Don’t Let Your Hotel Card’s Free Anniversary Night Go to Waste!
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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.Million Mile Secrets reader, W, commented:
Is there an expiration date for the free weekend anniversary night you get with the limited-time AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass offer?
The free weekend night you earn with the current Hilton Honors™ Surpass® Card from American Express offer must be redeemed for stays within 12 months after the date it’s issued.
This expiration policy is similar for other hotel cards with a free anniversary night, like the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card and Chase Hyatt.
So to make the most of the free night benefit, it’s important to book a stay before it expires. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on an opportunity to save money!
I’ll share some tips for using your card’s free anniversary night!
Free Hotel Night on Your Card Anniversary
Link: American Express Hilton Honors Surpass
Link: My Review of the Limited-Time AMEX Hilton Surpass Offer
Link: Hotel Cards With the Most Valuable Free Nights on Your Card Anniversary
There are a few cards that offer a free hotel night on your card anniversary, including:
- Chase Hyatt
- IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card
- Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Marriott Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
And recently, AMEX added a free night perk to the limited-time offer for the AMEX Hilton Surpass card.
In addition to the best-ever sign-up bonus, folks who apply for the AMEX Hilton Surpass card by May 31, 2017, will get a free weekend night certificate after the first anniversary date of card approval.
Note: The free weekend night is NOT available for existing cardholders. And remember AMEX only allows folks to earn the sign-up bonus for each card once per lifetime.Unlike the Chase hotel cards which offer a free night every anniversary, the free weekend night certificate with the AMEX Hilton Surpass card is only available after your first cardmember anniversary.
With these hotel cards, the value of the free anniversary night can easily offset the card’s annual fee. So I recommend keeping these cards open. Because paying the annual fee can save you money on a hotel stay!
Hotel Card Free Night Expiration
Link: How to Book Hotels for Others Using Your Points
The terms & conditions for using the free anniversary night is similar for most hotel cards.
You’ll typically earn the free night after your account has been open for a year. This means you’ll have to pay the card’s annual fee to get the benefit. Other terms include:
- Valid for 1 night in a standard room
- Must be redeemed for a stay within 12 months of issuance
Each card has slightly different rules for redeeming your anniversary night. For example, you can use the free anniversary night with the Chase Hyatt card at any Category 1 to 4 Hyatt hotel. And you can use it whenever an award room is open.
But the free night certificate with the AMEX Hilton Surpass card is only valid for weekend days. And there’s a list of excluded hotels you can’t book.
Keep in mind, with certain hotel cards, it’s possible to redeem the free night beyond the expiration date.
For example, team member Keith has the Chase IHG card. His free anniversary night expires in May 2017. But he was able to book a free night for an upcoming stay in September 2017 at the InterContinental Wellington in New Zealand.
The free night perk with all eligible hotel cards is use it or lose it. So if you don’t think you’ll make use of your free anniversary night before the expiration, consider booking a stay for friends or family.
Bottom Line
The limited-time AMEX Hilton Surpass offer includes a free weekend night certificate after your first cardmember anniversary.
But you must redeem the certificate for stays within 12 months after the date it’s issued. This is a similar rule for other hotel cards with free anniversary nights like the Chase IHG and Chase Marriott.
Hotel cards with a free anniversary night typically make paying the annual fee a no-brainer. Because you can more than make up for the fee with the value of an award night.Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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