Hotel loyalty programmes — Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Hyatt World of Hyatt — offer significant value to Canadian travellers through free night certificates, room upgrades, breakfast, and points toward award nights. Unlike in the United States, Canada lacks dedicated co-branded hotel credit cards for most major programmes. Instead, Canadians build hotel points primarily through American Express Membership Rewards transfers and direct hotel stays.
Hotel Loyalty Programme Availability in Canada
| Programme | Co-Branded Canadian Card? | Best Canadian Earning Path |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | ❌ No Canadian card | Amex MR → Bonvoy at 1:1.2 |
| Hilton Honors | ❌ No Canadian card | Amex MR → Hilton at 1:2 |
| IHG One Rewards | ❌ No Canadian card | Direct hotel stays |
| World of Hyatt | ❌ No Canadian card | Amex MR → Hyatt transfers (US) |
| Best Western Rewards | ❌ No Canadian card | Direct hotel stays |
| Choice Privileges | ❌ No Canadian card | Direct hotel stays |
Best Canadian Credit Cards for Hotel Rewards
1. American Express Cobalt — Best for Accumulating Hotel Points
Annual fee: $155.88 | Network: Amex
The Amex Cobalt is the best Canadian card for rapidly building Amex MR points that transfer to hotel programmes. Its 5x MR on food and groceries, combined with MR’s hotel transfer options, makes it the foundation of any Canadian hotel points strategy.
Hotel transfer partners from Amex MR:
| Hotel Programme | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1 MR : 1.2 Bonvoy | 24–48 hours | 5,000-point bonus per 60,000 MR transferred |
| Hilton Honors | 1 MR : 2 Hilton | Near-instant | Hilton points devalue frequently — transfer sparingly |
Cobalt hotel strategy:
- Earn 5x MR on dining (including hotel restaurants, room service, hotel bars)
- Earn 2x MR on travel (including hotel stays charged to the card)
- Transfer MR → Marriott Bonvoy before a specific redemption
- Use Bonvoy points for hotel award nights (Marriott, Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin, St. Regis)
Marriott Bonvoy transfer example:
- $2,000/month food spend × 5 MR pts = 10,000 MR/month
- Annual: 120,000 MR → transfer to Bonvoy at 1:1.2 = 144,000 Bonvoy points
- A category 5 Marriott hotel (e.g., Marriott Marquis, Westin) costs 35,000–40,000 points/night
- 144,000 points = 3 to 4 free hotel nights per year at mid-tier Marriott properties
2. American Express Platinum — Best for Hotel Status + High-End Properties
Annual fee: $799 | Network: Amex
The Amex Platinum is the only Canadian credit card that includes automatic hotel programme status:
Complimentary Hotel Status:
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite (automatic, no stays required)
- 25% Bonvoy point bonus on stays
- Enhanced room (when available)
- 2pm late checkout
- Welcome gift (points or food/beverage)
- Hilton Honors Gold (automatic, no stays required)
- 80% Hilton point bonus on stays
- Complimentary breakfast at most properties
- Room upgrade eligibility
- 5th night free on award stays
Fine Hotels + Resorts programme: Amex Platinum cardholders booking through Amex Travel’s Fine Hotels + Resorts programme at participating properties receive:
- Complimentary room upgrade (when available)
- Daily breakfast for two
- Guaranteed 4pm checkout
- Noon check-in (when available)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- A property credit ($100 to $200) for dining, spa, or resort fees
Best for: Frequent hotel travellers who want immediate elite status without having to qualify through stays, and access to premium hotel amenities through the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme.
3. American Express Gold Rewards Card — Best Mid-Range Hotel Points Earner
Annual fee: $250 | Network: Amex
The Amex Gold Rewards earns 2x MR points on most purchases and 1x MR on everything else. While lower earn rates than the Cobalt on food, it includes a $100 annual travel credit and earns MR points that transfer to hotel programmes.
MR earning for hotels:
- 2x MR on grocery stores, pharmacies, gas, and travel purchases
- Hotels booked directly through the property earn 2x MR
- Transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at 1:1.2 or Hilton Honors at 1:2
4. Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite — Best for Booking Hotels Without Points Conversion
Annual fee: $150 | Network: Visa
The Scotia Passport doesn’t earn hotel points, but its 3x Scene+ on groceries and no-FX-fee benefit make hotel stays in foreign currencies (common for US/European hotels) cheaper — 2.5% FX saving on every foreign hotel bill plus 1x Scene+ on hotel spend.
Scene+ hotel redemption: Book hotels through Scene+ travel portal using Scene+ points at 1 cent per point.
Marriott Bonvoy in Canada: A Complete Earning Guide
Earning Bonvoy Points Without a Canadian Bonvoy Card
| Method | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| Staying at Marriott properties | 10 Bonvoy pts per $1 USD spent at most brands |
| Amex MR transfer | 1 MR → 1.2 Bonvoy (plus 5K bonus per 60K batch) |
| Marriott Bonvoy dining partners | Varies by restaurant |
| Car rental partners | Varies |
| Marriott Bonvoy shopping portal | Varies by retailer |
Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Sweet Spots for Canadians
Marriott Bonvoy uses a dynamic award pricing system (no longer fixed categories), but these represent typical redemption costs as of 2026:
| Property Type | Typical Bonvoy Cost Per Night |
|---|---|
| Budget/select service (Fairfield, Courtyard) | 8,000 – 20,000 points |
| Mid-tier (Marriott, Sheraton, Delta Hotels) | 20,000 – 40,000 points |
| Upper-upscale (Westin, W Hotels, Le Méridien) | 35,000 – 60,000 points |
| Luxury (St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Edition) | 50,000 – 120,000 points |
| Peak nights | Up to 20% premium on above |
| Off-peak nights | Up to 20% discount on above |
Free night certificates: Marriott Bonvoy offers annual free night certificates (valued at 35,000 points) to members who complete certain credit card spend milestones in the US. Canadian Bonvoy members can earn certificates through other means — check the Bonvoy app for periodic promotions.
5th night free: When booking 5 consecutive award nights, the 5th night is free — effectively giving you 4 nights at the price of 4, or a 20% discount on 5-night stays.
Hilton Honors in Canada
No Canadian co-branded Hilton card exists. Canadians earn Hilton Honors points through:
- Direct hotel stays at any of Hilton’s 7,000+ properties worldwide
- Amex MR transfers at 1 MR : 2 Hilton Honors points
- Hilton Honors dining at partner restaurants
- Hilton Honors shopping portal
Amex MR → Hilton Honors note: Hilton points are earned at a 1:2 ratio, but Hilton points are worth less per point (~0.5 cents each) than Marriott Bonvoy points (~0.7–1 cents each). For most Canadian Amex cardholders, transferring to Marriott Bonvoy delivers better value per MR point than Hilton.