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Hotel credit cards can offer many perks: automatic elite status, free night certificates, elevated earning rates at hotels in that program, etc. However, the fanciest perks are typically attached to credit cards with expensive annual fees. Looking at the other end of the spectrum, there are hotel credit cards with no annual fee. What do they offer? Should you add one to your wallet?
These are the best hotel cards with no annual fee, including their welcome bonuses and ongoing perks, so you can make an informed decision.
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Which Card Should You Choose?
Unlike premium hotel rewards cards, which often feature high-end perks like complimentary elite status or free night certificates, no-annual-fee hotel cards are comparatively light on benefits. The most important factor in choosing a card, outside of your feelings about the hotel brand, will likely be the welcome offer available in year one.
If you see yourself staying with more than one hotel brand during your travels, we've also included some flexible rewards cards towards the bottom of the post. Unlike the hotel cards that lock you into a single brand, these cards earn points that you could use with multiple hotel brands — or to pay for hotels using points like cash in a travel portal. This provides increased flexibility.
If you're unsure about paying an annual fee, we've included a link to our review of each card's premium counterpart so you can evaluate the alternatives.
Overview of No-Annual-Fee Hotel Credit Cards
Before we jump into the details of each card, here's a big-picture look at the cards:
| Card Name | Welcome Offer | Key Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) | Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 7 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply. | • 10 elite night credits • Complimentary Gold status • Cellphone protection |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | • Complimentary Silver status • Fifth night free on award stays • Spend your way to Gold status with purchases on the card |
| IHG One Rewards Traveler Card (Rates & Fees) | Earn 120,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. | • Fourth night free on award stays • Complimentary Silver Elite status |
| Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card | Earn 30,000 Marriott bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. | • 5 elite night credits • Complimentary Silver Elite status • Fifth night free on award stays |
| Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card | Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. | • 10% award redemption discount • Complimentary Silver Elite status • 7,500 bonus points on each account |
Top Hotel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee
Hotel rewards cards are a great way to reduce the cost of your next getaway. These entry-level cards are an ideal starting point if you want to avoid annual fees.
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
Wells Fargo and Choice Privileges launched two hotel credit cards in April 2023, including the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) with no annual fee.
Best feature: Cardholders receive 10 elite night credits in their Choice Privileges account each year, providing complimentary Gold status. This tier gives you member discounts, 10% bonus points on paid stays, a welcome gift during each stay in the U.S. or Canada, early check-in and late checkout privileges, and up to nine rollover nights each year. Plus, the 10 elite night credits put you halfway to Platinum status (20 nights per year).
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 7 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply.
- Earn 5X points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties.
- Earn 3X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and on phone plan services. Plus earn 1X points on other purchases.
- $0 annual fee.
- Up to $800 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Receive 10 Elite night credits qualifying for at least Gold level status each calendar year.
- No foreign transaction fee.
- 5x points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases
- 3x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and on phone plan services
- 1x points on other purchases
Other key features: On top of the status perks, those with the Choice Privileges Mastercard enjoy cellphone protection, no foreign transaction fees, and World Elite Mastercard benefits. You'll also earn Choice points on each purchase:
- 5x points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases
- 3x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and on phone plan services
- 1x points on other purchases
Compare with: Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (Rates & Fees), which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Choice Privileges Mastercard full review
Hilton Honors American Express Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Card is another good choice for hotel credit cards with no annual fee (Rates & Fees).
Best feature: Access to Hilton's fifth night free on award stays is extremely valuable. You need to have some level of elite status with Hilton Honors to access this perk, but Hilton Amex cardmembers get complimentary Silver status. Unlike other hotel programs, Hilton's free night is an average cost of the five nights in your stay. Thus, if the price changes during your stay (due to things like a weekend or holiday), your average cost can alter the points saved by your free night. There's no limit to how many times you can use this perk. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
- Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- No Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 7X Points per dollar on eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Other key features: As mentioned above, cardmembers can enroll for complimentary Hilton Silver status. This provides benefits like member discounts, no resort fees on award stays, free Wi-Fi during your stay, free bottled water during your stay, elite rollover nights, and 20% bonus points on paid stays. Hilton Amex cardmembers who make $20,000 or more in eligible purchases during a calendar year will move up to Hilton Gold status, qualifying for space-available room upgrades, milestone rewards, free breakfast (or food and beverage credits), and 80% bonus points on paid stays.
If you don't have enough points for an upcoming redemption, Hilton's Points and Money option lets you pay extra cash to reduce the points you need for an award. Plus, Hilton Amex cardmembers have access to multiple insurance protections and won't pay foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees).
