Best Credit Cards to Make Your Hotel Bookings 2024

Frequent travellers often seek luxurious benefits such as discounted hotel bookings, complimentary tickets, accelerated reward points, concierge services etc. We've created a list of credit cards that provide such benefits through memberships to loyalty programs at top hotels in India and abroad. These credit cards offer discounts and other offers on hotel stays, making your travels more affordable and comfortable.

Top Cards for Hotel Bookings 2024

If you are looking for the best credit card for hotel booking in India or a credit card with a free hotel stay, read below. 

Best Cards for Hotel Bookings with Key Details

Here are some attractive features of the best hotel booking cards mentioned in the table above:

SBI Elite Credit Card

SBI Elite credit card is a mid-range lifestyle credit card that offers the best of almost everything. It is useful to make hotel bookings and when you are travelling abroad.

Hotel benefits: 

• Welcome benefit: e-Gift vouchers worth Rs. 5,000 from Yatra, Aditya Birla Fashion, Hush Puppies/Bata, Pantaloons, or Shoppers Stop.
• Complimentary Trident Privilege Red Tier membership: Get exclusive 1,000 Welcome Points on registration, 1,500 Bonus Points on your first stay & additional Rs. 1,000 hotel credit on an extended night stay, by using Promo code SBITH.

Other benefits: 

• Welcome benefit: e-Gift vouchers worth Rs. 5,000 from Yatra, Aditya Birla Fashion, Hush Puppies/Bata, Pantaloons, or Shoppers Stop.
• Movie tickets: Free movie tickets worth Rs. 6,000 every year.
• Reward points: 5x reward points on dining, departmental stores & grocery spends and 2 reward points on spending every Rs. 100. 
• Milestone benefits: Up to 50,000 bonus reward points (worth Rs. 12,500) per year. 10,000 bonus reward points on achieving annual spends of Rs. 3 Lakhs & 4 Lakhs.
• Lounge access: 8 complimentary domestic & 6 international lounge access a year (up to 2 per quarter).
• Complimentary Club Vistara Silver membership: Get 1 complimentary Upgrade Voucher and earn 9 Club Vistara Points for spending every Rs. 100 on Vistara flights.
• Lowest forex markup fee: 1.99% forex markup fee on International usage with 2 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on international transactions.
• Exclusive concierge service.
• Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% (maximum Rs. 250 per month, per statement cycle) waiver across all petrol pumps. 

Fees: 

• Joining fee: Rs. 4,999 + taxes.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 4,999 + taxes.

HDFC Bank Diners Club Black Credit Card

This card is not only suitable for booking hotel stays but for earning reward points and airport lounge access as well.

Hotel benefits:

• Memberships: Complimentary annual memberships of Club Marriott and MMT BLACK on spending Rs. 1,50,000 or more in the first 90 days of card issuance.
• Book hotels/ flight tickets across 150+ airlines & choice of hotels (domestic & international) at https://offers.smartbuy.hdfcbank.com/diners.

Other benefits: 

• Memberships: Complimentary annual membership of Forbes, Times Prime, Amazon Prime, and Swiggy One (3 Months) on spending Rs. 1,50,000 or more in the first 90 days of card issuance.
• Vouchers: Complimentary Ola cabs/ cult.fit Live/ BookMyShow/ TataCliQ vouchers on spends of more than Rs. 80,000 every month.
• Reward points: 5 reward points for every Rs. 150 spent, up to 10x reward points via SmartBuy & 2X on weekend dining.
• Golf privileges: Complimentary golf games across the finest courses in the world (6 per quarter).
• Lowest forex markup fee: 2% forex markup fee on all your foreign currency spends.
• Lounge access: Unlimited access to 1000+ airport lounges in India & worldwide for primary as well as add-on card members. 
• Exclusive 24x7 concierge services. 
• Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% (maximum Rs. 1,000 per statement cycle) waiver across all fuel stations in India.
• Milestone benefits: Select any 2 benefits amongst cult.fit Live 1-month membership, BookMyShow, TataCLiQ or Ola cabs vouchers worth Rs. 500 every month on spends of Rs. 80,000.
• Air accident insurance cover: Rs. 2 Crores.
• Emergency overseas hospitalisation: Rs. 50 Lakhs.
• Travel insurance cover: Up to Rs. 55,000 on baggage delay.
• Credit liability cover: Rs. 9 Lakhs.
• Good Food Trail program: Up to 25% off on all your restaurant bill payments via Swiggy Dineout.

Fees: 

• Joining fee: Rs. 10,000 + applicable taxes.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 10,000 + applicable taxes.

Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card

This card is best suited for people who are looking for attractive benefits on hotel stays, air travel and healthcare services. You can also choose your welcome benefit voucher from a Luxe gift card, The Postcard Hotels gift voucher or Yatra gift voucher worth Rs. 12,500 on card activation. 

Hotel benefits: 

• Welcome benefit: Choose from a Luxe gift card, The Postcard Hotels gift voucher or a Yatra gift voucher worth Rs. 12,500.
• Hotel discounts: Up to 15% off on international and domestic Oberoi and Trident Hotels.

