There are numerous nice causes to remain at unbiased inns and trip leases. Sadly, the convenience of incomes rewards on these stays isn’t considered one of them — or so that you would possibly assume. Over time, I’ve loved a wide range of unforgettable stays and picked up a number of methods to maximize my financial savings and rewards on them. This is what I’ve realized.
Associated: Finest lodge rewards packages on the earth: Which one is best for you?
Why I really like unbiased boutique inns
Generally I keep at unbiased boutique inns or trip leases out of necessity — possibly the small mountain city I am visiting does not have any chain inns, or my buddy group wants extra space and may save massive bucks by splitting an Airbnb. Different instances, I select unbiased inns due to the distinctive facilities and experiences they supply.
For example, I as soon as spent an evening exterior Mount Rainier Nationwide Park in a cabin with an genuine Ukrainian restaurant and “cannibal” scorching tub heated by a wooden fireplace. One other memorable keep was at a Kyoto ryokan full with a seven-course Japanese meal and an in-room onsen. I additionally spent every week in an Airbnb in Paris, which gave me extra of a glimpse into “actual” Parisian life than I may get at a factors lodge within the prime vacationer neighborhood.
The draw back is that there are normally no elite advantages or factors to be earned at these properties. Fortunately, I’ve nonetheless discovered loads of methods to maximise my journey once I keep at unbiased inns and trip leases.
Associated: How one can use factors to e-book trip residence leases
How I lower your expenses on unbiased lodge stays
It’s attainable to redeem rewards for stays at unbiased inns, akin to by reserving with factors or miles by means of a bank card journey portal. However since this does not present nice worth for my rewards, I normally e-book these stays with money and give attention to attempting to economize.
Use bank card journey credit
I maintain the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card, which gives an annual $50 lodge credit score for properties booked by means of Chase Journey℠, and the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card, which gives a $300 journey credit score for flights and stays booked by means of Capital One Journey. Each of those are available in very useful once I e-book unbiased inns.
For example, I lately used my Enterprise X credit score on a two-night keep at a bed-and-breakfast within the Wicklow Mountains exterior of Dublin (no factors inns there) and a rental automotive to get there. After my $300 credit score was utilized, I spent a grand whole of $4 on my two-day climbing journey.
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Listed here are another playing cards with journey credit you could put towards stays at unbiased inns:
Earn money again with purchasing portals
I really like utilizing purchasing portals to earn money again on my on a regular basis purchases. However they don’t seem to be only for retail purchasing — you’ll be able to earn money again at many hotel-booking platforms, like Reserving.com, Resorts.com, Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz and Tripadvisor.
Although reward charges differ from day after day, they typically aren’t too shabby. On the time of writing, Rakuten was providing as much as 10% money again at a few of these websites.
Nonetheless, it is necessary to learn the nice print on Rakuten earlier than you resolve which website to e-book by means of. On this instance, Rakuten is providing 6% again on inns and trip leases however just one% again on vehicles and a measly $1.25 again on flights.
Vacationers who maintain a card that earns Amex Membership Rewards factors can get further worth out of Rakuten by switching their incomes choice to Amex factors as a substitute of money again.
Different purchasing portals to think about embody Extrabux, Mr. Rebates and TopCashback. You may also generally discover hotel-booking websites on airline purchasing portals and bank card portals like Capital One Procuring. A purchasing portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor may also help you notice which portals supply the perfect returns on your buy.
Seek for offers
Earlier than I e-book a keep, I at all times verify a number of websites as a result of costs can differ extensively. For example, a part of my current journey to Dublin concerned spending two nights within the metropolis with my husband and a buddy. We wished an condo with room for the three of us, however most Dublin Airbnbs required a four-night minimal keep. I settled on an apartment-style lodge with a number of bedrooms and a kitchen that was operating a sale for 10% off on direct bookings — saving me roughly $100 on our keep.
Worth is not the one factor I examine from one website to a different. I have a look at cancellation insurance policies too, and I typically prioritize reserving by means of a website with a versatile cancellation coverage, even when it prices a bit extra. That manner, if my plans change or I discover a higher fee later, I can cancel free of charge and rebook.
Associated: When plans go flawed: Your information to reserving refundable journey
How I maximize rewards on unbiased lodge stays
The extra factors I can earn on a lodge I booked with money, the earlier I can redeem these factors for my subsequent free flight or Hyatt keep.
Earn transferable factors with bank card journey portals
Many in style journey playing cards supply portals by means of which you’ll e-book inns, flights, rental vehicles and extra — and earn bonus factors on these purchases. The variety of factors you may earn relies on which card you maintain, nevertheless it’s sometimes 5 or extra factors per greenback spent.
