Redeeming points for free hotel stays is a great way to save money on your travels. But it’s better to maximize your redemption to get an award night with no extra points.
It sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. Some major hotel chains offer a free fourth or fifth night on an award stay. You just have to know how to book them.
Related: World’s Best Hotel Awards Programs: Which Is Right for You?
Get a free night on a longer stay award
Three major hotel programs offer free nights on longer reward stays:
Simply put, you get one free night when you redeem your points for four or five consecutive nights at a hotel.
Benefit conditions vary from one program to another. However, to get a free night, you must stay at a hotel the entire time and pay with points. Note that you do not get this benefit When redeeming free night certificates or points-and-cash rewards. On the bright side, the discount is automatic, so there’s no need to involve an agent or deal with rebates.
Marriott Bonvoy ‘Stay for 5, Pay for 4’
With the Marriott Bonvoy, you get a fifth night free for every four consecutive nights you book with points. The benefit is available to all members and applies to all Bonvoy properties. Even better, the benefit applies every fifth night, with no limit to the number of free nights.
The discount is automatically applied online when you book an award stay of at least five nights. Just note that if some nights of your stay are priced differently than others, Marriott will host the least expensive night instead of the actual fifth night.
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Likewise, if you book an upgraded room, the fifth-night-free benefit will only apply to the standard award rate, so you’ll still have to pay extra or use the Nightly Award Upgrade (formerly Suite Night Award). will have Room category on all nights of your stay.
Fifth night free on Hilton Honors award stays
Hilton’s fifth-night-free benefit works similarly to Marriott’s but is a bit more restrictive. You’ll enjoy every fifth night free when redeeming points on a stay of up to 20 nights. The catch is that this benefit is only available to Hilton Honors elite members (Silver and above).
Fortunately, earning Hilton status is very easy. You can achieve entry-level silver status by holding no-annual-fee Hilton honors the American Express Card (See Rates and Fees). You can unlock higher status levels with Hilton’s other cobranded credit cards and Platinum Card® from American Express (registration required).
Again, the discount is automatically applied online, but you must be logged into your account before searching to see the lower rates. Also, the benefit is limited to standard rooms.
IHG One Rewards Fourth-Night-Free Award
IHG’s free night benefit is one of the most generous and exclusive. With IHG, you get a free night when you book four consecutive nights – not five. However, this benefit is only available to holders of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. Therefore, even if you have IHG One Rewards elite status, you may not necessarily have access to this benefit.
You can use the fourth-night award on an unlimited number of stays per year. As long as you’re signed in to the account linked to your card, you’ll see the discount automatically applied online.
Related: How to get your fourth reward night free when redeeming IHG points
The bottom line
If you’re booking a four-night reward stay with Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, or a three-night reward stay with IHG One Rewards, there’s no reason not to add an extra night (if it’s your travel works with plans).
This benefit allows you to extend your vacation or guarantee early check-in or late checkout without any additional points. Plus, you get one more night to qualify for elite status.
For Hilton Honors Amex Card rates and fees, click here