Comparison of hotel reward programs - Find Me a Card

Comparison of hotel reward programs

(Last updated: September 2021)

If you're looking for a hotel rewards credit card, one of the most, if not the most important factor should be the quality of the hotel rewards program itself.

That's why we compiled the following handy-dandy comparison chart of the 8 most popular hotel rewards programs. After deciding on the dimensions to consider and the relative weights to assign to each dimension, we scoured the internet for all the information we could get our hands on about hotel rewards programs, and then graded each program on a 5-point scale for each dimension (1 = terrible, 5 = excellent).

The bottom-line: Hilton has the best hotel rewards program, with Radisson and Wyndham coming in at #2 and #3, respectively.

Comparison of hotel reward programs

Weight

Hilton Honors

Radisson Rewards

Wyndham Rewards

World of Hyatt

Marriott Bonvoy

IHG Rewards Club

Best Western Rewards

Choice Privileges

Earning rewards: Value of rewards, points for hotel spending, availability of hotels for award nights

30%

4

4

4

4

4

4

3

3

Earning: Total value of rewards

15%

3

3

5

3

3

3

2

2

Earning: Points earn rate for hotel spending

5%

5

5

1

5

5

5

1

1

Earning: Availability of hotels for award nights

10%

4

4

4

4

4

4

5

4

Number of hotels:Total properties, number of countries, top US cities, top international cities

15%

4

2

4

2

5

4

3

3

Number of hotels: Total number of properties

7%

4

1

5

1

4

3

3

4

Number of hotels: Presence in top cities (US and international)

5%

4

1

3

2

5

4

3

2

Number of hotels: Number of countries

3%

4

4

3

3

5

4

3

2

Status and other perks: Ease of achieving elite status, value of membership level

15%

5

4

4

3

2

3

3

4

Status and other perks: Ease of achieving elite status

5%

5

4

5

4

1

3

4

5

Status and other perks: Value of membership level

10%

5

4

3

3

2

3

3

3

Booking: Blackout dates, 3rd-party sites, advance reservations, short-notice reservations

15%

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

Booking: 3rd-party sites

5%

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Booking: Blackout dates

5%

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Booking: Advance reservations

3%

5

5

5

5

1

1

1

1

Booking: Short-notice reservations

2%

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Fine print: Expiration of points, earnings restrictions, exclusions, room availability

15%

3

4

3

4

3

2

4

2

Fine print: Earnings restricted by property

4%

1

5

5

5

1

1

5

5

Fine print: Brand exclusions

2%

5

5

5

5

1

5

5

1

Fine print: Room redemption volatility

3%

5

2

1

2

5

1

3

1

Fine print: Expiration of points

4%

2

5

2

5

5

1

5

2

Fine print: Number of no-fee partners

2%

4

4

1

2

5

5

1

1

Redeeming: Purchasing points at a fair value, ability to transfer points, ability to reinstate lost earnings

10%

3

3

1

2

2

4

3

1

Redeeming: Ability to purchase points at a fair value

4%

1

1

1

1

1

5

1

1

Redeeming: Ability to transfer points

3%

5

5

1

5

5

1

5

1

Redeeming: Ability to reinstate lost earnings

3%

5

5

1

1

1

5

5

1

Overall rating

100%

3.9

3.6

3.55

3.35

3.35

3.4

3.15

2.8

Rank

 

1

2

3

4 (tie)

4 (tie)

6

7

8