Best Credit Cards to Use For Hotel Bookings 2025
Being a miles chaser is only as good as the rewards it brings, especially for redeeming travel bookings like hotel accommodations. Thatâs why choosing the best miles credit cards for hotel bookings can make all the differenceâhelping you earn more miles, enjoy exclusive perks like discounted room rates and complimentary night stays, and maximise your travel rewards overall.
Why Choosing the Right Credit Card for Hotel Booking Matters?
At first, you might be wondering: whatâs so important about using the ârightâ credit card to book hotels? What does the ârightâ credit card even mean?
While thereâs no âone-size-fits-allâ credit card that applies to everyoneâs spending needs and patterns, using recommended credit cards for specific expenses makes the biggest difference. To put simply, itâs all about strategising your payments with the best credit card that maximises rewards, miles, or cashback for each type of expense.
For example, using a cashback credit card (e.g. UOB One Card) for everyday transactions such as groceries and public transport is an effective way to maximise cashback effortlessly. Meanwhile, capitalising on travel credit cards (e.g. KrisFlyer UOB Card) for booking flights and hotel stays earns you more miles and grants access to greater travel benefits. If you prefer flexibility, a rewards credit card (e.g. Citi Rewards Card) offers the option to convert rewards points into miles or other rewards for redemption.
With the right credit card, the world is truly your oyster when it comes to travel!
Key Features to Look For in Best Hotel Booking Credit Cards
Now, letâs examine some hallmarks of what makes a good credit card for hotel booking.
Exclusive Hotel Perks & Hotel Loyalty Programmes
Miles and dedicated travel credit cards often come with special hotel benefits for customers. This includes perks like room upgrades, early check-ins, late check-outs, complimentary breakfast, automatic elite membership status with prestigious hotel chains, and more.
For example, while the AMEX Platinum Charge Card comes with a hefty $1,744 annual fee commitment, in return, it grants elite status across multiple hotel and car rental loyalty programmes:
Avis Presidentâs Club
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star
Hilton Honors Gold
Marriott Bonvoy Gold
Radisson Rewards Platinum
Pan Pacific DISCOVERY Platinum
Among these, the Hilton Honors Gold stands out as the most valuable, offering complimentary breakfast for two, which can result in substantial savings in premium destinations especially. Besides that, Hilton Gold members get to enjoy the 5th night free on reward stays booked with all points, alongside 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed within a calendar year (from 40 nights onwards).
While other membership programmes provide room upgrades and late check-out privileges, their benefits are comparatively limited. Nevertheless, possessing elite status for any hotel loyalty programme is already a notable flex. đđ¨
For example, while the AMEX Platinum Charge Card comes with a hefty $1,744 annual fee commitment, in return, it grants elite status across multiple hotel and car rental loyalty programmes:
Among these, the Hilton Honors Gold stands out as the most valuable, offering complimentary breakfast for two, which can result in substantial savings in premium destinations especially. Besides that, Hilton Gold members get to enjoy the 5th night free on reward stays booked with all points, alongside 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed within a calendar year (from 40 nights onwards).
While other membership programmes provide room upgrades and late check-out privileges, their benefits are comparatively limited. Nevertheless, possessing elite status for any hotel loyalty programme is already a notable flex. đđ¨
Bonus Rewards on Hotel Stays
Certain credit cards are specifically designed to reward hotel bookings via higher bonus miles, points, or cashback rates. Travel credit cards like the Citi PremierMiles Card does an amazing job at thisâfeaturing 10 Citi Miles per $1 spend (mpd) on hotel bookings via Kaligo and 7.2 Citi mpd on hotel bookings worldwide via Agoda.
Bonus Miles Earn Rate (Local & Overseas Spend)
Along the same vein, travel credit cards shine in earning bonus miles on both local and foreign currency expenses. Popular choices include the HSBC TravelOne Card and the Standard Chartered Journey Card. The former nets 2.4 mpd on foreign currency spend and 1.2 mpd on local spend, while the latter rewards 2 miles on foreign currency spend, 1.2 mpd on local spend, and even a special 3 mpd rate on select local everyday transactions.
These credit cards are ideal for straightforward and hassle-free spending, catering to those against over-complicated credit card strategies and prefer consolidating their spending onto a single card.
These credit cards are ideal for straightforward and hassle-free spending, catering to those against over-complicated credit card strategies and prefer consolidating their spending onto a single card.
Complimentary Travel Insurance
Many credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance coverage when you charge your full travel fare to the card. Typically ranging between S$350,000 to S$1 million, coverage benefits cover components like overseas medical expenses, accidental death and permanent disablement, travel delays and cancellations, and baggage damage and loss. Of course, the full scope varies across travel insurance providers.
For example, the UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card provides up to S$500,000 coverage for accidental death and permanent disablement, whereas the CIMB Visa Infinite Card offers a higher coverage of up to S$1 million.
For example, the UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card provides up to S$500,000 coverage for accidental death and permanent disablement, whereas the CIMB Visa Infinite Card offers a higher coverage of up to S$1 million.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
To ease travelling woes, miles and travel credit cards tend to waive foreign transaction fees. Credit card foreign transaction fees are surcharges imposed by banks on transactions processed in foreign currency or spent overseasâcovering currency conversion and other costs.
For Singapore credit cards, such charges usually comprise a bank administrative fee (2.25% â 2.5%) and a card issuer fee (1% from Visa/Mastercard/AMEX), totalling up to 3.5%. Needless to say, an additional 3.25% to 3.5% surcharge on every overseas transaction adds up, especially for noticeable expenses like hotel bookings!
