Hotel and Car Rental Partnerships: Cross-Earning Opportunities

How to Double Your Rewards by Combining Hotel Loyalty Programs With Car Rental Benefits in 2026

Introduction: Why You Are Leaving Free Travel Rewards on the Table

Let me ask you a simple question. When was the last time you booked a hotel and rented a car for the same trip? If you are like most travelers, the answer is probably pretty recently. Now let me ask you a follow-up question that might sting a little. Did you earn bonus points, miles, or rewards from both the hotel and the car rental company at the same time? If your answer is no, you are leaving free money and free travel on the table every single time you take a trip.

Here is the truth that most people never learn: the biggest hotel chains and car rental companies in the world have partnerships with each other. These partnerships are specifically designed to let you earn rewards on both sides of the transaction at the same time. That means when you rent a car through the right channel, you can earn hotel loyalty points on top of whatever rewards the car rental company already gives you. And when you book a hotel through certain programs, you can earn bonus car rental credits or elite status perks that make your next rental cheaper, faster, and more comfortable.

This is called cross-earning, and it is one of the most powerful and most overlooked strategies in the entire travel rewards world. The people who understand cross-earning are the same people who seem to always be staying in upgraded hotel rooms, skipping the car rental counter, and flying in premium cabins without paying full price. They are not lucky. They are strategic.

In this article, we are going to break down exactly how hotel and car rental partnerships work, which partnerships exist right now in 2026, how to maximize your earnings on every single trip, and how real travelers are using these strategies to get thousands of dollars in free travel every year. Whether you are a casual vacationer or a frequent business traveler, this guide is going to change the way you think about booking hotels and rental cars forever.

What Are Hotel and Car Rental Partnerships?

Before we get into the specifics, let us make sure we are all on the same page about what these partnerships actually are and how they work.

A hotel and car rental partnership is a formal business agreement between a hotel loyalty program and a car rental company. The agreement allows members of the hotel loyalty program to earn hotel points when they rent a car from the partner company. In many cases, the partnership also works in reverse, allowing car rental loyalty members to earn rental credits or perks when they stay at partner hotels.

These partnerships exist because both companies benefit. The hotel chain gets more members using their loyalty program, which increases brand loyalty and repeat bookings. The car rental company gets access to a massive pool of frequent travelers who are already spending money on travel. And the traveler, which is you, gets to earn rewards from two different companies on a single transaction.

The key thing to understand is that these are not either-or situations. You do not have to choose between earning hotel points and earning car rental rewards. In most cases, you can earn both at the same time. You earn your car rental loyalty points or credits as usual, and you also earn hotel loyalty points as a bonus on top of that. It is like getting paid twice for the same purchase.

The Major Hotel and Car Rental Partnerships You Need to Know

Now let us get into the partnerships that are active right now in 2026. These are the combinations that can earn you the most rewards with the least amount of effort.

Marriott Bonvoy and Its Car Rental Partners

Marriott Bonvoy is the largest hotel loyalty program in the world with over 30 brands and thousands of properties. Their car rental partnerships are among the most generous in the industry.

Marriott Bonvoy members can earn points when renting from National Car Rental, Hertz, and Avis. When you link your Bonvoy number to your car rental reservation, you typically earn anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 bonus Bonvoy points per qualifying rental depending on the current promotion and the partner company. Some promotional periods offer even higher earning rates.

On top of the bonus Bonvoy points, you still earn whatever rewards or credits your car rental loyalty program gives you. So if you are a National Emerald Club member, you earn your Emerald Club credits and your Bonvoy points on the same rental. That is true cross-earning in action.

Marriott also occasionally runs accelerator promotions where they double or triple the bonus points you earn from car rental partners. These promotions usually last a few weeks and require registration through the Bonvoy website or app, so it pays to check regularly.

World of Hyatt and Car Rental Partners

World of Hyatt is a smaller program than Marriott Bonvoy, but their points are widely considered to be more valuable on a per-point basis. Hyatt partners with Avis and Budget for car rental cross-earning opportunities.