Cardmembers also earn Hilton points from their purchases:
- Earn 7X Points per dollar on eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Compare with: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, which has a $150 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
See also: Hilton Amex Card full review
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Card comes with a consistently strong welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee hotel card.
Best feature: You'll get a fourth night free on all points stays of four nights or longer. Effectively, this provides a 25% discount on award stays of four nights. There's no limit to the number of times you can use this benefit with IHG One Rewards.
- Our Highest Points Offer of 2025! Earn 120,000 Bonus Points
- No Annual Fee
- Earn up to 17 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases on monthly bills, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Redeem 3 Nights, Get the 4th Night Free
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 17X points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations
- 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 5X points for being a IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Other key features: Cardholders receive complimentary IHG Silver status. This entry-level tier yields perks like 20% bonus points on paid stays, exemption from points expiry free, Wi-Fi during your stay, and late checkout (when available). By making $20,000 in purchases on your IHG One Rewards Traveler Card in a calendar year, you'll bump up to mid-tier Gold status. This tier offers 40% bonus points on paid stays and rollover nights toward next year's status.
Cardholders also receive baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection, and trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance. You'll also have access to Chase Offers.
As with all IHG members, you can use IHG points and cash bookings on your next stay. And you'll earn IHG points on all purchases according to this structure:
- 17X points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations
- 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 5X points for being a IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Compare with: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which has a $99 annual fee.
See also: IHG One Rewards Traveler Card full review
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy has a full suite of co-branded hotel credit cards, including one with no annual fee: the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
Best feature: Bonvoy Bold cardholders receive complimentary Silver Elite status and 5 elite night credits automatically each year. Silver Elite status provides 10% bonus points on paid stays and priority late checkout, subject to availability. However, the best part of having this card is that you're just 10 nights short of Gold Elite status (which requires 25 nights annually), providing 25% bonus points on paid stays, room upgrades (when available), and a welcome gift at check-in. Additionally, the 15 elite night credits from Marriott's personal credit cards stack with the 15 elite night credits provided to Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardmembers, providing Gold status and 30 elite night credits to kick-start your year.
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
Other key features: Points won't expire as long as you have a Marriott credit card. Plus, you'll have several protections like lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and purchase protection.
You'll also earn Marriott points on purchases at these rates:
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
Keep in mind, Marriott credit cards have complicated restrictions about who qualifies for a welcome bonus. Make sure you understand this information before applying.
Compare with: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Marriott Bonvoy Bold full review
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
If you're a fan of Wyndham Rewards, you'll enjoy the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card and the perks it can add to your next stay.
Best feature: You'll redeem 10% fewer points for free nights as a cardholder. To be clear, Wyndham says you need to have enough points to book a hotel without the discount, and this perk only applies to standard rooms, but paying 10% fewer points on every stay can lead to big savings.
- 5X points on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchases
- 2X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham timeshare down payments)
Other key features: With the Wyndham Earner Card, you'll get access to member discounts, complimentary Gold status, and 7,500 bonus points on your account anniversary each year that you spend $15,000 or more on purchases with the card. At the Gold tier, you'll have access to rollover nights, complimentary Wi-Fi during your stay, upgrades to preferred rooms (when available) and late checkout (when available).
You'll also earn Wyndham points on all purchases:
- 5X points at Wyndham hotels and gas stations
- 2X points on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart)
- 1X point on other purchases
Compare with: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card, which has a $75 annual fee.
See also: Wyndham Earner Card full review
Flexible Rewards Cards With No Annual Fee
If you want the flexibility to stay with any hotel brand or use your rewards to cover other types of travel expenses, you'll be better off choosing a flexible/transferable points rewards card. Fortunately, several no-annual-fee options come with a bonus that can give your trip a real financial boost.
Related: An Introduction to the Types of Reward Points
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card might not be the first card you think of when it comes to hotel credit cards with no annual fee. However, this card earns Membership Rewards points on every purchase.
- 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)
- 1x points on other purchases
- Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Cardmembers earn points as follows:
- 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)
- 1x points on other purchases
- Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
You can use your points with three hotel partners, including Choice Privileges (1:1 transfers), Hilton Honors (1:2), and Marriott Bonvoy (1:1). Most of these transfer times are immediate, meaning you can find availability in these hotel programs and use your Amex points for award stays.
Compare with: Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Amex EveryDay Card full review
The Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® is an intuitive product for paying rent, courtesy of the card covering that pesky convenience fee. But that's not all. The Bilt Mastercard earns valuable Bilt Rewards points on a lengthy list of travel-related categories, including hotels.
