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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
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American Express Disclosure
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

American Express Disclosure

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express Review

Updated on:
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
LendingTree's Review

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Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
Rewards Rate
14X points on eligible purchases at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Bonus Perks
Annual free night reward
Editorial Note: shortenedCCEditorialNote

The information related to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Is the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express worth it?

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express can be worth it for high spenders who stay frequently with Hilton and appreciate the luxury perks and benefits that come with this card.

While the $550 annual fee may be off-putting to some, the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express comes with plenty of travel-related perks to offset its steep annual fee. With the airfare credits (up to $250, enrollment required) and hotel credits (up to $350, enrollment required) alone, you already net $150 more than the annual fee — not to mention the free weekend night award you get automatically, and the second one you get if you spend over $60,000 per year on the card adds further value to the card. The card also offers a Priority Pass Select™ membership — a $299 value (enrollment required).

If $550 is still too high, consider the two other Hilton credit cards instead. As for travel lovers who don’t have a particular loyalty towards the Hilton brand, a generic travel rewards card (like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®) will be a better choice. Travel rewards cards provide you with the flexibility to use any hotel you want, enabling you to deal hunt and find savings in other ways.

Quick facts

    • 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
    • 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants
    • 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases
    • Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status (enrollment required)
    • One Free Night Reward in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal
    • Up to $400 Hilton Resort credit
    • Up to $200 flight credit (up to $50 per quarter)
    • Up to $189 CLEAR credit (enrollment required)
    • $100 on-property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package
    • National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status (enrollment required)
    • Access to 24/7 American Express concierge
    • No foreign transaction fees
    • Terms apply
  • Recommended Credit
    Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion
  • 660 720 850
    Good / Excellent
  • Welcome offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earning rate: 14X points on eligible purchases at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on other purchases
  • Annual fee: $550
  • Foreign transaction fee: $0
  • Other benefits: Resort credit, on-property credit, annual weekend night reward, Hilton Honors Diamond status (enrollment required), Priority Pass™ Select membership (enrollment required), airline fee credit (enrollment required)

Intro Purchase APR

N/A

Regular Purchase APR

20.99% to 29.99%

Intro BT APR

N/A

Regular BT APR

N/A

Annual Fee

$550

Cash Advance Fee

Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.

Foreign Transaction Fee

$0

Balance Transfer Fee

N/A

Pros and cons

  • Impressive earning rate
  • Stellar welcome offer
  • Numerous credits for Hilton guests
  • Excellent travel and purchase protections
  • Hilton Honors Diamond status (enrollment required)
  • Annual weekend night reward
  • Global airport lounge access
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Enormous annual fee
  • Welcome offer can be difficult to attain
  • Hilton Honors points have a low value

Welcome offer

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express comes with an attractive welcome offer befitting of a luxury credit card:

Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Because we value Hilton Honors points at about 0.5 cents per point, we estimate this welcome offer to be worth about $750 — an impressive perk of signing up for this card.

  How much is it worth? Around $960.
Who is eligible to earn it? You won’t be eligible to earn this offer if you currently have or have previously had this card. If your account is suspected to be used for gaming or abusive activity you also will not be eligible for this offer.

Earning rate

With the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, you’ll earn bonus Hilton points on both travel and everyday purchases:

14X points on eligible purchases at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on other purchases

The most lucrative earning rate is on dollars spent at Hilton hotels — plus, with the card’s complimentary Diamond status, you’ll earn a 100% points bonus on Hilton stays (enrollment required). This means that you can earn a total of 34 points per dollar when you use the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express on Hilton stays.

This is a great rate on hotel purchases and a high earning rate overall. However, as you can see from our chart below, Hilton’s no-annual-fee card — the Hilton Honors American Express Card — has the edge over the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express on its earning, since it includes an additional bonus on U.S. supermarket purchases.

We estimate an earning rate for the average consumer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor data and multiply that by the value of each card’s points or miles.

How much are Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express points worth?

Hilton points are valued below many other rewards programs, at just 0.5 cents per point. But if you can accumulate enough of them — and this card certainly gives you a good start — they can become extremely valuable.

Redeeming rewards

While Hilton offers consumers a number of ways to redeem your Hilton Honors points, you’d be best off redeeming them for free hotel nights. Hilton has more than 6,800 properties around the world and no blackout dates that restrict when you can book award stays.

