In light of the new Hyatt Gold Passport Visa card I thought it would be interesting to see how the hotel related benefits for regular card members stack up next to each other.

Forget the transitory enrollment offer gimmicks of megabonus points and no credit card interest for six months. Bonus offers change frequently and churning credit cards for enrollment bonuses is a game for the creditworthy few. In my opinion, the real comparison of hotel loyalty credit cards needs to focus on the revolving benefits received with each year of membership.

Loyalty Traveler Summary of Annual Hotel Loyalty Benefits for Hotel Rewards Credit Cards

• Carlson Hotels goldpoints plus
• Hilton HHonors
• Hyatt Gold Passport
• InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club
• Marriott Rewards
• Starwood Preferred Guest

Carlson Hotels Goldpoints Plus

Carlson Hotels Goldpoints Plus Visa (U.S. only)

• 5 points per $1 spent at Carlson Hotels worldwide
• 4 points per $1 on all other purchases
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 15,000 bonus points after first use within 90 days of opening account.

Loyalty Traveler comments: Goldpoints plus has one of the best exchange rates for hotel points-to-miles transfers where 100,000 points = 18,000 miles. Goldpoints plus gold elite member can earn 100,000 points for $3,334 in hotel spend at Radisson Hotels. Compare to Starwood Preferred Guest elites where $3,334 earns 10,000 SPG points. A person interested in miles will earn miles faster through Radisson hotel stays than SPG.  

However, compare SPG American Express card where $20,000 in spend outside of hotels earns 20,000 points = 25,000 miles in many programs. $20,000 on Goldpoints Plus Visa earns 80,000 points and Goldpoints Plus requires 100,000 points for 18,000 miles.  SPG is a better card for airline miles if you earn most of your points through credit card spend instead of hotel stays.

Hilton HHonors

Hilton HHonors has three different cobranded credit cards for residents of the U.S. There are also credit cards for residents of the U.K., Germany and Japan.

The two Hilton HHonors American Express cards for U.S. residents have more benefits than the Visa card. Top elite HHonors Diamond membership for $40,000 in annual spend on the HHonors American Express Surpass card is probably the highest value benefit of any hotel loyalty program credit card.

Hilton HHonors American Express (U.S.) – No annual fee

• Complimentary HHonors Silver VIP elite membership while a cardmember.
• Complimentary HHonors Gold VIP elite membership with $20,000 or more annual charges.
• 6 HHonors bonus points per US$1 spent at Hilton Worldwide hotels, grocery stores, gas stations, drugstores, home and wireless phone, cable, internet.
• 3 HHonors bonus points on all other purchases
• 500 points online booking bonus when charged to Hilton HHonors American Express
• AXON5/6 and AXON7 discount awards (Four Nights AXON 5/6  = 125,000 points; four nights AXON7 = 145,000 points and is lower cost than HHonors VIP rewards)
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 20,000 points after first purchase within one year and 2,500 points per Hilton stay, up to 10,000 points after 4 stays within first 18 months of cardmembership.

Silver elite membership opens access to HHonors VIP rewards with a 15% to 25% discount on award extended stays of four nights or longer.

Hilton HHonors Surpass Card American Express (U.S.) – $75 annual fee

• Complimentary HHonors Gold  VIP elite membership for first year of cardmembership.
• Complimentary HHonors Diamond VIP elite membership with $40,000 or more in annual charges. Complimentary HHonors Gold VIP elite membership with $20,000 or more annual charges.
• 9 HHonors bonus points per US$1 spent at Hilton Worldwide hotels
• 6 HHonors bonus points per US$1 spent at grocery stores, gas stations, drugstores, home and wireless phone, cable, internet.
• 3 HHonors bonus points on all other purchases
• Priority Pass airport lounge complimentary membership (but still costs $27 per lounge visit)
• 500 points online booking bonus when charged to Hilton HHonors American Express
• AXON5/6 and AXON7 discount awards (Four Nights AXON 5/6  = 125,000 points; four nights AXON7 = 145,000 points and is lower cost than HHonors VIP rewards)
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 40,000 points after first purchase within one year and 2,500 points per Hilton stay, up to 20,000 points after 8 stays within first 18 months of cardmembership.

Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature (U.S.) – no annual fee

• Complimentary HHonors Silver VIP elite membership while a cardmember.
• 6 HHonors bonus points per US$1 spent at Hilton Worldwide hotels.
• 3 HHonors bonus points at gas stations, grocery stores and drugstore.
• 2 HHonors bonus points on all other purchases
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 25,000 points after first purchase within four months of opening account.

