hilton devalues it even more. I don't intend to focus on Hilton points unless I have some specific plans in mind.

I don't see Hilton devaluing again for years, without the churn the points are basically useless unless you live at a Hilton half the year.

I don't expect the Churn to last forever and when it does end more people will move away, combine that with another Deval and Hilton would lose a lot of revenue between stays and their Amex/Citi deals.

Just my opinion but I can't see anything happening soon especially now that Hilton is public and has stockholders to answer to.
flyer4512 is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2014, 12:10 am
  #25  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: ORD
Posts: 986
For me, the Marriott card is by far the best deal.

With 70K points plus two Cat 4 certificates, you're looking at 5-6 stays if you don't mind a mid-low tier hotel. I generally consider luxury hotels to be unimportant, so from my perspective, this gets me the most mileage.
Bttc is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2014, 7:10 am
  #26  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
Better deals and more choices can be had through shopping around, using Priceline and OTAs and cashback portals, etc.

Unless you are visiting the Maldives, BOB or somewhere like that, Barclays Arrival and Cap One at 40K and 50K are king. Not that that should prevent anyone from also using branded programs.
KennyBSAT is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2014, 9:08 pm
  #27  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 498
Originally Posted by flyer4512
Even better you can get 2 cards (100K) within 10 days

Mixed type Example:
Day 1 50K HHonors Visa
Day 9 50K HHonors Visa
Day 66 50K HHonors Visa
Day 74 50K HHonors Visa
Day 161 or later 50K HHonors Visa

There are some nice Cat 7 oceanfront Hilton properties in the Clearwater beach area.

8 nights = 380K points on 2 AXON awards, during peak season that's close to $3,500

I'm hoping to get 10 of these HH visa cards this year, $1000 spend over 4 months make them easy for just about anyone

That's why these generic 'which is better" threads come down to where the person is going to stay.

Within 5 miles of Clearwater Beach there are ocean or bayfront properties by Hilton, Doubletree, Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt , IHG and Wyndham so between them all I am always able to get 8 free nights per year since 2004. This is why we chose this spot for our spring vacation every year
good idea on the business. may have to look into it
aeneas3 is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2014, 9:55 am
  #28  
Accor Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, *A Silver
Posts: 4,889
What dust is the OP referring to?

Everything is constantly devaluing. The "king" card depends on where you want to stay, how you spend, and what you want to get out of it.

For free nights, I'd go with IHG. But if you actually travel or want to use your points for more than just hotels, I'd go with SPG.
TOMFORD is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2014, 9:59 am
  #29  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: PDX
Programs: UA,AA,WN,UR,MR,SPG
Posts: 18
This thread is intended to be focused on signup BONUSES. But the recent flurry of devaluations has upset the balance of which signup bonus is actually worth more.

In the end I went with the Hyatt 2 free nights with fee waived first year for this app-o-rama. I'll probably do the IHG next round though, that was a close second.
anonoah is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2014, 6:33 pm
  #30  
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
Originally Posted by BOShappyflyer
Like most people said already, it's really a personal choice.

Personally, I like the Hilton, Starwood/IHG, Hyatt, club carlson "properties" in that order, but in terms of "cards" (from an AF/benefits perspective) I'd say IHG and Club Carlson wins it for me. IHG for its initial 80k bonus and free night each year and club carlson for 3rd night free and 5x earnings.

That said, none of the hotel cards are my go-to cards. When I do use them, I tend to go for club carlson for the 5x, followed by Hyatt (more valuable than IHG, and I don't have SPG). So as you can tell, my hotel card choice does not match up with my preferred brand/properties.

Hilton isn't even on my list as a go-to card since the devaluation, which is a shame because I used to really like Hilton. However, their devaluation had been massive and disruptive, and while you could earn points with relative ease, I don't plan to make much of an effort because it's only a matter of time before Hilton devalues it even more. I don't intend to focus on Hilton points unless I have some specific plans in mind.
It's not the third night for free, it's the second. That makes a sign up bonus worth 4 nights at their top properties.
mnscout is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.