However, Hilton uses dynamic pricing, which means the amount of points required for a stay could change depending on when you book and at which property. For a standard room, award nights start at 5,000 points per night and can go all the way up to 120,000 points per night for specialty properties.

As you can see from the sample itineraries below, award nights in more desirable destinations will generally cost you more than 20,000 points, so you’ll generally need to collect a large number of points for a redemption:

HotelCash pricePoints requiredPoints value
Conrad New York Midtown$45289,000 points0.51 cents
Embassy Suites by Hilton New York Manhattan Times Square$8724,000 points0.36 cents
Hilton Garden Inn New York/Central Park South Midtown West$13424,000 points0.56 cents
Homewood Suites by Hilton New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square-South, NY$18340,000 points0.46 cents
Average value0.47 cents
  Savvy traveler tip: Hilton’s fifth night free benefit lets you stretch your points further, by giving you a free award night on a stay of four or more award nights.

Other Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Expressbenefits

To earn Hilton Diamond status, you’d normally need to book 42 nights or 21 stays, or earn 84,000 bonus points. With the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, however, you’ll automatically earn Diamond status — the highest loyalty tier of the Hilton Honors program — once you’ve enrolled. As you continue to stay at Hilton properties, owning elite status is the gift that keeps on giving.

Diamond members receive a 100% bonus to the points they earn on Hilton Hotel stays, which can quickly propel you to even more free nights than what’s already offered by the card. Not to mention, you’ll enjoy the following benefits with Hilton Honors Diamond status:

  • Room upgrades upon availability.
  • Executive lounge access.
  • After you’ve been a Diamond member for three years and stayed 250 lifetime nights or earned 500,000 base points, your Diamond Elite status can be extended for an additional year.
  • Premium Wi-Fi.
  • 48-hour room guarantee.
  • If you hit 40 nights in one calendar year, you can give Gold status to any member. If you hit 70 nights, you can then give Diamond Elite status to any member.

With the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, you can earn two free weekend nights. You’re awarded one weekend night annually just for being a cardmember, and you’ll get the second night if you charge at least $60,000 on the card within a calendar year.

These rewards come in the form of redeemable codes that can be used on standard accommodations at double occupancy. You can combine the two codes and use them on a single stay. These awards can be used on any night of the week — not just weekends) — and can be extremely valuable for consumers who travel often and can benefit from a free hotel stay.

You’ll receive up to a $250 Hilton resort statement credit each year, good for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts. This credit renews each cardmember year.

If you’re a fan of Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Hotels, you’re in luck — cardholders will receive up to a $100 credit to use on-property when you book a minimum two-night stay at participating properties within these luxury Hilton brands. This credit applies to purchases made on the property like massages or dining, but doesn’t count towards taxes and fees or room charges.

Cardholders will be awarded up to $250 in airline incidental credits each year (enrollment required). You can select one airline per year, then the credit will automatically be applied to your bill whenever you make qualifying purchases. Airline incidentals include baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight meals and Wi-Fi, among others; however, airfare ticket purchases are not considered incidentals.

Among the suite of benefits, the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express provides, you’ll also receive a complimentary membership to Priority Pass™ Select. This will grant unlimited lounge access to you and up to two guests (enrollment required). With over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, this can be a valuable perk if you travel often.

This card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, which is essential for a travel card. While they’re only a small percentage of every purchase, foreign transaction fees can quickly add up when you’re on a vacation abroad.

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express offers a couple of valuable travel protections:

  • Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Secondary car rental coverage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. Exclusions and restrictions apply.
  • Baggage Insurance Plan: Up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a maximum of $3,000 combined for checked and carry-on luggage.

  • Return protection: When you make your purchase fully on your Amex card, you can get up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per account within 90 days of purchase.
  • Extended warranty: One additional year will be added onto the original manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less.
  • Purchase protection: You’ll be covered for up to 90 days and can receive up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.

When traveling more than 100 miles from home, you can rely on Amex’s Premium Global Assist Hotline for medical, legal, financial or other assistance and organization 24/7. This can be useful if you experience an emergency while traveling.

You can experience luxury cardmember events and get access to ticket presales with the exclusive access offered by American Express Experiences. These can include Broadway shows, sporting events, concerts and more.

Depending on how you take advantage of these perks, you could save lots of money from these protections alone.

