How to choose the best Hilton credit card for you - The Points Guy
| Card | Best for | Welcome Offer/Sign Up Bonus | Earning Rate | Annual Fee |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | Best for no annual fee | Earn 100,000 Points |
| $0 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | Best for occasional Hilton travelers | Earn 130,000 Points |
| $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee. |
| The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card | Best for small business owners | Earn 130,000 Points |
| $95 |
Hilton Honors credit cards
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 in statement credits on eligible purchases made on the card at any of the Hilton family hotels in the first 12 months of membership. According to TPG's valuation, this welcome offer is worth up to $700 (includes the statement credit).
Earning rate: 7 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels, 5 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations and 3 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Benefits: This entry-level card offers automatic Hilton Honors Silver status (with an upgrade to Gold when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year), ShopRunner membership and no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees).
Analysis: With no annual fee, there's a surprising amount of value to be had in the Hilton Amex Card. It's not often that a starter card offers benefits such as complimentary elite status, a good welcome bonus and the ability to earn substantial points on bonus spending categories.
Read our review of the Hilton Amex Card.
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Official application link: Hilton Honors Card from American Express.
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Welcome offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership. According to TPG's valuation, this welcome offer is worth up to $780.
Earning rate: 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels; 6 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants and U.S. gas stations; and 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Benefits: The card offers automatic Gold elite status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status by spending $40,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. It also awards a weekend night certificate when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year and grants you 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits a year. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Free weekend night certificates can now be used on any night of the week. Additionally, all newly-issued Free Weekend Night Reward certificates this year are valid through Dec. 31, 2022, so you'll have more time to use them.
Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee (see rates & fees).
Analysis: This card is a great option for occasional Hilton travelers who want to enjoy premium travel perks without paying a high fee. Hilton Gold status is among the most valuable mid-tier hotel statuses out there, getting you an 80% points bonus, a fifth night free on award stays, space-available upgrades, free in-room and lobby Wi-Fi, late check-out and two free bottles of water. Hilton Gold status will even confer free breakfast at many Hilton properties, such as the high-end Conrad Bora Bora.
The weekend award night certificate is valid at mostly any property in the Hilton portfolio, so that can result in a few hundred dollars of value. You're still getting a very solid return of 7.2% on your Hilton stays when using this card. For most occasional travelers, the 10 free visits to Priority Pass airport lounges are sufficient. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Read our review of the Hilton Amex Surpass.
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Official application link: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
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Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Welcome offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership. According to TPG's valuation, this welcome offer is worth up to $780.
Earning rate(s): 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels; 6 points per dollar spent on wireless services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping, at U.S. restaurants, on flights booked directly with airlines and through Amex Travel and on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies; 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Benefits: Like the Surpass, this small business card offers automatic valuable Hilton Honors Gold status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status by spending $40,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. It also gives you a weekend award night when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year and 10 Priority Pass visits a year. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Annual fee: $95 (see rates and fees).
Analysis: Like the Surpass card, the business version is a great option for those who visit Hilton properties just a few times a year or are looking for a cheap way to get Priority Pass lounge access. Plus, the 7.2% return on Hilton stays and 3.6% on common business expenses are both excellent. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Read our review of the Hilton Amex Business Card.
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Official application link: Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Welcome offer: Earn 150,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account. According to TPG's valuations, this welcome offer is worth up to $900.
Earning rate: 14 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels, 7 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, on flights booked directly with airlines and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies. All other eligible purchases earn 3 points per dollar spent.
Benefits: Enjoy a host of valuable perks, including automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status, a weekend award night every calendar year (plus a second weekend night when you spend $60,000), up to $250 Hilton resort statement credit, up to $250 annual airline fee statement credit, up to $100 Waldorf Astoria and Conrad on-property credit and unlimited Priority Pass airport lounge membership. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Annual fee: $450 (see rates and fees).
Analysis: When this card first came out, people thought it was too good to be true. The weekend night certificate alone could effectively cover your annual fee if you went all-in at a top-tier Hilton property. When you factor in perks such as the annual $250 airline incidental fee credit, $250 Hilton resort statement credit and automatic top-tier Diamond status, you're almost guaranteed to come out ahead if you use the card and perks.
And that's before you even touch upon the 150,000-point welcome bonus or terrific 8.4% return in spending via points at Hilton properties.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Read our review of the Hilton Amex Aspire.
Reasons to get the Hilton Aspire
Despite having the highest annual fee among the entire family of cards, the Hilton Aspire offers the greatest maximization potential. The card's up to $500 in cumulative annual travel credits — up to $250 toward airline incidentals and up to a $250 statement credit to spend at Hilton resorts — requires some strategy to utilize, but the resort credit is good toward room rates.