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
One of the Bilt Mastercard‘s staple earning categories is 2x points on travel. Of course, “travel” is a broad category but is defined as airlines, hotels, motels, resorts, cruise lines, and car rental agencies. In other words, you can earn 2x Bilt points per dollar spent on your hotel reservations. And the best part? Bilt partners with 21 airline and hotel loyalty programs, so the options for what you can do with your points are nearly limitless. Do note that you must make at least five purchases on your card each month (not including rent) to earn points.
Compare with: American Express® Green Card, which has a $150 annual fee.
See also: Bilt Mastercard full review
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One VentureOne has a welcome offer of 20,000 once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. You'll earn 1.25X miles per dollar on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $200 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 1.25 Miles on every purchase
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months; 19.24% - 29.24% variable APR after that
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 annual fee
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
This card maintains a unique place in the points and miles space. Most flexible-rewards cards, including the Freedom Unlimited, require you to purchase travel through a specific website or travel portal. With Capital One miles, you can redeem towards the cost of any travel purchase (made on your card in the past 90 days) at a fixed value of 1¢ per mile.
Capital One miles can also be transferred to three hotel partners, and you don't need to hold a premium card with an annual fee to transfer to any partners. Capital One hotel partners include Accor Live Limitless (2:1 transfer ratio), Choice Privileges (1:1), and Wyndham Rewards (1:1). You also can make immediate transfers at a 1:1 ratio to Virgin Red, the loyalty program for all Virgin brands — including Virgin Hotels.
The Capital One VentureOne has the added flexibility of redeeming miles for a statement credit to cover any travel purchase. However, the Freedom Unlimited has a higher everyday earning rate if you don't mind redeeming your rewards through the Chase Travel Portal.
Compare with: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Capital One VentureOne full review
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Freedom Unlimited is the best everyday spending card within the Ultimate Rewards family of cards, earning 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on other eligible purchases.
- Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%.
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
The card is marketed as a cash-back card, and points are worth 1¢ each when redeemed as cash back or inside the Chase Travel Portal. However, if you also hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can transfer points to three hotel partners, including IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt — all at a 1:1 ratio.
Compare with: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Chase Freedom Unlimited full review
Citi Rewards+® Card
Those with the Citi Rewards+® Card can earn Citi ThankYou® Points, and this card has two unique features that can help you toward your next hotel stay. However, it also has a big drawback.
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
With the Citi Rewards+, you'll enjoy a unique earning structure:
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
Moreover, you get 10% of your redeemed points back each year — on up to 100,00 redeemed points. You can use these points in the Citi Travel portal at a value of 1¢ apiece. However, to unlock all of Citi's hotel transfer partners, you'll need a premium credit card with an annual fee. However, there are two hotel partners accessible with this card alone: Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.
Compare with: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Citi Rewards+ full review
Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card (Rates & Fees) is a formidable point-earning card — especially when it comes to travel-related purchases.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
- Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
- $0 annual fee.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR thereafter.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- 3x on travel – including airfare, hotels, car rentals, timeshares, cruises, and more
- 3x on transit – including parking, tolls, subways, ride shares, railways, ferries, and more
- 3x on dining – including dining in, take-out, catering, delivery and more
- 3x on gas – including gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
- 3x on phone plans – including landline providers and cell phones
- 3x on streaming services
- 1x on other purchases
One of the most valuable aspects of this no-annual-fee card is the sheer number of categories that earn 3x Wells Fargo Rewards points per dollar spent. Spelled out, that's 3x on travel (including airfare, hotels, and more), transit (parking, subways, tolls, and more), dining (including delivery websites), streaming services, gas (including EV charging stations), and phone plans — with 1x on everything else. Emphasis on hotels.
And with the recent addition of transfer partners, you can convert your Wells Fargo Rewards points to six partner program currencies.
Compare with: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (Rates & Fees), which has a $95 annual fee.
See also: Wells Fargo Autograph full review
Final Thoughts
There are some great cards out there with modest annual fees that are easily justified by their benefits. But if you don't want to commit to an annual fee that covers benefits you're unlikely to use, a no-annual-fee hotel credit card can make perfect sense. These cards are a great way to build your rewards balance and score some perks that can make your stay more comfortable.
That said, if you find yourself spending more than a few nights per year with a single hotel brand, you'll probably get more value from a mid-tier or premium hotel credit card offering benefits like annual free night certificates, elite status, and a higher points-earning capacity.
If you prefer to keep your options open, the flexible rewards cards in this post (or their premium counterparts) can help you save on a stay with any hotel brand or a different type of travel expense entirely.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
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