Hilton’s credit card lineup is not nearly as complicated as Marriott’s (see: Which Marriott Bonvoy card is best?). However, American Express does issue four different Hilton cards for the US market. Here’s everything you need to know…
Card Fees & Welcome Bonuses
Here’s a list of each of the available Hilton cards, along with current welcome bonus details and annual fees…
| Card Offer |
|---|
175K Points + free night certificate ⓘ Friend-Referral 175K after $6K spend in first 6 months. Free night certificate every year - first certificate is awarded 8-12 weeks after approval. Terms apply. (Offer Expires 1/8/2025)$550 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. |
165K points ⓘ Affiliate 165K points after $3K spend within the first 6 months. Terms apply. (Offer Expires 1/8/2025)$150 Annual Fee Recent better offer: (Expired 7/31/24) 130K points + free night certificate after $3K spend within the first 6 months. |
175K Points ⓘ Affiliate 175K after $8K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) (Offer Expires 1/8/2025)$195 Annual Fee Recent better offer: None |
100K points ⓘ Affiliate 100K points after $2K spend within the first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) (Offer Expires 1/8/2025)No Annual Fee After clicking through, be sure to choose the card you want on the landing page. Recent better offer: (Expired 7/31/24) 70K points + free night certificate after $2K spend within the first 6 months. |
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/0fb236dd-aecb-49ed-9f28-94aaf0efd9a2.png?w=300" alt="Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card" />)
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/a5e33401-8d6f-4ae8-b471-5da085075406.jpg?w=300" alt="The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card" />)
Perks
| Card | Annual Fee | Annual Free Night | Free Night With Spend | Elite Status (Automatic) |
Elite Status with Spend | Hilton Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors | $0 | N/A | N/A | Silver | Gold: $20K | N/A |
| Surpass | $150 | N/A | $15K | Gold | $40K: Diamond | $50 / Quarter |
| Business | $195 | N/A | N/A | Gold | $40K: Diamond | $60 / Quarter |
| Aspire | $550 | Yes | $30K, $60K | Diamond | N/A | $200 / 6 Months* |
| * Aspire Perks: ⚬ $200 Hilton resort credit each Jan-June and again July-Dec ⚬ $50 per quarter flight credit ⚬ $100 on-property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package |
||||||
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
American Express does not charge foreign transaction fees on any of the Hilton cards issued in the United States.
Free Nights
Free nights are valid for any day of the week and are good for 12 months. Some all-inclusive and “distinctive” properties are excluded from free night awards. A list of excluded properties can be found here.
Elite Status
Here are the major perks you get with each elite status level:
- Silver: 20% bonus on base points, 2 bottles of water at most full-service properties
- Gold: 80% bonus on base points, free breakfast or dining credits
- Diamond: 100% bonus on base points, free breakfast or dining credits, lounge access
Point Earnings
Our latest Reasonable Redemption Value pegs Hilton points as being worth about 0.48 cents each. This means that it is reasonable to expect to get that much or more value when redeeming points for free nights.
All four Hilton cards earn a base rate of 3 points per dollar. Based on the 0.48 cent RRV, this means that the base return on spend is only 1.44%. That’s not an attractive rate when compared to fee free cards that earn 2% everywhere. However, if you are spending towards a free weekend night certificate, it may still be worthwhile.
In addition to the base 3X earning rate, each card offers category bonuses as follows:
| Card Info Name and Earning Rate (no offer) |
|---|
Earning rate: ✦ 12X Hilton spend ✦ 6X U.S. restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ✦ 4X U.S. Online Retail Purchases ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases |
Earning rate: ✦ 7X Hilton eligible Hilton purchases ✦ 5X US restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases |
Earning rate: ✦ 12X Hilton spend ✦ 5X on other eligible purchases (on the first $100K in purchases per calendar year, 3X thereafter). |
Earning rate: ✦ 14X Hilton spend ✦ 7X US restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, select car rental companies ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases ✦ Terms & Limitations Apply. |
Which is Best?
Overall, I think that the Aspire card is not only the best Hilton card you can get but arguably one of the best ultra-premium cards on the market. That said, each of the four cards has good things going for it. Let’s look at the argument for each one as to why it is best:
- Hilton Honors: This fee-free card offers no foreign transaction fees, and solid 5X earnings for popular categories: US grocery, gas, and dining. With the 0.48 RRV, this is like getting 2.4% back for those categories.
- Hilton Honors Surpass: With this card you get Gold status, a free night with $15K spend, and up to $200 back per year on Hilton hotel spend. This card also offers very good 6X earnings for popular categories: US grocery, gas, and dining. With the 0.48 RRV, this is like getting 2.88% back for those categories.
- Hilton Honors Business: The business card costs a little bit more than the Surpass card ($195 vs $150). In exchange, it offers Gold status; up to $240 in annual credits for Hilton purchases (Up to $60 per quarter); National Car Rental Executive Status; and 5X on all eligible spend on up to $100K in purchases per calendar year, then 3x. With the 0.48 RRV, this is like getting 2.4% back everywhere on your first $100K of spend each year. That’s pretty good! Unfortunately, this card doesn’t offer a free night with spend.
- Hilton Honors Aspire: This card is loaded with perks that more than justify its $550 annual fee. The most valuable (in my opinion) are: Annual Free Night, Diamond Status, up to $400 per year in Hilton resort credits, and up to $200 per year in airline rebates.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Greg, I’m a Hilton Diamond and I’ve been a Hilton Diamond for a long time now, but it’s hard to maintain it since Covid happened. I have 23k Hilton Base points needed to maintain Diamond. Is it worth it to spend 23k on this card to maintain Diamond for the next year? Or should I just keep Gold status?
Given that you can always sign up for the Aspire card if you want Diamond status, I’d recommend settling on Gold for now.
I have the Amex Surpass and the Business Amex Hilton. They are a great compliment to each other.
Any data points on Amex being sensitive to 6/24? Got denied by Citi a few months ago and don’t want another wasted hard pull. Last new account was a week ago, before that was in February. I’m 6 new accounts in 12 months but next month it drops to 4 in 12 months.
The best one is the one you haven’t gotten a SUB for yet, and the current SUB is at or near historical highs. I’d personally go for Aspire and Surpass early, because later when you go for the no AF card then you will very likely get a nice upgrade offer.
But yeah, if you value Hilton status (I do, bc status helps greatly in APAC), and if you travel a decent amount, then the Aspire is to me the only true premium keeper card.
Hello sir, what do you mean by SUB?
Signup bonus.
The only disadvantage in Hilton Free Night Certificates comparing to Marriott ones is that Hilton is limited to standard room rate / 2 persons.
It wouldn’t be a problem for most of readers, but for others who travel with family of 3+, using the FN Hilton certificate is not as easy.
Great article. So is someone wants a cheap card with priority pass then the Hilton Surpass is the cheapest on the market