Hotel credit cards often come with lucrative perks, like annual free-night certificates, automatic elite status, and high earning rates on hotel spend. While we encourage applying for credit cards with flexible points first, hotel credit cards are definitely part of our points and miles strategy. Here is information about how you may be able to leverage card benefits from American Express Hilton credit cards to make the most of your next trip.
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Learn How to Apply
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Enrollment is required for select benefits.
- No annual fee.
- Earn 7 Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5 Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar on other eligible purchases on your card.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year, and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year,
- No foreign-transaction fees.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, see Rates and Fees.
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Learn How to Apply
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Enrollment is required for select benefits.
- Annual fee: annual_fees.
- 12 points per dollar spent at Hilton properties.
- 6 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants.
- 4 points per dollar spent on online purchases from U.S. retail merchants.
- 3 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status.
- Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That’s up to $200 in statement credits annually.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- Complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Executive® Status.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, See Rates and Fees.

My stay at the Conrad Koh Samui in Thailand was one of my favorite redemptions.
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Learn How to Apply
bonus_miles_full
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
- Annual fee: annual_fees.
- 12 points per dollar spent at Hilton properties.
- 5 points per dollar spent at on the first $100K in eligible purchases per calendar year, and 3 points per dollar thereafter.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status.
- Get up to $240 back each year on eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, with up to $60 in statement credits per calendar quarter.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, see Rates and Fees.
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Learn How to Apply
bonus_miles_full
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
- Annual fee: annual_fees.
- Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you
spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year
upon Card renewal.
- Earn 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points when you make eligible purchases on your Card at participating hotels or
resorts within the Hilton Portfolio.
- Card Members can earn 7X Points on purchases of flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through
American Express Travel, car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies, and purchases at
U.S. Restaurants.
- Card Members can earn 3X Points on all other eligible purchases.
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made
directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That’s up to $400 back annually.
- $200 Flight Credit: Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on
flight purchases made directly with an airline, through AmexTravel.com, or through the Amex Travel App(TM)
using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
- CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster at 55+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $219 per calendar year in
statement credits when you pay for your membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Hilton Honors Aspire
Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- $100 Property Credit: Receive up to a $100 credit for qualifying charges at Waldorf Astoria(R) Hotels & Resorts
and Conrad(R) Hotels & Resorts properties when you book a 2 night minimum stay with your Card at
HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com and select the Aspire Card Benefit rate option on the booking page, or call Hilton
Honors at 855-292-5757 with the proper booking reference.
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental(R) Emerald Club
Executive(R) status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the
USA and Canada. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through
their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
- Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, Premium Global Assist(R) Hotline is available for 24/7
emergency assistance and coordination services, including medical, legal, and financial referrals. Emergency
medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost only if approved and coordinated by Premium
Global Assist Hotline. Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
- $550 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re
approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
For rates and fees of American Express Hilton Honors Aspire, See Rates and Fees.
Hilton Stays
Hilton doesn’t have a set award chart like Hyatt does. The cost of a Hilton stay in points fluctuates depending on the location, demand, and season. You can check out the Hilton Points Explorer Tool, which shows you the minimum and the maximum number of points you could expect to spend at a particular hotel.
Let’s say you want to go to Bali. You can stay at the Bali Hilton Garden Inn Airport for as few as 15,000 points or the Conrad Bali for as few as 48,000 points. It’s all up to you—spend your nights staying at economical hotels and get more stays, or go for luxury and use them at the nicer hotels.

Hilton Conrad Bali. Photo from Hilton.
Hotel Status
So, what’s up with hotel status? What will it get you with Hilton Hotels? Here are some of the most useful benefits.
Hilton Honors™ Silver Status:
- Fifth night free on award stays
- Two complimentary bottles of water on arrival
- 20% Points earning bonus on stays
Hilton Honors™ Gold Status:
- Fifth night free on award stays
- 80% point bonus on paid stays
- Two complimentary bottles of water on arrival
- Room upgrades, when available
- Daily food & beverage credit (U.S. hotels only) or continental breakfast (non-U.S. hotels)
- Earn 10,000 Bonus Points every 10 nights after you’ve stayed 40 nights in a calendar year.
Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status:
- Fifth night free on award stays
- 100 % point bonus on paid stays
- Two complimentary bottles of water on arrival
- Complimentary free premium internet
- Room upgrades, including suites
- Daily food & beverage credit (U.S. hotels only) or continental breakfast (non-U.S. hotels)
- Executive lounge access (which usually have free breakfasts and often hors d’oeuvres in the evening and drinks, too)
Please note that you can only receive American Express welcome offers once per lifetime for each card. You may find offers for additional cards with no lifetime language attached, though. Also, remember that you can refer your spouse to those identical cards and have many Hilton points!!
Not everyone is willing to pay a high annual fee, but I have found that the perks often outweigh the fee. Check out what credit card benefits come with the card and make the determination if it will work for you.
Bottom Line
Hilton offers some great welcome offers and is another excellent program to use for hotel rooms. They have hotels available worldwide, which may be an excellent option for you. Each of us has had an amazing stay in a Hilton hotel, which is why we each have a Hilton card.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, See Rates and Fees.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, See Rates and Fees.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, See Rates and Fees.
For rates and fees of American Express Hilton Honors Aspire, See Rates and Fees.
Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply.
Related Posts
Podcast 103. All Things Hilton Honors Program: Our Tips For Points, Perks, and Dreamy Stays
Credit Cards That Come With Hotel Status
Five Aspirational Hilton Properties to Book on Points
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