How to Get a Free Hotel Room with Rewards & Charisma

Earn a free or discounted stay with these tips, tricks, and hacks

Co-authored by Rafael Loza

Last Updated: August 12, 2025 Fact Checked

The only thing better than a vacation is a free vacation. Whether you’re an international jet setter or a local road tripper, we’ll let you in on the top travel hacks to score free hotel rooms. In this article, we’ll cover strategies that work for free nights at luxury hotels, international hotels, and budget stays.

How do you get a complimentary hotel room?

Earn points with a loyalty program. Many hotel chains have free loyalty programs where you earn a free stay.
Sign up for a hotel credit card. Get discounts and points to use toward a free hotel stay with each purchase.
Book with third parties. Take advantage of third-party deals to get a free or discounted room.

1

Join a hotel loyalty program.

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Loyalty programs reward you for staying with the same hotel chain. The benefit of hotel loyalty programs is that they’re usually free to join! As you repeatedly book stays, you’ll accumulate loyalty points, which you can redeem for free nights. You may also get perks like free wifi, complimentary food and drink, and upgraded rooms.^{[1]
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- Two of the most popular loyalty programs are Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.
- For example, at Hilton hotels, you earn about 10 points per dollar spent on a room. You can get free hotel rooms starting at 5,000 rewards points.^{[2]
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- Likewise, with Marriott Bonvoy, you earn 10 points per dollar spent on a room, and free hotel rooms start at 5,000 rewards points or $55 plus 3,500 points.^{[3]
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2

Use a hotel credit card.

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Hotel credit cards let you earn points towards a free stay. You’ll get rewarded with points when you stay with the hotel, as well as when you make purchases on other things like groceries, clothes, and more. Depending on the hotel, they might even offer free nights, free upgrades, or other benefits as part of the intro offer when you sign up for the card.^{[4]
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Research source} Check out some popular hotel rewards cards below. All of them offer a free “account anniversary” night where you get 1 free hotel room annually:
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: 130,000 points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first 6 months of card membership and a $0 annual fee for the first year, then $150.^{[5]
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- IHG Rewards Club Premier: 140,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months and a $99 annual fee.^{[6]
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- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: 3 free nights after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months and an annual fee of $95.^{[7]
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- World of Hyatt: Two free nights and 25,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months and an annual fee of $95.^{[8]
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3

Redeem offers from third-party booking sites.

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Choose this strategy for more flexibility in switching between hotel brands. Third-party booking sites often offer points or special promotions. So, if you go on trips often, it might be worth looking into for free hotel stays and other perks. Here are some of the best offers:
- Hotels.com offers a free night after you book 10 nights through their site.^{[9]
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- Expedia offers 1 reward point for every $1 you spend on eligible stays, car rentals, and activities. You can redeem your points for coupons or other eligible stays and services.^{[10]
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- Choice Hotels offers 10 points per $1 spent on hotel stays, plus free stays for hotels when you’ve earned enough points through their rewards program.^{[11]
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EXPERT TIP

Rafael Loza
Real Estate Investor
Rafael Loza is an accomplished real estate investor at Knight and Reign Properties LLC. With over 8 years of experience, Rafael has a diverse portfolio, specializing in short-term rentals, boutique hotels, and multifamily properties and has a proven track record of transforming his properties into high-yield assets. He also has extensive experience with AirBnb and in the hospitality industry, with his main focus currently being establishing systems, automations, and operations working well within the AirBnb and boutique hotel industries. Knight and Reign Properties has about 76 locations across the US, offering fully furnished rentals spanning from California to North Carolina.

Rafael Loza
Real Estate Investor

You can often find the same hotel room on different platforms. Hotels market their services on many different platforms. Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, and the hotel’s direct website will display different prices.

4

Book through a site with a best price guarantee.

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For instance, Choice Hotels will give you a $50 gift card or comp your room (depending on where you live) if you book a room through them but find another site offering an identical room at the same hotel for a lower price. Take your gift card and apply it to an extra night, or try this strategy multiple times to basically let their price guarantee pay for your room!^{[12]
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5

Earn points through online shopping portals.

