Use hotel points when the award saves more per point than the program's typical value: about 1.65 cents for Hyatt, 0.75 for Marriott, 0.4 for Hilton, 0.6 for IHG, 0.85 for Choice and 0.55 for Wyndham (TPG, November 2026). Accor is a fixed €0.02 a point. Subtract city tax and fees still due on the award, and the points a paid stay would earn, before you compare.
Hotel points or cash calculator
Both prices for the same stay, and what is still due on the points booking.
Same currency for every amount. We take off about 5% for the points a paid stay would earn. Compare with a refundable cash rate: award nights are usually refundable.
Every program at a glance
How it prices a night, what a point is typically worth, and our line for using points.
| Program | Pricing | Points a night | Typical value | Use points from | Free night on long stays | Resort fee on points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 World of Hyatt | Award chart | 3,000–75,000 | 1.65¢ | 1.65¢ | None | Globalists only (2026) |
 Marriott Bonvoy | Dynamic pricing | 25,000–176,000 | 0.75¢ | 0.8¢ | 5th night free (all members) | Charged |
 Hilton Honors | Dynamic pricing | 5,000–250,000 | 0.4¢ | 0.5¢ | 5th night free (Silver status and above) | Waived |
 IHG One Rewards | Dynamic pricing | 10,000–100,000 | 0.6¢ | 0.6¢ | 4th night free (US IHG Chase cardholders) | Charged |
 ALL Accor | Fixed value | 2,000 = €40 | €0.02 | Always | None | – |
 Wyndham Rewards | Award chart | 5,000–45,000 | 0.55¢ | 0.7¢ | None | – |
 Choice Privileges | Set by each hotel | 8,000–35,000 | 0.85¢ | 0.85¢ | None | – |
 Radisson Rewards (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia) | Dynamic pricing | Varies | 0.3¢ | 0.4¢ | None | – |
 Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World) | Set by each hotel | Varies | 7.6¢ | 7.6¢ | None | – |
 I Prefer (Preferred Hotels) | Fixed value | 12,500 = $25 | 0.2¢ | Always | None | – |
Pay cash / use points cutoffs are Points or Cash's own, derived from the spread between conservative and median valuations. No publisher states explicit cutoffs. Typical values: TPG, November 2026 (Radisson: OMAAT and Upgraded Points; Leaders Club: Frequent Miler).
Three ways to price a night
The pricing model decides how often points win.
Award chart
Hyatt and Wyndham. The points price is fixed while the cash price floats, so points win at expensive hotels on expensive dates.
Dynamic pricing
Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Radisson. Points follow cash, so value per point stays flat. The wins come from free nights on long stays, certificates and waived fees.
Fixed value
Accor and I Prefer. A point is always worth the same, so there is no points-or-cash maths: only whether to spend now or keep earning.
The programs
Award prices, rules, certificates and transfer ratios for each.
Award chartWorld of Hyatt
1.65¢typical value per point; use points from 1.65¢
3,000–75,000 points a night
Dynamic pricingMarriott Bonvoy
0.75¢typical value per point; use points from 0.8¢
25,000–176,000 points a night
Dynamic pricingHilton Honors
0.4¢typical value per point; use points from 0.5¢
5,000–250,000 points a night
Dynamic pricingIHG One Rewards
0.6¢typical value per point; use points from 0.6¢
10,000–100,000 points a night
Fixed valueALL Accor
€0.02typical value per point
2,000 = €40 points a night
Award chartWyndham Rewards
0.55¢typical value per point; use points from 0.7¢
5,000–45,000 points a night
Set by each hotelChoice Privileges
0.85¢typical value per point; use points from 0.85¢
8,000–35,000 points a night
Dynamic pricingRadisson Rewards (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia)
0.3¢typical value per point; use points from 0.4¢
Varies points a night
Set by each hotelLeaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World)
7.6¢typical value per point; use points from 7.6¢
Varies points a night
Fixed valueI Prefer (Preferred Hotels)
0.2¢typical value per point
12,500 = $25 points a night
In Europe
Fewer co-brand cards, city tax on award nights, and Accor almost everywhere.
- City or tourist tax is often collected at check-out on award stays (reported €3–5 a night). Some hotels absorb it.
- Amex points convert to hotels at country-specific ratios: a UK point gets about twice the Hilton or Marriott points of a German one. See each program page.
- No hotel co-brand cards in Belgium or the Netherlands. Amex BE converts to Hilton and Marriott at 1:1, Amex NL also to Radisson at 1:2 (our transfer tables); the hotel research found no independent source for these.
- Not covered yet: Meliá Rewards, NH DISCOVERY, Scandic Friends, Strawberry, Premier Inn.
Questions
Is it better to pay for a hotel with points or cash?
Divide the cash you would pay (minus any tax or fee still due on the award, and minus the points the paid stay would earn) by the points the award costs. Compare the cents per point with the program's typical value: about 1.65 cents for Hyatt, 0.75 for Marriott, 0.4 for Hilton, 0.6 for IHG. Above it, use points; well below it, pay cash.
Which hotel points are worth the most?
Per point, Leaders Club (about 7.6 cents, but scarce), then Accor (a fixed €0.02) and Hyatt (about 1.65 cents). Hilton points are worth about 0.4 cents, but Hilton prices nights in many more points, so compare per stay, not per point.
Should I transfer credit card points to hotels?
Rarely. Bank points are usually worth 1.5–2 cents moved to airlines. Chase to Hyatt at 1:1 (Sapphire Reserve) can beat that on expensive dates; at the new 4:3 for Sapphire Preferred and Ink, the award needs about 2.3–2.7 cents per Hyatt point. Marriott and IHG transfers almost never pay.
Which hotel programs give a free night on longer stays?
Marriott: stay 5, pay 4, for every member on award stays. Hilton: the 5th night free for Silver members and above. IHG: the 4th night free with a US IHG Chase card. Hyatt, Accor and the others have no such rule.
Do I pay city tax on a points stay in Europe?
Often yes: many European hotels collect city or tourist tax at check-out even on a free award night, typically a few euros a night. Add it to the cash you still owe when you compare.
Checked 4 November 2026. Award prices at dynamic programs change daily: check the live price before you transfer. Transfers can't be undone. Still open: Independent confirmation of Amex BE/NL hotel ratios, and Amex Austria in our tables; Revolut to Hilton ratio and which countries get each hotel partner; Hyatt resort fee waiver for members below Globalist in 2026; Which US Marriott card issues which certificate; European award prices for IHG, and Amsterdam and Brussels examples generally; VAT and city tax on award nights by country.
Points or cash for your stay?
Tell Mila the hotel, the dates, the cash price and the points you hold. She works out the cents per point, applies the free-night rules and tells you which way to pay.
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