Other benefits: 

• Reward points: 5x reward points on spends via Travel reward points, 12 eDGE reward points per Rs. 200 on spends of up to Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and 35 eDGE reward points per Rs. 200 on incremental spends above Rs. 1.50 Lakhs. Earn 2 partner miles for every 5 eDGE reward points. 
• Reduced forex markup fee: 2% forex markup fee on foreign transactions.
• Lounge access: Unlimited visits to select airport lounges in India, unlimited complimentary international airport lounge visits, and 8 additional guest visits per year with a Priority Pass card.
• Movie offer: Buy 1 movie/non-movie ticket and get up to Rs. 500 on the second one.
• Dining: Up to 40% discount at 4,000+ restaurants in India. 
• Exclusive 24x7 concierge services. 
• Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% (maximum Rs. 400 per month) waiver across all fuel stations in India.
• Airport concierge service: 8 complimentary Airport Meet & Greet Services for easy airport check-in. 
• Medical concierge program: Virtual health assistance such as teleconsultation, health coaching, personalised oncology care, home quarantine programs, etc. 
• Second medical opinion: Expert medical opinion from a panel of world-class specialists of leading institutions. 
• Preventive healthcare: Special preventive healthcare packages and a range of privileges with Dr. Lal Path Lab, SRL Diagnostics, and Metropolis.

Fees: 

• Joining fee: Rs. 12,500 + applicable taxes.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 12,500 + applicable taxes. Waived on spending Rs. 25 Lakhs in the preceding year.

American Express® Platinum Travel Credit Card

American Express Platinum Travel credit card offers a Taj Experiences E-Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 from the Taj, SeleQtions and Vivanta Hotel. You also get bonus membership rewards points on surpassing pre-defined milestones in a calendar year and additional rewards during card membership.

Hotel benefits: 

• Travel vouchers: Spend Rs. 1.90 Lakhs in a card membership year & get a Flipkart voucher or travel benefits on Amex Travel Online (ATO) worth Rs. 4,500.
• Additional travel vouchers: Spend Rs. 4 Lakhs in a card membership year & additionally get a Flipkart voucher or Travel benefits on ATO worth Rs. 7,500.
• Taj Experiences E-Gift Card: Get a Taj Experiences E-Gift Card worth Rs. 10,000 from the Taj, SeleQtions & Vivanta Hotels.
• Hotel vouchers: Spend Rs. 4 Lakhs in a card membership year & get a Taj Stay voucher worth Rs. 10,000 from Taj, SeleQtions & Vivanta Hotels. 

Other benefits: 

• Reward points: 1 Membership Rewards® Point for spending every Rs. 50 (except for spends on Fuel, Insurance, Utilities, Cash Transactions & EMI conversion at the Point of Sale). 
• Welcome gift: 10,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for a Flipkart voucher or Pay with Points option in ATO worth Rs. 3,000.
• Milestone benefit: On spending Rs. 1.90 Lakhs in a year, earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for a Flipkart voucher or Pay with Points option in ATO worth Rs. 4,500. On spending Rs. 4 Lakhs in a year, earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points redeemable for a Flipkart voucher or Pay with Points option in ATO worth Rs. 7,500. 
• Lounge access: 8 complimentary visits per year (limited to 2 complimentary visits per quarter) to airport lounges across India.
• Dining: Up to 20% discount on dining at select restaurants. 
• Fuel convenience fee waiver: 0% fuel convenience fee on fueling up at HPCL.

Fees: 

• Joining fee: Rs. 3,500 + applicable taxes.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 5,000 + applicable taxes. 

Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card

This credit card comes with premium travel and lifestyle benefits including exclusive discounts on booking hotels and flights. Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip credit card also provides the privilege of complimentary access to airport lounges in India, as well as abroad.

Hotel benefits: 

• Hotel booking discounts: Flat 20% instant discount on domestic & international hotel bookings (maximum Rs. 5,000 & Rs. 10,000 respectively).
• Reward points:10x rewards on spending every Rs. 100 for booking tickets at standalone hotel websites/apps/outlets

Other benefits: 

• Travel booking discounts: Flat 10% off on domestic & international flight bookings (maximum Rs. 1,000 & Rs. 5,000 respectively), and Rs. 125 off on bus ticket bookings (on minimum ticket booking of Rs. 500).
• Reward points: 10x rewards for spending every Rs. 100 for booking tickets at airline websites/apps/outlets, and 2x reward points for spending every Rs. 100 on all other retail categories. 
• Lounge access: 1 domestic lounge access per calendar quarter & 2 international lounge access per year.

Fees: 

• Joining fee: Rs. 350 + GST.
• Renewal fee: Rs. 350 + GST. Reversed on spending more than or equal to Rs. 50,000 in the preceding year.

Benefits of Using Credit Cards for Hotel Bookings

1. Rewards points: Credit cards offer rewards points or cashback for hotel bookings, which can be redeemed for free stays, upgrades, and other benefits.
2. Exclusive discounts: Credit card issuers partner with hotels to offer exclusive discounts and deals to their cardholders, helping you save money on your stay.
3. Travel insurance: Some credit cards offer travel insurance that covers things like trip cancellations, lost or delayed luggage, and medical emergencies, providing peace of mind while travelling.
4. EMI options: Many credit cards offer the option to convert large hotel expenses into EMIs at a lower interest rate, making it easier to manage expenses and avoid high-interest debt.
5. Contactless payments: With contactless payment options, you can pay for your hotel booking without touching cash or a payment terminal, reducing the risk of transmission during the ongoing pandemic.

Top Credit Cards Offering Complimentary Flight Tickets

Credit cards can be incredibly useful for earning free flight tickets. By strategically using your credit card to cover your monthly expenses and taking advantage of the various offers and rewards programs available, you can earn enough points or miles to redeem for free flights. It's all about making the most of the benefits offered by your credit card and using them to your advantage. Below are the credit cards that offer flight tickets to you either complimentary or on a reward points redemption basis.