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If you're a frequent Hilton guest, you may want to consider adding a Hilton-branded credit card to your wallet.
These cards not only heavily reward you for Hilton resort and hotel bookings but also offer an impressive rewards rate for you to make the most of your spending across all other categories.
In other words, even if you don’t have any upcoming trips or hotel stays planned, you can still benefit a lot from a hotel credit card such as the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
Quick Facts: Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Rewards rate: 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton hotels and resorts purchases; 5x points at U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. restaurants; 3x points on all other eligible purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in the first 6 months. Offer ends 1/8/2025
- Annual fee: $0 (rates and fees)
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Overview of the Hilton Honors American Express Card
The high rewards rates with the Hilton Honors American Express Card are impressive, considering you don’t have to pay an annual fee and you can earn substantial rewards outside of Hilton spending.
That being said, some of the best perks of this card relate to Hilton hotel stays — like automatically qualifying for being a Hilton Honors Silver member. Silver status gives you a 20% bonus on the Base Points you earn with each stay, which will help you qualify for free nights faster.
You will receive your fifth night free when you book a standard room stay with 100% points.
Pros
- High reward rates on multiple categories
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status
- No annual fee
Cons
- Hotel rewards limited to Hilton properties
- No free anniversary night
LEARN MORE: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Redeeming Rewards
When it comes to redeeming your rewards (which is the whole point of earning them), you can, of course, redeem them for Hilton bookings.
You will also have the option to redeem your rewards for purchases on Amazon.com and through rental car bookings or partner airlines (among other options).
This is a surprisingly flexible redemption system for a hotel credit card.
Perks and Benefits
Alongside the chance to earn rewards when you spend, the Hilton Honors American Express Card comes with some great perks and benefits, such as:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Automatic Hilton Honors Silver Status
- Free American Express Experiences content and virtual experiences
- Send money and split purchases with any Venmo or PayPal user from the Amex App using Send & Split®
- Exclusive Amex Offers with select brands
- Free extended warranty on eligible purchases *
- Purchase protection for covered purchases*
- Access to Global Assist® Hotline when traveling more than 100 miles from home*
- Car rental loss and damage insurance when you book a rental car*
Many of these perks are equally as useful at home as they are when you're traveling, which is a nice offering from a card that's focused primarily on hotel stays.
Who Should Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card?
Typically, with hotel-affiliated credit cards, you need to book often to benefit from the card. However, the high rewards rates for non-hotel spending categories make the Hilton Honors Amex a solid card option for anyone who finds themself booking Hilton hotel stays semi-regularly.
Plus, because there is no annual fee, as long as you make all your payments on time, it won't cost you anything to have this credit card in your wallet.
With that in mind, the more often you choose Hilton over another hotel chain, the more you will benefit.
LEARN MORE: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Who Shouldn’t Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card?
It may be obvious, but you shouldn't get the Hilton Honors Amex if you don’t see yourself staying at Hilton properties often — or at all. Maybe you prefer a more boutique hotel experience, enjoy couchsurfing with friends, or tend to book Airbnb rentals.
If you aren’t loyal to Hilton hotels, you may find that a credit card that rewards you for booking with your favorite airline or a different hotel chain better suits your travel needs.
If you don’t travel often, a cashback credit card that focuses on rewarding daily spending like groceries and gas may be even more useful than a hotel or airline credit card.
Alternatives to the Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- Rewards rate: 12x points for eligible purchases made directly with a Hilton hotel or resort; 6x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; 4x points for U.S. online retail purchases; 3x on all other eligible purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in your first 6 months. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
- Annual fee: $150 (rates and fees)
. . .
If you like the sound of the Hilton Honors Amex but want to earn even more points, you may want to look into the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. While this card does come with an annual fee, you will earn more rewards and have access to better perks.
Because you can redeem rewards for Amazon purchases or with partner airlines (among other options), you don’t have to stress about exclusively booking hotel stays with Hilton. If you need to book a different hotel on a dream trip, you can simply use the rewards you earned elsewhere. How about upgrading your airline ticket to first class?
With the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass, you also jump up a level from Silver to Gold status, which gives you an 80% bonus on the Base Points you earn with each stay.
LEARN MORE: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Rewards rate: 14x points for eligible purchases made directly with Hilton hotels and resorts; 7X on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies; 7x on U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery; 3x on everything else
- Welcome offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
- Annual fee: $550 (rates and fees)
. . .
To really take things up a notch, you could spend more on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. It comes with a very steep annual fee, so you'll want to make sure you earn enough rewards and perks to justify the cost — but if you're a loyal Hilton customer, this card may be worth it.
In addition to the rewards, you automatically qualify for Diamond status, which grants you a 100% bonus on Base Points you earn on every stay. You also earn a $400 resort credit from eligible purchases made with your card at participating Hilton Resorts.
You can also earn an annual free night reward every year after you renew your card to help cancel out the cost of the annual fee.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Bottom Line
If you stay at Hilton properties frequently, the Hilton Honors American Express Card could earn you a lot of rewards on eligible hotel and resort stays. Add to that a generous welcome offer, automatic Hilton Honors Silver Status, and the ability to earn rewards on restaurants and groceries, and you could really start racking up the rewards quickly.
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* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
