I write about credit cards a lot and I’m a notorious churner. I’m often asked whether it’s possible to combine hotel points and free night certificates to extend your complimentary stay. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll explain into the policies of three popular hotel loyalty programs and explain how you can maximize your value.

Marriott Bonvoy

Stay for 5, Pay for 4

Marriott Bonvoy offers the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk, providing a complimentary night when you redeem points for a five-night award stay. However, their terms and conditions state that this perk is not valid for award stays using free night awards.

Combining Points and Free Nights

While you can’t directly mix points and free night awards for the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk, you can still combine points, cash, and free night awards. For example, if you redeem points for five nights and apply a free night award to one of them, you’ll effectively get a discounted six-night stay.

IHG One Rewards

Fourth Night Free Reward

Several IHG One Rewards credit cards offer a “Fourth Night Free Reward.” Cardholders can utilize this perk to book a four-night stay on consecutive nights and redeem IHG One Rewards points for the first three nights while paying zero points for the fourth night.

Combination Restrictions

Unfortunately, you can’t use the fourth-night-free reward and anniversary night certificates together in the same reservation. This is because anniversary night certificates require members to book separate room nights for each certificate.

Workaround

To get around this limitation, you can consider booking two separate reservations: one for the fourth-night-free reward and another for the anniversary night certificate. Then, you can request the hotel to link your reservations, allowing you to stay in the same room throughout your stay.

Hilton Honors

Free Night Certificates and Fifth Night Free

Select Hilton Honors credit cards offer free night certificates. Additionally, elite members receive every fifth night free on standard room reward stays of five or more consecutive nights (up to four times per stay).

Combination Restrictions

Like Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards, Hilton Honors doesn’t allow combining free night certificates and the fifth-night-free perk. You’ll need to book consecutive reservations and stay for at least six nights to take advantage of both benefits.

Conclusion

While the three hotel loyalty programs don’t directly allow mixing hotel points and free night certificates for a fourth or fifth night free, there are workarounds you can explore. By strategically combining points, cash, and certificates, you can still extend your complimentary stay and maximize the value of your loyalty rewards. Remember to check the specific terms and conditions of each program before making your reservations.