Paid Business Expenses = Free Hotels

Stay for free at over 5,500 hotels in 100 countries.

When I travel worldwide, I love staying at amazing, comfortable, and consistently reliable hotels -- for free. And the amazing thing is that it's easy to do! All you need are two different credit cards, small business expenses to pay, and the desire to stay in over 5,500 hotels in 100 different countries. Oh, did I mention that you'll also have elite status and get special perks like room upgrades and free food? Yeah, this step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to make all of that happen.

Which hotels can I stay at for free? Excellent question! This guide shows you how to stay at any IHG worldwide. IHG has over 5,500 hotels and resorts in 100 different countries. Several of these are luxury properties, and some are even all-inclusive! Recognize any of these familiar brands?


Those are all IHG properties. You probably have one or more of these near you. I've traveled to over forty countries in the past forty plus years, and I've always found an amazingly comfortable IHG to stay at. I'll show you how you can do the same thing -- for free.

What do I need to make this happen?

1. Business Expenses - The hardest part (which isn't actually hard) is having a business with expenses that you need to pay. If you haven't started your business yet, join the 30-day challenge!
2. Good Credit - Ideally, you'll also have a 650+ credit score. You can successfully apply for these credit cards with lower scores, but you may need to go through the reconsideration process to do it.
3. Few New Credit Cards - You'll need to be under 5/24. That's a fancy way of saying that as long as you haven't received more than four new personal credit cards in the past twenty-four months -- you're good.
4. Two More Credit Cards - Last but not least, you'll need these two new credit cards:

Card #1: IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card This card is a superstar. First, it gives you one free night every year just for having this card. Second, every time you book four free nights in a row, the fourth one is free. No cap! To be clear, you redeem your IHG points for the first three nights, and the fourth night costs zero points. So unless you're only staying for a weekend, you should get at least one free night every single time. Third, any time you pay for an IHG stay, you'll get 26 points for every dollar. That basically gives you another free night every time you pay for a week. Fourth, you'll automatically get Platinum Elite Status and all the perks it comes with. Last but certainly not least, you'll get 3 points for every dollar you spend on the card. Got $50,000 in annual expenses to pay? Turn that into a free week's vacation somewhere nice. There's a $99 annual fee, but that's totally worth it. In fact, after you spend at least $20,000 on this card, they'll give you $100 to cover that annual fee AND an extra 10,000 points -- which is essentially another free night. So really, this card is free -- just like the tons of free nights it gives you. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you also get a huge sign-up bonus with this card. There's another week of free nights!

Card #2: Chase IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card This is the personal version of the 1st card above. And since you spend money in your personal life on eating out (5x points), your phone bill (3x points), gas (5x points), etc. -- you need a great credit card to pay for those things! It does everything the business version does, so having both these credit cards gives you even more free nights. And yes, you get a huge sign-up bonus with this one too. If you paid for all your business expenses with the first card, and all your personal expenses with this card, you could probably vacation for free every year. So why is this card #2 instead of #1? Because business credit cards don't count towards your 5/24 total. Therefore, you should always apply for business credit cards before you apply for personal credit cards.

Bonus Tip: Get Both Cards Twice If you're fortunate enough to be in a relationship with someone you enjoy traveling with, they can also apply for both of these cards. That gives you two more huge sign-up bonuses, two more effortless free anniversary nights, and even more free hotel nights from shopping. All together, that's a whole lot of free. Enjoy!



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Super Value Town (SVT) is a subsidiary of WebTYs. We save entrepreneurs time, and make you more money, by helping you plan, launch, and grow your small business. We accomplish this with all-inclusive, low-cost, done-for-you packages. SVT is honored to have helped more than one thousand small businesses over the past 31 years. Let Super Value Town help you for less -- a lot less. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.