American Express
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Platinum Elite status and a free night certificate. Whether it works depends almost entirely on what you can book with that certificate.
Staying
Hotels
Hotel programs, the free night certificates that justify most hotel card fees, and the luxury booking programs from Amex and Chase.
Most hotel cards pay for themselves through one annual free night certificate. That makes them simple to evaluate and simple to get wrong. A certificate capped at 35,000 points is worth whatever you can actually book with it, not whatever the cap implies.
Before you apply for any hotel card, do one check: find three properties you would realistically stay at, and see whether they sit under the certificate's ceiling on dates you would travel. If they do not, the card's main benefit is theoretical.
The luxury booking programs
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, Amex The Hotel Collection and Chase's The Edit all work the same way: book through the issuer's travel site and the hotel adds elite-style perks without you holding status. The differences are which cards qualify, the minimum stay and how the annual statement credits behave.
Our full guide works through how to compare a booking across all three, including an interactive calculator.
What changed this year
IHG added a Premier Select card at $350 in October 2026, and the no-fee IHG card now appears without the Traveler name. Wyndham overhauled the Earner family in June 2026 and added a $395 Premier card.
Latest in this section
View all newsTwo deadlines this week: Marriott Bonvoy Business and the Delta Amex offers both end 4 November
If either was on your list, this is the week to decide.
Amex is running a 35% bonus to Marriott Bonvoy until 10 December
The longest-running of the current transfer promotions, and the one five trackers agree on.
IHG adds a $350 Premier Select card, and the whole family's bonuses end 18 November
A new premium tier above the Premier, plus a fee rise on the business card.
Wyndham overhauled the Earner cards and added a $395 premium version
Higher fees on two cards, a new Premier at the top, and a gas rate cut on the business card.
Cards in this category
Full directoryAmerican Express
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
The Amex mid-tier Marriott card. Sits directly against Chase's Bountiful at the same fee.
Chase
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card
Chase's mid-tier Marriott card, and the direct counterpart to the Amex Bevy.
Chase
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
The $95 Marriott card most people end up with. The current bonus is paid in free night certificates rather than points.
Chase
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
The no-fee Marriott card. Thin benefits, but it keeps a Bonvoy balance alive for nothing.
American Express
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Automatic Hilton Diamond status plus resort and flight credits. If you stay at Hilton resorts even twice a year, the credits do most of the work.
American Express
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Gold status for $150, with quarterly Hilton credits that cover a good share of the fee.
American Express
Hilton Honors American Express Card
A no-fee Hilton card with respectable earning. Silver status, and no route to a free night after the welcome bonus.
Chase
World of Hyatt Credit Card
The free night at a Category 1 to 4 hotel usually clears the fee by itself, and Hyatt award charts are still reasonable value.
Chase
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
The business counterpart to the World of Hyatt card. We could not verify its current terms in this build.
Chase
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
The fourth-night-free benefit on award stays is the quiet winner here, more than the headline bonus.
Chase
IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card
IHG's new premium tier, launched October 2026, with the largest current bonus in the family.
Tools that help here
Annual Fee vs Benefits ROI
Weigh credits and free nights against the fee.
Points and Miles Valuation
Turn a points balance into an estimated value.
FHR, THC and The Edit
Which luxury booking program is cheaper, with a calculator.