Get Cash Or Airline Miles For Your Hotel Stays

Everyone in the points and miles world wants to get more back on every travel purchase.

Did you know that you can get cash back or airline miles for your paid hotel stays?

Use an online shopping portal to book your hotel stay and get cash/points.

In general, it will be between 1-10% back, though the average is more like 1-5%.

You get 1-5% for credit card rewards too, so this is useful.

Be warned that Hilton offers the lowest rates to elites at 1% back though.

If you are not an elite, you will get higher than that though at Hilton.

Marriott will usually offer at least 3%.

IHG, Choice, and the others will offer higher at times.

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Even at 1%, who turns down free money?

When you stack this cashback/miles with other things like an Amex offer, you can save at least 20% (if not more) on your hotel stay.

Read later in this post to find out other things that can be stacked.

What Are Cashback /Airline Mile Shopping Portals?

Shopping portals are middle men that allow you to get cash, airline miles, or credit card points on your online shopping.

Basically, if you shop online and are not using a shopping portal, you are leaving money on the table.

Shopping portals receive commission from merchants like Macys, Amazon, etc.

They share this commission with you.

You should be using these portals for not only hotel and other travel purchases, but all your online shopping again.

There are three types of portals:

• cashback
• airline
• credit card

You can do the math on which portal is best to use.

Keep in mind that airline miles and credit card points are worth more than the 1 cent you get with cashback portals.

A lot of cashback sites offer more for hotels than airline portals though.

Some airline portals do not partner with hotels at all for every brand.

Use Credit Monitor to find the best rate and find out whether your airline portal is offering miles for the hotel you want.

Credit Monitor is a aggregator site that lists rates from most cashback, airline, and credit card portals.

They won’t list something like Ibotta though (which can offer higher rates at hotels at times).

For a lot of hotel chains, except for Rakuten (which can be transferred to American Express points), cash back will be the better or only option.

Many People Overlook Getting Cash Back For Hotels And Travel

Many people get cashback/miles/points on their other online purchases, but neglect travel purchases.

They get credit card rewards for their travel purchases, but forget about cashback portals.

Since these purchases must be made online, you definitely should earn cash/miles for your travel purchases.

Travel purchases include car rentals, online travel agencies, airlines, etc.

I think airline purchases are harder to get cash back on though.

Unlike other online purchases, you will not get paid immediately for hotel purchases.

You receive your money after your stay.

Allow a couple weeks..

I have been using these portals on my hotel stays this year and will discuss my experiences at two hotel chains: Hilton and Marriott.

I took the measly 1% from Hilton because their promotion benefited me at the beginning of the year.

I did only overnight stays then.

Overnight road trips allow me to hit different cities frequently without spending a lot of money.

In terms of road trips, the overnight trip is my favorite type of road trip.

You spend less and still can see a lot of things again.

Most places that you can do a road trip to are not that far (otherwise you would need to book a flight).

Soon, I plan to travel every week, whether road trip or flying.

I like my domestic flights to be 2 day trips for the same reason.

Using an online shopping portal to book Hilton Hotels, my experience

I got cash back on my Hilton stays this year though Be Frugal.

Be Frugal is my main portal.

It was TopCashback, but I kept having problems with their tracking.

Most people have no problems with TopCashback.

I think it is just me.

Hilton only gives you 1% back as an elite again.

I have been Hilton Gold for 5 years (only in the point’s hobby that long).

I am going for Diamond status this year because I only need 15 stays.

I am not far from that now, but if all else fails, I will just get the Aspire card.

The American Express Hilton Aspire credit card gives automatic Diamond status.

My mom had knee surgery this summer, so I lost some time.

She is fully recovered and back at work now.

She will be traveling with me in the future.

She is excited.

I will be happy to take her places though I know she is afraid of flying.

I think she will be ok on flights.

She just has to get used to it.

I don’t think she will be an AvGeek like me though.

Using an online shopping portal to book Marriott Hotels, my experience

I got 3% back on my one Marriott stay this year.

Marriott will generally give that much.

Because my mom had knee surgery, I had only one Marriott stay again this year though I expect more by the end of the year.

I hope to go for Marriott Platinum status by then.

The rumor is that the $450 Amex Marriott Brilliant card will increase in fee and include Marriott Platinum status.

If not, I may just get the card and take Marriott Gold status.

I don’t work too hard for hotel elite status as you can see.

Why would you when you can just get a credit card?

1-2% May Seem Small, But After Stacking You Can Save At Least 20%

One to three percent may seem small, but this can add to your other online shopping money/miles/points.

This does add up fast.

Next thing, you have built up $50-$100 over time.

I don’t turn down free money or points or miles again.

This can save you at least 20% when you stack.

Things To Stack With Hotel cashback/mile’s portals:

• Amex/Chase/Citi offers
• Hotel loyalty points
• Hotel promotions
• Credit card points

So with Hilton’s current promotions, if you spent $250 at a Hilton hotel and used the Aspire card, you would earn the following

• 10 base Hilton points, 2500 Hilton points
• 10 elites points, 2500 Hilton points
• triple points using Aspire card, 5000 points
• 14 points with Aspire card 2500 points
• Total:12,500 Hilton points

Hilton points are worth .5, so that was $65

Then, if you used an Amex offer to get $50 off $250 purchase, you would save $50.

These Amex offers for Hilton come up frequently.

Then, you got 1% back at Be Frugal.

That is $115 off your $250 hotel or 46% back.

That was more than our average 25% with stacking.

In terms of the 1% back for the hotel, this may seem small but with your other cashback, it adds up.

Again, credit card rewards for hotel purchases are only between 1-5% too.

Again, Hilton offers lower than other chains if you are elite too.

Why This Does Not Take Any Time

Hotels will only give 1-5% back.

You may think this could be a waste of time.

This only took me minutes in a hotel parking lot just before check-in.

The last couple of stays, I clicked through in a hotel parking lot.

I like booking last minute travel.

I find waking up not knowing where I will be going fun.

So, as I pulled up to each Hilton and Marriott hotel, I booked through Be Frugal.

This took less than a minute in a hotel parking lot, so you will lose nothing in terms of time.

Again, most cashback will be little, and you will need to let it build up anyway.

Summary

I don’t make an online purchase without using a cashback/airline portal.

So, naturally I don’t make hotel purchases without getting cashback.

As you can see, if you have Hilton elite status at 1% back, they are the least profitable.

I have been profiting from other things from Hilton, so I had more Hilton stays at the beginning of the year.

Marriott and IHG will give you 3% or higher back.

Of course, Marriott did not even have a summer promotion this year though.

My preferred chains are still both Marriott and Hilton though.

I plan to add more Hyatts too.

I am usually half and half with both chains and a minority of IHG stays.

In any case, even 1% would not be turned down when it takes me seconds to go through a shopping portal in a hotel parking lot.

You usually only get 1-3% back on travel credit cards again, and no one turns that down.

I also get cash back on other travel purchases like car rentals.

This year, the Hilton/Enterprise promotion was more lucrative.

Keep in mind, my preferred chains are Hilton and Marriott again, but if you stay at Choice and Best Western, you can get more cash back than my measly 1% at Hilton.

Again, Hilton is the worst chain in terms of cash back if you are an elite.

You will not get credited for your hotel purchase until after your stay (usually 6 weeks).

Have you used any portals to get cash back/mies/points for hotel stays?