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There's no single best programme. Hilton, IHG and Marriott all price reward nights dynamically, so the points cost moves with the hotel, the date and demand. ALL Accor works differently: its points are worth a fixed amount off the bill. For a city break, the right choice is the programme that has a hotel you'd stay in anyway, in the right area, at a points price that beats paying cash. The only way to know is to price your exact dates in each and do the sum below.
What we'd do first: pick your dates and area, then look up the cash price and the points price for the same room at the same hotel. Write both down before you move any points.
How each programme prices a reward night
| Hilton Honors | IHG One Rewards | Marriott Bonvoy | ALL Accor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the price is set | Dynamic: "may change based on factors such as the hotel, the level of daily demand, and the current room rate" | Varies by "brand, hotel, and day of week"; no blackout dates | "varies by the Participating Property… length of stay, and may also vary by time of year"; "updated continuously" | Fixed value: points come off the bill |
| What the points cover | The room. Local and city taxes are the member's responsibility | Room including "Government mandated… taxes or fees"; resort fees or service charges may apply | Room, "room tax, service charge, and extra-person charges"; resort fees and incidentals are yours | Whatever amount you choose to pay with points |
| Longer stays | 5th night free on Standard Room Rewards for Silver, Gold, Diamond and Diamond Reserve members (not base members) | Not in the terms we read | "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" on five consecutive Standard or PointSavers nights on one reservation | No reward-night pricing, so no free night |
| Points plus cash | Points & Money from 5,000 points, in 1,000-point steps | Check the hotel | Check the hotel | Mix points and money on the bill |
| From UK Amex points | 200 → 400 (1:2) | Not an Amex UK partner | 400 → 600 (2:3) | 300 → 100 (3:1) |
Sources: Hilton Honors Terms & Conditions (effective 15 July 2026, checked 13 Nov 2026, 21:31 Lima); Marriott Bonvoy Programme Rules (sections 3.2.f and 3.3.d, checked 13 Nov 2026, 21:30 Lima); IHG One Rewards Member Terms and Conditions (last updated 30 Oct 2026, clauses 46 and 48, checked 13 Nov 2026, 21:32 Lima); ALL Accor: American Express UK conditions (checked 13 Nov 2026, 21:33 Lima); American Express UK: Transfer points (ratios, checked 13 Nov 2026, 21:29 Lima).
What each one does well, and where it catches you out
Hilton Honors. Big footprint in European capitals, and UK Amex points convert at 1:2. Two things to know. First, Hilton's terms put "local or city occupancy taxes" on the member, so on a reward stay in a city with a tourist tax you'll still pay it. Second, the 5th night free is for Silver status and above, not base members. All-points stays don't pay resort fees, which rarely matters in a city anyway.
IHG One Rewards. Reward nights include government taxes, and IHG says there are no blackout dates. But IHG isn't a UK Amex transfer partner, so you'd need to earn IHG points directly (stays, IHG's own cards or promotions). IHG's terms also mention discounts on reward nights for some elite members and IHG credit cardholders; check whether any apply to you.
Marriott Bonvoy. The reward night includes "room tax, service charge, and extra-person charges", which makes the points price closer to the true cost. Stay five consecutive nights on one reservation and you redeem points for four. PointSavers awards offer lower prices at some hotels for limited periods. UK Amex points convert at 2:3.
ALL Accor. No reward chart and no dynamic points price. Accor's conditions for UK Amex transfers say "2,000 Reward points equal EUR 40", and "3 Membership Rewards points = 1 ALL Accor Reward point", with a minimum transfer of 300. So the value of each Accor point is fixed in euros, and you can use points on any rate. Transferred points don't count towards status. If you want a predictable sum, this is the simplest; whether it's good value depends on what else your Amex points could do.
Start with the hotel, not the programme
On a short city break, location does more for the trip than a few thousand points. Before comparing programmes, list the two or three areas you'd happily stay in, then check which of the four programmes has a hotel there that you'd book with cash. If only one does, that's your answer, and the rest of this guide is about checking whether points beat cash. If two or three do, compare them on your dates with the sum below. Don't move points into a programme just because its transfer ratio looks generous: the points price at the hotel you want is what decides the value.
