Which Hilton credit card is the best? (175K Offers Ending Soon!)

KEY LINKS

• Hilton Honors American Express Card – Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. $0 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $150 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card – Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $195 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card – Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $550 annual fee (see rates and fees)

There are currently 4 credit cards and each of the cards comes with its own value proposition, and you’ll need to decide whether the benefits outweigh any annual fee for your particular financial and travel situation. While there is a decent amount of overlap in benefits between the cards, each card has slightly different benefits. Three of the cards are personal credit cards, while one is a small business credit card. Remember, though, that you may have a business even if you don’t think you do.

So let’s take a look at each of the four different cards to see which Hilton card is best for you.

Hilton Honors American Express Card (with no annual fee)

Here are the details of the no-fee Hilton Honors American Express card (Terms Apply).

• Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• You’ll earn 7X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
• 5x Hilton Honors points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
• 3x Hilton Honors points on all other eligible purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status
• No annual fee (see rates and fees)

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Here are the details of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® card (Terms Apply).

• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months
• You’ll earn 12X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
• 6X Hilton Honors points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
• 4X Hilton Honors Points on U.S. Online Retail Purchases
• 3X Hilton Honors points on all other eligible purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status with an upgrade to Diamond by spending $40,000 in a calendar year
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – $50 quarterly
• $150 annual fee (see rates and fees)

This is a pretty good welcome offer, and Hilton Gold is probably the best mid-tier status of any hotel chain. If you have even a few paid Hilton stays, you could earn back more with your $200 discount than you have to pay with the $150 annual fee.

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Here are the details of the Hilton Honors American Express Business card (Terms Apply).

• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months
• You’ll earn 12X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
• Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status with an upgrade to Diamond by spending $40,000 in a calendar year
• Get up to $240 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card ($60 quarterly)
• $195 annual fee (see rates and fees)

This is a pretty good welcome offer, and Hilton Gold is probably the best mid-tier status of any hotel chain. If you have even a few paid Hilton stays, you could earn back more with your $240 discount than you have to pay with the $195 annual fee, though it is mildly annoying that it’s broken up into 4 $60 quarterly credits.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Here are the details of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card (Terms Apply).

• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months
• You’ll earn 14X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
• You’ll earn 7X Hilton points for eligible spending on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies.
• Also 7X Hilton points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
• 3X points on all other purchases.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status
• Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal, and  earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after making $30,000 in purchases and an additional Free Night Reward for making $60,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts using your Hilton Honors Aspire Card.
• Receive up to $200 back per year (Up to $50 in statement credits each quarter) on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit
• $550 annual fee (see rates and fees)

The big win with the Aspire card is the top-tier Hilton Diamond elite status. The free night award (plus the opportunity to earn 2 more with spending) is another pretty nice perk. The Aspire card is almost certainly worth it in the first year, and then you can evaluate to see if the benefits are worth it to pay the high annual fee again in Year 2.

Which Hilton Card Is Best?

With 4 different cards to choose from, pretty much anyone is likely to find a American Express Hilton card that is right for them. Deciding which Hilton card is best will depend a lot on your travel patterns and what you are looking for. Remember too that the welcome offers on the different Hilton cards vary over time, and generally the higher offers come with the cards that also have the higher fees. Remember that you’re only eligible for the bonus on these cards if you have never had the card in your question. American Express also will consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

I think most casual travelers will get the most value from the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® card. It offers a decent welcome bonus and comes with a manageable annual fee. If you don’t want to pay an annual fee on a card, then consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card. If you’ve already had both of those cards, or are a Hilton road warrior looking for additional perks, then you can choose one of the other Hilton cards for more benefits and elite status (though keep in mind that they also come with higher annual fees).

The Bottom Line – How To Pick a Hilton Card

KEY LINKS:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card – Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. $0 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $150 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card – Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $195 annual fee (see rates and fees).
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card – Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $550 annual fee (see rates and fees)

Hilton has four different credit cards that you can choose from if you’re looking to increase your Hilton Honors points balance. One is a business card while three of them are personal credit cards. Each card comes with its own set of perks and benefits, as well as differing welcome offers and annual fees. Compare the different options to pick the best one for you. If you ever want my help, feel free to reach out to me as well and I’ll be happy to talk it over in more detail.

Which Hilton credit card do you think is best? Leave your thoughts in the comments below

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