Several hotel loyalty applications supply a worthwhile perk to pick vacationers: a fourth or fifth night free on award stays. But, a few of the greatest hotel bank cards additionally supply free night certificates to cardmembers. In specific, a few of the greatest hotel bank cards supply an annual free night.
As such, vacationers typically ponder whether you can solely get a fourth or fifth night free when redeeming solely points. We typically get requested whether or not you can use a combination of points and free night certificates when getting a fourth or fifth night free. So, on this information, I’ll reply this query for three common loyalty applications that provide a fourth or fifth night free on award stays.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy affords a “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk that enables you to get a complimentary night when you redeem Marriott points for 5 consecutive nights. In specific, when you redeem points for a customary redemption or PointSavers award keep underneath one reservation, you’ll solely have to redeem points for 4 nights. You will not get the fifth night free, although. Instead, you will not have to pay for the bottom level redemption night inside your keep.
However, the Marriott Bonvoy phrases and circumstances be aware:
Stay for 5, Pay for 4 Offer doesn’t apply to Award Redemption Stays utilizing Free Night Awards, Premium Room Redemption Awards, Cash + Points Awards, and Nightly Upgrade Awards.
So, you cannot use the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk until you redeem points for 5 nights. Here’s an instance the place redeeming an as much as 35,000-point free night award would solely present 4,500 points of worth. After all, you’d have to redeem 81,000 points for your keep if you use the free night award or 85,500 points if you use the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk as a substitute of your free night award.
However, you can get the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk and redeem bank card free night award certificates on the identical keep if you redeem points for not less than 5 nights. For instance, contemplate this pattern six-night keep:
Redeeming a free night award on a six-night award keep might present good worth. After all, between the certificates and the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk, you’d get two of your six nights free. You can earn free night awards in a number of methods, together with by way of choose Marriott Bonvoy playing cards and Marriott Choice Benefits.
Related: 5 methods to maximise Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions
IHG One Rewards
Several IHG bank 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 ebook a customary room reward night keep of 4 or extra consecutive nights on the identical property. Using this perk, you’ll pay the award night charge for the primary three nights and zero points for the fourth night.
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I’ve saved a ton of IHG One Rewards points due to the fourth-night-free reward perk, and I’ve gotten a lot of worth from IHG anniversary night certificates. But, sadly, you cannot use these perks collectively in the identical reservation. After all, IHG directs members with anniversary nights to:
Please ebook your Free Nights in their very own separate reservation transaction, one room at a time. To ebook extra paid nights, please create separate, extra reservations.
Meanwhile, 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 throughout the identical Reward Night level redemption room keep on the identical property. With this profit, eligible members will likely be charged the Reward Night level redemption charge for the primary 3 nights, and 0 points for the 4th night of the keep, as relevant.
If you wish to use an anniversary night and a fourth-night-free reward on the identical property, you should keep not less than 5 nights and ebook two separate reservations. After reserving, you might ask the hotel to hyperlink your reservations so you can keep in the identical room.
Related: How to maximise redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program
Hilton Honors
You can earn Hilton free night certificates with choose Hilton Honors bank cards. Plus, Hilton Honors elite members get each fifth night free on customary room reward stays of 5 or extra consecutive nights (as much as 4 instances per keep).
The Hilton Honors phrases and circumstances be aware that the fifth-night free perk is simply obtainable “within the same full Points Standard Room Reward stay at the same property, up to 20 nights, when confirmed at time of booking.” As such, you’ll have to ebook consecutive reservations and keep for not less than six nights if you wish to use a free night certificates and obtain the fifth night free on reward stays perk.
Related: 7 nice methods to make use of 100,000 Hilton Honors points and a free night reward
Bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards do not permit members to mix hotel points and free night certificates to get a fourth or fifth night free, however Marriott Bonvoy will let you ebook a keep utilizing a mixture of points, money and certificates. You might also have the ability to lengthen your fourth- or fifth-night-free award reserving by reserving a separate one-night stick with a free night certificates on both finish of your Hilton Honors or IHG One Rewards keep.