Related: Why Hilton's top card has me switching my loyalty
On top of the annual credits, the card offers an annual free weekend night at almost any Hilton property worldwide (and another one after you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year), automatic top-tier Hilton Diamond status and unlimited Priority Pass lounge access. Plus, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic restricting travel, free weekend nights can currently be used any night of the week. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
All of that is before you even factor in its 150,000-point welcome bonus, which is worth $900 according to TPG valuations, and impressive earning rates: 14 points per dollar at Hilton properties; 7 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants; and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
14 points per dollar is an 8.4% return on Hilton spending. When you factor in the 100% point bonus (or 20 points per dollar at most Hilton properties) that comes with Diamond status, you'll actually be earning 34 points per dollar on most Hilton stays, which is a terrific 20.4% return.
Related: Your ultimate guide to Hilton hotel brands
Reasons to consider Hilton's other cards
If you don't believe you'll be able to get full value from the Aspire's travel credits or can't comfortably spend $4,000 in the first three months (an average of $1,334 per month) to get the welcome bonus, you may want to consider a different personal Hilton credit card.
If so, you'll need to pick between the Hilton Honors Card (with no annual fee, see rates and fees) or the Surpass Card (with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee, see rates and fees). Both of these cards' welcome offers and earning rates are very generous for their annual fees. In fact, the Surpass Card's current welcome offer is better than that of the Aspire card. Deciding which one is best for you ultimately depends on your personal habits and what other rewards credit cards you already have.
Related: Hilton Surpass vs. Hilton Aspire: Which card is right for you?
If you're a frequent Hilton guest, you'll benefit from the Surpass Card's higher return on Hilton spending and a higher level of elite status. However, if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express, with its $695 annual fee (see rates and fees), you already get automatic Hilton Gold status (along with Marriott Gold status), as well as a full Priority Pass membership. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
So, for Amex Platinum cardholders, the Surpass would only make sense if you can benefit from the higher return on Hilton spending or plan on meeting the spend requirements for Diamond or the weekend night award. If you don't have the Amex Platinum, then the Surpass is a great mid-tier pick.
If you travel with a family
Hilton has some of the best brands for family travel, including Embassy Suites (hello, extra space and free hot breakfast!) and even Homewood Suites. Whether your goal is to book a staycation near Grandma's house or relax at a resort in Hawaii, we highly recommend families stock up on Hilton points.
Related: An inside look at how Hilton is cleaning hotel rooms between guests
If you have to pick one Hilton card to put in your family's wallet, the Hilton Aspire is probably the best choice. Simply put, the lounge access, upgrades and free breakfast perks that come with the Hilton Diamond Elite status that's automatic with the card become more valuable when you travel with a crew. While some hotels will stick to the terms and not extend those perks to more than two people per room, we've had lots of experience with hotels being more generous — such as at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii, where free breakfast for a family can save more than $100 per day.
With lots of bellies to fill, seat assignments to secure and bags to check, using up to $250 airline incidental fee credit and up to $250 Hilton resort credits that come with the card is also a breeze over the course of a year with a family.
In fact, it just might be the best premium hotel card for families on the market. That said, if it's just free breakfast and a big bonus you're after, and you don't want to pay a high annual fee, your family could still get great value from the Surpass Card.
Can you have more than one Hilton card?
Amex considers each of the Hilton credit cards to be separate products. This means that although Amex typically allows you to earn only one welcome offer per "lifetime" per card type, you can have — and earn the welcome offer on — each of the Hilton cards. Theoretically, if you obtained all three of the personal cards, you can currently earn up to a whopping 460,000 bonus points — or 590,000 if you also pick up the business card. That said, we wouldn't recommend trying that all at once.
However, if you are saving up Hilton points for a big trip, you could get a bonus, your partner could get a big bonus, and you can pool the points together for free.
Just note that all of the Hilton cards are credit cards, and you're typically only allowed to have a total of five Amex credit cards open at any one time.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
Bottom line
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card is one of the best hotel credit cards out there. Whether you stay at Hilton properties just once per year or basically live at them, you should have no problem maxing out the travel benefits and coming out ahead with the card. Aside from the up to $500 in annual travel credits, it has a strong welcome bonus, the best earning rates, the highest elite status level, an annual award night provided without a spending requirement and more.
However, if you're unwilling to take the numerical leap associated with the Aspire's annual fee or can't maximize the annual credits, you could also get a great return from the Hilton Surpass. In fact, its current welcome offer is slightly better than that of the Aspire, so given Amex's one-bonus-per-lifetime rule, now's a perfect time to apply. Plus, the Gold status that comes with it is still very valuable, including perks such as free breakfast.
Related: The best hotel credit cards for 2022
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Amex, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Business Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
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