Hilton Honors Card from American Express Review

Annual fee: The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a $0 annual fee. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has an annual fee of $95.

Rewards: The Hilton Honors American Express Card offers seven points per dollar for eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts. It offers five points per dollar at all U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, and three points per dollar for all other eligible purchases. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card offers 12 points per dollar on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts. It offers six points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets, and three points per dollar for all other eligible purchases.

Welcome offer: The Hilton Honors American Express Card offers 80,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has a welcome offer of 130,000 bonus points after cardholders make $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

Benefits: The Hilton Honors American Express Card provides car rental loss and damage insurance, complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status and access to the Global Assist Hotline. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card offers immediate Gold status with perks including room upgrades when available and an 80% points bonus on hotel stays. The card comes with access to the Global Assist Hotline, car rental loss and damage insurance, and fraud protection.

Annual fee: The Hilton Honors American Express Card does not charge an annual fee. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $450 annual fee.

Rewards: The Hilton Honors American Express Card earns seven points per dollar on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts; five points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery; and three points per dollar on other eligible purchases. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card earns 14 points on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts; seven points on select travel purchases and on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery; and three points per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Welcome offer: The Hilton Honors American Express Card allows cardholders to earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 within three months of opening the account and an additional 50,000 points after spending $5,000 within the first six months. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card allows cardholders to earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $4,000 within three months of opening the account.

Benefits: Both cards offer benefits including fraud protection, car rental loss and damage insurance, and event ticket access through American Express Experiences. Hilton Honors American Express Card also offers Global Assist Hotline access. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers additional benefits, including Premium Global Assist Hotline access, return protection, a baggage insurance plan and a $250 airline fee credit for incidental charges.

Approximate annual rewards value: $323.

You’ll earn at least three points per dollar on every purchase and up to seven base points per dollar on Hilton purchases with no limit on how much you can earn.

Eligible purchases are for goods and services net of returns or other credits. They do not include cash advances, traveler’s checks, reloadable prepaid cards, fees or interest charges. The points you earn are credited to your Hilton Honors account within 12 weeks of the end of your billing period.

The number of points you earn on a purchase depends on the category. Purchases made at a Hilton hotel or resort earn the most points, at seven base points for every dollar spent. You’ll also earn five points for every dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. All eligible purchases outside of these categories earn three points per dollar spent.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 80,000 bonus points when you spend after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. This card has a very low spending requirement to meet the bonus compared with other cards offering a similar introductory bonus value.

Based on average spending data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hilton Honors American Express Card holders can earn about $659 per year.

Values for each spending category are based on average data from the 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey. Each category is rounded to the nearest $100.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card rewards users through Hilton Honors points, which can be redeemed for free stays at Hilton hotels worldwide. Aside from hotel stays, you can use your points for VIP experiences such as concerts, dining and sporting events; Lyft rides; rental cars through Alamo, National or Enterprise; or shopping at Amazon.com or via the Hilton online mall.

Points can also be pooled with up to 10 other members or gifted or transferred to someone else. If you don’t have enough points for a certain reward, you can purchase up to 80,000 points per calendar year.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card charges an APR of 15.74% – 24.74% Variable, depending on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening, such as the prime rate.

American Express offers Pay It Plan It on this card. The Pay It Plan It feature lets you quickly make payments on purchases less than $100 throughout the month or create a recurring, interest-free payment plan for purchases $100 or more for a fixed monthly fee. While it’s always best to pay your balance in full each month, American Express’ Plan It feature can help mitigate the impact of interest charges on major purchases. The plan’s duration will vary depending on the total purchase amount. You can have up to 10 qualifying purchases within each plan. This can be a good deal if you need time to pay off purchases.

This card offers excellent value with no annual fee. The typical cardholder can earn the equivalent of more than $600 in rewards in the first year. And the cardholder benefits are on par with some cards that require an annual fee.

That said, if you have no intention of redeeming your points for Hilton rewards, you’ll likely find this card lacking in value.

Q: Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card a good card?
A: The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a good card if you want to earn points with Hilton for hotel stays; VIP experiences such as concerts, dining and sporting events; Lyft rides; rental cars through Alamo, National or Enterprise; or shopping at Amazon.com or via the Hilton online mall.

Points can also be pooled with up to 10 other members or gifted or transferred to someone else. If you don’t have enough points for a certain reward, you can purchase up to 80,000 points per calendar year.

The fastest way to earn points is if you spend a lot at Hilton properties and at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. restaurants and U.S. gas stations, all of which earn bonus points with the card.

Q: What credit score do you need for the Hilton Honors American Express Card?
A: You’ll need good or excellent credit to qualify for the Hilton Honors American Express Card. That’s a FICO score of at least 670.

Q: What is the Hilton Honors American Express Card?
A: The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a hotel rewards card that lets cardholders earn Hilton Honors Points on everyday purchases. It charges no annual fee or foreign transaction fees, making it a good choice for frequent travelers. The card has an APR of 15.74% – 24.74% Variable, and rewards are strictly Hilton Honors points.

Q: What does 75,000 Hilton Points get you?
A: According to U.S. News research, Hilton Honors points are worth about 0.42 cents per point. At this value, 75,000 Hilton points are worth about $315.

But what Hilton Honors points can get you varies based on factors like the location and date of your stay.