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Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Cardratings.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any partner entities.

Amex Hilton Personal Cards Review & Comparison

Amex offers 3 co-branded Hilton personal credit cards. Each card of these cards can help award travelers make the most of Hilton's massive global footprint and offer something different. In our Amex Hilton Personal cards review & comparison we will look at the welcome offer, earning structure card benefits and our overall thoughts on the following cards:

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Travel-on-Point(s). 

Current Welcome Offers For Hilton Personal Cards

Here are the current offers for each of the Hilton personal cards. Remember you may want to plan your applications in case there is ever a Hilton Family Rule. 

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  • Quidget_Hilton_Bonus Terms Apply.
  • The Hilton Honors card does not have an annual fee. See Rates and Fees
Quidget_Hilton_Surpass
  • Surpass_Bonus_Full Terms Apply
  • This card has a annual_fees annual fee which is NOT waived. See Rates and Fees
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
  • Earn 175,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months from account opening. Terms Apply
    • You may need to click personal cards on the referral
  • The Hilton Aspire card has a $550 annual fee which is NOT waived. See Rates and Fees; terms apply

Amex Application Rules

If you choose to apply, remember that Amex typically will not approve you for more than two Amex credit cards during a 90-day period. They also have a limit of 5 credit cards per person, of which this is one. There is also  a 10 card limit on the colored Membership Rewards earning cards (of which this is not one of).

Amex also has a once per lifetime welcome offer rule on each card. This is more like every 5 – 7 years in reality though, and not actually your lifetime. That timeline is based off of when you last held a card, not when you last earned a welcome offer on the product though. If you are ineligible for the welcome offer for any reason American Express will usually let you know that with a pop-up before the application is processed. You can cancel the application at this time with no hard pull.

Amex Hilton Personal Cards Review & Comparison: Earning Structure

Here is the earning structure for each Hilton Honors earning American Express personal credit card.

Quidget_Hilton
  • 7x on Hilton purchases
  • 5x in the following areas
    • U.S. restaurants
    • U.S. supermarkets
    • U.S. gas stations
  • 3x on all other eligible purchases
Quidget_Hilton_Surpass
  • 12x on Hilton purchases
  • 6x in the following areas
    • U.S. restaurants
    • U.S. supermarkets
    • U.S. gas stations
  • 4x on U.S. online purchases
  • 3x on all other eligible purchases
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
  • 14x on Hilton purchases
  • 7x in the following areas
    • Flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com
    • Car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies
    • U.S. restaurants
  • 3x on all other eligible purchases

Hilton Personal Card Benefits

Benefits and perks vary among each of the 3 Hilton cards. As expected, benefits differ depending on each card's annual fee.

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  • Complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Silver status
  • Hilton Honors(TM) Gold status after spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year
  • Car rental loss and damage insurance: you can be covered for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle when you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and pay for the entire rental cost with your card (terms apply)
  • No foreign transaction fees See Rates and Fees
Quidget_Hilton_Surpass
  • Earn a Free Night Reward after you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year
  • Complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Gold status
  • Get up to $50 in statement credits quarterly for eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Surpass Card.
    • That's up to $200 back annually.
  • Hilton Honors(TM) Diamond status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year
  • National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status
  • 10 complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits per year (enrollment required)
    • Ends 2/1/24 for current cardholders
  • Car rental loss and damage insurance: you can be covered for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle when you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and pay for the entire rental cost with your card (terms apply)
  • No foreign transaction fees See Rates and Fees
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
  • Complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Diamond status
  • Complimentary Free Night Reward upon card opening and every year upon membership renewal
  • Earn an additional Free Night Reward after you spend $30,000 on your card and again if you spend $60,000 in a calendar year
  • Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Aspire Card.
    • That's up to $400 back annually.
  • Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter in flight credits. That is a total of up to $200 back each year. This is a true flight credit, you just need to book directly with an airline.
    • If you currently have the Aspire card you should get the old $250 airline incidental credit for 2023 plus the quarterly $50 credit starts now as well.
  • $100 property credit when you book a 2-night minimum stay at hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties
  • Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
    • This perk ends 2/1/24 for current cardholders
  • Car rental loss and damage insurance: you can be covered for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle when you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and pay for the entire rental cost with your card (terms apply)
  • National Executive status
  • Baggage insurance plan: you can be covered for lost, damaged, or stolen checked and carry-on baggage when you purchase the entire fare for a common carrier with your card (terms apply)
  • Up to $189 in statement credits for CLEAR per calendar year
  • No foreign transaction fees See Rates and Fees; terms apply
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

ToP Analysis

Each of these cards offer value to Hilton loyalists and we will look at each one in more detail below.

Quidget_Hilton

For those put off by an annual fee, the Hilton Honors card provides good value. It's nice to see complimentary Silver status without annual fee, but this is Hilton's lowest elite tier. Silver status doesn't give you much, but it does give you fifth night free on award stays. This alone can save you a lot of points and make it worth holding on to the Quidget_Hilton.

Quidget_Hilton_Surpass

The mid-tier Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card offers more robust perks in exchange for a $150 annual fee. Complimentary Gold status is the next elite tier above Silver, and unlocks room upgrades (subject to availability) and daily food & beverage credit (which has replaced free breakfast at U.S. properties). Hilton does not have the best track record with room upgrades for elites (regardless of level), but it can happen. The Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 is the card's biggest draw.  A Free Night Reward can save you a lot of cash or points on a stay at Hilton's many high-end properties around the world.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The premium Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card offers a slew of benefits that more than make up for the card's $550 annual fee. The annual statement credits alone already add up to $600. That is before you consider the free night certificate each year.

The flight credit and the annual resort credits are especially easy to use and don't require you to jump through any hoops. The Hilton Aspire card is also the only credit card among the major hotel chains that grants complimentary top tier status.

Comparing All 3

All three of the Hilton cards has a compelling earning structure. As expected, they all reward Hilton purchases very well, with 7x, 12x, or 14x points per dollar. But each card also earns a lot of points at U.S. restaurants. And the Hilton Honors and Hilton Surpass cards also earn 5x and 6x at U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets, respectively. It's odd to not see U.S. gas stations as a bonus category for the Hilton Aspire card. Frequent ToP readers know that not all points currencies are created equal, and one Hilton Honors point is not the same as one Membership Rewards point etc. But these Hilton cards are still solid earners.

Amex Hilton Personal Cards Review & Comparison: ToP Thoughts

Amex's co-branded Hilton cards offer good earning rates and some excellent benefits. Having at least one of these cards is a must for anyone looking to explore Hilton's massive global footprint. We at ToP are big fans of Hyatt, but Hilton's larger portfolio is too big to be ignored. Considering the cards' earning structure and card benefits, Amex's Hilton cards are quite impressive.

What do you think of Amex's co-branded Hilton personal cards? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook group!

Travel on Point(s) has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel on Point(s) and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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