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Do you have plans to travel to a big game, a major concert,
Sometimes, scoring tickets to a popular event can actually be
I recently stayed at the La Quinta Inn in Oshkosh
The budget hotel by the highway is nice enough, but it’s certainly not anything fancy. Yet it was selling rooms for approximately $600 a night, including taxes. Thankfully, I was able to stay three nights there for free by using travel reward
The Best Hotel Loyalty Programs for Award Stays During Big Events
There are many hotel loyalty programs, and some
The Wyndham Rewards
And since the La Quinta Inn in Oshkosh
Recommended Citi Cards
Citi Premier® Card
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work Read the review
- APR21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$95
-
60,000
60,000Citi ThankYou Points
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 worth of purchases during the first three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,080 (60,000 Citi ThankYou Points * 0.018 base)
The Citi Premier® Card, from our partner Citi, is worth considering if you’re looking for accelerated travel rewards but don’t want to pay a huge annual fee. It’s easy to quickly rack up lots of points on this card. While you can redeem ThankYou points for gift cards, you’ll get more value when you redeem points for flights and hotels, and potentially even better value when you transfer points to travel partners.
Overview
This credit card offers its members a range of incentives, such as bonus points, gift cards and 1:1 point transfers with airline partners. One of the more unique features of the Citi Premier® Card from our partner Citi is that it offers 3x ThankPoints for every dollar spent at supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants and travel purchases. Plus, new cardholders can earn 60,000 ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 during the first three months of account opening.
Perks
- Earn 3x ThankYou Points per dollar spent on travel, grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations
- Annual $100 hotel savings benefit. Just book a hotel stay of $500 or more through thankyou.com or 1-800-THANKYOU to earn the discount.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Easily transfer your points to Citi's airline partners
Pros
- High reward rate on common categories of consumer spending
- Points are easily transferable to airlines and hotel partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Points never expire
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- No standout rewards category
Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work Read the review
- APR 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
-
$200
$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.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card, from our partner Citi, has a novel approach to rewarding spending. It offers impressive cash back on purchases made in your top eligible spending category each month, up to a monthly spend cap—no activation required.
Overview
If you want a card that doesn’t require constant category activation and monitoring to make sure you’re getting the highest cash back percentage, this is a great option. Whatever spending category that has the highest spend (up to $500) in one billing cycle gets 5% cash back. That’s up to $300 per year, and if you get the sign-up bonus you can get up to $500 in cash back your first year.
Pros
- Relatively easy to maximize the 5% cash back reward and earn $300 per year
- No annual fee
- The cash back comes in the form of Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed for things like travel
Cons
- 5% cash back tier is capped at $25 in earnings per month
Hilton Honors is another worthwhile program. I’m staying at a Hilton Garden Inn for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta this October. The annual Balloon Fiesta is a ton of fun, and it’s not just the biggest thing to happen each year in Albuquerque, it appears to be the only thing. In fact, you’ll find
IHG
Recommended IHG Cards
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
- Our Rating 4/5 How our ratings work Read the review
- APR21.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
-
80,000
80,000IHG One Rewards Points
Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus up to $50 in IHG® statement credits on purchases at IHG® Hotels and Resorts during the first 12 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $400 (80,000 IHG One Rewards Points * 0.005 base)
Whether your family is looking for some free hotel nights for a road trip or you’re a loyal customer of the IHG hotel brand, this card offers you a chance to earn decent rewards. Aside from its generous sign-up bonus, it offers tons of value, including the option to redeem points at all IHG properties.
Overview
Whether you’re a family looking for some free hotel nights while making your annual road trip or you’re a loyal customer of the IHG hotel brand, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card — which has no annual fee, by the way — offers you a chance to earn some decent rewards.
Perks
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Silver Elite Status included with the card
Pros
- One of the top picks for a no-annual-fee hotel credit card
- Book three nights with points, get your fourth free
- Entry-level Silver Elite status, with the chance to upgrade to Gold with $20,000 or more in annual spend
Cons
- No free night account anniversary reward
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work Read the review
- APR21.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$99
-
140,000
140,000IHG One Rewards Points
Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn up to $100 in IHG® statement credits on purchases at IHG® Hotels and Resorts during the first 12 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $700 (140,000 IHG One Rewards Points * 0.005 base)
Aside from its astounding sign-up bonus, this card offers tons of value, especially for loyal IHG customers, like a free Reward Night on your account anniversary and Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier card member. Plus, it offers a Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA Pre✓® fee credit every four years, and IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at a variety of hotels.
Overview
Frequent customers of IHG hotels and other people who enjoy earning rewards nights for hotel stays and premium hotel status should consider picking up this card.
Pros
- Generous rewards rate on IHG Hotels and Resorts purchases
- Automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status which gets you perks like upgrades
- Free reward night every account anniversary, with the potential to be worth hundreds of dollars
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Only makes sense if you plan to stay at IHG properties
However, don’t even bother looking at Marriott

The 5 Best Hotel Loyalty Rewards Programs
Other Tips and Tricks for Getting a Hotel Room During a Big Event
The first and most important thing to know about attending large events is to book your rooms as early as possible. Most hotels allow you to book rooms
You should also book speculatively, as hotel awards can typically be canceled without any penalty (and hotels will be thrilled to sell them for top dollar). So
And if you find available award nights, consider booking a second room just in case you have other family or friends that want to join you. You can always cancel it later, but offering that room to someone will make you a hero!
Another trick is to keep looking. Before big events, hotels will often block out rooms for large groups that are attending. But they will often release any unused rooms as the event approaches. To find out when these rooms are released, simply call the property and ask to speak with a manager. Tell them that you really want to stay there, and ask them if they know when or if they’ll be releasing rooms from an unsold bloc
Bottom Line
Concerts, sporting events, festivals and graduations can be great fun to attend, but not if you have to pay outrageous amounts for nearby lodging.