When you rent from Avis or Budget and include your World of Hyatt member number, you can earn up to 1,500 bonus Hyatt points per qualifying rental. Given that Hyatt points are often valued at around 1.5 to 2 cents each, that bonus can be worth $22 to $30 in real hotel value for a single car rental. Over the course of a year with regular travel, that adds up fast.

Hyatt also has a unique feature where car rental spending can count toward qualifying nights for elite status. This is a huge deal for travelers who are close to reaching the next tier of Hyatt status but need a few more qualifying activities to get there.

Hilton Honors and Car Rental Partners

Hilton Honors partners with several major car rental companies including National, Alamo, Enterprise, Avis, and Budget. This gives Hilton members some of the widest car rental partnership options available.

Hilton Honors members can earn up to 2,500 bonus Hilton points per qualifying rental depending on the partner and the current promotion. Hilton points are generally valued a bit lower per point than Hyatt or Marriott points, but the earning rates are often higher, which balances things out nicely.

One of the best features of the Hilton partnership is that it works internationally. If you are renting a car in Europe, Asia, or anywhere else where these rental companies operate, you can still earn your Hilton bonus points. This makes the partnership especially valuable for international travelers.

IHG One Rewards and Car Rental Partners

IHG One Rewards, which covers brands like Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and Kimpton, partners with Avis, Budget, and National for car rental cross-earning.

IHG members can earn bonus points on qualifying rentals, typically in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 points per rental. IHG also runs periodic promotions that boost these earning rates significantly. The IHG program is particularly appealing for budget-conscious travelers because their points can unlock stays at Holiday Inn Express and other affordable brands, stretching your rewards further.

Wyndham Rewards and Car Rental Partners

Wyndham Rewards is one of the most underrated loyalty programs in the travel world. They partner with Avis and Budget for car rental cross-earning. Wyndham members can earn bonus points per qualifying rental, and because Wyndham uses a flat-rate redemption system for free nights, even a small number of bonus points can get you meaningfully closer to a free stay.

Wyndham properties include budget-friendly brands like Days Inn, Super 8, La Quinta, and Ramada, as well as upscale options like Wyndham Grand. This means your car rental bonus points can be redeemed at thousands of properties worldwide at a wide range of price points.

How Cross-Earning Actually Works Step by Step

If this all sounds a little complicated, do not worry. The actual process of cross-earning is incredibly simple. Here is how it works in practice.

Step one: Make sure you are a member of at least one hotel loyalty program. Membership is always free and takes about two minutes to sign up online. You will receive a member number that you will use when booking.

Step two: Check which car rental companies are partners with your hotel loyalty program. You can usually find this information on the loyalty program’s website under a section called “partners” or “earn points.”

Step three: When you book your car rental, enter your hotel loyalty member number in the designated field. Most car rental websites have a section during the booking process where you can add a frequent traveler number or partner loyalty number.

Step four: Complete your rental as normal. Drive the car, return it on time, and pay the bill.

Step five: Within a few days to a few weeks after your rental, the bonus hotel points will appear in your loyalty account. That is it. There is no extra paperwork, no receipt submissions, and no complicated redemption process. The points just show up.

The entire process takes about 30 extra seconds during the booking phase. That is 30 seconds of effort for hundreds or even thousands of bonus points that can translate into free hotel nights, room upgrades, and elite status perks. There is genuinely no reason not to do this on every single car rental you book.

Real-Life Examples: How Travelers Are Using Cross-Earning to Travel for Less

Michael’s Business Travel Windfall

Michael is a 42-year-old sales manager from Chicago who travels for work about 25 weeks per year. He rents a car almost every trip and stays in hotels four or five nights a week. For years, Michael was earning hotel points from his hotel stays and car rental credits from his rentals, but he was not connecting the two.

