Hilton Honors American Express Card benefits guide
Key takeaways
- The Hilton Honors American Express Card is Hilton’s only no-annual-fee card, making it a solid choice for people who prefer staying at Hilton properties but might not do so enough to justify paying to carry the card.
- One of the top benefits of this card is that it provides complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver Elite status, which opens the door to many additional Hilton rewards.
- This guide will break down the benefits and perks that cardholders can take advantage of, as well as how to use the Hilton Honors American Express Card effectively.
For loyal Hilton customers and frequent travelers, the Hilton Honors American Express Card has plenty of attractive features that make it worth considering. This hotel credit card earns Hilton Honors points and comes with a range of benefits from both Hilton and American Express. We go over the details on all of those benefits, as well as the credit card’s current promotions, in this guide.
Hilton Honors American Express Card highlights
Hilton Honors American Express Card
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- Rewards: 7X points for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio, 5X points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on all other purchases
- Welcome bonus: 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.
- Annual fee: $0
- APR: 20.99 percent to 29.99 percent variable
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Earning points
One of the main benefits of the Hilton Honors American Express Card is the opportunity to earn Hilton Honors points on purchases. The card earns 7X points on Hilton hotel and resort stays, 5X points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on everything else.
You can use these points for:
- Nights at Hilton hotels and resorts
- Concert tickets
- Unique dining experiences
- Sporting events tickets
- Lyft rides
- Online shopping
- Conversions into airline miles with Hilton’s travel partners
Aside from earning points on purchases you make with your Hilton Honors American Express Card, there are a few other ways you can earn and share points. For example, you can pool points with up to 10 other members for a shared trip or family getaway. You can also buy extra points, turn points into charitable gifts or transfer them to friends or family members.
Travel benefits
Hilton Honors™ Silver Elite status
The Hilton Honors American Express Card also comes with plenty of travel benefits, including automatic Hilton Honors Silver Elite status. Some of the perks of Silver status include:
- A 20 percent earning bonus on hotel stays
- Free bottled water
- free Wi-Fi access
- Exclusive access to Hilton Honors Experiences
- Digital check-in
- Choice of available rooms
On top of that, you also have the opportunity to qualify for Hilton Honors Gold status depending on how much you spend. If you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status. Gold status comes with perks like an 80 percent earning bonus on hotel stays, potential room upgrades and a daily food and beverage credit.
Fifth Night Free benefit
Cardholders can also take advantage of Hilton’s Fifth Night Free benefit, which allows members who book five consecutive Reward Stays or more and pay with points to get their fifth night free. So, if each night is worth 10,000 points and you book five nights, that means you’ll only have to pay 40,000 points instead of 50,000. This perk is also stackable up to 20 nights, so you can also get your tenth, fifteenth, and twentieth night free.
No foreign transaction fee
Unlike many rewards cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. This means that you can use your card to shop abroad without incurring any additional charges.
Car rental loss and damage insurance
This travel credit card comes with car rental loss and damage insurance, which means that you can decline the collision damage waiver and save money when you rent a car while traveling.
Global assist hotline
The global assist hotline provides personalized customer service if any issues come up when you’re traveling. The hotline can provide help for anything from missing passports and lost luggage to emergency legal and medical referrals.
Additional benefits
This card also comes with some additional standard (and a few not-so-standard) benefits like fraud protection and Amex Send and Split.
No annual fee
Unlike other Hilton Honors cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card charges no annual fee. This means that no matter how much or little you spend using the card, you’ll always come out ahead at the end of the year.
American Express Experiences
Cardholders have access to exclusive ticket presales and events as part of the American Express Experiences program. For example, cardholders can take advantage of 2024 promotions like:
- Live plays — see musicals like “& Juliet” and “Suffs”
- Sporting events — get season tickets to Utah Jazz basketball games and early access to ski and snowboarding tracks in Hunter Mountain, New York
- Concerts — experience Carrie Underwood’s new Las Vegas residency and festivals like the Jazz In The Garden Music Fest
- Virtual events — curated experiences include cooking classes, fitness classes, comedy performances and retail “first looks”
Amex Send and Split
Send and Split allows cardholders to send money and split purchases via PayPal and Venmo within the American Express mobile app. Plus, you’ll still earn rewards on the purchases you split. Whether you need to pay a friend back for coffee or split rent with your roommate, it’s easy to do so within the app.
Fraud protection
Fraud protection protects cardholders in case there are any fraudulent purchases made using your card. If you notice any suspicious purchases that you think may be fraudulent, you can get in touch with Amex customer service using the number on the back of your card.
Additional cards
Get additional cards for your children, spouse or other people who make purchases for you. By signing up your loved ones as authorized users on your account, you’ll be able to track spending and earn Hilton Honors points faster.
Pay It, Plan It
The Hilton Honors American Express Card also comes with a Pay It, Plan It feature, which gives cardholders unique options when it comes to paying off their balance. You can use the “Pay It” feature to make payments on purchases under $100 throughout the month. With the “Plan It” feature, you can select purchases over $100 and split them up into monthly payments with no interest charges.
Year-end summary
Like many top rewards credit cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card gives cardholders the ability to review their annual spending through a year-end summary. This can help you to see how much you’ve spent throughout the year and what your top spending categories were.
The bottom line
If you like to stay at Hilton hotels and resorts when you travel, the Hilton Honors American Express Card is an easy choice. With hotel credit card perks like complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, as well as no foreign transaction fees, this American Express credit card is a great way to earn points toward free hotel stays and more.
On the other hand, if you’re not a frequent traveler or aren’t brand-loyal to Hilton, an all-purpose rewards credit card might be a better choice.
With no annual fee, this card is also a budget-friendly option for customers looking for a Hilton rewards card. But if you don’t mind an annual fee in exchange for even more lucrative benefits, other Hilton credit cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card* are also worth considering.
Issuer-required disclosure statement
Information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. It has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
