Hilton Credit Cards: Delivering Value at Different Price Points for the Right Traveler

The latest Travel Rewards Optimizer post on credit card families will look at the Hilton credit cards offered by American Express. Previous posts have looked at the following card families: Chase Freedom/Sapphire, American Express, Delta, United, American Airlines, and Marriott Bonvoy.

This post will discuss three Hilton credit cards.

• Hilton Honors
• Hilton Honors Surpass
• Hilton Honors Aspire

Hilton Honors

This is a card with no annual fee and the current welcome bonus (through 4/17) is 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus points after spending $2,000 within six months. These points tend to be worth about 6/10ths of a cent, so the welcome bonus is worth about $600.

This card will generate seven Hilton points (7X) per dollar spent at Hilton properties when booked through Hilton. The spending bonus structure for other categories is as follows:

• 5X Hilton points for US purchases at grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations
• 3X for other purchases

This no fee card also offers a few modest benefits.

• Hilton Silver Status which gives you a 20% bonus on base points earned during Hilton stays
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• The ability to reach Hilton Gold status with $20,000 in purchases on the card

Hilton Honors Surpass

This card has an annual fee of $150 and currently (through 4/17) offers a welcome bonus of 155,000 Hilton points ($900+ value) that requires $3,000 in spending within six months.

The spending bonus structure allows for the accumulation of points as follows:

• 12X for Hilton stays booked through Hilton
• 6X Hilton points for US purchases at grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations
• 4X points for online retail
• 3X for other purchases

This card confers Hilton Gold status which gives you an 80% bonus on base points earned during Hilton stays and space-available upgrades at some properties.

A key benefit is an annual credit of up to $200 ($50 per calendar quarter) for stays at Hilton properties.
 
Cardholders spending at least $15,000 per year get a free room.

Hilton Honors Aspire

This top tier Hilton card has an annual fee of $550 and currently offers a 175,000-point welcome bonus after spending $6,000 within six months of approval. This bonus is worth around $1050.

Spending bonuses for this card are broadly geared to travel.

• 14X for Hilton stays booked through Hilton
• 7X Hilton points for air travel, car rental (with some companies), and US restaurants
• 3X for other purchases

These cardholders have automatic Hilton Diamond status which includes a 100% bonus on base points earned during stays and space-available upgrades at some properties.

The Aspire card offers several benefits for travelers, especially if they plan to stay at Hilton properties with some frequency.

• Up to a $400 annual credit ($200 every six months) for Hilton resort properties
• Up to a $200 annual credit ($50 per quarter) for airline purchases
• A $100 on-property credit at some Hilton luxury properties (with 2+ night stay)
• A free night upon card approval and every year upon card renewal
• A $189 CLEAR membership that uses biometric data to clear airport security

My Conclusions

The basic Hilton Honors card offers a surprising amount for a no fee card. The 100,000 point welcome bonus currently being offered might net several nights at one of the less expensive properties in the Hilton portfolio (Ex: a Hampton Inn) or a couple of nights at a mid-level property in some markets.

The spending bonuses are also solid. Typically, no fee co-branded cards are not very good for points accumulation except with the airline/hotel partner. However, this card offers 5X points for US supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations. Hilton points are worth, perhaps, 6/10ths of cent so this is a three percent return on spending in these categories which is unusual for a free card.
 
This card could be good for someone who needs accommodation every so often but wants to avoid annual fees. It also might be useful for someone who accumulates Hilton Honors points here and there and wants to supplement their account to get some free rooms faster.

The Hilton Honors Surpass card has recently been updated to mixed reviews. Previously, the Surpass offered a sort of “budget Priority Pass” for lounge access at airports. This version of the Priority Pass provided 10 lounge visits per year, a flexible perk in that the visits could by used by an individual traveler ten times or a family of five two times. That benefit was removed and placed with a credit of up to $200 for stays at Hiltons. However, the credit is capped at $50 per calendar quarter so cardholders would need to stay at a Hilton property in each quarter to take full advantage of the credit. For some, this new benefit might remove any pain caused by the recent increase in the annual fee to $150. Those who could use the complimentary lounge visits will not be too happy.
 
With some decent spending bonuses (inc. 6X for gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets) this is a reasonable card for those who might stay at a Hilton property a few times a year.

The Hilton Honors Aspire is a more comprehensive travel card as the spending bonuses and benefits extend beyond stays at Hilton properties. In addition to hefty bonuses for Hilton stays, there is a 7X bonus for airline, (some) car rental agencies, and restaurants. This is about a four percent return for purchases in these categories.

The benefits, for some cardholders, might more than cover the annual fee. The annual flight credit and the CLEAR membership fee alone can cover two-thirds of the annual fee. There is one free night per year which can be worth hundreds of dollars. There are also credits for stays but they tend to be at some Hilton resorts or luxury properties, so you have to spend significant money with Hilton to take advantage of them. But, if you like Hilton or are interested in luxury accommodations, this might be the option for you.

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The Hilton Honors credit cards might or might not fit into a productive travel rewards plan for you. But if staying at this chain’s hotels and properties are a potential part of your travel mix, one of the cards discussed in this post might be appropriate. When we design a custom Travel Rewards Optimizer plan for you, we take your travel goals, travel habits, spending patterns, and preferences into account. We want to ensure that the cards we recommend for you can quickly generate free travel and provide relevant benefits while keeping your annual card fees under control.

If you have not already, please check out the previous Travel Rewards Optimizer posts on other credit card families.

We are ready to help you turn your routine credit card spending into the travel of your dreams.