The traditional Valentine’s Day gift of a dozen roses will run you close to $90, according to a FinanceBuzz survey. While flowers are lovely, they pale in comparison to travel adventures with your boo—and getting hotel reward card free nights.
Credit card expert Lee Huffman likes to use his card rewards to plan trips with his wife. “When my wife and I started dating more than 10 years ago, we both had the travel bug, and we were looking for travel companions,” he says. Rather than flowers or candy, for Valentine’s Day Huffman focuses on optimizing airline miles and hotel points.
If you aren’t sure how to pull this off, hotel credit card rewards are a great place to start. Here are three of my favorites that present you with an instant staycation and charge less than $100 a year in annual fees.
Three credit cards that provide cheap free nights
Many hotel credit cards offer free night certificates, but they generally charge high annual fees or set steep spending minimums to earn your free stay. The three cards outlined below combine low annual fees with automatic free night certificates.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
My favorite of the bunch is the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card card. The card includes a free anniversary night worth up to 40,000 points, a redeem-three-get-one bonus on award nights, Platinum IHG One Rewards status, up to 26X total on IHG purchases and a generous welcome bonus for a super-affordable $99 annual fee.
My go-to for the anniversary night certificate on the IHG Premier is the Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell. We’ve used it three times as our pre-cruise departure stay as the hotel has a romantic vibe and is close to a plethora of dining options. Platinum status has gotten us upgraded to rooms with views of Biscayne Bay and a welcome drink which we enjoyed at the lush outdoor bar.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the IHG One Rewards Premier card, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is still a solid choice for Marriott fans since it grants a free night stay in a hotel up to 35,000 points (every year after account anniversary), 3 free nights (valued up to 150,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening (certain hotels have resort fees), 15 Elite Night credits and up to 6X points per dollar at Marriott Bonvoy hotels for a modest $95 annual fee.
You can get a lot of value out of your Marriott annual free night in Chicago. Options that fit the certificate include the Sheraton Grand right on the Riverwalk for architecture cruising, the Residence Inn on the Magnificent Mile for shopping, and the W Chicago, which is right on Lakeshore Drive featuring stunning views of Lake Michigan.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers annual free night at category 1-4 hotel (worth up to 15,000 points) (examples of Category 4 properties generally include Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place). You’ll also get a 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening, and instant Discoverist status. In total, a worthy $95-per-year investment for fans of Hyatt.
Since Hyatt has a fixed award chart, it’s easy to find properties where you can redeem your certificate. You’ll want to find anything Category 4 and below during standard season or Category 3 and below during peak season. Fun options include the Hyatt Centric in New Orleans and the Andaz Savannah. If you visit the Andaz, be sure to try the Southern Fried French Toast topped with pecan pralines. Years after my stay in Savannah, I can still taste it.
The takeaway
Traveling while dating or after you’re married doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. By using your hotel credit card’s free night certificate, you can take an instant staycation or launch a long weekend and give memories that last instead of flowers that wilt.
