The Must-Have Travel Points Credit Cards

Starwood Preferred Guest

The Starwood Preferred Guest is a hotel card, but it offers a lot of additional perks that  go beyond hotels. After being acquired by Marriott, SPG points can also transfer to redeem for any Marriott product at a 1:3 ratio.

Pros of Starwood Preferred Guest:

• Can transfer SPG points to several frequent flyer programs on a 1:1 ratio
• Transferring 20,000 SPG points to a participating frequent flyer program automatically earns a bonus of 5,000 points
• Huge portfolio of Starwood and Marriott portfolio of hotels
• Fifth night free when booking with SPG points for a 5-night stay
• $95 annual fee is waived for the first year

Cons of Starwood Preferred Guest:

• There are few cons with this card, and it is one of the most recommended cards for any points traveler.

Apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card here.

Marriott Rewards

The Marriott Rewards card probably wouldn’t have made the list if it weren’t for Marriott’s acquisition of the SPG brand. Because of this, Marriott points can transfer to SPG at a ratio of 3:1, which doesn’t look great but is actually pretty fair.

Chase offers a sign-up bonus of 80,000 Marriott points if you make $3,000 worth of purchases in the first three months.

Pros of Marriott Rewards:

• Can transfer to SPG at a 3:1 ratio
• Huge portfolio of Starwood and Marriott portfolio of hotels
• Fifth night free when booking with Marriott points for a 5-night stay
• Low annual fee of $85
• Every anniversary of having the card earns 1 complimentary night at a category 1-5 Marriott property

Cons of Marriott Rewards:

• It’s a relatively lackluster card but it makes the list because of the SPG-Marriott merger.
• First year’s annual fee usually not waived

Apply for the Marriott Rewards credit card here.