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Hotel rewards can feel like a consumer labyrinth, making it hard to determine which programs reward loyalty and which are simply a rip-off.
Now new research has simplified the confusion, determining which offer the best value for money.
The data, compiled by WalletHub, also determines the best benefits whether you are a light, medium or heavy traveler.
Choice Privileges was crowned the overall best hotel rewards program for 2025, earning an overall score of 64 out of 100 across WalletHub’s 21 key metrics.
The factors included point values, reward night availability and geographic coverage.
World of Hyatt came in a close second with 62 points, followed by Wyndham Rewards at 59, Marriott Bonvoy at 54, and Sonesta Travel Pass a few fractions of a point lower.
Using these top five programs, travelers can save an average of 11 percent on hotel stays, and in some cases as much as 14 percent, according to the study.
‘Choice Privileges is the best hotel loyalty program for travelers of all spending levels,’ WalletHub researchers said.
Choice Privileges offers the most value in rewards among all other major hotel programs, with up to $14.49 up for grabs in rewards for every $100 spent.
Overall, WalletHub reported good news for consumers with hotel reward programs offering an average 0.25 percent more value now than a year ago.
However, some programs were still reported to be a rip-off, marking up the cost of point purchases and therefore reducing their overall spending power.
Hilton Honors was revealed to have the highest percentage mark-up of point purchases of any of the hotel groups.
The chain marks up its point purchases by 90 percent, according to the study.
Other groups also tended to mark up services bought with points, including Marriott Bonvoy and Best Western which did so by roughly 50 percent.
‘Many Americans have serious concerns about their ability to afford summer travel this year, thanks to the cumulative effect of stubborn inflation and tariff-induced angst,’ WalletHub editor John Kiernan said.
‘The good news is that cash-strapped vacationers still have plenty of savings opportunities,’ he said of the rewards program findings.
Sonesta Travel Pass came in fifth place in WalletHub’s 2025 rankings
World of Hyatt came in a close second with 62 points
Marriott Bonvoy also made its way into the Top5 with 54 points out of 100
‘You can save up to 14 percent by joining one of the best hotel loyalty programs for free,’ he added.
Hilton Honors did not make the top five and has recently come under fire as ‘low value’ by travel experts.
Gary Leff, of View From The Wing, criticized Hilton Honors as ‘a low-value program,’ explaining that points are typically worth just 0.4 cents each.
He also noted that while Hilton hands out large numbers of points to guests, the cost to redeem them – even for mid-tier properties – can be ‘stratospheric’.
Hilton’s competitors often provide better returns on points earned per stay, he said.