Drawbacks

  • Enormous annual fee: The most obvious drawback to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is its $550 annual fee. While the card offers plenty of credits and points-earning opportunities to help offset the fee, it’s still a large sum that cardholders will have to confront each year.
  • Welcome offer can be difficult to attain: If you don’t typically spend enough on your card to meet the spending threshold, you may find it challenging to earn the card’s lucrative welcome offer. This can be a major drawback, as the welcome offer is a strong selling point for the card.
  • Hilton Honors points have a low value: Compared with the up to 2 cents per point that Chase Sapphire Reserve® points are worth, the 0.5 cents per point awarded by the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express can’t compete. While hotel rewards points tend to come at a lower value than airline miles, Hilton points are still particularly low.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

| Disclosures
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
apply-now-icon Apply Now
on Chase's secure site
N/A
22.49%-29.49% Variable
$550
Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
  • Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
  • 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
  • Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Member FDIC
720 850
Excellent

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appears on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.


Verdict: A luxury general travel rewards card that offers more flexibility.

If you’re a diehard Hilton fan and frequently stay at Hilton properties, then the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is the better choice — especially if you spend over $60,000 per year on your card. For most people, though, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® would be a more suitable option, due to its greater flexibility.

If you want the freedom to book different hotels or even Airbnb while still receiving fantastic rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is your better bet. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® lets you earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Ultimate Rewards points are generally worth 1.5 cents, but you can transfer them to several airlines and hotel partners where their value is boosted. Keep in mind, though, that you won’t be able to transfer your points to Hilton Honors.

Beyond that, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® also provides an extremely generous annual travel credit. You get $300 applied towards any travel charges on your card — airfare, Uber, Airbnb, hotels and more.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express vs Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

| Disclosures
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
apply-now-icon Apply Now
on American Express's secure site
Rates & Fees
| Terms Apply
N/A
20.99%-29.99% Variable
$150
Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases
  • Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
  • Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
  • Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
  • Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
  • Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
  • Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
  • Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
  • Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
  • Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required. Terms apply.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
  • $150 annual fee.
  • Terms Apply.
660 720 850
Good / Excellent

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appears on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.


Verdict: Solid Hilton benefits for a much lower annual fee.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is better for consumers who don’t care about airline incidentals and spend less than $60,000 on their credit card per year. Instead, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with slightly less value than the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, though it still offers generous point earnings. For example, instead of Diamond status, you’ll get Hilton Honors Gold status — though you can qualify for Diamond if you charge at least $40,000 to the card within one calendar year (enrollment required).

On the other hand, if you’re leery of paying a $550 annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers a high earning rate for a $150 annual fee. You’ll earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please click here.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express vs. Hilton Honors American Express Card

| Disclosures
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Honors American Express Card
apply-now-icon Apply Now
on American Express's secure site
Rates & Fees
| Terms Apply
N/A
20.99%-29.99% Variable
$0
Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases
  • Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
  • Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
  • Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
  • Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
  • No Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.
660 720 850
Good / Excellent

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Verdict: Some Hilton perks with no annual fee.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a good fit for those who spend less than $30,000 annually. This $0-annual-fee credit card is beneficial for Hilton customers who don’t want to pay high annual fees. This card allows you to earn bonus Hilton Honors points, though at a significantly slower rate than the other Hilton cards: Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations AND 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

If points are all you’re after, then the Hilton Honors American Express Card would be a better option than the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.

Should you get the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express?

If you’re looking for a luxury credit card, frequently stay with Hilton and are willing to pay a large annual fee, consider getting the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. In addition to its large welcome offer, this card is jam-packed with benefits, such as automatic elite status and tons of statement credits. By understanding everything this card has to offer, you can take advantage of its premium offerings and maximize its value to its fullest potential. This is a top-tier hotel credit card that will benefit Hilton Honors loyalists.

However, if you’re looking for more flexibility or aren’t willing to pay such a high annual fee, there are other great travel rewards credit cards out there to consider as well.

Frequently asked questions

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express offers a number of valuable benefits, including travel credits, annual weekend night rewards and extensive airport lounge access. It’s worth noting, however, that the card does come with a $550 annual fee as well.

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is issued by American Express. You should be able to use it anywhere American Express cards are accepted.

Yes, you can upgrade to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. You can request an upgrade from your existing account by calling 800-528-4800 — the American Express customer service number — to see if you’re eligible.

Yes, it is possible to have two separate American Express Hilton cards at the same time. However, you may have to wait 90 days between opening each card.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.
*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please click here.
The information related to Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:

The information related to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.

The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.