Using a hotel loyalty program is attractive to most, if not all, of your stays. You may find yourself using a particular program primarily because you have a high level of elite status, you feel comfortable earning and redeeming its rewards, or because your favorite resort belongs to the program.
However, if you have one of the best hotel elite status levels with a program and are loyal to it, you may find one or more secondary programs beneficial. Here’s why and how you should use multiple hotel loyalty programs.
Why use multiple hotel loyalty programs?
Before discussing how to use multiple hotel loyalty programs, let me explain why you should.
Snag the best-value investment
The primary reason why I use multiple hotel loyalty programs instead of sticking with just one is that doing so can provide value. Whether you’re redeeming points or booking a paid rate, some programs will offer better value than others for a given destination and dates. This is especially true now that some hotel loyalty programs are fully utilized Dynamic award pricing while others still use award charts.
For example, I almost always redeem Hyatt points at one of the two Category 1 airport hotels when I need to stay near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) before or after a flight. At Category 1 Hyatt hotels, you must redeem between 3,500 and 6,500 points per night. TPG’s September 2024 valuation values these points between $60 and $111, which is less than the rate at which I can book a comparable hotel in the area on most dates.
By considering awards and rates paid across multiple loyalty programs, I have more options to book a good deal. Also, when I have multiple programs to choose from for a particular stay, I can often earn more points through current hotel promotions.
Related: 8 Mistakes to Avoid When Redeeming Hotel Points
Live in locations not served by your primary program
Major hotel loyalty programs such as World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards have properties around the world, although there are still some places where you won’t find any properties in one or more of these programs.
For example, if you want to visit Kanab, Utah, you can stay at an IHG or Hilton hotel. However, if you only want to consider Marriott hotels, you’ll need to stay an hour away at a hotel near Zion National Park (the SpringHill Suites Kanab is set to open next month). And if you only want to consider a Hyatt hotel, you need to stay a 70-minute drive away in Page, Arizona, or at the Under Canvas property near Zion National Park.
Daily newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily Newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the latest news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Related: 8 Tips for Finding Hotels in Sold Out Destinations
Enjoy a variety of elite benefits
If you have elite status or other benefits with multiple hotel loyalty programs, you can select a specific program for a specific stay to use specific benefits.
For example, let’s say I want a 4pm late checkout guarantee on a certain stay. In that case, I’d usually stick with World of Hyatt (which guarantees late checkout at 4pm on most stays to top-tier Globalist members) or Marriott Bonvoy (which guarantees late checkout at 4pm on most stays in Platinum Elite members. and higher).
Likewise, I would generally avoid Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors hotels that offer food-beverage credits instead of breakfast for upper-level elite members. However, for stays where I don’t plan to have breakfast at the hotel but will enjoy a food-beverage credit, I’ll consider staying at a hotel that I know will offer such credit as an elite benefit. For example, I will often use food and beverage credits at Marriott’s Moxy Hotel for evening drinks in the lobby.
Related: What to do when a hotel doesn’t want to honor your elite benefits
Protection against depreciation
If you use multiple hotel loyalty programs, you protect yourself against depreciation in any particular program.
For example, let’s say Marriott Bonvoy is your primary program, but you also occasionally use World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards. In that case, you’d be less affected than someone joining Marriott if the program were to devalue its elite benefits or points value.
Related: Why Points and Miles Are Bad Long-Term Investments
Use different transferable rewards
If you have transferable points — including Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards points, CitiThankYou Rewards points, Capital One miles and Built Rewards points — you probably know that you can transfer these rewards to select airline and hotel partners. can do
If you only consider World of Hyatt when searching for an award stay, you are limited to transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Built Rewards points. However, if you consider multiple hotel loyalty programs, you can get better value by transferring other rewards for some stays. For example, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points, Capital One miles, Wells Fargo Rewards points or Amex Membership Rewards points to Choice Privileges to book high-value Choice stays.
Related: Credit Card Transfer Partners: A Guide to Transferring Points and Miles to Airlines and Hotels
Strategies for using multiple hotel loyalty programs
If you have elite status with your primary hotel loyalty program, you may be hesitant to stay with a different loyalty program where you don’t get elite benefits. But credit cards, along with other programs, offer several ways to snag at least mid-tier hotel elite status.
Every traveler’s exact situation will be different, but here are three scenarios you can use to inspire your strategy.
Amex Platinum or Business Platinum Cardmember
If you have Platinum Card® from American Express Or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — including the additional Platinum Card — you can enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status. If you have one of these premium American Express cards, you’ll find that these two statuses serve you well if you stay primarily at Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors properties.
But if you want the highest level of Marriott Bonvoy elite status just by holding a credit card, you can add Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card in your wallet. Finally, Basic Bonvoy Brilliant Cardmembers receive complimentary Platinum Elite status (and 25 Elite Night credits per year toward higher status tiers). If you choose the highest level of Hilton Honors elite status, you can earn automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status as a basic card member of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Registration is required.
Information for the Hilton Aspire Card is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Alternatively, you can add the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or World of Hyatt Credit Card to your wallet to earn some perks and bonus earnings by staying with these programs.
Related: Guide to Marriott and Hilton Elite Status with Amex Platinum and Business Platinum
Currently focused on 1 program
If you’re currently focused on one hotel loyalty program, consider getting involved with another. This can be as simple as considering which other hotel loyalty programs you can transfer points to if you have a card that earns transferable points. Or, you can take a big step toward diversifying your loyalty (and options) by getting a cobranded hotel credit card with a separate program.
For example, if you currently focus on World of Hyatt and have one or more Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, you might want to get the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. IHG Premier cardholders receive automatic Platinum Elite status and enjoy a fourth-night-free award benefit when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or more. You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG at a 1:1 ratio.
Or, suppose you currently focus on a hotel loyalty program that uses dynamic award pricing. In that case, you may benefit from creating a program that uses an award chart, such as World of Hyatt, as your secondary program. You can add a World of Hyatt credit card to your wallet to earn automatic Discoverer status and receive one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or on each cardmember anniversary.
Related: Quick Points: 3 Because you need a credit card with your favorite hotel brand
Free agent
Maybe you’re a free agent and tend to book the most convenient or best-value hotel in every destination you visit. In this case, you may benefit from adding one or more of the following cards to your wallet:
- World of Hyatt Credit Cards: Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months of account opening. Plus, earn up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points per dollar spent on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point (up to $15,000 spent) in the first six months of account opening.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Each of these cards offers an annual free night that you should be able to redeem for significantly more than the card’s annual fee and low-to-mid-level high status that will give you a higher earning rate and some perks during your stay.
Related: My Top 3 Picks for the Best Cobranded Hotel Credit Cards
The bottom line
I’ve written a lot about the perks of hotel elite status. Between my husband and I, we have stayed at World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, and Wyndham has several credit cards that offer high status and spend more than 200 nights at the hotel each year. But even if you spend very few nights in hotels each year, it’s worth having at least a primary and secondary hotel loyalty program for all the reasons outlined in this guide.