Which Hotel Credit Cards are worth MSing?
Mar 17, 2015, 10:12 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 34
Mar 17, 2015, 11:07 pm
#33
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Mar 18, 2015, 5:25 am
#34
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,706
I hear what you are saying since there is no bonus category but they have for sure been reported closures on the USB CC card for folks who had no other relationship with the bank. In fact at least one person I know was specifically closed down for "rewards abuse". Not saying don't MS the card just saying some MSers have been closed down for sure.
Mar 18, 2015, 7:17 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
I hear what you are saying since there is no bonus category but they have for sure been reported closures on the USB CC card for folks who had no other relationship with the bank. In fact at least one person I know was specifically closed down for "rewards abuse". Not saying don't MS the card just saying some MSers have been closed down for sure.
I think the target redbird loads are probably a big flag, and possibly result in them getting very low interchange fees.
Mar 18, 2015, 9:14 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 825
Mar 18, 2015, 9:25 am
#37
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 286
Not going to mess with my Chase Hyatt card. I do however MS on my AMEX Surpass card. The 6x at grocery stores makes it worthwhile and easy to get diamond. Citi Hilton 50k is another fast way to get HHonors points, but no room for that since I'm churning the Citi AA every couple of months.
Mar 18, 2015, 11:09 am
#39
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 194
Not going to mess with my Chase Hyatt card. I do however MS on my AMEX Surpass card. The 6x at grocery stores makes it worthwhile and easy to get diamond. Citi Hilton 50k is another fast way to get HHonors points, but no room for that since I'm churning the Citi AA every couple of months.
Mar 18, 2015, 2:09 pm
#42
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: Marriott LT Tit; Hyatt Explorist; Hilton CC Gold; IHG CC Plt; Hertz (MR) 5 star
Posts: 5,536
To the OP, I do not MS for airline miles because I can get free/heavily discounted airfare so no need to MS. I took my daughter to China in F last year and the only thing I paid for was the TSA/immigration fees so my MS is geared toward hotels.
Here's a couple of websites that have placed values on hotel points; YMMV:
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ts-by-airline/
http://thepointsguy.com/2014/06/what...ly-valuations/
You need to ask yourself which hotels you'd like to stay at, budget or upscale. Based on the cards you've signed up for, it looks like upscale is the answer. For that reason, it's not worth discussing the Club Carlson, Best Western Rewards, Choice Privileges, or Wyndham Rewards cards.
Next question is whether or not you have status with any hotel chain. If no, I'd suggest gaining status. If you aren't traveling enough nights/yr for status, your best bet in my opinion is getting a Citi Hilton Reserve Card and generate $40K in annual spend on it for Diamond status. I wouldn't go for the Hilton Amex Surpass card for MS because AmEx is claimed to have a lifetime ban on MSers that they've caught - whether or not that's true doesn't matter to me; I'm not willing to play roulette with being able to get AmEx credit cards.
Hilton Diamond status is a perk that can't be easily quantifiable in dollar terms, but plenty of people value their top tier status as worth several hundred dollars a year, depending on how much one travels.
You MUST get a IHG Chase MC, and not even for MSing. One free night/yr at ANY IHG property every year for the $49 annual fee. I've used my free nights for the Palazzo on a weekend ($280) and the Intercontinental Westminster in London ($600; hotel is no longer an IHG property). I hardly ever use the card and rarely stay at IHG properties, but the unrestricted annual free hotel night is awesome for only $49.
As far as other credit cards with free nights/annual fees, my personal opinion is that:
Hilton Citi Reserve: $95. Worth it IF you generate enough spend for Diamond status.
Hyatt: worth it. $75 for a Cat 1-4 is a good deal.
Marriott: Not worth it. $85 for Cat 1-5 is not very good because Marriott has devalued their program too much.
Ritz Carlton: $395. Only worth it if you use the annual travel credits.
Fairmont: $95. Worth it if you generate $12k/yr spend for the free night.
SPG AmEx: $65. Worth it if you have at least $3K/yr spend on the card. NEVER use this card outside of the US, as it has foreign transaction fees. Not even to pay your hotel bill at an international SPG property.
I MS a bit on my SPG AmEx and Chase Hyatt cards because I like those chains a lot. My goal with the Hyatt card is to have $40k/yr in charges so I get an additional 5stay/10night credit toward Diamond status with Hyatt. Once I've gotten my $40K in annual spend on the Chase card, my spending shifts over to the SPG card since those are the points that I burn most often in trying to get to lifetime Plat status.
I had the Chase Marriott card until recently and did some MS on it last year to reach lifetime Plat with Marriott. Now that I have lifetime status with Marriott, I don't need to generate Marriott points so I got rid of the card.
If I were the OP, I'd first MS with the Citi Hilton Reserve and then move to the Chase Fairmont card. Once hitting annual spend on those, I'd shift over to either the Chase Hyatt or SPG AmEx card, depending on which chain I'd prefer to stay at. That should be enough hotel card options for the OP.
I use the card for all of my regular spend right now and need to do a bit of MS to get to $40K/yr spend. I try to make sure my MS doesn't draw any attention to Chase.
Anyone who's a Club Carlson member should have known exactly what he meant. There aren't a lot of different brands in Club Carlson and Radisson is the most recognizable.
Here's a couple of websites that have placed values on hotel points; YMMV:
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ts-by-airline/
http://thepointsguy.com/2014/06/what...ly-valuations/
You need to ask yourself which hotels you'd like to stay at, budget or upscale. Based on the cards you've signed up for, it looks like upscale is the answer. For that reason, it's not worth discussing the Club Carlson, Best Western Rewards, Choice Privileges, or Wyndham Rewards cards.
Next question is whether or not you have status with any hotel chain. If no, I'd suggest gaining status. If you aren't traveling enough nights/yr for status, your best bet in my opinion is getting a Citi Hilton Reserve Card and generate $40K in annual spend on it for Diamond status. I wouldn't go for the Hilton Amex Surpass card for MS because AmEx is claimed to have a lifetime ban on MSers that they've caught - whether or not that's true doesn't matter to me; I'm not willing to play roulette with being able to get AmEx credit cards.
Hilton Diamond status is a perk that can't be easily quantifiable in dollar terms, but plenty of people value their top tier status as worth several hundred dollars a year, depending on how much one travels.
You MUST get a IHG Chase MC, and not even for MSing. One free night/yr at ANY IHG property every year for the $49 annual fee. I've used my free nights for the Palazzo on a weekend ($280) and the Intercontinental Westminster in London ($600; hotel is no longer an IHG property). I hardly ever use the card and rarely stay at IHG properties, but the unrestricted annual free hotel night is awesome for only $49.
As far as other credit cards with free nights/annual fees, my personal opinion is that:
Hilton Citi Reserve: $95. Worth it IF you generate enough spend for Diamond status.
Hyatt: worth it. $75 for a Cat 1-4 is a good deal.
Marriott: Not worth it. $85 for Cat 1-5 is not very good because Marriott has devalued their program too much.
Ritz Carlton: $395. Only worth it if you use the annual travel credits.
Fairmont: $95. Worth it if you generate $12k/yr spend for the free night.
SPG AmEx: $65. Worth it if you have at least $3K/yr spend on the card. NEVER use this card outside of the US, as it has foreign transaction fees. Not even to pay your hotel bill at an international SPG property.
I MS a bit on my SPG AmEx and Chase Hyatt cards because I like those chains a lot. My goal with the Hyatt card is to have $40k/yr in charges so I get an additional 5stay/10night credit toward Diamond status with Hyatt. Once I've gotten my $40K in annual spend on the Chase card, my spending shifts over to the SPG card since those are the points that I burn most often in trying to get to lifetime Plat status.
I had the Chase Marriott card until recently and did some MS on it last year to reach lifetime Plat with Marriott. Now that I have lifetime status with Marriott, I don't need to generate Marriott points so I got rid of the card.
If I were the OP, I'd first MS with the Citi Hilton Reserve and then move to the Chase Fairmont card. Once hitting annual spend on those, I'd shift over to either the Chase Hyatt or SPG AmEx card, depending on which chain I'd prefer to stay at. That should be enough hotel card options for the OP.
I use the card for all of my regular spend right now and need to do a bit of MS to get to $40K/yr spend. I try to make sure my MS doesn't draw any attention to Chase.
Anyone who's a Club Carlson member should have known exactly what he meant. There aren't a lot of different brands in Club Carlson and Radisson is the most recognizable.
Last edited by iflyjetz; Mar 18, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Mar 18, 2015, 2:16 pm
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
Mar 18, 2015, 2:18 pm
#44
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: Marriott LT Tit; Hyatt Explorist; Hilton CC Gold; IHG CC Plt; Hertz (MR) 5 star
Posts: 5,536
That's a churning tactic. A lot of MSers do a lot of credit card churning. I stay away from churning so I can't speak intelligently on the subject.
Mar 18, 2015, 2:30 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: Marriott LT Tit; Hyatt Explorist; Hilton CC Gold; IHG CC Plt; Hertz (MR) 5 star
Posts: 5,536
For anyone offended by me not including Club Carlson, the post was geared toward someone who wants upscale/luxury hotel stays; if one is budget conscious, my post is probably not very useful.