Vote for your favorite travel & hotel credit card!
USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Free upgrades, early check-in, and award nights — these are just a few of the perks for spending on a good hotel or travel credit card. To find the best of the bunch, USA TODAY 10Best teamed up with a panel of miles-and-points experts to nominate the top options on the market for American travelers, based on perks, redemption rates, and other benefits.
Which credit card is your favorite? Vote once per day until voting ends on Monday, July 29 at noon ET. We'll announce the 10 winning credit cards on Wednesday, August 7.
Read the official Readers' Choice rules.
Free upgrades, early check-in, and award nights — these are just a few of the perks for spending on a good hotel or travel credit card. To find the best of the bunch, USA TODAY 10Best teamed up with a panel of miles-and-points experts to nominate the top options on the market for American travelers, based on perks, redemption rates, and other benefits.
Which credit card is your favorite? Vote once per day until voting ends on Monday, July 29 at noon ET. We'll announce the 10 winning credit cards on Wednesday, August 7.
Read the official Readers' Choice rules.
Free upgrades, early check-in, and award nights — these are just a few of the perks for spending on a good hotel or travel credit card. To find the best of the bunch, USA TODAY 10Best teamed up with a panel of... Read More
Best Travel & Hotel Credit Card Nominees
Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard
For fans of train travel, carrying an Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard offers great perks. Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points on all purchases and redeem them for train tickets, upgrades, and more. The card also grants a complimentary companion coupon, free upgrade, and a station lounge pass each year on the card anniversary. Cardholders also receive a 5% point rebate when redeeming points for Amtrak travel and a 20% statement credit for onboard purchases.
Photo courtesy of Chase IHG One Rewards Credit Cards
Chase IHG One Rewards Premier
With the Chase IHG One Rewards Premier card, members earn up to 26 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels and 5 points per dollar for gas stations, travel, and restaurants. Cardholders earn a free night after each account anniversary, 10,000 bonus points with qualifying purchases, and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS statement credit.
Photo courtesy of Choice Privileges Mastercard Logo
Choice Privileges Mastercard
In addition to a generous sign-up bonus with qualifying purchases, carrying a Choice Privileges Mastercard is a great option for earning points on everyday purchases for redemption at Choice Hotels worldwide. Point multipliers are also in force for purchases of Choice Hotels nights. In addition, this card offers automatic Gold Elite membership, granting benefits like late check-out, reserved parking, and room upgrades.
Photo courtesy of Hilton
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
New Hilton Honors Aspire card members earn 175,000 bonus points after qualifying purchases in the first six months. Other perks include 14 points per dollar on purchases at participating hotels and resorts, 7 points per dollar on qualifying flights, car rentals, and restaurants, an annual $400 Hilton Resort credit, and complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.
Photo courtesy of Hilton
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Within the first six months of membership with the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points on qualifying purchases. Cardholders also receive 12 points per dollar on purchases made at Hilton hotels and resorts and complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. Plus, enjoy complimentary Emerald Club Executive status with National Car Rental.
Photo courtesy of Hilton
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Cardholders of the Hilton Honors American Express earn Hilton Honors points on purchases to redeem for free nights, experiences, rental cars, and more. This card also provides complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, granting you perks like bonus points and rollover nights. A sign-up bonus of 70,000 points plus a free night (after qualifying purchases) sweetens this card membership.
Photo courtesy of Hilton
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
The Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express earns travelers a generous number of points for stays at Hilton hotels and resorts, in addition to other purchases at restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores. An attractive 130,000-point sign-up bonus jump-starts cardholders towards free stays at Hilton properties. There are no foreign transaction fees and cardholders earn automatic Hilton Honors Gold status.
Photo courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy Bold
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold card has no annual fee and nets bonuses like 30,000 points after qualifying purchases and up to 14 points per dollar on spending at more than 7,000 participating hotels. Plus, points don't expire as long your account stays active every 24 months.
Photo courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders earn three free night awards after qualifying purchases, as well as 17 points per dollar spent at participating hotels and 2 points per dollar spent everywhere else. Other perks include a free night award each year and no foreign transaction fees.
Photo courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Visa
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful
The Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card offers a host of enticing perks. Cardholders receive 85,000 bonus points with qualifying purchases and earn points on everyday purchases that can be redeemed for hotel nights, flights, and more. They also enjoy elite status with late check-out and complimentary Wi-Fi. Other card benefits include travel protection, including baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement, as well as no foreign transaction fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card comes with perks like a free night each year, a $300 dining statement credit, complimentary Platinum Elite status, and up to 6 points per dollar spent on the card. A 95,000-point sign-up bonus after qualifying purchases makes this card even more enticing.
