Hotel credit cards

Find and compare the best hotel rewards credit cards that offer you the biggest savings and the finest rewards.

By Verified by David Boyd   |   Updated 24 Oct 2024

Comparing of 6 hotel credit cards

Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card (Altitude)

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

20.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

45 days

Annual fee

$150.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Earn up to 150,000 bonus Altitude Points. Receive 100,000 Altitude bonus points by spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within 120 days of card approval. Additionally, get 50,000 points after your first eligible purchase in year 2. Exclusions apply.
  • Initial $150 p.a. annual fee ($295 p.a. thereafter), applicable to new cardholders only.
  • Earn 6 Altitude points per $1 on Qantas, Jetstar, Singapore Airlines, and Emirates flights bought in Australia, subject to eligibility criteria.

Pros

  • Earn up to 150,000 bonus Altitude Points when you meet the criteria.
  • Additional savings with the $150 first-year annual fee ($295 p.a. thereafter).
  • Earn 1.25 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases
  • Get 2 complimentary lounge passes each year with Priority Pass.

Cons

  • The high annual fee of $295 p.a. after the initial year.
Qantas Premier Platinum Credit Card

Balance transfer

12 months at 0% p.a.

Purchase rate

19.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$349.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Earn up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points. Receive 70,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases within 3 months from card approval. Plus an additional 30,000 bonus points if you have not earned Qantas Points with a credit card in the last 12 months. Terms and Conditions apply.
  • Enjoy 0% on Balance Transfer for 12 months with no Balance Transfer fee. Reverts to Cash Advance rate, thereafter. No interest-free days apply on retail purchases while you have a balance transfer.
  • Save with the reduced annual fee of $349 p.a. for the first year. An ongoing annual fee of $399 p.a. applies in the 2nd year.

Pros

  • Earn up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points when you meet the criteria.
  • 0% p.a. for 12 months on balance transfers.
  • Additional savings with the $349 first-year annual fee.
  • Comes with complimentary travel insurance.

Cons

  • The annual fee increases to $399 p.a. after the initial year.
St.George Amplify Platinum Credit Card (Amplify)

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

20.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$49.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Earn 100,000 bonus Amplify Points upon spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days from card approval, potentially valued at up to $450 in eGift cards. Exclusions apply.
  • Enjoy a discounted annual fee of $49 p.a. for the first year ($124 p.a. annual fee thereafter).
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.

Pros

  • The 100,000 bonus Amplify Points.
  • Earn uncapped Amplify Points per dollar on eligible purchases.
  • Comes with complimentary insurance (terms, conditions, exclusions, and eligibility criteria apply).
  • Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Cons

  • There is promotional balance transfer offer at the moment.
Bank of Melbourne Amplify Platinum Credit Card (Amplify)

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

20.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$49.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Earn 100,000 bonus Amplify Points upon spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days from card approval, potentially valued at up to $450 in eGift cards. Exclusions apply.
  • Enjoy a discounted annual fee of $49 p.a. for the first year ($124 p.a. annual fee thereafter).
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.

Pros

  • The 100,000 bonus Amplify Points.
  • Earn uncapped Amplify Points per dollar on eligible purchases.
  • Comes with complimentary insurance (terms, conditions, exclusions, and eligibility criteria apply).
  • Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Cons

  • There is promotional balance transfer offer at the moment.
BankSA Amplify Platinum Credit Card (Amplify)

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

20.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$49.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Earn 100,000 bonus Amplify Points upon spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days from card approval, potentially valued at up to $450 in eGift cards. Exclusions apply.
  • Enjoy a discounted annual fee of $49 p.a. for the first year ($124 p.a. annual fee thereafter).
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.

Pros

  • The 100,000 bonus Amplify Points.
  • Earn uncapped Amplify Points per dollar on eligible purchases.
  • Comes with complimentary insurance (terms, conditions, exclusions, and eligibility criteria apply).
  • Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Cons

  • There is promotional balance transfer offer at the moment.
Commonwealth Bank Awards Credit Card

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

20.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$96.00 p.a. ongoing

Highlights

  • Accrue 1 Awards point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases, capped at $2,000 within a statement period.
  • Accumulated points remain valid indefinitely.
  • No extra cardholder fee is required.

Pros

  • Includes Complimentary Purchase Security and Extended Warranty insurance.
  • Enjoy up to 55 interest-free days on purchases.
  • Monthly fee is $8.

Cons

  • Relatively high purchase interest rate and cash advance interest rate.

If you travel for business or can afford to holiday often, then getting a credit card with hotel rewards may be a good option for you to consider.

How hotel credit cards work

There are many credit cards available from Australian banks that are linked with one of the major frequent flyer or bank reward programs, such as Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer, and Membership Rewards. These rewards programs allow you to redeem your points as hotel vouchers or hotel gift cards. You can then use these vouchers to cut the cost of your hotel stay, along with a wide variety of other travel rewards, retail products and many other services.

How and where you can redeem points for hotels depends on the rewards program.

  • Membership Rewards. Choose to transfer points to a hotel rewards program or use them to pay for a booking with American Express Travel.
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer. Use your points to book stays at chain or independently-owned hotels and serviced accommodation in cities big and small worldwide. Booking hotel stays can provide excellent value for your Qantas Points.
  • Velocity Frequent Flyer. Velocity Points can be used to stay at hotels around the world, with hundreds of thousands to choose from.

How to compare credit cards that earn hotel points

Study all the features of a hotel credit card before applying to make sure that the package offers real value for money.

  • Earn rate. You can get an idea for how many points would be required for a stay to get an idea of how much spend you'd need to put through a card for a night. Don't forget to consider any conversion rate if transferring to the hotel's own program.
  • Sign up bonus. Depending on where you want to stay, triggering a large sign up bonus can be enough to cover part or all of a stay.
  • Additional benefits. Check for perks such as concierge services, room upgrades, free entry to spa and gym facilities, restaurant discounts, airport lounge passes, and travel insurance.
  • Annual fees. Most hotel credit cards feature a high annual fee, with the most prestigious platinum cards attracting a significantly larger fee than other cards. Make sure the annual fee is affordable and comes with extra perks you can use.
  • Purchase interest rate. You should always aim to clear the balance on your account every month, but if you have an ongoing debt, it will start attracting interest. The purchase rate should be low enough so that if you carry over a balance to the next month, the interest doesn’t nullify the scheme’s benefits. Sometimes you can apply for a card with a promotional offer, such as 0% interest on purchases for a few months. Just make sure you know what the promotional rate will revert to – the deal may not be as good as you initially thought if it reverts to 20% or more.
  • Terms and conditions. Most hotel rewards programs have extensive rules and regulations regarding how points are earned, redeemed and capped. For example, points may expire and your membership be terminated if you do not earn or redeem points for a certain period of time.

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