The cash-vs-points sum
For any hotel, on your dates:
- Cash price: the total for the same room, same nights, same cancellation terms, including taxes.
- Points price: the total points for the stay.
- Cash still payable on the reward: city tax, resort fees, or anything else not covered.
- Value per point = (cash price − cash still payable on the reward) ÷ points.
If you're transferring from Amex, convert to Amex points first: divide by 2 for Hilton (1:2), multiply by two-thirds for Marriott (2:3), and multiply by 3 for Accor (3:1). Then compare with what you'd get using the same Amex points elsewhere. Credit Club uses an assumed value of 1p per UK Amex point as a yardstick. That's our planning assumption, not a market price.
A worked example: three nights in Paris for two (hypothetical)
Every number here is hypothetical, to show the maths. We did not reproduce live prices, because all four programmes change them constantly. Prices are for one room, two adults, three nights, the whole stay.
- Cash price: £220 a night, £660 for three nights, including taxes.
- Hilton: 50,000 points a night = 150,000 Hilton points, plus about £20 city tax payable at the hotel. From Amex: 75,000 points.
- Marriott: 40,000 points a night = 120,000 Bonvoy points. Room tax is included. From Amex: 80,000 points.
- IHG: 45,000 points a night = 135,000 IHG points. Not available from UK Amex.
- ALL Accor: to cover £660, at an assumed exchange rate of €1.15 to £1, you'd need €759 = 37,950 Accor points. From Amex: 113,850 points.
At our assumed 1p per Amex point, the full cost of each option is:
| Option | Points from Amex | Cash still paid | Full cost at 1p (assumed) | Value per Amex point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay cash | 0 | £660 | £660 | n/a |
| Hilton via Amex | 75,000 | £20 | £770 | 0.85p |
| Marriott via Amex | 80,000 | £0 | £800 | 0.83p |
| ALL Accor via Amex | 113,850 | £0 | £1,139 | 0.58p |
In this hypothetical, cash wins. That's the point of the example: a mid-priced city hotel on ordinary dates often isn't the best use of transferable points. The sum changes when cash prices are high (a big event, a peak weekend) and the points price hasn't risen as much, or when a five-night stay brings in Marriott's "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" or, for Silver members and above, Hilton's 5th night free. Run the same sum on your own dates.
Trade-offs
- Fixed versus dynamic. Accor's fixed value is predictable but can't beat its own arithmetic. Dynamic programmes can give much better or much worse value from night to night.
- Status matters at Hilton. Without Silver status, there's no 5th night free.
- Transfers can't be reversed. Once Amex points go to a hotel programme, they can't come back. Transfer only for a stay you've priced.
- Cancellation. Hilton's general rule is to cancel 48 hours before arrival, but "the hotel's individual cancellation policy applies" if it differs. Marriott and IHG also follow each hotel's deadline. Check before booking.
- Points expire if you don't use the account. Hilton and Marriott both forfeit points after 24 months without qualifying activity.
If no programme works for your dates
Pay cash, earn points on the stay, and keep your Amex points for flights, where they're often worth more against our 1p yardstick. Or try different dates or a different area of the city. You might also look at a BA Holidays package, which you can part-pay with Avios.
Hotel points for city breaks: FAQs
Which UK Amex transfer gives the most hotel points?
Hilton, at 1:2. But more points isn't the same as more value: Hilton reward nights often cost more points. Compare the full cost.
Can I use hotel points for just part of a stay?
Hilton offers Points & Money from 5,000 points. Accor lets you put points towards the bill. For Marriott and IHG, check what the hotel offers.
Are city taxes included?
Marriott's award includes room tax; IHG's includes government taxes; Hilton's terms make local taxes the member's responsibility. Ask the hotel about any tourist tax collected on arrival.
For how UK Amex transfers work, see Amex Membership Rewards UK transfer partners. If a transfer takes longer than expected, read Amex UK points transfer delayed.