Is the One Key+ Card Worth Its Annual Fee?

The Expedia credit cards and Hotels.com credit card are long gone. Instead, Expedia and Wells Fargo have introduced two new travel credit cards associated with its One Key loyalty program for Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.

The One Key Card is the entry-level card with a $0 annual fee and the other is the One Key+ Card with a $99 annual fee. Both OneKey credit cards earn 3% rewards when booking through Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo and 3% rewards on dining, gas and groceries.

So, what’s the difference between the two cards and when is it worth upgrading to the One Key+ Card?

Read on to learn more about One Key+ credit card, what benefits it offers and how it stacks up against popular hotel credit cards.

The One Key+ Card has a few elevated benefits that are different from its no-annual-fee counterpart:

• 2% OneKeyCash on purchases outside of the bonus categories of spending on dining, gas, groceries, or One Key brands. (The One Key Card only has 1.5% on the same purchases.)

• Automatic Gold elite status, with the possibility of earning Platinum after spending $30,000 on the card. (The One Key Card had automatic Silver elite status, with the possibility of earning Gold after spending $15,000 on the card.)

• $100 OneKeyCash upon renewal.

Both One Key cards offer the chance to earn OneKeyCash, which can be redeemed for travel on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo reservations, as well as some other key benefits:

While many hotel credit cards offer elite status, bonus points and other benefits, they typically require you to stay within that brand to maximize the card’s value. Plus, hotel loyalty programs devalue their redemption programs regularly, making it harder to redeem the property you want to stay at. For these reasons, many travelers might find the One Key program more flexible and easier to use than other hotel loyalty programs.

This chart compares some of the most popular hotel credit cards against the One Key+Card to help you decide if one of the new One Key+ Card is worth the annual fee.

If you’re interested in getting one of the new One Key credit cards, you have a choice between the no annual fee version and one that costs $99 per year. Determining which one makes sense depends on how frequently you use Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo to book your travel.

The One Key+ Card is the best option for travelers who plan to make at least one booking with Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo each year. Although you pay a $99 annual fee, the $100 OneKeyCash renewal bonus that covers the fee.

Whether you’re booking a flight, hotel, rental car or activity, it’s easy to use that $100 credit. Plus, you’ll be reimbursed up to $100 once every four years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees.

When choosing the One Key+ Card, you’re also eligible for a larger welcome bonus and it earns 33% more rewards on everyday spending than the One Key Card.

With the introduction of OneKey credit cards, travelers can now earn additional rewards when booking travel through Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo. Cardholders also receive automatic elite status and the opportunity to upgrade based on annual spending. The cards include numerous travel benefits at no extra charge, including primary rental car protection, no foreign transaction fees and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

When you’re not traveling, you’ll earn 3% rewards on dining, gas and groceries and up to 2% rewards on everything else.

Because $1 of OneKeyCash is equal to $1, the One Key+ Card is essentially like having a 2% cash back card, except that you can only use the cash back on travel.

If you’re one of the many travelers questioning whether individual hotel loyalty is worth it, you may be better off booking through Expedia Group’s online travel agencies and using one of these new OneKey credit cards to earn rewards and elite status perks.

The information related to the One Key Card, One Key+ Card and Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.