Credit card spends: Did you know you could avail free hotel accommodation for your vacation?

Vijay loves enjoying two short vacations of one week each with his family every year. He explores different cities and stays at 3 star and 5 star hotel properties. However, Vijay doesn’t pay for hotel accommodation from his pocket.

His credit card benefits/reward points take care of the hotel accommodation. Would you also like your credit card benefits/reward points to sponsor your stays at luxury hotels?

Hotel loyalty programs

Various hotel groups in India offer loyalty programs through which they provide various benefits to their members. Some of these include:

  1. Marriott Bonvoy: The hotel loyalty program that provides access to 8000+ hotels worldwide.
  2. NeuPass: Earlier known as Taj Innercircle, the Tata group loyalty program got merged into Neupass.

    It includes access to Taj Hotels and other brands within the Tata group.

  3. Club ITC: The loyalty program by ITC Group Hotels.

Apart from the above, there are other hotel loyalty programs like Accor Live Limitless (ALL), IHG One Rewards, etc. All these hotel loyalty programs allow you to either:

  • Transfer your credit card reward points to the hotel loyalty program and then redeem the loyalty points for hotel stays, or
  • Redeem credit card reward points for purchasing hotel chain gift vouchers and then redeem the vouchers for hotel stays.

Now that we have an idea of the various hotel loyalty programs let us understand how credit card benefits can help you earn hotel gift vouchers or reward points that can be transferred to hotel loyalty programs. READ MORE: 10 valuable benefits of using a credit card

Credit card benefits: Hotel gift vouchers or reward points

Annual spend-based milestones

Some credit cards have annual spend-based milestones, which, when achieved, reward the cardholder with either hotel gift vouchers or bonus reward points.

You can use the reward points to purchase hotel gift vouchers or transfer them to a hotel loyalty program. For example, the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card provides 15,000 bonus reward points on spending Rs.

1.9 lakhs in a year. When the cardholder spends Rs.

4 lakhs in the same year, they get an additional 25,000 bonus reward points plus an Rs.

10,000 Taj Hotels gift voucher. In the above scenario, the 40,000 bonus reward points can be redeemed for Taj Hotels gift vouchers worth Rs.

20,000 or transferred to the Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty program. You can then use the Taj Hotel gift vouchers to settle stay bills during Check-out, or Marriott Bonvoy points to book hotel accommodation for your vacation.

The SimplyCLICK SBI Card provides Rs.

2,000 Cleartrip vouchers on annual online spends of Rs.

1 lakh and an additional Rs.

2,000 Cleartrip vouchers on annual online spends of Rs.

2 lakhs. You can use the Rs.

4,000 vouchers to book a hotel of your choice through Cleartrip.

Regular spend-based offers

Some credit cards provide regular spend-based offers (spanning over a month or two) from time to time. Cardholders are given specific spending targets against which they get specified gift vouchers or reward points.

Booking accommodation and paying with reward points

Credit cards, such as IDFC FIRST Bank and American Express, allow you to pay for your online transactions with credit card reward points.

So, you can book hotel accommodation directly on the hotel website or an online travel aggregator (OTA) website and pay with your credit card reward points. Most cards will give you a redemption value of Rs.

0.25 per reward point.

Redeeming reward points for booking hotel accommodation directly on the bank portal

Some banks provide you with portals for booking hotel accommodation. For example, HDFC Bank provides the SmartBuy portal for booking flights, hotel accommodation, and buying other products by redeeming reward points.

You can book hotel accommodation on the SmartBuy portal and pay with your credit card reward points. When you book through a premium credit card, such as HDFC Infinia, you get a redemption rate of Rs.

1.00 per reward point.

Redeeming reward points for hotel or OTA gift vouchers

In the above section, we saw how you could use the SmartBuy portal for booking hotel accommodation using your HDFC Bank credit card. If you don’t have an HDFC Bank credit card, you need not worry.

You can redeem your credit card reward points to buy gift vouchers of the hotel brand or an OTA. You can then use the gift voucher to book your hotel accommodation.

Transferring reward points to hotel loyalty programs

In the first section of this article, we saw the various hotel loyalty programs offered by different hotel groups. You can use your reward points to either:

  • Convert them into gift vouchers of specific hotel brands or
  • Transfer them to the hotel loyalty program.

Various banks have tied up with hotel loyalty programs to allow their cardholders to use their reward points.

  • HDFC Bank allows you to transfer reward points to Accor Live Limitless (ALL), IHG One Rewards, Wyndham Rewards.
  • Axis Bank allows the transfer of reward points to Marriott Bonvoy, Club ITC, and IHG One Rewards.
  • American Express allows the transfer of reward points to Marriott Bonvoy.

