Three of the four Hilton Honors co-branded credit cards issued by American Express US have just come out with massive limited-time welcome bonuses, which are available until January 17, 2024.
The Amex US Hilton cards represent one of the best ways to diversify your hotel rewards game outside of Marriott Bonvoy. With these juicy welcome bonuses, you can unlock nights at some of the chain’s best properties at a very steep discount.
Amex US Hilton Honors Aspire Card: Up to 180,000 Points!
The Amex US Hilton Aspire Card is the top-tier personal card in the Hilton lineup, and commands an annual fee of $550 (all figures in USD).
The card recently received a makeover, which saw an increase to its annual fee, the removal of unlimited Priority Pass visits, and the addition of a up to $600 in statement credits, amongst other changes.
As part of the limited-time offer, you can earn 180,000 Hilton Honors points upon spending $6,000 (USD) in the first six months.
Previously, the card offered its standard welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points; however, we’ve also seen other, more lucrative welcome bonuses this year that came with Free Night Rewards.
The current welcome bonus is indeed quite generous, and is most certainly worth the annual fee. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, and using that metric, we’d peg a value of $900 on the welcome bonus alone.
In terms of ongoing value in exchange for the $550 (USD) annual fee, the Hilton Aspire card gives you instant top-tier Hilton Diamond status for as long as you hold the card, and a total of up to $600 in statement credits each year
You can also earn up to three Free Night Rewards each year: one on your cardholder anniversary, one upon spending $30,000 in a calendar year, and one upon spending $60,000 in a calendar year.
Each Free Night Reward is good for a stay worth up to 150,000 points, which can be used at some of the chain’s most prestigious properties that typically run hundreds of dollars per night or more.
Amex US Hilton Surpass Card: Up to 170,000 Points!
The Amex US Hilton Surpass Card is the mid-tier personal card in the Hilton lineup, and commands an annual fee of $155.
The card recently received a makeover, which saw an increase to its annual fee, the removal of 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits, and the addition of a quarterly $50 statement credit for Hilton stays, for up to $200 each year.
As part of the limited-time offer, you can earn 170,000 Hilton Honors points upon spending $3,000 in the first six months.
Previously, the card had offered a welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points, as well as other occasional limited-time offers of 150,000+ points with various incentives attached.
The current welcome bonus is indeed quite generous, and is most certainly worth the annual fee. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, and using that metric, we’d peg a value of $850 on the welcome bonus.
In terms of ongoing value in exchange for the $155 annual fee, the Hilton Surpass gives you instant Hilton Gold status for as long as you hold the card, a total of $200 in statement credits for Hilton stays each year ($50 every four months), as well as a Free Night Reward upon spending $15,000 every calendar year.
Amex US Hilton Card: Up to 100,000 Points!
The Amex US Hilton Honors Card is an entry-level product with no annual fee. As part of the limited-time offer, you can earn 100,000 Hilton Honors points upon spending $2,000 in the first six months.
Previously, the card had offered a standard welcome bonus of 70,000–80,000 Hilton Honors points, as well as occasional limited-time offers of 100,000+ points, sometimes with statement credits or Free Night Rewards attached.
While the signup offer isn’t as strong as some previous offers that came with both a high welcome bonus and a Free Night Reward, it’s still a very attractive deal if you wanted to sign up now.
If you haven’t gotten started with US credit cards yet, the Amex US Hilton Card represents one of the best choices for your first US credit card. Thanks to its $0 annual fee, you can easily hold onto it year after year and boost your US credit history in the long run.
Amex US Hilton Business Card: 130,000 Points
As for the Amex US Hilton Business Card, there’s no change to the offer this time around.
The offer is for 130,000 Hilton Honors points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months, with an annual fee of $95.
As with the Surpass, you’ll also have Hilton Gold status for as long as you hold the card, and the ability to earn a Free Night Reward upon spending $15,000. With this card, you’ll also get a Priority Pass membership with 10 lounge visits per year, which was removed as a benefit on the Surpass.
Plus, on the Hilton Business Card, you can in fact earn a second Free Night Reward upon spending $60,000 (USD) in a calendar year, though that probably isn’t worth the effort.
Strategies for the Amex US Hilton Cards
Let’s go over a few key points on the best strategy for maximizing these offers. Which of the three refreshed Hilton Honors credit cards should you apply for?
As mentioned above, if you haven’t gotten started with US credit cards yet, it may make sense to begin with the no-fee Hilton Card – which also happens to have the easiest minimum spending requirement.
However, it’s worth noting that the Hilton Surpass Card could be the right choice too.
That’s because you always have the option of downgrading the Hilton Surpass Card to the no-fee Hilton Card after 12 months if you don’t see the value in holding the card year after year. That way, you’d still keep your oldest account open to bolster your US credit history.
Overall, a newcomer to the US credit card scene would do well to begin with either the Hilton Card or the Hilton Surpass.
If you’re in the market for a business card, then the natural choice is to go with the Hilton Business Card. Keep in mind that it doesn’t count towards the Chase 5/24 rule, which is something to consider if you have your eyes on any of Chase’s cards.
However, there’s always a strong argument to be made for the Hilton Aspire Card, which can easily be a keeper card if you stay at Hilton properties with any frequency.
Despite the $550 (USD) annual fee, the Hilton Aspire Card is one of the strongest rewards cards in all of North America once you factor in the ongoing benefits:
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- An automatic Free Night Reward every year
- Instant Hilton Diamond status
- $200 airline incidental fee credits ($50 each quarter)
- $400 Hilton resort credits ($200 every six months)
- 14x points at Hilton hotels
Hilton’s best luxury properties generally cost 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night at most, with two properties – the Waldorf Astorias in Los Cabos and the Maldives – exceeding the cap at 150,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
If you can snag one or two of these limited-time bonuses, and earn Free Night Rewards through spending or by simply holding the Aspire card each year, you’ll have enough points for a couple of nights at some of Hilton’s best hotels, or even more nights if you book some of the more modest hotels in Hilton’s portfolio.
Apply Now
Once again, we’re seeing great welcome bonuses on the Hilton Card, the Hilton Surpass Card, and the Hilton Aspire Card.
Respectively, the points bonuses clock in at 100,000, 170,000, and 180,000 Hilton Honors points. The lowest-tier Hilton Card comes with no annual fee year after year, the mid-tier Surpass Card comes with an annual fees of $155, and the top-tier Aspire Card commands an annual fee of $550.
The elevated offers are available through both public and refer-a-friend channels, until January 17, 2024.
Thus, it’d be best to sign up using a partner’s referral link if you’re earning points in two-player mode; otherwise, feel free to reach out if you’re interested in using one of our referral links here at Prince of Travel.
