Erin Yurday
Author
ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.
The UK market for dedicated hotel-branded credit cards is significantly more limited than the US market. Several hotel credit cards that were once available in the UK (including IHG Rewards Club Premium, the Hilton HHonors Visa and the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex) have been withdrawn from the market. The one remaining dedicated hotel credit card is the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. For those who qualify, the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard also allows points to be transferred to hotel programmes.
This article covers what is currently available, and includes a brief history of cards that are no longer on the market.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Always make sure you can afford repayments before applying for any credit card.
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is currently the only dedicated hotel loyalty credit card available to new applicants in the UK. It earns points in Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty programme covering 37 hotel brands including Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton, Westin, W, Aloft, The Luxury Collection and St Regis. All in, it's a combined portfolio of around 9,000 properties worldwide.
The card earns 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 on general spending, and 6 points per £1 when paying for a stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. Points can be redeemed for hotel nights, airline miles (with more than 35 airline partners at a 3:1 conversion ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus when transferring 60,000 points), car hire and other rewards.
The annual fee is £95. The card comes with 15 Elite Night Credits on application and each January thereafter, which immediately confers Silver Elite status and makes Gold Elite status (normally requiring 25 nights) achievable with just 10 additional hotel nights in a year. Spending £15,000 in a card year upgrades the cardholder to Gold Elite status; spending £25,000 earns a free night voucher valid at hotels costing up to 25,000 points.
The standard welcome bonus is 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for spending £3,000 within the first three months (available to those who have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months). Enhanced offers run periodically, so always check the current bonus at americanexpress.com before applying.
American Express is not accepted at all UK retailers, so a Visa or Mastercard backup may be needed. A 2.99% foreign transaction fee applies, making the card less cost-effective for overseas spending. As with all rewards cards, the card only delivers value if the balance is cleared in full each month; carrying a balance will result in interest charges that outweigh any points earned.
Representative example: Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 at a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. (variable) and an annual fee of £95, the representative APR is 52.5% variable.
The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is not a dedicated hotel card, but allows points to be transferred to hotel loyalty programmes and is worth noting for those who qualify.
The card earns 3 HSBC reward points per £1 on sterling spending and 4 points per £1 on non-sterling spending. Each HSBC point converts to 0.5 airline miles or hotel points, giving an effective rate of 1.5 hotel points per £1 on UK spending and 2 hotel points per £1 abroad.
Points can be transferred to IHG One Rewards and Wyndham Rewards, among other airline and hotel schemes, all at a 2:1 ratio (2 HSBC points = 1 partner point or mile). Points have a three-year hard expiry from the date they are earned.
The annual fee is £290, and the card is only available to HSBC Premier current account holders. To qualify for HSBC Premier, applicants must have an individual annual income of at least £100,000 paid into an HSBC Premier account, or at least £100,000 in savings or investments with HSBC. The welcome bonus is 40,000 HSBC points (equivalent to 20,000 airline miles or hotel points) for spending £2,000 in the first 90 days.
Representative example: Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 at a purchase rate of 29.9% p.a. (variable) and an annual fee of £290, the representative APR is 100.2% variable.
Marriott Bonvoy launched two UK debit cards in November 2025, operated by Currensea. The standard card carries an annual fee of £55 and comes with 10 Elite Night Credits per year. Both carry a low 0.5% foreign transaction fee, compared to 2.99% on the Amex card. These are debit cards rather than credit cards, so no representative APR applies, but they are a useful complement or alternative for those who prefer not to use credit.
Several hotel credit cards were available in the UK in previous years but have since been withdrawn:
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express Card — available until the SPG programme merged with Marriott Bonvoy in 2018. The card was rebranded as the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and continues today in its current form. The original SPG card earned Starpoints at a rate of 3 per £1 on general spending and 6 per £1 at SPG properties.
IHG Rewards Club Premium Credit Card — previously offered by Creation Finance, this card earned IHG points on spending and included a free night voucher for cardholders spending £10,000 per year, plus complimentary Platinum Elite status. It was withdrawn from new applications and is no longer available.
IHG Rewards Club Credit Card — the no-annual-fee companion to the Premium card, offering lower earn rates and Gold Elite status. Also withdrawn from the market.
Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa — a no-annual-fee card that earned Hilton points on spending. No longer available. Hilton currently offers debit cards in the UK (via Currensea) but no credit card.
For UK residents who frequently stay with IHG, Hilton or Hyatt and want to earn hotel points via a credit card, there is currently no direct co-branded option. The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard offers IHG One Rewards as a transfer option, and American Express Membership Rewards points (earned on various Amex cards) can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
Card details, earn rates and APRs correct as of 2 July 2026. Terms, fees and availability are subject to change — always verify current details directly with each provider before applying. ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.
ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.