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
In addition to earning points on every purchase, World of Hyatt Business cardholders get bonus points for the top three categories where they spend the most. They also receive automatic elite status with benefits such as complimentary premium Internet and late check-out. As icing on the cake, new cardholders receive 60,000 bonus points after qualifying purchases in the first 3 months.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card earns cardholders 9 points per dollar spent on Hyatt stays, as well as 2 points per dollar spent on restaurants, airfare, local transit, and gym memberships. Members also enjoy a free night every year.
Photo courtesy of Barclays US
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
For fans of the Wyndham brand, carrying a Wyndham Rewards Earner Card offers great rewards and value. There is the sign-up bonus of 75,000 points (after qualifying purchases), plus points on everyday purchases to redeem on free hotel nights, gift cards, and more. Cardholders also enjoy automatic Wyndham Rewards Gold status, providing perks like preferred room selection and late check-out. This card also has no annual fee.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Cheryl Maguire
Cheryl Maguire holds a Master of Counseling... Read More
Cheryl Maguire holds a Master of Counseling Psychology degree. She is married and the mother of twins and a daughter. She writes about travel, mental health, science, and parenting. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, AARP, NatGeo, The Washington Post, Success Magazine, Parents Magazine, and many other publications. She is a professional member of ASJA and an active member of SATW. You can find her on X at @CherylMaguire05.
Cheryl Maguire
Cheryl Maguire holds a Master of Counseling Psychology degree. She is married and the mother of twins and a daughter. She writes about travel, mental health, science, and parenting. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, AARP, NatGeo, The Washington Post, Success Magazine, Parents Magazine, and many other publications. She is a professional member of ASJA and an active member of SATW. You can find her on X at @CherylMaguire05.
Cindy Greenstein
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults... Read More
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults and a credit-card points expert who loves to travel for free. During her more than 20 years of marriage, she has used credit card points to travel the world while rarely paying for airline flights and hotel rooms. Some of her five-figure travel savings include trips to Aspen ($26,000); Greece ($23,000) and London ($15,000). Her favorite credit cards for point accumulation include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X and American Express Gold. Cindy—an attorney and former certified public accountant—founded The Points Mom to share her credit card rewards-program expertise with family friends and small business owners who don’t have the time to learn how to maximize their points. Her services include one-on-one consultations, group consultations, speaking engagements, and reward-program tutorials. She provides the latest offers as well as tons of tips and tricks on Instagram at thepointsmom_ . When Cindy pays for travel or hotels, she is strategic about the credit cards that she uses. For example, on her trips she pays with the card that will earn her the most rewards, gets her the closest to elite status and offers her the most lucrative benefits.
Cindy Greenstein
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults and a credit-card points expert who loves to travel for free. During her more than 20 years of marriage, she has used credit card points to travel the world while rarely paying for airline flights and hotel rooms. Some of her five-figure travel savings include trips to Aspen ($26,000); Greece ($23,000) and London ($15,000). Her favorite credit cards for point accumulation include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X and American Express Gold. Cindy—an attorney and former certified public accountant—founded The Points Mom to share her credit card rewards-program expertise with family friends and small business owners who don’t have the time to learn how to maximize their points. Her services include one-on-one consultations, group consultations, speaking engagements, and reward-program tutorials. She provides the latest offers as well as tons of tips and tricks on Instagram at thepointsmom_ . When Cindy pays for travel or hotels, she is strategic about the credit cards that she uses. For example, on her trips she pays with the card that will earn her the most rewards, gets her the closest to elite status and offers her the most lucrative benefits.
Travel Mom Squad
Alex, Pam, and Jess are the women behind Travel... Read More
Alex, Pam, and Jess are the women behind Travel Mom Squad. They are a trio of moms (and one is grandma) who love to travel the world for nearly free, thanks to credit card points and miles. Learning how to leverage credit card points and miles has allowed them to have incredible travel experiences they never imagined were possible. They've traveled to places like Hawaii, Greece, Africa, Italy, Mexico, Bora Bora, and more all for nearly free Using their knowledge of credit card points and miles, they teach others how to do the same so they can see the world for nearly free as well! Find them at travelmomsquad.com, Instagram, or their podcast.
Travel Mom Squad
Alex, Pam, and Jess are the women behind Travel Mom Squad. They are a trio of moms (and one is grandma) who love to travel the world for nearly free, thanks to credit card points and miles. Learning how to leverage credit card points and miles has allowed them to have incredible travel experiences they never imagined were possible. They've traveled to places like Hawaii, Greece, Africa, Italy, Mexico, Bora Bora, and more all for nearly free Using their knowledge of credit card points and miles, they teach others how to do the same so they can see the world for nearly free as well! Find them at travelmomsquad.com, Instagram, or their podcast.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.