After learning about cross-earning, Michael linked his Marriott Bonvoy number to his National Car Rental account. Within six months, he had earned an extra 60,000 Bonvoy points just from his car rentals alone. That was enough for three to four free nights at a mid-tier Marriott property. He used those free nights to extend a work trip into a weekend getaway in Nashville with his wife. The hotel stay cost him nothing because the points were earned as a bonus on car rentals he was already paying for through his company’s travel budget.

Angela’s Family Road Trip Hack

Angela is a mother of two from Phoenix who takes her family on a two-week road trip every summer. She always rents a car for these trips because the family drives through multiple states and she does not want to put thousands of miles on her personal vehicle.

Angela signed up for Hilton Honors and started booking her rentals through Hilton’s car rental partner portal. On her last summer road trip, she rented a car for 14 days and earned 5,000 bonus Hilton Honors points on that single rental. Combined with the points she earned from her hotel stays during the trip, she had enough points to book two free nights at a Hilton Garden Inn for a weekend fall getaway with the kids. Angela says the best part is that she did not have to change anything about how she travels. She just added her loyalty number to the rental and the points showed up automatically.

Derek’s Elite Status Shortcut

Derek is a freelance consultant from Dallas who travels frequently but not quite enough to earn top-tier elite status with his preferred hotel chain. He was stuck at mid-tier Hyatt Globalist status, which requires 60 qualifying nights per year. Derek usually logs about 50 hotel nights, leaving him 10 nights short.

When he discovered that car rentals through Hyatt’s Avis partnership could count toward qualifying activity, everything changed. By renting cars through Avis with his Hyatt number attached, Derek earned enough qualifying activity credits to push him over the 60-night threshold and unlock Globalist status. That status came with room upgrades, free breakfast, late checkout, and lounge access at Hyatt properties worldwide. All because he added his loyalty number to car rentals he was already making.

Priya’s Honeymoon Savings

Priya and her husband were planning a two-week honeymoon through Italy. They knew they wanted to rent a car to drive through Tuscany and along the Amalfi Coast. Priya had been collecting IHG One Rewards points for a couple of years and noticed that IHG partnered with Avis for international rentals.

She booked her Italian car rental through the IHG partner portal and earned 3,000 bonus IHG points on the rental. Combined with a welcome bonus from a new IHG credit card and points from their hotel stays during the trip, Priya and her husband had enough points to book three free nights at a Kimpton hotel in San Francisco for a post-honeymoon city escape. The car rental bonus points were a small piece of the puzzle, but they were the piece that pushed the couple over the threshold for those free nights.

Maximizing Your Cross-Earning: Advanced Strategies

Once you understand the basics of cross-earning, there are several advanced strategies that can help you squeeze even more value out of these partnerships.

Stack Multiple Promotions at Once

The savviest travelers know that car rental cross-earning can be stacked with other promotions. For example, you might earn bonus hotel points from the car rental partnership, earn cash back or travel credits from a rewards credit card used to pay for the rental, earn car rental loyalty points from the rental company’s own program, and take advantage of a limited-time accelerator promotion from the hotel chain. All four of these earning streams can work simultaneously on a single car rental. When you stack them all together, a $300 car rental could easily generate $50 to $100 in combined rewards value. That is an effective return of 15 to 30 percent on your spending, which is extraordinary.

Book Through the Hotel Partner Portal

Most hotel loyalty programs have a dedicated car rental booking portal on their website. When you book through this portal instead of going directly to the car rental company’s website, you are often guaranteed to receive your bonus points and may even unlock exclusive rates or bonus point promotions that are not available elsewhere.

Always check the partner portal first before booking your rental. Compare the rate to what is available on the rental company’s direct website. In many cases, the rate is the same or even lower through the partner portal, which means you get the same car at the same price with a guaranteed point bonus.

Register for Every Promotion

Hotel loyalty programs and car rental companies run promotional offers throughout the year. These might include double points on car rentals booked during a certain period, bonus points for renting from a specific brand, or extra rewards for renting at airport locations. The catch is that you almost always have to register for these promotions before you travel. They are not applied automatically. Make a habit of checking your hotel loyalty program’s promotions page at least once a month and registering for anything that applies to your upcoming travel. It takes two minutes and can double or triple your earning rate.

