Hilton Honors American Express Card review
With this card, everyday purchases help you make the most of your time traveling. A generous travel rewards structure and easy earnings at the places you regularly spend money make it a practical option for those frequently on the go.
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Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Rewards
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Welcome Bonus
- Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Annual Fee
- $0
Key Features
- Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Points for all 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. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
Editor Analysis:
- At seven Hilton Honors bonus points earned for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands, this card offers a higher-than-typical return for your hotel loyalty.
- Rack up points on everyday spending with five Hilton Honors bonus points for every dollar you spend at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets.
- You can increase your earning potential with an upgrade to Gold status after making $20,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. With Gold status, you're eligible for even more bonus points, room upgrades and free Wi-Fi at select hotels. Enrollment required.
- There are greater rewards to be had with other Hilton credit cards if you're willing to pay an annual fee.
card_name benefits
With the CardName, everyday purchases can help you make the most of your time on the road. American Express is a CardRatings advertiser.
This card features an opportunity to earn 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership.
Additionally, with rewards earning of seven Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands, the CardName is a practical option for those frequently on the go. Cardholders also earn five points for every $1 spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, and three points per $1 on other eligible purchases, which makes this a solid choice for your everyday purchases and allows you to quickly rack up points to be redeemed for travel upgrades, hotel stay rewards and other travel-related expenses.
Some of the best features of the card include:
- No annual fee
- Complimentary elite status upgrades
- Bonus Hilton Honors points for eligible hotel stays
- Roadside and global assistance hotlines
- Car rental loss and damage insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Purchase protection
- (See Rates and Fees; enrollment required for select benefits)
The fact that this no annual fee credit card allows you to receive a ton of points and be eligible for great upgrades with ease is perhaps the biggest perk of the card, particularly for those loyal to the Hilton brand.
Though you must spend $2,000 on the card within your first six months of membership in order to earn the introductory offer of 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points, we actually consider this a benefit as that spending threshold is below what many other hotel perk credit cards require. Those 80,000 points alone could earn you multiple free nights at hotels and resorts around the world, depending on your travel dates and the hotel category. Those bonus points are, of course, in addition to the other points you earn when you use your card on your purchases.
In the case of the CardName, the more you use your card to book hotels the easier it is to redeem points for upgrades and hotel stays, which is something we find to be convenient for frequent business travels or those looking to plan their next leisurely getaway.
Even if you don’t travel frequently, however, the CardName could still be worth considering given that you earn five points per $1 spent on everyday purchases at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. restaurants and U.S. gas stations. Before you know it, those everyday, run-around-town purchases will accumulate into a chunk of rewards points that can help you pay for your next vacation.
And, as you’d hope to find with any travel-related credit card, we like that this card includes a number of protection perks such as the travel and car rental loss and damage insurance plans as well as roadside and global assistance hotlines.
With the insurance plans, when using the CardName to pay for your travel expenses, the card can help you cover any expenses you may incur if your car rental is damaged or stolen.
Additionally, the card also gains you access to the Global Assist® and roadside assistance hotlines, which are there to help you resolve issues such as a broken down car or a lost or stolen passport. Since travel sometimes comes with some unexpected bumps in the road, our team agrees that these features are valuable incentives for CardName cardholders.
Lastly, CardName cardholders enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, which gives you a 12 points per $1 spent on your Hilton stays. With this card, you’ll also enjoy eligibility to upgrade to Hilton Honor Gold status when you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on your card in a single calendar year. With Gold status, you’ll earn 18 points per $1 spent on Hilton stays and enjoy premium room upgrades; in-room, high-speed Wi-Fi at select hotel properties and more. Enrollment required for select benefits.
CardRatings Tip
Learn more about elite status and the numerous benefits of the Hilton Honors rewards program in our Hilton Honors program guide.
card_name foreign transaction fee
Great news! The CardName does not charge foreign transaction fees, making this an ideal choice whether your travels take you near or far. (See Rates and Fees)
Many cards charge an average of 3% on foreign transactions, which may not seem like much, but this fee has the potential to cause a lot of damage if you travel abroad frequently. Say you travel abroad four times a year, spending an average of $2,000 each time you go. If you used a card that charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, you’d be looking at an extra $240 in expenses a year. Even just a single trip costing $2,000 would set you back an extra $60.
Because this card also doesn’t charge annual fees, it’s a good option to have in your wallet, even if you aren’t using it everyday, or if you only travel abroad every now and then.
card_name potential downsides
While the CardName is great for anyone who loves the Hilton properties and plans to stay there regularly, it is not necessarily the best choice for everyone. Keep in mind that many more general travel cards allow you to redeem your rewards at Hilton (and many other properties), so if you aren’t super loyal to Hilton, there could be a better option out there for you.
How do cardholders rate the card_name?
CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the CardName:
| Current Scores | Past Scores | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.4 | 79.9 |
| Features Satisfaction | 7.5 | 8 |
| Customer Service | 7.9 | 8.2 |
| Website/App Usability | 8 | 8.2 |
| Likelihood of Continuing to Use | 7.9 | 8 |
| Recommend to a Friend/Colleague | 7.4 | 7.6 |
How the card_name compares to other cards
CardName vs. CardName
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Similar to the CardName, the CardName offers a strong introductory bonus point opportunity: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. For those looking for a Chase credit card that can quickly rack up hotel points, the CardName is a viable option.
If you have no preference on credit card company or hotel chain, you’re can consider the IHG card for everyday purchases the same as your would the Hilton card. The IHG card earns you five points for each $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on travel and three points per $1 on all your other purchases. You also earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
With a reward one-night hotel stay at participating IHG hotels and resorts worldwide each anniversary year and a reward night each time you redeem rewards for any consecutive four-night stay at an IHG hotel, the CardName is a worthwhile choice, especially for global travelers.
CardName vs. CardName
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Even though it charges a AnnualFees annual fee, the CardName can be a great alternative to the CardName if you’re loyal to the Hilton brand. (See Rates and Fees)
Like the CardName, the CardName earns bonus rewards on stays at Hilton properties, but instead of 7X points, it earns a whopping 12X Hilton Honors points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on the card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio. Additionally, cardholders can earn 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Also, 4x points for each dollar on U.S online retail purchases, and 3X points on all other eligible purchases.
The welcome bonus offer for new cardholders is also great. New cardholders can earn 130,000 bonus points once making $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
As an added bonus, you can earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year. Plus, cardholders enjoy Gold status in the Hilton Honors program, and the card makes Hilton Honors Diamond status easily within reach. Spend $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year to receive your Diamond Status upgrade. Enrollment required for select benefits.
Is the card_name a good card?
Thanks to its great welcome offer, points earning ease and no annual fee, the CardName is a good card for those who enjoy Hilton properties and plan to stay there often, or even people just looking to offset the cost of an annual vacation with points earned through everyday purchases.
Frequently asked questions
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Our Methodology
Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to “How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?” was double weighted. “Current Scores” reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.
Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.
This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.
To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: CardName (See Rates and Fees);CardName: (See Rates and Fees)
