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All information about the World of Hyatt Card was collected independently by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The majority of people would love to travel more, but the cost of travel often holds them back. Hotel rooms can be a major travel expense, so it pays to learn how to get free hotel rooms or secure significant discounts. Here are some of our favorite tips to get free hotel rooms for your next vacation.
There are many ways to get free hotel rooms, but these are our favorite strategies because they are relatively easy to do and can earn bunches of hotel points in a hurry.
1. Earn a Welcome Bonus from a Credit Card
When you apply for a new credit card, you have the opportunity to earn a large number of hotel points when you meet the card's minimum spend requirements. Many of the minimum spending requirements can be hit just by putting your regular monthly expenses on the card. Some of the best hotel credit cards offer one-time bonuses of 100,000 or more points.
Depending upon where you redeem them, these bonuses could be redeemed for multiple nights at your favorite hotel or resort.
Recommended Travel Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$95 |
1x- 5xPoints
Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. |
Apply Now |
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$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: |
$69 |
1x - 2xPoints
Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases. |
Apply Now |
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$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
1% - 5%Cashback
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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70,000Citi ThankYou® Points
Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,260 (70,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base) |
$95 |
1X-10XPoints
10x on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations 1x -- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
2. Annual Free Night Benefits
Many credit cards include an annual free night benefit that allows you to get a free hotel room. Some of them provide this annual free night just for renewing the card, while others require you to spend a certain amount before receiving your free nights.
Credit cards like the World of Hyatt Credit Card provide one annual free night just for having the card, plus the opportunity to earn another free night based on your spending. Whereas the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card requires you to spend $15,000 before earning a free hotel night.
Each hotel credit card has its unique restrictions and limitations. The Hyatt free night is good at participating Category 1-4 hotels. By comparison, the Hilton free night can be used at almost any Hilton family hotel. However, the Hilton free night is restricted to weekend travel only.
3. Earn Hotel Points on Your Purchases
Even when you're not staying at a hotel, you can earn hotel points on all of your purchases with a hotel credit card. While you'll get the highest number of points on your hotel purchases with these cards, many also offer bonus points on many of your regular expense categories.
Bonuses vary by hotel credit card, but many offer bonuses in a variety of categories, such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, travel and gym memberships. Additionally, they all offer a base number of points per dollar on non-bonus categories too.
How I Earn Elite Hotel Status Without Ever Paying With Cash
4. Take Advantage of Bonus Categories
Although credit cards offer bonus categories, not all of your purchases will fall into those categories. You can take advantage of your bonus categories with this awesome workaround. Places like grocery stores, gas stations, home improvement stores, and office supply stores offer gift cards for some of your favorite merchants.
When you buy gift cards from stores that offer bonus points on your purchases, you can turn non-bonused spending into extra hotel points towards your next vacation.
Say you're getting ready to do back-to-school shopping at a department store. However, that store doesn't qualify for one of your card's bonus categories. Simply make a quick stop at the grocery store or gas station (whichever one offers bonus points with your hotel credit card) and buy a gift card for that department store. Voila! You just earned extra hotel points and can now use that gift card to make your purchases.
5. Maximize Your Online Shopping
When shopping online, using a travel portal is a quick way to earn extra rewards. However, most hotel loyalty programs don't have their own shopping portals. Instead, you can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards or cash back on your online purchases.
Chase Ultimate Rewards can be used to book travel or transferred to airline or hotel loyalty programs. When you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, your points are worth 25% or 50% more, respectively, when booking travel through the Chase Travel portal.
And, of course, cash can be used however you'd like to. We suggest depositing your cash back into a high-yield savings account. This can create a travel fund that earns interest and pays for future vacations.
Recommended High-Yield Savings Accounts
| Bank Account | APY | Features | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
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5.00%
*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is variable and is accurate as of 10/29/2024. Rate is subject to certain terms and conditions. You must deposit at least $5,000 to open your account and maintain $25 to earn the disclosed APY. Rate and APY may change at any time. Fees may reduce earnings. |
$5,000 min. deposit |
Open Account |
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4.31%
UFB Direct breaks balances into five tiers, but, currently, there is only one interest rate. |
No minimum deposit |
Open Account |
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Member FDIC |
0.50% - 4.20%
SoFi members with Direct Deposit or $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 4.20% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi members with direct deposit are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 10/31/2024. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet |
No minimum deposit |
Open Account |
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4.55%
Earn 4.55% APY on balances over $5,000. Balances of less than $5,000 earn 0.25% APY. Annual Percentage Yield is accurate as of November 13, 2024. Interest rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and subject to change at any time without notice. |
$100 minimum deposit |
Open Account |
The Bottom Line
Paying for hotel rooms can put a major dent in your travel budget. By following these five simple strategies, it's possible to score free hotel rooms on your next vacation. You can earn extra hotel points on your spending or use the annual free night benefits of your credit cards. Get the absolute best deals on your trips with Travelocity Promo Codes and status-based discounts. Booking.com also offers loyalty programs that can help you save more. Booking.com promo codes can help you earn points and miles for your next trip.
Lee Huffman
Lee Huffman spent 18 years in banking and investments and now uses that insider knowledge to write about credit cards, travel, and other personal finance topics. Lee enjoys showing people how to travel more, spend less, and live better through the power of travel rewards. You can connect with him at BaldThoughts.com.