For instance, I can earn 10 Capital One miles per greenback spent on inns booked by means of Capital One Journey once I pay with my Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card. And I can earn 5 Chase Final Rewards factors per greenback spent on inns I e-book by means of Chase Journey with my Chase Sapphire Most popular Card.
Different playing cards that earn bonus rewards on their respective reserving platforms embody:
Since I am not loyal to anybody lodge program, incomes transferable factors is extraordinarily beneficial to me. I can switch my Chase factors to Hyatt or Marriott, for instance, or switch my Capital One miles to Alternative or Wyndham, relying on which lodge chain makes essentially the most sense for my journey.
Associated: How (and why) it is best to earn transferable bank card factors
Earn further miles with airline reserving platforms
Most airline reserving platforms supply subpar incomes charges. Nonetheless, I really like Southwest Resorts as a result of you’ll be able to earn as much as 25 factors per greenback spent on choose properties, so I at all times search right here first.
Rocketmiles works equally however helps you to select which rewards to earn from a protracted listing of airline loyalty packages, together with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and United MileagePlus.
Earn airline miles on trip leases
Trip leases could also be a bit behind the instances on the earth of factors and miles, however this does not imply you’ll be able to’t earn any beneficial rewards in your subsequent residence away from residence.
I’ve arrange my Airbnb account to earn British Airways Avios by coming into my frequent flyer quantity right here.
That is as a result of I can earn 2 Avios per greenback spent on Airbnb bookings, and I’ve discovered Avios helpful for reserving worldwide flights out of Denver. Nonetheless, you may as well decide to earn 1 Delta Air Strains SkyMile per greenback or 1 Qantas level per Australian greenback ($0.64) spent on Airbnb bookings. Select the forex that is most beneficial to you.
In the event you want Vrbo, you’ll be able to earn 3 United Airways miles per greenback spent on Vrbo leases while you e-book by means of this web page together with your MileagePlus quantity.
Associated: How one can earn money again or factors when reserving Airbnbs, Vrbo leases, hostels and extra
Earn free journey with One Key
Launched in 2023, Expedia’s One Key is a comparatively new loyalty program for Expedia, Resorts.com and Vrbo. Members can’t solely save 10% on stays booked by means of these websites but additionally earn OneKeyCash to spend towards inns, flights, rental vehicles and extra ($1 in OneKeyCash saves you $1 on purchases by means of these websites).
Since OneKeyCash is redeemed at a flat fee, you will not get the outsize worth that you would with different lodge loyalty packages’ award charts and candy spots. Nonetheless, One Key’s simplicity could possibly be a draw for some vacationers, particularly since you can select from the large number of inns on three totally different websites.
Though I normally find yourself reserving by means of a bank card portal as a substitute, I am very intrigued by the One Key loyalty program, and I am contemplating including a One Key bank card to my pockets. I am additionally anxiously awaiting the day when Airbnb comes out with a cobranded bank card.
Which bank card do you have to use to e-book unbiased inns?
If I can e-book a lodge by means of a bank card portal akin to Chase Journey or Capital One Journey, I at all times use the relevant card to earn bonus factors. It is a no-brainer.
However generally I must e-book a lodge straight with the intention to get a deal, or I wish to keep in an Airbnb, which is not accessible on any platform mentioned above. Although it’s attainable to redeem factors for Airbnb present playing cards, akin to redeeming my Chase Final Rewards factors at 1 cent per level, that is far beneath TPG’s March 2025 valuation of Chase factors and does not get me the perfect worth for my factors.
Subsequently, my finest guess is to e-book with a card that earns bonus rewards on journey purchases — however that is not the one factor I think about.
Do not forget that many journey playing cards include built-in journey insurance coverage. If you find yourself canceling a nonrefundable lodge reserving, these perks can put loads of {dollars} again in your pockets. And if you happen to’re reserving a lodge abroad, make sure you pay with a card with no overseas transaction charges.
For me, this implies I e-book most unbiased inns with my Chase Sapphire Most popular. This card presents journey safety and no overseas transaction charges, and it earns 2 Final Rewards factors per greenback spent on all journey purchases plus a ten% factors enhance each account anniversary. Since Chase factors are price 2.05 cents apiece primarily based on TPG’s March 2025 valuations, that is a 4.5% return.
Different playing cards that provide bonus earnings on journey embody:
Backside line
There are many methods to economize and maximize your rewards on unbiased inns and trip leases. It might take a bit further effort to sift by means of these choices, however it can repay in the long term.
Plus, I really like the range unbiased inns supply. Since there are such a lot of decisions, you are certain to seek out one thing distinctive and excellent to make for a memorable journey.
For charges and charges of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
For rewards and advantages of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.