HHonors credit card terms

Loyalty Traveler comments: Hilton HHonors is the clear leader in the credit card game with its array of benefits. The HHonors American Express cards allow you to earn high value bonus points for groceries, cable, internet, cellphone bills and gas.

The ability to earn HHonors VIP elite through HHonors American Express credit card spending, discounts on reward nights with VIP hotel reward access and exclusive American Express AXON award discounts, and the online booking bonus make HHonors American Express and particularly the HHonors Surpass card the best all around cards for hotel loyalty programs. 

The only drawback to the HHonors American Express is for someone who wants miles. Starwood American Express is a much better program than Hilton HHonors for points-to-miles exchange rates. 

The HHonors American Express Surpass card offers the highest value return for the big spender who wants free hotel stays with Hilton Worldwide.

Hyatt Gold Passport   

Hyatt Chase Visa Card (U.S. residents only) – $75 – link

• Complimentary Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum elite membership while a cardmember (platinum elite normally requires 5 stays or 15 nights).
• 3 Gold Passport bonus points per US$1 spent at Hyatt brand hotels worldwide.
• 1 Gold Passport bonus point per US$1 on all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 2 free nights after first purchase. Gold Passport Diamond members will receive complimentary suite upgrade on these two free nights. Gold Passport Platinum members will receive two complimentary suite upgrades for use on paid stays. (according to View from the Wing)

Loyalty Traveler comments: The Chase Hyatt card website advertises a card feature as award nights with no resort or internet fees. While this is a true statement, these benefits are available to any Gold Passport Platinum elite member. Hyatt Gold Passport does not charge resort fees on award nights at Hyatt Resorts and all platinum and diamond members receive complimentary internet at Hyatt brands globally. 

The two free nights is a nice sign-up feature, but I think the Priority Club Visa has better benefits with the annual free night.  

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card is a hugely popular credit card for its points-to-miles exchange with a 25% bonus on points transfers in blocks of 20,000 points into 25,000 miles. Hyatt Gold Passport has the same 25% bonus when transferring 50,000 points into 25,000 miles. The earning rate of 1 point per US$1 for everyday purchases with both the Hyatt Visa card and the SPG American Express places the balance heavily in favor of SPG American Express for persons interested in maximizing credit card spending for airline miles.

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards 

Priority Club Chase Select Visa Card (U.S.) – $49 annual fee after first year free

• Complimentary Priority Club Gold elite membership while a cardmember ($50 value).
• Annual free night e-certificate (valid for any IHG brand hotel worldwide)
• 10% rebate on all free night redemptions up to 100,000 points rebate per year.
• 5 Priority Club bonus points per US$1 spent at IHG hotels worldwide.
• 3 Priority Club bonus points per US$1 at gas stations, dining and grocery stores.
• 1 Priority Club bonus point per US$1 on all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 30,000 points after first purchase or first use (includes balance transfers).
• Priority Club Select Visa Card link

Loyalty Traveler comments: The best benefit of the Priority Club Visa is the annual free night e-certificate. An InterContinental Hotel night will usually be a $200+ rate or even $400+ per night in some locations. 

10% rebate on reward nights is unique and can be a 10,000 to 20,000 points savings for an active Priority Club member. 

Priority Club Visa and Marriott Rewards Visa are the only cards with higher points earning for dining. That can be a big factor for the restaurant aficionado. 

Marriott Rewards 

Marriott Rewards Signature Visa from Chase – $30 annual fee with first year free 

• Complimentary Marriott Rewards Silver elite membership with 10 nights annual elite credit while a cardmember.
• Earn 1 additional elite night credit for every $3,000 in charges annually.
• 15,000 points rebate for reward stays of seven or more nights at category 7 or 8 properties.
• 3 Marriott Rewards bonus points per US$1 spent at Marriott brand hotels worldwide.
• 1 Marriott Rewards bonus point per US$1 on all other purchases
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = free night e-certificate (valid for any Marriott Rewards category 1 to 4 hotel worldwide) and 22,500 bonus points after first purchase or first use (includes balance transfers). 

Marriott Rewards Premier Visa from Chase – $65 annual fee with first year free

• Complimentary Marriott Rewards Silver elite membership with 15 nights annual elite credit while a cardmember.
• Earn 1 additional elite night credit for every $3,000 in charges annually.
• Annual free night certificate (category 1-5 hotels). First year is a category 1-4 e-certificate.
• 15,000 points rebate for reward stays of seven or more nights at category 7 or 8 properties.
• 5 Marriott Rewards bonus points per US$1 spent at Marriott brand hotels worldwide.
• 2 Marriott Rewards bonus points per US$1 spent on airlines, dining and rental cars.
• 1 Marriott Rewards bonus point per US$1 on all other purchases.
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = free night e-certificate (valid for any Marriott Rewards category 1 to 4 hotel worldwide) and 30,000 bonus points after first purchase.