For Singapore credit cards, such charges usually comprise a bank administrative fee (2.25% â 2.5%) and a card issuer fee (1% from Visa/Mastercard/AMEX), totalling up to 3.5%. Needless to say, an additional 3.25% to 3.5% surcharge on every overseas transaction adds up, especially for noticeable expenses like hotel bookings!
Note: This is not to be confused with Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fee, which is the 1% currency conversion charge imposed when paying in SGD while overseas.
Earn More, Travel More!
These miles credit cards are guaranteed to rack up cashback, miles, rewards points, and everything in between on your overseas spend!
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How to Maximise Rewards With the Best Hotel Credit Cards?
Stay at Properties with âHigher Earning Potentialâ đŞ
Higher-tier luxury hotel chains tend to offer more loyalty points per dollar spent. For instance, the Ritz-Carlton under Marriott Bonvoy offers 10 points per US$1 spend together with 1 Elite Nite Credit per night.
Combine Credit Card + Hotel Bonus Promotions đ¨
Stacking ongoing hotel promotions on top of your credit card rewards is another great strategy to maximise points on all fronts. Currently, the Hilton Honors rewards double points on all eligible hotel stays until 30 April 2025. Assuming you charge your hotel stay to a UOB Ladyâs Card, thatâs 4 mpd in addition to double Hilton loyalty points.
Use Co-Branded Credit Cards đł
Co-branded credit cards like the KrisFlyer UOB Card and AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card are popular among frequent flyers. Since both cards are directly partnered with Singapore Airlines, they automatically earn KrisFlyer miles on eligible purchasesâeliminating the hassle of manually converting credit card points into airline miles.
Pool or Transfer Credit Card Points to Airline Partners âď¸
Besides co-branded cards, credit cards from the same bank tend to let cardholders pool rewards points across several cards before transferring them into frequent flyer miles. For example, both the DBS Vantage Card and DBS Altitude Card earn 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spend, in which these DBS Points can be aggregated and transferred to airline and/or hotel loyalty programmes.
Elite Status Membership Perks đ
As mentioned above, multiple miles credit cards grant elite status membership to their cardholders. For example, the AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card grants Hilton Honors Silver status, featuring hotel benefits like late check-out, free extra nightâs stay, and bonus loyalty points.
Book Directly With Hotels đď¸
Contrary to popular belief, booking directly with hotels can be more cost-effective than online travel agencies (OTA). Most hotel loyalty programmes do not award points or elite night credits for OTA bookings, and elite members will miss out on their usual hotel perks like free breakfast, room upgrades, and delayed check-outs.
Hotels also tend to offer best rate guarantees, matching OTA prices and providing member-exclusive rates too.
Lastly, direct hotel bookings mean more flexible cancellations and change policies, unlike stricter OTA penalties and non-refundable rates.
How to Choose the Best Credit Card For Your Travel Needs?
Choosing the right credit card to save you money and enhance your travel experience can really make or break the trip. But not all credit cards are created equalâwhat works for a casual traveller may not suit a frequent flyer.
A card with no or minimum annual fee will be the most cost-effective since you wonât use this card often enough to justify paying such a high fee.
A card with no or minimum annual fee will be the most cost-effective since you wonât use this card often enough to justify paying such a high fee.
If youâre a casual traveller
For occasional travellersâwhether itâs for business or leisureâyouâll want a credit card that offers decent travel perks and flexibility for minimal costs. Look for cards that offer:
Low or no annual fees. Avoid unnecessary costs since youâre travelling infrequently.
Decent travel rewards and cashback. Earn cashback or points on flights, hotels, and everyday spending.
Basic travel insurance coverage. Compare your cardâs coverage with single-trip insurance.
Occasional airport lounge access. Some credit cards offer a few free airport lounge visits per year.
If youâre a frequent flyer
On the other hand, if youâre a self-proclaimed jetsetter and aspire to travel the world in 90 days (weâre joking), choosing the right travel credit card can make all the difference in your frequent adventures. Hereâs what you should consider:
No foreign transaction fees. Avoid costly currency conversion charges.
High bonus miles earn rate. Make your local and overseas expenses work smarter and harder for you.
Airline loyalty and transfer partners. Let your accumulated mileage naturally redeem airline and hotel perks for you.
Priority boarding and additional or free baggage check. Enjoy early access and baggage savings.
Premium travel insurance coverage. You might want to consider annual travel insurance for better value and coverage overall.
Complimentary fast-track to elite hotel status.
Luxury airport and hotel concierge services.
Annual Travel Insurance: Your Best Wingman âď¸
Frequent flyer? Skip the hassle of single-trip insurance and enjoy more flights, less stress, and greater safety all for a cheaper price!
About the Author
Once a clueless Z-llennial herself, Emma understands (and relates) all too well the struggle of juggling savings, credit cards, and everything in between. Having since garnered over 3 years of writing experience in the personal finance space, she now helps others sieve through the noise and break down money matters into clear, bite-sized insights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use credit card points for hotels?
- Yes, many credit card rewards points may be redeemed for hotel stays through hotel loyalty programmes, credit card travel portals, and more.
How many points do you need to redeem to stay in a hotel?
- It depends and differs across hotel loyalty programmes.
For example, youâll need to redeem at least 5,000 IHG points to use Points & Cash or redeem a Reward Night at IHG hotels. Do hotels charge credit cards when checking in?
- Sometimes, hotels may require a credit card at the time of booking, but only charge it a few days prior to your reservation.
Alternatively, upon check-in, the hotel may place a hold on card for the duration of your stay. Which credit card is best to use for hotel booking?
- Thereâs no âsingleâ best credit card for hotel bookings. A cardâs suitability depends on factors like the booking platform, your travel preferences, and the rewards or perks you value the most.
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