No Extra Spending Required: 10 Credit Cards Redditors Keep for the Perks Alone

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Your main credit card is usually the one you pull out for groceries, gas and everyday purchases. But the most valuable card in your wallet is not always the one you swipe most often.

Some cardholders keep certain cards open mainly for the perks, such as complimentary hotel nights, airport lounge access, free checked bags or statement credits that help offset an annual fee.

In a recent Reddit discussion on r/CreditCards, users described which cards they keep active for the benefits even though they rarely use them at checkout. Below are the advantages that can make a card worth keeping, along with the drawbacks to weigh before paying an annual fee.

One free hotel night each year

An annual free hotel night is one of the easiest perks to value. If you stay with the same hotel brand often, a single anniversary night may be enough to cover the annual fee without much spending on the card.

For example, the World of Hyatt Credit Card carries a $95 annual fee and provides a free night certificate every year after the account anniversary. That certificate can be used for one night at a participating Category 1-4 Hyatt property. Cardholders can also earn a second free night by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Other hotel cards offer similar deals. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card has a $95 annual fee and includes a yearly free night certificate worth up to 35,000 points. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, which charges a $150 annual fee, offers an annual free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points. Both programs also allow cardholders to add points to the certificate to book pricier properties.

These benefits can be worthwhile if you can redeem the certificate for a stay that costs more than the annual fee. Still, each program has its own rules on eligible properties, how many points the certificate covers and when it expires.

Availability can also be limited. Marriott hotels, for example, may cap the number of standard rooms available for certificate bookings on certain dates. In some cases, resort fees may still apply.

Airport lounge access

For frequent travelers, airport lounge access can also justify an annual fee. Rather than paying for food and drinks at the airport or waiting in a crowded gate area, cardholders can use participating lounges for a quieter space to sit, eat or work.

The drawback is that lounge access differs widely by card. Some cards offer unlimited visits, while others limit how often you can enter.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has a $395 annual fee and gives primary cardholders access to Capital One lounges and landings, along with more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges worldwide. Priority Pass is a membership network that connects travelers to airport lounges around the world, and cardholders must enroll to use it.

The Venture X also includes a $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles each year on the account anniversary, which can further offset the fee.

How valuable lounge access is depends largely on where and how often you travel. A card might advertise access to hundreds of lounges, but that does little good if the airports you use, or plan to use soon, do not have participating locations.

You should also review the guest policy before assuming a spouse, child or travel companion can enter for free. For example, Venture X now charges $35 per guest for Priority Pass access. At Capital One lounges, guest passes cost $45 per adult and $25 for children under 18, while children under two are free, unless the cardholder has spent at least $75,000 on the card in a calendar year to qualify for complimentary guest access.

Free checked bags

Airport lounge access is not the only useful airline-specific benefit. Some cards waive checked-bag fees, and even a few round trips can make the annual fee worthwhile, especially if you travel with family members who can use the same perk.

The United Explorer Card has a $150 annual fee, waived for the first year for eligible new cardholders, and gives the primary cardholder and one companion on the same reservation a free checked bag on United-operated flights. United says the benefit can save as much as $200 per round-trip flight for two travelers, assuming each would otherwise pay $50 each way for a checked bag.

The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 annually after that. It includes a free checked bag on Delta flights for the cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation. As of this past June, eligible Gold cardholders also receive a second checked bag free on domestic Delta-operated flights. Delta says the bag benefit can save up to $90 per person on a round trip.

These baggage benefits are most useful if you regularly check bags and usually fly the airline tied to the card. Like most perks, though, there are conditions to understand.

Fee waivers do not cover oversized or overweight bags, and they may not apply to codeshare flights, which are marketed by one airline but operated by another. The benefit may also not apply if you already get free checked bags through airline elite status.

A companion ticket

If you often travel with another person, an airline companion certificate can be one of the most valuable card perks available. Instead of paying full price for two seats, you can use the certificate to book a qualifying ticket for your companion and pay only the required taxes and fees.

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card both provide an annual companion certificate after you renew the account.

The Platinum card has a $350 annual fee and allows cardholders to bring a companion on a qualifying round-trip Delta Main flight within the U.S., Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. The Reserve card carries a $650 annual fee and offers a similar perk, though its certificate can also be used for qualifying Delta Comfort and First Class tickets.

Keep in mind that taxes and fees still apply, ranging from $22 to $250 for eligible round-trip itineraries with up to one connection each way. You also have to buy a qualifying ticket for yourself on the same flight and reservation.

Finally, the certificates cannot be used for Basic Economy fares, and because they are limited to certain fare classes, eligible seats will not be available on every flight.

Credits for purchases you already make

Some cards reward spending categories that many people already use, including dining, rideshares, streaming subscriptions and travel programs such as TSA PreCheck and Clear. If those expenses are already part of your budget, the right card can add value without forcing you to change your habits.

The American Express Platinum Card has an $895 annual fee, but it comes with a long list of statement credits that can help offset the cost. These include up to $200 in annual Uber Cash, $400 in Resy credits, capped at $100 per quarter at eligible restaurants, $300 in digital entertainment credits worth up to $25 per month and up to $155 toward a Walmart+ membership. Cardholders also receive credits and points for eligible lululemon purchases, flights and hotel bookings made through American Express Travel.

Of course, those benefits only matter if you actually use them. Many of the credits are split into monthly or quarterly portions, so they cannot always be saved for a larger purchase. Some also require enrollment or are limited to specific merchants and purchase types.

You do not need a premium card with a steep annual fee to get similar perks. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which has a $95 annual fee, offers a $10 monthly DoorDash credit for eligible grocery, retail and other non-restaurant orders, along with a $100 annual hotel credit for bookings through Chase Travel. Cardholders also receive a complimentary DashPass membership, which provides $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders.

The main takeaway is that even a credit of any size is not useful if it encourages spending you would not otherwise make. The best cards are the ones that match your normal spending patterns, and unused credits usually do not roll over.