shanna135

Currently we have Chase Hyatt which we're using for Cancun and Hilton card which got us 50000 points each. So many other offers. Don't have any certain travel plans except Cancun in September. I've looked at the offers and can't decide. Thanks for any advice.

jhuck

the u.s.bank club carlson and the chase IHG would have to be two of the most valuable hotel cards IMO. Both have vert good bonus 80k for IHG and 85k for CC. Those points can go a long way with both programs.(5k IHG point breaks and 2nd night free CC) Both also have very nice incentive to keep card after first year. Free night cert. with IHG and 40k points with CC. Two of the best if you ask me.

gustav316

I second IHG and Club Carlson. If you have to choose one, I would go with Club Carlson. It is the best hotel card out there in my view with 5x points on spend and an effective buy one get one free award night policy.

xooz

If you only want points for hotel stays that you accrue from normal spending ( not paid hotel stays), I believe the Carlson Visa is the clear winner at 5 points per $, plus the extra day stay feature. Second best is SPG Amex. It's not just bonus points but also how many points are needed for a night stay in a location you want.

mohammadmoghimi

It depends where you want to go and how long you want to stay. Even though, club carlson gives 5p vs SPG's 1p, from what I've seen the normal minimum redemption rates starts at 38k for cc and 12k for spg. Still cc might look better but all I'm saying that you should plan as to where you want to stay.

shanna135

I was leaning toward the Club Carlson. I think my wife and I both have 4 different Chase cards and wondered if a 5th card would be a problem. There is nothing like the Chase Hyatt card. We spent a total of 2000 dollars and the 4 nights in Cancun would have cost us almost that much!!! What a great card!

shanna135

Would this card get us 3 nights in a nice hotel in New York City? I don't want to go but my wife does....

mohammadmoghimi

They (cc) only has one property in Manhattan which is not bookable with points. You can get 4 nights at their property in Long Island though.

xooz

It is true there is only one Manhattan hotel, but it is not true that it cannot be booked with points. It can be booked for 50k points per night but availability is hard to come by. London is a different matter as there are several Radissons there.

For me, who does short (2-3 day) stays, I find Radisson a great supplement to Hilton and Starwood. With the Carlson Visa I was able to easily book a 2 night stay in central London for 50k points total. That means it took me $10k in cc spend to get 2 room nights.. No other program would get me 2 nights as cheaply.

While Radisson is not my only program, the card is a great earner. The OP needs more than one card to cover all the options.

skibum7732

+1, they are both good for bonus and worth keeping long term.
Depending on your upcoming travel, the Chase Fairmont can be a great value as well...we got 2 nights in a huge suite in Singapore that was going for ~$850/night, access to their lounge and with Singapore alcohol prices we likely drank at least $300-$400 in alcohol over those 2 nights (yes, I got drunk and barely remember even going to the night safari). You also get $100 bucks in free food and 2 free lounge passes.

BarbiJKM

Anyone know if the IHG 80K application link is still alive? I have searched and searched and cannot find the originating post.

GarlicFlyer

with the carlson, you have to wait a long time for your points to credit, sometimes three months.

bmrisko

While Club Carlson has great redemption, I find their available properties lacking. My two go-to cards are IHG and SPG, although I think IHG wins out.

bigshooter

If you are traveling a lot outside of major cities Marriott makes sense with theater footprint. I actually do a small bit of MS on my arriott card even without point bonuses because of LT stays (I generate at least 30-40additional nights on spend plus the 15 they give you, plus birthday, plus ~100 nights in a bed). This will get me lt platinum by end of 2016 or early 2017.

Since I'm a chase whore right now hyatt is second choice. Second best value of UR points besides United flights.

If I had to pick a third it would be SPG although I have used IHG for crowne plaza stay in Japan where you will find one by ever train station. If you are sticking with Chase do marriott for breadth of properties and backup with any UR card that can transfer to the other two programs.

I did have a great 5 night stay at westin st Francis union square over New Years on points though. I'll miss Starwood.

MASTERNC

I have the Hilton Reserve card. The free wi-fi (at least until they go the way the other chains have and offer it to all of their HHonors members) and breakfast at full-service properties can pay for the AF - and that's before the free weekend night each year.