Free room upgrades are a great benefit of elite status in a hotel loyalty program. Road warriors can earn elite status by racking up lots of paid stays, but for the rest of us, there is an easier way.

Many co-branded hotel credit cards offer automatic elite status, which can mean a free upgrade to a bigger room, a room with a view or even a suite.

How to get a hotel room upgrade through credit card perks

Some credit cards give you free hotel status upgrades just for being a cardholder. This can mean immediately gaining high enough status to score free room upgrades upon check-in at hotels in the program.

Status doesn’t guarantee that you will get a room upgrade every time you stay, as upgrades are typically based on availability at check-in. But from our experience, your chances are pretty good — especially when traveling in the off-season.

Most hotel credit cards that come with the status level to get you room upgrades will have an annual fee. When applying for one of these cards, consider whether the card perks are worth the cost.

Our favorite rewards credit cards for room upgrades

If your goal is to get a hotel upgrade for free, add one of these rewards credit cards to your wallet.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

If you are aiming for Hilton’s top status tier, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the right choice. This premium card has a hefty $550 annual fee, but it comes with excellent travel perks, including automatic Diamond status in the Hilton Honors loyalty program. With this status, you’ll not only enjoy free room upgrades but also get executive lounge access and earn 100% bonus points on stays, along with a few other perks. Terms apply.

Other benefits of this card include:

14x Honors points per dollar when you use the card at Hilton hotels.

7x points spent on travel and at U.S. restaurants.

3x on all other purchases.

Up to $250 in Hilton resort credits on your card each anniversary year.

Terms apply.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

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Rates & Fees

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card has a $650 annual fee but packs a punch when it comes to benefits. Cardmembers receive automatic Platinum Elite status, which grants you free room upgrades when available, complimentary Wi-Fi, 4 p.m. late checkout when available and 50% bonus points on paid stays.

Other details of this card include:

Welcome bonus: Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

6X Marriott Bonvoy points on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.

3X points on flights booked directly with airlines and at U.S. restaurants.

2X points on all other eligible purchases.

Up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.

Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.

Terms apply.

World of Hyatt Credit Card

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With an annual fee of $95, the World of Hyatt Credit Card offers cardholders complimentary Discoverist status as one of its main perks. With World of Hyatt Discoverist status, you can get upgraded to a room with a better view, on a higher floor or a corner room.

Discoverists also get complimentary internet access, 2 p.m. late checkout when available and elite check-in.

Other benefits of the card include:

Welcome bonus: Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Free nights start at 5,000 points.

One free night at any Category 4 or lower Hyatt property after your cardmember anniversary.

Extra free night at any Category 4 or lower Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year.

Automatic World of Hyatt Elite status and five qualifying night credits every year.

Two qualifying night credits toward tier status for every $5,000 you spend on your card.

4 bonus points per dollar on Hyatt stays (on top of 5 base points for a total 9x points).

2x for spending on restaurants, plane tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and fitness club memberships.

IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card

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As an IHG® One Rewards Premier Credit Card holder you’ll get automatic Platinum status with IHG One Rewards — a loyalty program that includes the likes of Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, EVEN and Indigo hotels. Platinum elites get free room upgrades based on availability upon check-in plus 60% bonus points earning, elite rollover nights and more.

The credit card comes with an annual fee of $99. The perks you get include:

Welcome bonus: Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

One award night worth 40,000 points after each account anniversary.

Fourth award night free when you redeem points for a stay of three or more nights.

Additional 16 points per $1 spent on IHG hotel stays (on top of 10 base points, for a total of 26x points on stays).

5x points at gas stations, travel and restaurants. 3x points on all other purchases.

Platinum status as long as you remain a card member.

Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit of up to $100 every four years.

The bottom line

Quite a few hotel credit cards come with elite status that can get you upgraded to a better room for free. Weigh all the benefits of a credit card, including possible upgrades, against the annual fee to decide whether one of these cards is worth getting.

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.