How to Earn Free Hotel Stays – 6 Practical Tips

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November 07, 2022

How to Earn Free Hotel Stays – 6 Practical Tips

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We haven’t heard too many positive economic stories in recent months, but one fact remains—there are still ways consumers can earn free hotel stays for their everyday purchases. And the even better news? You don’t have to be an influencer or travel writer to earn these stays, you simply have to take advantage of the numerous opportunities with today’s reward credit cards.

No one knows what the economic picture will look like over the next 12 months, but all indications are we will continue to see challenges from higher prices. Earning free nights with a hotel chain is one small way to face these challenges head-on and save wherever possible. Whether you’re planning a vacation or need a free night for an emergency trip home, when you take advantage of rewards, your wallet wins. Let’s look at how to do this.

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How to earn free hotel stays on everyday purchases

1. Enroll in a hotel loyalty program

The number one way to earn free hotel stays is to sign up for a hotel loyalty program. Every major hotel brand offers this, from Hilton to Marriott and others you may not know about. The sign-up process is usually quite simple, and you start earning right away- and of course, it’s free. You earn points every time you stay at one of the participating hotels in the program. Eventually, you earn a free night award (or several) or heavily discounted rates once you accumulate enough points.

Not only do you earn hotel points each time you stay with the hotel chain and purchase a hotel stay, but most offer perks, too, especially as you earn increased status among the rewards program. For example, the Marriott Bonoy Program offers free wi-fi, discounted hotel stays, room upgrades, and late checkout (among other perks) depending on your status level.

At the very least, joining a hotel loyalty program is a great way to reward yourself with free nights simply by remaining loyal to a particular hotel brand. While not purchasing with this, you are getting rewarded for your loyalty.

2. Match a hotel rewards credit card to your spending habits, not anyone else’s

A hotel loyalty program is a must for any frequent traveler, but if you want to accelerate your chance of free hotel stays, try pairing it with a hotel rewards credit card or travel credit card. These rewards credit cards give you a point for every dollar spent on the credit card, but a hotel or travel rewards card will often offer multiple rewards points when you spend within the travel categories and make travel purchases.

This is where your everyday purchases can truly fund your next trip. Using your travel credit card or hotel rewards credit card for your everyday spending, such as gas, groceries, streaming, or other eligible purchases, you can quickly rack up the points, which can be converted into hotel stays.

Before you sign up for any credit card, though, you’ll want to do your homework on which one is best for your personal finances. It’s best to use a rewards credit card where you’re rewarded for purchases you’re already making and can pay off the balance each month.

Not sure which one is the best hotel credit card or general travel credit card? Here are a couple of examples you can start your research with:

Hilton Honors American Express. As the name suggests, this hotel credit card rewards you for your loyalty to the Hilton brand while earning rewards points for your everyday purchases. Cardholders earn 7x rewards points for each dollar spent at a Hilton hotel, including hotel dining and other eligible purchases on the property. You earn 5x rewards points for all other dining, gas, and supermarket purchases, plus 3x rewards points on all other purchases. Cardholders receive an automatic elite status upgrade with the Hilton Honors program, too, and you earn a fifth night free with any five-night (or longer) consecutive stay.
World of Hyatt Credit Card. Cardmembers earn nine bonus points for every dollar spent with a Hyatt property, including with the restaurants and spas. For everyday purchases, you earn two bonus points per dollar spent with transit, dining, airline flights (booked directly with the airline), and gym memberships, plus one bonus point for all other purchases. Additionally, card members earn a free night every calendar year after their first account anniversary and a range of other perks.

3. Use a cash-back credit card reward towards hotel stays

Another possible strategy is to use a cash-back rewards card. Perhaps you’re not sold on the idea of using hotel rewards credit card, or you want greater flexibility in how you spend your reward. Cash back offers great flexibility since you can use cash…anywhere.

Cash-back rewards cards work the same way as travel or hotel cards. You earn a percentage of each dollar spent, anywhere from 1% to up to 6% (depending on the card) on eligible purchases, and you can receive cash back in direct deposit, check in the mail, or a statement credit. While you may not be redeeming a reward for a free hotel stay, you can easily put the cash back you do earn towards your travel expenses.

4. Use a strategy when booking with rewards points

When you use any type of rewards credit card, you want to pay close attention to the redemption values of your rewards points. Carefully choose a card where you can redeem your points, miles, or cash back in a way you’ll get the most value from the redemption, and it most closely matches your preferences.

For example, the $0 offers flat earnings of 1.25 miles per dollar spent. However, you earn a boosted 5 miles per dollar when you book hotels and car rentals through the credit card travel portal. This is a fantastic way to boost your earnings, especially if you and your family are frequent travelers and maybe are not particularly loyal to a certain brand. However, if you were to convert those same miles to cash back, a cash-back mile is worth significantly less than other redemption options.

This goes to show you how important it is to strategize not only how you’ll earn enough rewards for free nights but also how you’ll maximize your redemption options.

5. Consider using more than one rewards credit card

If your budget allows, you responsibly use a credit card (paying on time and the balance each month), and your credit score supports it, you may consider carrying more than one rewards credit card.

For example, let’s say you’re a current Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholder. You love it for the welcome bonus, low $95 annual fee, up to 17x points per dollar spent at Marriott, 3x points per dollar spent on gas, dining, and groceries, and 2x points for all other purchases. However, if you were a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder, you would earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points for each dollar spent. This includes earning for bonus categories and everyday spending categories, such as groceries and gas.

The best part is you can convert Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott points. This means you can pool all the points you earn from your Marriott Convoy Boundless card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, so you can get even closer to free nights with Marriott.

Whether you select a rewards credit card where you earn points or cash back, selecting one with a robust sign-up bonus can give you an immediate boost toward your free nights. Almost all the major reward credit cards offer a sign-up bonus, where you receive a reward for meeting a minimum spending requirement during the first few months from account opening.

So how much of a reward are we talking about? Going back to the Hilton Honors American Express card as an example, the current welcome offer (or sign-up bonus) is 60,000 in membership rewards points if you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first three months. If you use the card for your everyday gas and grocery spending, you’re likely to hit this threshold without any issues. Plus, you’re earning the typical reward points for each dollar you spend.

Let’s assume you spend $1,000 in groceries, which means you would earn 5,000 reward points, and you qualify for the 60,000-point welcome bonus. This is 65,000 points total, which could be enough to earn a free night (or more) within a few months.

The bottom line

Earning free hotel stays on everyday purchases is completely doable, even if you’re not a world traveler. A combination of a hotel loyalty program and the right rewards credit card can propel you to free nights even faster. Your biggest decision will be deciding which fabulous property you should go to.

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Sara Coleman is a former corporate gal turned creative entrepreneur. She began writing professionally several years ago and now contributes to multiple websites, blogs, and magazines. She’s also an avid reader and can’t resist a great historical fiction novel. Sara holds a BA in journalism from the University of Georgia and can be found supporting her Bulldogs every chance she has. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wonderfully supportive husband and three children. When she’s not ushering her kids to sports and dance lessons, she can be found creating content for her own website, TheProperPen.com.

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