Loyalty Traveler comments: The initial free night e-certificate is limited to the lowest four of the eight Marriott Rewards hotel categories. The annual Marriott Rewards Premier Visa e-certificate with cardmembership renewal is good for category 5 hotels and that is a significantly higher value. There are some really nice Marriott category 5 hotels. 

The Hyatt card gives you two free nights at any Hyatt hotel as an enrollment bonus. Priority Club gives one night at any IHG hotel for each year of cardmembership. 

The Marriott Rewards card has weak benefits compared to most of the surveyed cards (except for dining credit), however, Marriott Rewards has the best points-to-miles exchange rate of any hotel loyalty program when transferring over 100,000 points. Marriott Rewards has its benefits but this card may not be the best fit for you. 

Big spenders may prefer the Hilton American Express for elite status. Starwood American Express has a better earning rate for miles. 

Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express – $45 (increases to $65 October 14, 2010)

• 2 bonus Starpoints per US$1 spent at Starwood Hotels and Resorts worldwide.
• 1 bonus Starpoints per US$1 per US$1 on all other purchases.
• Annual 50% off rack rate certificate (this benefit will be discontinued in October and replaced with five elite night credits annually and a 3^rd night free credit offer).
• Sign-up bonus (9-1-2010) = 10,000 bonus points after first purchase and 15,000 additional bonus points for $15,000 in credit card spending during first six months of cardmembership. 

Loyalty traveler comments: SPG is the program if you really want options to convert your hotel points to a variety of airline miles. Marriott Rewards and Goldpoints plus have better points-to-miles exchange rates for high transfers, but the SPG credit card favors the person who earns more points from credit card spending than hotel stays.

United, Continental and Singapore Airlines offer a poor exchange rate with SPG. You might prefer the Hyatt or Marriott card for these airline programs. Hyatt has the same or a better exchange rate for many airline partners but the earning rate is better for general purchases using the SPG program card compared to the Hyatt card. 

Update: Sep 30, 2010 – Wyndham Rewards Visa card was not included in this comparison. This card is actually a high value card for people interested in airline miles. All purchases earn 2 points per dollar and Wyndham hotel brands earn 5 points per dollar. Wyndham Rewards has a fixed points-to-miles exchange rate at 2.5 points = 1 mile. Most of the hotel loyalty cards shown here only give 1 point per dollar for most purchases. 

Wyndham Rewards is essentially giving 0.8 miles/dollar. SPG gives 1.25 miles per dollar for 1:1 airline partners points-to-miles transfers at the 20,000 points level and 1 mile per dollar at lower transfer levels.  Wyndham Rewards Visa is a good back-up card for miles with 17 airline partners. $4,000 in credit card spend earns 4,000 miles through American Express SPG or 3,200 miles for Wyndham Rewards Visa cardmembers.

If hotel stays are your primary interest and not miles, then consider the array of benefits offered by other cards, particularly the high annual value of Priority Club Visa free night and reward nights rebate or Hilton HHonors American Express award night discounts and elite status.

Loyalty Traveler Card Rank based on annual benefits

1. Hilton HHonors Surpass American Express card
2. IHG Priority Club Select Visa Card from Chase
3. Hilton HHonors American Express
4. Starwood Preferred Guest American Express
5. Hyatt Gold Passport Visa from Chase
6. Marriott Rewards Premier Visa from Chase
7. Hilton HHonors Signature Visa from Citi
8. Marriott Rewards Signature Visa from Chase
9. Carlson Hotels Goldpoints Plus Visa

Update Sep 2: The ranking shown here was based on my subjective analysis of each card’s added value to the hotel loyalty program. In a subsequent post I compared these same credit cards using annual spend scenarios of $6,000, $13,000, $24,000, and $48,000 in various earning categories. The total annual points were then given cash equivalent values to rank the 9 credit cards.

The results of that analysis repositioned some of the cards slightly with Marriott Rewards Premier Visa moving above Hyatt Visa and Goldpoints Plus Visa moving above Marriott Signature Visa. SPG American Express ranks higher for higher spenders. See the points value credit card analysis in the post link below.

Loyalty Traveler – Hotel Loyalty Credit Card Comparison by value of points (Sep 2)

Enroll as a new member by September 6 in Goldpoints Plus using promotion code GPX2010 and receive 1,000 bonus points. Carlson Hotels Goldpoints Plus loyalty program covers the 1,000+ hotels in Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inn & Suites hotel brands. Goldpoints plus new member registration link.

