Credit card experts usually recommend general-purpose cards for travelers, but cards linked to hotel brands can also be beneficial.
“Hotel cards can be an amazing tool for travelers,” says Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com. “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer as to which credit card is the best one for you. It depends on what you want from it and how you plan to use it.”
If you're fiercely loyal to a specific hotel chain, Schulz says, it can make a lot of sense to use that chain's specific card.
Schulz’s favorite? The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card issued by American Express.
"That's in part because you can use those Starwood points for hotel nights or transfer them to airline partners, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines," he says. "However, there are big changes coming to the Starwood card lineup because of that program's merger with Marriott. This will be, without question, one of the biggest stories in hotel credit cards in 2018."
The IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card gives five points for every dollar spent at an IHG hotel (brands include InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza), plus two points for every $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants.
"Then, you factor in that you get one free night at an IHG hotel every year and 60,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months with the card," Schulz says. "This card could certainly exceed what you could get from a standard 2 percent cash-back card."
However, general-purpose cards "are still pretty tough to beat," he says. "Most people simply want a card that gives them the best value and the most flexibility in terms of when and where it can be used. In that way, a hotel-specific card doesn't make as much sense as a general-purpose credit card."
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is “a great option,” Schulz says. “It gives you points that you can use to either buy hotel nights through the Chase rewards portal or that you can transfer to any of their hotel partners, including Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton.”
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard is another good option, Schulz says. It gives points that can be used to pay off travel purchases with the card.
The high-end Citi Prestige card has a pricey $450 annual fee, Schulz says, but offers a fourth night free at any hotel after a minimum booking of four consecutive nights.
"That can save you a fortune if you're a regular traveler," he says. The card also comes, among other benefits, with a $250 annual air travel credit and Priority Pass airport lounge access.
