Overnight, American Express made extensive changes to Hilton Aspire and Surpass cards, both shuffling around benefits and increasing the annual fees on each card. Some people will like the changes (including me), others will be disappointed. Regardless, many feared that Amex would eventually kill the excellent value proposition of the Aspire and, for now, it will remain a worthwhile card for many folks.
At the same time, three of the American Express Hilton Honors credit cards have new, limited time welcome offers for a substantial tranche of Hilton points (and in the case of the Aspire card, a free night certificate). These new offers represent or match the best that we’ve seen on the Hilton Surpass and Aspire cards for bonus points alone.
The Offers & Key Card Details
For more card information and to find an application link, see our dedicated card pages by clicking the names of the cards below.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
100K Points ⓘ Affiliate 100K after $2K spend in 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) No Annual Fee Recent better offer: 70K + free night certificate after $2K spend in 3 months. [Expired 7/19/23] FM Mini Review: This card isn't particularly rewarding, but it's good to keep primarily for targeted Amex upgrade offers to the Surpass card. Earning rate: ✦ 7X Hilton spend ✦ 5X US restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign transaction fees. Big spend bonus: Gold elite status with $20K calendar year spend Noteworthy perks: ✦ Free Silver status; Gold status with $20K spend. ✦ Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees) |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
170K points ⓘ Friend-Referral 170K after $3K spend in 6 months. Terms apply. $150 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. Recent better offer: 130K + free night certificate after $2K spend in 3 months [Expired 7/19/23] FM Mini Review: Easy way to secure Hilton Gold status (which offers free breakfast among other perks). Those who want Diamond status may be better off with the Aspire card. 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 Base: 3X (1.44%) Dine: 6X (2.88%) Gas: 6X (2.88%) Grocery: 6X (2.88%) Shop: 4X (1.92%) Brand: 12X (5.76%) Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign transaction fees. Big spend bonus: ✦ Free night award after $15K spend in calendar year ✦ Diamond elite status with $40K calendar year spend ✦ Terms apply Noteworthy perks: Free Gold status. Diamond status w/ $40K spend. ✦ Up to $200 in Hilton credits ($50 per quarter) ✦ Terms Apply. |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
180K Points + free night certificate ⓘ Friend-Referral 180K after $6K spend in first 6 months. Free night certificate every year - first certificate is awarded 8-12 weeks after approval. Terms apply. $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. FM Mini Review: This card is loaded with valuable perks that are more than worth the card's annual fee if you stay in Hilton resorts at least twice per year. 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. Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign transaction fees. Big spend bonus: Additional free night awards after $30K and $60K spend in calendar year Noteworthy perks: ✦Annual Free Night Reward every year upon renewal ✦ Free Diamond Status ✦ Up to $400 Hilton Resort Credit per membership year ($200 semi-annually) ✦ $200 Flight Credit ($50 per quarter for purchases directly with airlines or via Amex Travel) ✦ $100 on-property credit w/ Aspire Card package ✦ Terms Apply. See Rates & Fees See also: Amex Hilton Aspire In-Depth Review |
Quick Thoughts
The offers on the Aspire and the Surpass cards are the most attractive to me. Each of these gives 170K+ of Hilton points and the Aspire offer combines it with a free night as well.
Hilton has possibly the most flexible free night certificates of any major hotel chain. You can use them for a standard room at almost any Hilton property worldwide, regardless of what the nightly cost is in cash or points. Originally, these certs were only applicable towards weekend stays, but during the pandemic, Hilton made them available for use any day of the week, a change that was made permanent in 2022.
Keep in mind that each Hilton card is considered a separate product, so it’s possible to get a welcome offer on all four cards without running afoul of Amex’s “one welcome offer in a lifetime rule.” Amex has been killing us lately by expanding “family” language to the Platinum, Gold and Delta cards, among others, but those terms haven’t migrated to the Hilton cards yet.
Note that these offers are available via referral, so if you’re in 2-player mode you can add even more points to the total haul. You don’t even need a Hilton card to refer someone, as referrals are possible from Membership Rewards (MR)-earning cards as well (ie, Amex Platinum, Gold, etc). Some folks are finding referral offers as high as 25K MR for referring a new cardholder, which is a significant addition to the Hilton offers.
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