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Issued by Wells Fargo, the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card may be a decent option for frequent travelers who find themselves booking a hotel room more often than not. With no annual fee and multiple welcome bonuses, there are a few good reasons to consider The Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card.
However, rewards can only be redeemed as hotel room bookings, and the point system is far less flexible than other credit cards. We would not recommend this as a primary credit card, though it may work as an addition to your wallet if you’re a frequent hotel stayer.
Quick Review
Like traditional credit cards, the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card lets you earn rewards through everyday purchases. Here’s what you can get:
- 1 reward night when you earn 10 Stamps
- 2 reward nights when you spend $1,000 in first 3 months
- 1 extra reward night when you spend $4,000 in first 6 months (limited time offer)
Reward nights earned through the welcome bonus cover up to $125 on a hotel room per night. However, any reward nights earned after the bonus ends are only worth $110. In 2022, the average hotel room rate in the US was $149.90. [STR] Therefore, you can expect the reward to only partially cover most hotel bookings.
The welcome bonus also comes with a $1,000 spending requirement and you need to spend at least $4,000 in your first 6 months to unlock the extra reward night. These spending requirements are already a little high, but they may be even more unrealistic if you aren’t using the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card as your primary credit card––which we wouldn’t recommend you do.
The Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card uses “stamps” instead of points to determine how much you’ve spent on the card. One stamp is worth $500 in purchases, and 10 Stamps can be redeemed for one reward night valued at $110.
These rewards can only be redeemed on verified Hotels.com hotel rooms, villas, resorts, etc. Luckily, they have over 500,000 properties on their website to choose from.
Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Important Details
Basic Card Details
- Credit card issuer: Wells Fargo
- Annual fee: $0
- Purchase APR: 18.74%–26.74% (variable)
- Initial credit limit: $1,000
- Rewards rate: 2.2%
- Welcome bonus: Up to $375 value
- Grace period: 25 days
Additional Information
- Automatic Silver status with Hotels.com
- Up to $600 cell phone protection
- Travel protection package
Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Feature Breakdown
Let’s break down the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card’s key features to help you determine if this is the right travel card for you.
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% (whichever is great)
- Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% for first 120 days, then $5 or 5% (whichever is greater)
- Late fee: Up to $40
- Foreign transaction fee: None
Interest Rates
- Purchase APR: 18.74%–26.74% (variable)
- Balance transfer APR: 18.74%–26.74% (variable)
- Cash advance APR: 27.74%
Depending on your creditworthiness, the purchase and balance transfer APR for this credit card could be very high. If you don’t have a history of paying off your credit cards on time, this could end up being a very expensive card to own, given the potential interest charges.
Rewards
The rewards for the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card are unique from other credit cards with more straightforward rewards rates. Every purchase you make inches you closer to earning another stamp, which can eventually be redeemed for reward nights. Here’s how it works:
- 1 stamp = $500 in purchases
- 10 Stamps = 1 reward night worth $110
This means you have to spend a whopping $5,000 to earn a $110 value reward. When you do the math, this comes out to 2.2% back on every purchase in rewards. While that’s comparable to other cashback cards on the market, the limited redemption opportunities make the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card less attractive.
Luckily, the $0 annual fee takes the pressure off spending up to a certain amount to make the card worth it.
Rewards Redemption
Rewards are redeemable at Hotels.com’s properties. While the website has over 500,000 hotel rooms, villas, and resorts to choose from, the rewards program is still relatively limited––especially for its high spending requirements.
Your reward stamps do not expire but stamp redemptions are nonrefundable, so choose your booking carefully!
Welcome Bonus
The welcome bonus for the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card offers newcomers the opportunity to receive up to three additional reward nights in the first 6 months. Here’s how it works:
- 2 reward nights when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
- 1 additional reward night when you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months
The welcome bonus has a value of $375, which isn’t very high for a $4,000 spending requirement. What’s more is the additional reward night offer is for a limited time only, so make sure the offer is still valid before applying for the card if the welcome bonus is a big factor in your decision.
Cash Advance
A cash advance is when you use your credit card to withdraw money from an ATM or money order. The cash advance APR for the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card is 27.74%, which is quite high.
These types of interest rates can accumulate quickly, so it’s best to only use the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card for card purchases. If you’re in need of cash, we recommend using your debit card instead.
Balance Transfers
Balance transfers involve transferring debt from one credit card to another. This can be helpful if you need to pay off a credit card’s debt quickly, but it requires finding the right card.
While the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card comes with an introductory balance transfer fee offer of $5 or 3% (whichever is greater) for your first 120 days, it doesn’t offer any balance transfer APR deals (like reduced APR or 0% APR for a certain number of months), making it a poor choice of balance transfer card.
Travel Benefits
The Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card is a travel-related credit card, so it’s no surprise that it comes with several travel benefits. Here’s what you can get:
- Silver membership perks on Hotel.com
- Roadside Dispatch® services
- Access to travel and emergency services assistance
- Trip cancellation and interruption protection
- Emergency cash advances and card replacements
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Travel accident insurance worth $150,000
- Cell phone protection for up to $600
- No foreign transaction fees
When you get the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card, you automatically receive a Silver membership for Hotels.com. This membership lets you enjoy perks like free breakfasts, free wifi, airport transfers, spa vouchers and other benefits at affiliated properties. Without the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card, you would have to collect 10-29 Stamps to qualify for the Silver membership on Hotels.com.
While these travel benefits are certainly helpful, they are rather lackluster compared to other travel credit cards on the market.
Other Benefits
There’s a notable lack of additional benefits with the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card. You earn the same amount back regardless of where you shop and how much you spend. This drawback significantly minimizes your saving opportunities, especially compared to cards that offer up to 5% rewards on category spending (like dining or gas).
Authorized Users
Authorized users are permitted on the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card. However, as the primary account holder, all stamps earned will be credited to your account in your name.
Additionally, you will be responsible for paying off all the card’s charges, so exercise caution when adding authorized users.
Credit Reporting
Wells Fargo reports to all three major credit bureaus. You can use the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card confidently knowing your credit report is being regularly and accurately updated.
Customer Service
If you want to speak to Wells Fargo directly regarding this card, you can do so with these numbers:
General Banking/Customer Service
(800) 869-3557
Wells Fargo Online®
(800) 956-4442
Should You Get the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa®?
FinanceJar verdict
This card isn’t at the top of our recommendation list, but it may be a nice addition for frequent Hotels.com users who want to earn some free nights. With few additional perks and no bonus rewards categories, you really have to work to save with the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card.
If you want a card with more flexible reward redemption options and additional benefits, consider looking at non-branded travel credit cards.
Who is this card for?
- High spenders focused on saving at hotels: Given that you have to speed $5,000 to earn just $110 back to spend on Hotels.com bookings, the spending requirements on the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card are quite high. This makes it ideal for people who use their credit card often or for large purchases that they can quickly pay off.
- People who love Hotels.com’s property selection: Hotels.com has over 500,000 properties on their website, which gives users many more location options to choose from compared to franchise-specific credit cards. If you’re a frequent patron of the booking site, free nights and Silver membership status may be worthwhile.
Comparable Cards
Here’s how the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® card compares to other hotel cards on the market.