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Get reward points for shopping with a hotel's retail partner. Online shopping portals let hotels list all their partners in one place. You can choose a retailer, click through to that retailer’s website, and make a purchase.^{[13]
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Research source} In the process, the hotel will typically give you 1-2 points per dollar you spend.
- Choice Hotels and Wyndham Hotels are two prominent chains that offer shopping portals. Simply sign in to your rewards account to access exclusive promotions, coupons, and deals.^{[14]
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6

Swap frequent flier miles for hotel points.

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If you aren't a hotel loyalty program member, use frequent flyer points. You can also use this strategy during peak travel times when it's tough to use your flyer points to book a flight. American, United, JetBlue, and Southwest allow you to use frequent flyer miles for hotel rooms.^{[15]
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- Frequent flyer miles are valued at about $0.01 per mile.
EXPERT TIP

Jessica Malerman
Disney Travel Expert and Travel Advisor
Jessica Malerman is a travel advisor and owner of Magic Travel Studio based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With previous experience as a Walt Disney World Cast Member and working for the Disney Cruise Line, Jessica specializes in creating memorable Disney experiences and vacations that are also a great investment. In 2024, Jessica won the TravelAge West Trendsetter Award for Best Group Booking Effort. She has been featured on Good Morning America, USA Today, TravelAge West, Travel & Leisure, ABC, CNBC, People, US Weekly, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, and more. Jessica has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and Sciences from Penn State University.

Jessica Malerman
Disney Travel Expert and Travel Advisor

As travel gets closer, sometimes promotions are released. You may be able to cut your travel price down if you book your stay closer to your trip. Aim to book only with promotions, as you’ll likely be able to cut costs or get a free upgrade.

7

Participate in referral programs.

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Invite your friends to stay at your preferred hotel chain and get rewarded. To qualify for most referral programs, the people you’re inviting must be first-time customers. You’ll typically input their name, email address, and your loyalty program ID.^{[16]
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- For example, with the Marriott Bonvoy referral program, you can earn up to 50,000 points through referrals.^{[17]
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  Research source} That’s worth about $350.
- Keep in mind that your friends must sign up for the referred program to receive the promised points or rewards.

8

Choose airlines that’ll pay for stopover rooms.

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Some airlines offer free stays for flights with long connections. This service is called STPC (stopover paid by carrier). Not all airlines make it obvious that they offer STPC, so be sure to ask about free rooms when you book an international flight with a 6-24 hour stopover.^{[18]
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- STPC is usually only available for business or first-class passengers.
- Airlines that offer STPC include Air Canada, China Southern, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, Icelandair, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Thai Airways, TAP Portugal, and Turkish Airlines.

9

Exchange good reviews for a free stay.

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Ask for 1-2 free nights and offer to post 4-5 incredible reviews. This strategy works better if you have a large social media following. However, it’s worth a shot even if you’re not an influencer. The secret is to target the right hotel chains. Go for a small- to medium-sized hotel, preferably abroad. Foreign hotels will be more open to your reviews because it’s harder for them to market themselves in your country.^{[19]
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- Contact the hotel and say something like, “I’m a small travel blogger looking to stay in Bali and promote local hotels like yours. Would you be willing to provide me with a free room on the 29th? In exchange, I’d post rave reviews on all my social media accounts as well as sites like Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Facebook.”
- Aim for an audience of 2000 followers/subscribers/unique viewers per month to boost your odds of a free stay.

10

Complain about a genuinely bad stay.

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If you have a bad experience at a hotel, provide feedback. Talk to the front desk and be specific about the nature of your complaint, the date, and the names of any staff involved.^{[20]
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Research source} Be polite and courteous, and avoid demanding a free stay. Instead, see what the staff offers you—it might be a discount, an upgrade, or a voucher for free rooms.
- Don’t make up a complaint in order to get a free room. You might get a staff member in trouble.

11

Tell hotel staff you’re visiting for a special event.

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Mention a birthday, anniversary, or another occasion you’re celebrating. Let the hotel know about your special event when you check in, or put the event in the “special instructions” or “comments” section when you book your stay. You’re not guaranteed a fully free extra night, but you may get an upgrade or a special surprise when you arrive.
- Try this strategy during the travel off-season so that the hotel won’t be totally booked.
- Avoid making up a special event just to get a free room. At the end of the day, honesty will be rewarded.