Is the Hilton Honors Amex Card worth it?
The Hilton Honors American Express Card is worth it if you’re a Hilton loyalist, as it gives you 7 points for every dollar spent at participating hotels.
Cardholders also receive 5 points for eligible grocery, gasoline and restaurant purchases, making the Hilton Honors American Express card a good fit for people who want to earn extra points on everyday purchases.
Pros and cons of the Hilton Honors American Express Card
Learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express Card
Terms apply / Rates & fees
Hilton Honors American Express Card rewards
The Hilton Honors American Express card comes with plenty of rewards, including a generous welcome bonus and multiple ways to earn points. Once you accumulate enough points, you can cash them in for hotel stays, Lyft rides, car rentals and more.
Let’s take a closer look at the rewards structure.
Welcome bonus
This Hilton credit card has one of the best welcome offers available. If you spend $2,000 during your first six months of membership, you’ll receive 80,000 points. Points are worth about 0.4 cents each, making the bonus worth $320.
Earn Hilton Honors points
Once you have an account, you can earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points in three ways:
Redeem Hilton Honors points
You can redeem your Hilton Honors Bonus Points in the following ways:
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Hilton hotel stays: To redeem your points on a hotel stay, log in to your Hilton account and click “Use Points.” Once you enter your destination and travel dates, you can sort through the list according to redemption values. You can also filter by room type or hotel brand, making it easier to find a property that meets your needs.
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Donations: If you’re feeling charitable, you can donate your points via PointWorthy, which supports causes ranging from arts and culture to human services and international affairs.
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Amazon purchases: You can also spend your points on Amazon purchases, but the redemption value is only 0.2 cents per point instead of the standard 0.4 cents. Before you make a purchase, you must link your Hilton Honors account with your Amazon account.
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Car rentals: If you’re in the mood for a road trip, you can use your points to book with National, Alamo or Enterprise. You must use the search tool on the Hilton Honors website.
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Event vouchers: This is one of the most unique Hilton Honors Amex benefits. If you don’t want to spend your points on hotel stays or other redemption options, you can use them to buy event vouchers, which are good for weddings, business meetings and other events held at participating Hilton properties.
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Flights: Hilton Honors allows you to transfer your bonus points to several airline loyalty programs. To transfer points, sign in to your Hilton Honors account, click “Preferences” and select an airline. You’ll need to add your airline loyalty number to ensure the points go to the right account. Participating airlines include Delta, Qantas, United, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and EVA Air.
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Event tickets: You can also use your Hilton Honors Bonus Points to make purchases on Ticketmaster. To redeem points this way, you must attach your Hilton Honors account to your Ticketmaster account.
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Lyft rides: When you use Lyft, you can redeem your points and earn new points. The redemption rate is lower than normal, but it’s still a nice perk for Hilton Honors Amex members.
Hilton Honors American Express Card benefits
The Hilton Honors card features several benefits.
To give you a better idea of what to expect, we’ve listed out the main benefits below.
Complimentary Silver status
As a Hilton Honors Amex cardholder, you automatically gain Silver status, which comes with all standard member benefits plus free bottled water, an all-inclusive spa discount, elite rollover nights and a 20% points bonus on stays at eligible properties. Silver members are also entitled to get the fifth night free on all reward stays.
Path to Gold status
If you spend $20,000 on your card in a calendar year, you’ll achieve Gold status.
This status entitles you to these additional benefits:
- Complimentary room upgrades when available
- Your choice of continental breakfast or a daily food credit
- 80% points bonus on all eligible stays
Car rental insurance
Hilton Honors Amex cardholders are eligible for complimentary car rental insurance*. To access this benefit, you must use your card to cover the full cost of the rental. You must also refuse the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company. Note that this coverage is secondary, which means it doesn’t kick in until you’ve exhausted your other insurance benefits. Car rental insurance isn’t available for vehicles rented in New Zealand, Italy and Australia.
Global Assist Hotline
If you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home, you can contact the American Express Global Assist Hotline* if you encounter any problems. For example, hotline agents can answer travel-related questions, arrange for wire transfers, refer you to legal and medical services, help you track down missing luggage or refer you to the nearest embassy.
American Express Offers
This Hilton credit card also gives you access to American Express Offers. If you add an offer to your card, you’ll earn a reward when you fulfill the eligibility requirements. For example, you may receive an offer for $15 off a $75 purchase from your favorite bakery. Once you spend $75 in a single transaction, you’ll see the $15 reward posted to your account.
Additional cards
If you want to share your benefits with a spouse, child or trusted friend, you can add them as an authorized user on your account.
Pay It Plan It
Pay It® allows you to pay for purchases using the American Express mobile app instead of swiping your card. Plan It® gives you the option of breaking up large purchases ($100 or more) into smaller monthly payments. You won’t pay interest on Plan It purchases, but there’s a fixed monthly fee.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Hilton Honors American Express Card fees, rates & limit
This card features fees, rates and limits, not unlike other credit cards (see rates and fees).
To help you wrap your head around the details, we’ve listed them out here.
Hilton Honors credit card fees
The Hilton Honors card fees are:
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Annual fee: $0
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Balance transfer fee: N/A (No balance transfers available)
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Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee: No foreign transaction fees ($0)
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Late payment fee: Up to $40
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Returned payment fee: Up to $40
Hilton Honors credit card interest rates
The Hilton Honors interest rates are:
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Regular APR: 20.99% to 29.99% variable
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Purchase intro APR: N/A
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Balance transfer intro APR: N/A (No balance transfers available)
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Cash advance APR: 29.99% variable
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Penalty APR: 29.99% variable
Hilton Honors credit limit
Like other credit card companies, American Express sets your limit based on your income, credit history and other factors. Limits for this Hilton credit card usually range from $1,000 to $20,000, but you may qualify for a higher credit limit if you have stellar credit.
How the Hilton Honors Amex card compares
One of the main advantages of this Hilton credit card is that you don’t have to pay an annual fee.
Instead of worrying about earning enough points to justify a high fee, you can focus on using your card for what’s important to you. The Amex Hilton Honors card also gives you 7X points per dollar on stays at participating Hilton properties.
Compared to other travel credit cards, however, the Amex Hilton Honors is a little lackluster. You get 7X points on hotel stays, but you don’t get statement credits, ride-sharing discounts or other travel perks. Additionally, the redemption value of Hilton Honors Bonus Points is rather low compared to the value of points earned with other rewards credit cards.
Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with more perks than the standard card, so it has an annual fee of $150 (see rates and fees). Instead of 7X points on eligible Hilton stays, you get 12 points per dollar, making it easier to increase your balance. The Hilton Honors Surpass also comes with 6X points at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations, 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases and 3X points on everything else.
The Hilton Honors Amex is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a no-fee card, but the Hilton Honors Surpass card is better if you’re looking to maximize your rewards.
Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card right for me?
This credit card is best for loyal Hilton customers who want to earn big rewards on hotel stays. It’s also a good fit for users who spend a significant amount of money at U.S. supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants. It may not be the right card for you if you rarely travel or dine out.
Apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Card
The Amex Hilton Honors isn’t a starter credit card, nor is it intended for people who are rebuilding their credit after having financial difficulties.
You need a good or an excellent credit score to qualify. American Express doesn’t list a minimum score on the application, but we recommend applying only if you have a score of at least 700.
If you’re confident you qualify, you can learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express card and apply online at your convenience.
Follow these steps to complete the application:
- Fill in your name, date of birth and contact information.
- Provide information about your annual income.
- Review the terms of the card.
- Submit your application.