Use Status Matching to Unlock Perks

Many car rental companies offer status matching for members of hotel loyalty programs. If you hold elite status with Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, or another major hotel chain, you may be able to unlock a corresponding elite tier with a car rental partner. This can get you benefits like free upgrades, skip-the-counter pickup, and guaranteed vehicle availability. Check your hotel loyalty program’s partnership page to see if status matching is available with their car rental partners. It is one of the fastest ways to unlock premium car rental benefits without having to earn them from scratch.

Common Mistakes Travelers Make With Cross-Earning

Even experienced travelers make mistakes when it comes to cross-earning. Here are the most common ones and how to avoid them.

Forgetting to add your loyalty number. This is by far the most common mistake. If you do not enter your hotel loyalty member number when booking your car rental, you will not earn the bonus points. Always double-check that your number is on the reservation before you finalize the booking.

Booking through third-party discount sites. Rentals booked through third-party aggregator websites often do not qualify for loyalty point bonuses. If earning hotel points is important to you, book directly through the car rental company’s website or through the hotel loyalty program’s partner portal.

Not registering for promotions. As mentioned earlier, most bonus point promotions require pre-registration. If you do not register before your rental, you miss out on the extra points even if you would have otherwise qualified.

Ignoring international partnerships. Many travelers assume that cross-earning only works in the United States, but most major partnerships are global. If you are renting a car overseas, check whether your hotel loyalty program has an active partnership with a rental company that operates in your destination country.

Choosing the wrong rental company. Not every car rental company partners with every hotel chain. If you are loyal to a specific hotel program, make sure you are renting from a partner company. Renting from a non-partner brand means zero bonus hotel points.

The Future of Hotel and Car Rental Partnerships

The travel industry is constantly evolving, and hotel and car rental partnerships are no exception. In 2026, we are seeing several trends that suggest these cross-earning opportunities are going to become even more valuable in the years ahead.

First, partnerships are expanding beyond traditional car rentals to include ride-sharing services, electric vehicle rentals, and even peer-to-peer car sharing platforms. Some hotel loyalty programs have already begun testing point-earning partnerships with companies in these emerging sectors.

Second, personalization is becoming a bigger part of the partnership experience. Hotels and car rental companies are using data from your loyalty profiles to offer you targeted promotions, preferred vehicle types, and customized earning opportunities based on your travel patterns.

Third, the lines between different types of travel rewards are blurring. We are seeing more partnerships that let you transfer points between hotel programs, car rental programs, airline programs, and even credit card reward programs. This flexibility means that the points you earn from a car rental could eventually be used for a hotel stay, a flight, or even a statement credit on your credit card.

The bottom line is that cross-earning is not a niche trick for travel hackers. It is becoming a mainstream part of how loyalty programs work, and the travelers who start using it now will be the ones who benefit the most as these partnerships continue to grow and evolve.

20 Powerful and Uplifting Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Next Journey

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” — Saint Augustine
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” — Anonymous
“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” — Amelia Earhart
“Not all those who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
“Life is short and the world is wide.” — Simon Raven
“To travel is to live.” — Hans Christian Andersen
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” — Chief Seattle
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” — Ibn Battuta
“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” — Dalai Lama
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” — Anonymous
“Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” — Jaime Lyn Beatty
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” — Gustave Flaubert
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust
“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled.” — Mohammed
“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” — David Mitchell
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” — Neale Donald Walsch
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” — Tim Cahill
“Own only what you can always carry with you.” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius

Picture This

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine this.

It is a Friday afternoon in early autumn. You just wrapped up your last meeting of the week and you are sitting at your desk with a quiet smile on your face because you know something your coworkers do not. While they are heading home to the same old weekend routine, you are heading to the airport for a surprise getaway that cost you almost nothing out of pocket.