You can then use the hotel gift vouchers or hotel loyalty points to book hotel stays.

You can transfer credit card reward points to a hotel loyalty program like Marriott Bonvoy at a specified ratio. For example, you can transfer American Express reward points to Marriott Bonvoy in a 1:1 ratio. So, for every 1 American Express reward point transferred, you will get 1 Marriott Bonvoy point.

While booking a Marriott group hotel using loyalty points, the number of points required for per night stay is specified. The value per point is usually in the Rs.

0.50 to Rs.

2.00 range. In some rare cases, the value may go beyond this range.

Let credit card spends take care of your hotel stays

Are you a travel freak?

Also, do you use credit cards regularly for monthly spends? If you answer yes to both questions, consider a credit card that will reward you with free hotel stays. After all, why spend from your pocket for hotel stays when your credit card benefits/reward points can provide you with the same, free of cost!

Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience.

He can be reached at LinkedIn

Article

5 Credit card myths to avoid

First Published: 25 Mar 2023, 09:32 AM IST

Topics to follow

bad-rhino listed on couponmatrix.ukclink-hostels listed on couponmatrix.ukgocompare listed on couponmatrix.ukthe-gym-king listed on couponmatrix.ukjo-malone-london listed on couponmatrix.ukthermae-bath-spa listed on couponmatrix.uk
bad-rhino listed on couponmatrix.ukYour favourite Big and Tall menswear brand, BadRhino, makes dressing for your unique figure and height easy as pie. With a BadRhino discount code from us, you’ll be able to upgrade your wardrobe for less! From sharp suits to comfy casual wear, you'll find slick looks to suit your personal style - at a size that works for you.
clink-hostels listed on couponmatrix.ukSituated in the heart of London and Amsterdam, Clink Hostels is perfect when you need somewhere to crash after a night of partying or a quiet place to rest your head after a long day of sightseeing. Explore the urban jungle for less with the discounts available at this affordable hostel chain, including early bird savings, 30% off 7+ night stays and free breakfast. Complete your booking with a Clink Hostels voucher code from Groupon and you’ll find yourself with even more cash to power your adventures. Whether it’s a percentage off your total stay, a free night’s stay or complimentary breakfast, we’ll help you get the best deal possible with our Clink Hostels discount codes. At Groupon, we’re always refreshing our page with new deals, so be sure to check here before placing your Clink Hostels booking – you can save 25% on bookings made more than 30 days in advance, and there’s a 15% youth discount to make your travels as cheap as possible. Place your Clink Hostels booking as far in advance as possible to get the best price, and don’t forget to check if you’re eligible for the youth discount or the free breakfast. We’ve got the scoop on all the best Clink Hostels promo codes available now, so you’ll never miss out on a great deal if you keep our page bookmarked. Travelling around Europe doesn’t have to cost the earth if you let Groupon help you out!
gocompare listed on couponmatrix.ukCompare all of your insurance needs in one place with Go.Compare. It’s free to use and completely independent, making it super easy to find the right policy at the right price. Compare car and home insurance, energy tariffs, life insurance and more—and make the most of our Go.Compare offers to save even more on the products you’re searching! Go.Compare saves you time and money, giving you more to spend on the fun things.
the-gym-king listed on couponmatrix.ukGym King is your go-to for super stylish athleisure wear. From super comfy tracksuits to form-fitting leggings, girls and guys alike will love these looks! Make the most of a Gym King discount code to cut the cost of your next haul - whether you’re hitting the gym, heading out for brunch or planning a big night in, there’s no reason you can’t look great doing it! Gym King clothing is the perfect combination of flattering and comfy - check out the range today for a wardrobe update.
jo-malone-london listed on couponmatrix.ukThose looking to expand their sensory horizons won’t find more opulent scents to sample than at Jo Malone London. A leading provider of perfumes for over 30 years, Jo Malone has refined smells for hundreds of happy customers. Take the leap and discover a fragrance you never knew you needed for less with a Jo Malone discount code from Groupon, then you’ll have both the scent and the savings for whatever your weekend brings you.
thermae-bath-spa listed on couponmatrix.ukRelax and enjoy the pinnacle of human pampering and comfort with Thermae Bath Spa. As the only source of natural thermal waters in the UK, Thermae Bath Spa is a treat for the senses and gives your body the deep relaxation and attention it deserves. With our Thermae Bath Spa offers you can enjoy treating your body for less. The spa has been used since Roman times, and the cleansing waters continue to benefit us to this day. Whether you want to soak your muscles in the pools, detox your pores in the sauna, or have a massage, Thermae Bath Spa is the perfect place to chill out.