A number of hotel loyalty programs supply a invaluable perk to pick out vacationers: a fourth or fifth night free on award stays. However, a few of the best hotel credit cards additionally supply free night time certificates to cardmembers. Specifically, a few of the best hotel credit cards offer an annual free night.
As such, vacationers usually wonder if you possibly can solely get a fourth or fifth night time free when redeeming solely factors. We frequently get requested whether or not you should use a combination of factors and free night time certificates when getting a fourth or fifth night time free. So, on this information, I will reply this query for 3 common loyalty applications that supply a fourth or fifth night time free on award stays.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy gives a “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk that permits you to get a complimentary night time if you redeem Marriott points for 5 consecutive nights. Specifically, if you redeem factors for the standard redemption or PointSavers award keep beneath one reservation, you may solely must redeem factors for 4 nights. You will not get the fifth night time free, although. As a substitute, you will not must pay for the bottom level redemption night time inside your keep.
Nevertheless, the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions notice:
Keep for five, Pay for 4 Supply doesn’t apply to Award Redemption Stays utilizing Free Evening Awards, Premium Room Redemption Awards, Money + Factors Awards, and Nightly Improve Awards.
So, you possibly can’t use the “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk except you redeem factors for 5 nights. This is an instance the place redeeming an as much as 35,000-point free night time award would solely present 4,500 factors of worth. In any case, you’d must redeem 81,000 factors in your keep for those who use the free night time award or 85,500 factors for those who use the “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk as an alternative of your free night time award.
Nevertheless, you will get the “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk and redeem bank card free night time award certificates on the identical keep for those who redeem factors for not less than 5 nights. For instance, contemplate this pattern six-night keep:
Redeeming a free night time award on a six-night award keep might present good worth. In any case, between the certificates and the “Keep for five, Pay for 4” perk, you’d get two of your six nights free. You possibly can earn free night time awards in a number of methods, together with by means of choose Marriott Bonvoy cards and Marriott Choice Benefits.
Associated: 5 ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions
IHG One Rewards
A number of IHG credit cards supply a fourth-night-free reward perk. Cardholders of eligible playing cards can use this perk every time they redeem IHG One Rewards points to e book an ordinary room reward night time keep of 4 or extra consecutive nights on the identical property. Utilizing this perk, you may pay the award night time charge for the primary three nights and nil factors for the fourth night time.
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I’ve saved a ton of IHG One Rewards factors because of the fourth-night-free reward perk, and I’ve gotten loads of worth from IHG anniversary night certificates. However, sadly, you possibly can’t use these perks collectively in the identical reservation. In any case, IHG directs members with anniversary nights to:
Please e book your Free Nights in their very own separate reservation transaction, one room at a time. To e book extra paid nights, please create separate, extra reservations.
In the meantime, the supply particulars of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card all state the next for the fourth-night-free reward:
Applies solely to 4 or extra consecutive nights inside the identical Reward Evening level redemption room keep on the identical property. With this profit, eligible members can be charged the Reward Evening level redemption charge for the primary 3 nights, and 0 factors for the 4th night time of the keep, as relevant.
If you wish to use an anniversary night time and a fourth-night-free reward on the identical property, it’s essential to keep not less than 5 nights and e book two separate reservations. After reserving, you could possibly ask the resort to hyperlink your reservations so you possibly can keep in the identical room.
Associated: How to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program
Hilton Honors
You possibly can earn Hilton free night certificates with choose Hilton Honors credit cards. Plus, Hilton Honors elite members get each fifth night time free on customary room reward stays of 5 or extra consecutive nights (as much as 4 occasions per keep).
The Hilton Honors terms and conditions notice that the fifth-night free perk is barely accessible “inside the identical full Factors Commonplace Room Reward keep on the identical property, as much as 20 nights, when confirmed at time of reserving.” As such, you may must e book consecutive reservations and keep for not less than six nights if you wish to use a free night time certificates and obtain the fifth night time free on reward stays perk.
Associated: 7 great ways to use 100,000 Hilton Honors points and a free night reward
Backside line
Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards do not enable members to combine resort factors and free night time certificates to get a fourth or fifth night time free, however Marriott Bonvoy will allow you to e book a keep utilizing a mix of factors, money and certificates. You might also be capable of lengthen your fourth- or fifth-night-free award reserving by reserving a separate one-night stick with a free night time certificates on both finish of your Hilton Honors or IHG One Rewards keep.