Three months ago, you started using the cross-earning strategies you learned about in this article. You linked your Marriott Bonvoy number to your National Car Rental account. You booked every work rental through the hotel partner portal. You registered for two promotional offers that doubled your bonus points. You did not change a single thing about how you travel. You just added a loyalty number to reservations you were already making.

And now, those bonus points have added up to something incredible. You are sitting on 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you earned entirely from car rentals. Combined with the points from your hotel stays, you have enough for three free nights at a beautiful Marriott resort on the coast.

You arrive at the airport feeling relaxed because there is no financial stress hanging over this trip. You are not putting the hotel on a credit card and worrying about the bill when you get home. The room is paid for with points. Free. Earned. Deserved.

When you check into the resort, the front desk agent smiles and says your room has been upgraded because of your loyalty status. You walk into a room with a balcony overlooking the ocean. The sun is just starting to set and the sky is painted in shades of orange and gold. You drop your bag, step out onto the balcony, and take a deep breath of salty air.

Your phone buzzes. It is a notification from your car rental loyalty app confirming that your weekend rental is ready for pickup at a discounted rate because of your elite status, another perk you earned through the partnership. Tomorrow morning, you will pick up that car and drive down the coast with the windows down, exploring small towns and seaside restaurants without a care in the world.

And the best part? This entire experience, the upgraded hotel room, the free nights, the discounted car rental, and the feeling of freedom that comes with it, all started because you took five minutes to understand how cross-earning works and applied it to trips you were already taking.

That is the power of knowing the system. That is the power of being strategic with your travel. And that could be you on your very next trip. Not someday. Not when you have more money. Not when you have more time. Right now. Starting with your very next reservation.

Share This Article

Did this article open your eyes to rewards you have been missing out on? You are probably not the only one in your life who could benefit from this information. Think about your friends who travel for work every week and rent cars at every destination. Think about your family members who book hotels for every vacation but never earn bonus points from their car rentals. Think about that coworker who is always complaining about how expensive travel is and does not realize they could be earning free nights with every single trip.

This article could change the way they travel forever, and all it takes is a quick share.

Post it on Facebook so your friends and family can see it. Send it directly in a text message or group chat to the people you know would benefit the most. Share it on X (formerly Twitter) to help fellow travelers in your network discover cross-earning for the first time. Pin it on Pinterest so it is saved and easy to find the next time someone is planning a trip. Email it to a coworker who is always on the road and could use a smarter rewards strategy. Drop it in your favorite travel forum or Reddit community so even more people can start maximizing their travel rewards.

Every share helps someone travel smarter, save more money, and enjoy more of the world without the financial stress that holds so many people back. You have the knowledge now. Pass it on.

Visit us at DNDTRAVELS.COM for more travel tips, guides, and inspiration that help you see the world for less.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as professional financial, legal, or travel advice. All hotel loyalty program details, car rental partnership terms, point earning rates, and promotional offers described in this article are based on publicly available information and past traveler experiences at the time of writing. These programs, partnerships, point values, and promotional offers are subject to change at any time without notice and may vary based on your location, membership tier, fare or rate class, booking method, rental duration, and other factors determined by the participating companies.

DNDTRAVELS.COM and the authors of this article make no guarantees or warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of the information presented. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to any hotel chain, car rental company, airline, loyalty program, or financial institution mentioned in this article unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Your experience with these partnerships and programs may differ from the examples and descriptions provided. Point earning rates, elite status requirements, redemption values, and partner benefits can fluctuate based on market conditions, program updates, and individual account standing. We strongly recommend that you verify all loyalty program terms, partnership details, and promotional offers directly through the official websites of the relevant hotel chains and car rental companies before making any booking or financial decisions.

By reading and using the information in this article, you acknowledge and agree that DNDTRAVELS.COM, its owners, authors, contributors, and affiliates shall not be held responsible or liable for any losses, damages, fees, charges, missed rewards, or negative experiences that may arise from your use of or reliance on the content provided herein. You assume full responsibility for your own travel decisions and financial choices. This article is intended to educate and inspire, not to serve as a substitute for professional advice or official program documentation.