6 Credit Card Perks I Value Most, From Elite Status to Lounge Access

I wanted to take a closer look at the credit card benefits I personally value most. People sign up for cards for many reasons, most often for a strong welcome offer or a solid return on spending. In other cases, the appeal comes down to the perks, which is also a big reason I hold so many cards.

Here, I’m setting aside things like earning rates and statement credits. I don’t really think of the former as a perk, and I usually view the latter as a way to help justify an annual fee rather than a true extra benefit. Instead, this is about the kinds of advantages that come simply from having the card.

So with that in mind, here are my favorite credit card perks and benefits, in no particular order.

Top-tier hotel elite status without a spending hurdle

Many hotel credit cards help you earn elite status or give you a lower-tier status level. What I find especially valuable are the cards that provide a meaningful status tier without requiring any spending. Two cards stand out to me here.

First, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is, in my view, the most rewarding hotel credit card available. It has a $550 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and it grants Hilton Honors Diamond Status simply for being a cardmember, with no spending requirement. The annual fee is also largely balanced out by the card’s many other benefits.

Second, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is another strong choice. It carries a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and it gives cardmembers Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status without requiring any spending. That’s only one part of the value, since it also includes several other perks that help offset the fee.

Neither of these elite tiers makes you the most important guest in the room, of course. Still, the benefits are worthwhile, and elite recognition tends to improve the farther you travel outside the United States.

Free hotel nights each year without spending anything

One reason I keep so many cards open is that some are worth holding purely for the perks, even if I never use them for everyday spending. Hotel cards with annual free night awards are the best example of that.

Based on my current card lineup, these are some of the cards that fit that category:

• The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers an uncapped anniversary free night award for standard room redemptions at most properties, and it could be worth as much as 250,000 points
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers an anniversary free night award worth up to 85,000 points, with the option to add up to 15,000 more points
• The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers an anniversary free night award worth up to 35,000 points, with the option to add up to 15,000 more points
• The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers an anniversary free night award worth up to 50,000 points, and it can be topped off with any number of points
• The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers an anniversary free night award that can be used at a Category 1-4 property

In each case, the free night alone could justify the annual fee, and that doesn’t even include the other benefits attached to these cards.

Trip protection and rental car coverage

When people think about card perks, they often picture the fun stuff, like hotel redemptions or business class flights.

But some of the most useful benefits are the ones that matter when travel goes wrong. That can include trip delay coverage, lost or delayed baggage protection, or rental car coverage.

There are plenty of cards that offer these protections, though I’d say the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card are among the leaders in their categories. It’s the kind of perk you hope you’ll never need, but when you do, it can be extremely helpful.

Affordable lounge access for authorized users

With premium cards, the equation usually involves a sizable annual fee paired with some form of airport lounge access. One underrated advantage, in my view, is when adding authorized users is reasonably priced and they also receive lounge access.

It’s especially useful when you can share those benefits with friends or family without paying too much extra. I’ve written before about the best cards for authorized user lounge access, but a few favorites stand out:

• The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card has a $75 annual fee per authorized user, and each user gets a Priority Pass membership, making it the lowest-cost authorized user option among major cards
• The Bilt Palladium Card has a $95 annual fee per authorized user, and each user receives a Priority Pass membership
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® has a $175 annual fee for up to three authorized users total, and they receive Admirals Club access, which works out to well under $60 per person on average
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card has a $195 annual fee per authorized user, and while that is steep, it includes Priority Pass membership, Chase Sapphire Lounge access, and Air Canada Lounge access

Rewards on housing payments

To be clear, I said this list wouldn’t focus on return on spending. This is a bit of a twist on that idea, but it’s unique enough that I think it deserves mention. Bilt’s card lineup includes the Bilt Blue Card, Bilt Obsidian Card, and Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees).

Each card is competitive in its own right, but what really makes Bilt stand out is the ability to earn points on housing payments, whether that’s rent, a mortgage, or an HOA. If you can earn a competitive rewards rate and do it on a payment you’re already making, that’s a huge win, especially given the value of Bilt Rewards points.

A premium card that is easy to justify

Premium credit cards are more popular than ever. The basic formula is usually the same: pay a hefty annual fee and receive a set of benefits that help make the cost worthwhile.

In reality, many premium cards can deliver more value than they cost, but doing so often takes effort and can lead to credit card fatigue. If you have to track benefits that reset monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually, it can start to feel like work.

That’s why I think the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business are worth highlighting. Each has a $395 annual fee. I’m not saying they are necessarily the best premium cards overall, but I do think they’re among the easiest to justify.

At the most basic level, each card offers a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit. If you use it for a flight costing $300 or more, you should get full value from it. Each card also includes 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, worth at least $100 and potentially more.

From my perspective, that basically gets you to breakeven, with the only real requirement being one annual booking through Capital One’s travel portal. In return, you get a Priority Pass membership, Capital One Lounge access, Capital One Landing access, and more.

In my opinion, that’s as close as you can get to low-effort, near-free lounge access.

Bottom line

There are many reasons to get a credit card, from generous welcome bonuses to strong earning rates to valuable perks. The benefits above are some of my favorites, including high-end hotel status, annual free night awards, strong travel and rental car protection, and useful authorized user lounge access. These are the kinds of perks that can add real value beyond the basic appeal of the card itself.

What credit card perks do you value most?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees).