In late August FNBO stopped accepting applications for the Best Western credit cards. Best Western has now launched two new credit cards that are issued by First Bank & Trust and managed by Mercury Financial.
Best Western Rewards Visa Signature Card
Earn up to 40,000 bonus points
Card earns at the following rates:
4X points on Best Western stays and purchases
2X points on all other purchases
10,000 Anniversary Bonus Points
Automatic Gold Elite Status
Best Western Rewards Premium Visa Signature Card
Earn up to 80,000 bonus points
$89 annual fee
Card earns at the following rates:
10X points on Best Western stays and purchases
4X points on gas station and grocery store purchases
2X points on all other purchases
Up to Two Free Night Awards Each Anniversary
One free night on anniversary
Second free night when you spend $10,000+
Automatic Platinum Elite Status
Our Verdict
Sign up bonuses are a bit strange as it’s 10k to 40k and 20k to 80k points and you’ll see the bonus and minimum spend requirement before applying according to the fine print. According to the terms the free night can only be used in US, Canada and the Caribbean but is otherwise unrestricted. We did see higher bonuses on the previous FNBO versions of these cards, but the anniversary bonuses weren’t nearly as generous. I can see a play for keeping the Premium card long term for the free night certificate for $89 annually but that depends if there are any expensive properties where you like to travel and single night stays not affecting you as much.
Mercury is more of a sub prime lender from what I know, so getting approved shouldn’t be too difficult but share your experiences in the comments below if you decide to go for it.