This offer is only valid for new members without an existing account.

Goldpoints Plus has lowest minimum transfer for airline miles

Goldpoints plus is a useful program for small mileage transfers. 2,000 goldpoints exchange into 250 miles with a variety of programs.

Goldpoints plus has the lowest minimum transfer rate for points-to-miles exchanges for a general member among the major programs (SPG Platinum members have no minimum transfer level):

• Hilton = 10,000 point block = 1,000 miles (1,500 AA miles)
• Marriott = 10,000 points minimum = 2,000 miles
• Priority Club = 10,000 point block = 2,000 miles
• Wyndham Rewards = 8,000 points minimum = 3,200 miles
• Hyatt = 5,000 points block = 2,000 miles
• Best Western = 5,000 points block = 1,000 miles
• Choice Privileges = 5,000 points block= 1,000 miles
• SPG = 2,500 points minimum transfer (non-elite members) = 2,500 miles
• Goldpoints Plus = 2,000 points = 250 miles

Goldpoints plus may not look like a great exchange at the 2,000 points rate compared to other programs. Keep in mind that you earn 20 points per US$1/1€ for Radisson hotel stays and 15 points per US$ for Country Inn & Suites. The points-to-miles exchange rate is variable and improves greatly with higher transfer levels.

At the 100,000 points = 18,000 miles rate, you will find Goldpoints Plus is consistently the best exchange rate among hotel loyalty programs with only Marriott Rewards offering a better exchange rate at its high transfer level of 125,000 points for 50,000 miles.

Here is a Loyalty Traveler post showing exchange rates for different hotel programs for U.S. airlines at various transfer levels.

Goldpoints plus also awards 1,000 bonus points for an online reservation.  After one stay in a Carlson Hotel booked online, you will have enough points for a points-to-miles transfer. This is a convenient way to keep airline frequent flier accounts active without flying.

Related links: Click on the categories link for Goldpoints Plus on the left side of Loyalty traveler blog and you will find a dozen or so articles on Goldpoints plus promotions and Carlson Hotels. This program slashed award night cost this past year, offered some high value bonuses and probably has made more program changes for the better than any other hotel loyalty program in 2010.

Goldpoints Plus is a good program for new members to check out. Perhaps you will find yourself checking in more frequently at Carlson Hotels.

A prize of 100,000 Starpoints will be awarded to two SPG members who download the Blackberry application between August 1 and September 30, 2010. Members receive one entry for downloading the Blackberry app at http://www.spg.com/BBapp. Only one entry is accepted per member for this sweepstakes. Drawing will be October 15.

TO ENTER: 

A. Mobile: Visit BlackBerry App WorldTM at www.spg.com/BBapp, download the SPG app for BlackBerry and log in to the app with your SPG.com username and passcode during the Promotion Period to receive one (1) free entry. While members may log in to the app numerous times during the Promotion Period, each member will only receive one (1) entry into the Sweepstakes.

B. Mail: To enter by mail, hand print your name, address, day and evening phone numbers, e-mail address (if any), SPG number, and age on a 3″ x 5″ piece of paper. Mail it in a hand-addressed envelope to SPG App for BlackBerry Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 3010, Rogers, MN 55374-3011. Mail-in entries must be postmarked no later than September 30, 2010 and received by October 5, 2010. Limit one (1) entry per person.

This sweepstakes is open to legal residents in 15 countries. 

ELIGIBILITY: SPG® App for BlackBerry® Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia), Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic, South Africa, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand, who are at a minimum 18 years of age or older and have reached the age of majority in their respective jurisdictions at the time of entry. 

SPG Blackberry app sweepstakes Terms and Conditions

SPG Blackberry app features:

Members can browse and reserve stays at any of Starwood’s 1000+ hotels and resorts worldwide across nine brands: Sheraton®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Four Points by Sheraton®, St. Regis®, Element®, and Aloft®.

Key Features

• Access to SPG account, including Starpoints® balance, recent activity, stays needed to reach the next level and more.

• View upcoming stay information including map to hotel from your current location and call hotel directly from your BlackBerry.

• Search, book and view hotel information and photos for 1000+ hotels globally across nine brands.

• Access customer support around the globe.

• Browse TheLobby.com blogs to stay updated on the latest travel trends and insider information.

Related links: SPG Social Media Feed – stay connected with SPG on Twitter, Facebook, the Lobby, SPG Insider, FlyerTalk and mobile apps on one page.