The UK market for dedicated hotel-branded credit cards is significantly more limited than the US market. Several hotel credit cards that were once available in the UK (including IHG Rewards Club Premium, the Hilton HHonors Visa and the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex) have been withdrawn from the market. The one remaining dedicated hotel credit card is the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. For those who qualify, the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard also allows points to be transferred to hotel programmes.
This article covers what is currently available, and includes a brief history of cards that are no longer on the market.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Always make sure you can afford repayments before applying for any credit card.
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is currently the only dedicated hotel loyalty credit card available to new applicants in the UK. It earns points in Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty programme covering 37 hotel brands including Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton, Westin, W, Aloft, The Luxury Collection and St Regis. All in, it's a combined portfolio of around 9,000 properties worldwide.
The card earns 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per £1 on general spending, and 6 points per £1 when paying for a stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. Points can be redeemed for hotel nights, airline miles (with more than 35 airline partners at a 3:1 conversion ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus when transferring 60,000 points), car hire and other rewards.
The annual fee is £95. The card comes with 15 Elite Night Credits on application and each January thereafter, which immediately confers Silver Elite status and makes Gold Elite status (normally requiring 25 nights) achievable with just 10 additional hotel nights in a year. Spending £15,000 in a card year upgrades the cardholder to Gold Elite status; spending £25,000 earns a free night voucher valid at hotels costing up to 25,000 points.
The standard welcome bonus is 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for spending £3,000 within the first three months (available to those who have not held a personal American Express card in the previous 24 months). Enhanced offers run periodically, so always check the current bonus at americanexpress.com before applying.
American Express is not accepted at all UK retailers, so a Visa or Mastercard backup may be needed. A 2.99% foreign transaction fee applies, making the card less cost-effective for overseas spending. As with all rewards cards, the card only delivers value if the balance is cleared in full each month; carrying a balance will result in interest charges that outweigh any points earned.
Representative example: Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 at a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. (variable) and an annual fee of £95, the representative APR is 52.5% variable.
The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard is not a dedicated hotel card, but allows points to be transferred to hotel loyalty programmes and is worth noting for those who qualify.
The card earns 3 HSBC reward points per £1 on sterling spending and 4 points per £1 on non-sterling spending. Each HSBC point converts to 0.5 airline miles or hotel points, giving an effective rate of 1.5 hotel points per £1 on UK spending and 2 hotel points per £1 abroad.
Points can be transferred to IHG One Rewards and Wyndham Rewards, among other airline and hotel schemes, all at a 2:1 ratio (2 HSBC points = 1 partner point or mile). Points have a three-year hard expiry from the date they are earned.
The annual fee is £290, and the card is only available to HSBC Premier current account holders. To qualify for HSBC Premier, applicants must have an individual annual income of at least £100,000 paid into an HSBC Premier account, or at least £100,000 in savings or investments with HSBC. The welcome bonus is 40,000 HSBC points (equivalent to 20,000 airline miles or hotel points) for spending £2,000 in the first 90 days.
Representative example: Based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 at a purchase rate of 29.9% p.a. (variable) and an annual fee of £290, the representative APR is 100.2% variable.
Marriott Bonvoy launched two UK debit cards in November 2025, operated by Currensea. The standard card carries an annual fee of £55 and comes with 10 Elite Night Credits per year. Both carry a low 0.5% foreign transaction fee, compared to 2.99% on the Amex card. These are debit cards rather than credit cards, so no representative APR applies, but they are a useful complement or alternative for those who prefer not to use credit.
Several hotel credit cards were available in the UK in previous years but have since been withdrawn:
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express Card — available until the SPG programme merged with Marriott Bonvoy in 2018. The card was rebranded as the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and continues today in its current form. The original SPG card earned Starpoints at a rate of 3 per £1 on general spending and 6 per £1 at SPG properties.
IHG Rewards Club Premium Credit Card — previously offered by Creation Finance, this card earned IHG points on spending and included a free night voucher for cardholders spending £10,000 per year, plus complimentary Platinum Elite status. It was withdrawn from new applications and is no longer available.
IHG Rewards Club Credit Card — the no-annual-fee companion to the Premium card, offering lower earn rates and Gold Elite status. Also withdrawn from the market.
Hilton HHonors Platinum Visa — a no-annual-fee card that earned Hilton points on spending. No longer available. Hilton currently offers debit cards in the UK (via Currensea) but no credit card.
For UK residents who frequently stay with IHG, Hilton or Hyatt and want to earn hotel points via a credit card, there is currently no direct co-branded option. The HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard offers IHG One Rewards as a transfer option, and American Express Membership Rewards points (earned on various Amex cards) can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
Card details, earn rates and APRs correct as of 2 July 2026. Terms, fees and availability are subject to change — always verify current details directly with each provider before applying. ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.