Hilton Honors American Express Card Review 2024

• Hilton Honors American Express Introduction
• Quick Facts
• What Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card Best For?
• Hilton Honors American Express Card Rewards
• Other Hilton Honors American Express Card Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the Hilton Honors American Express Stacks Up
• Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card for You?
• Methodology

If you’re looking to earn Hilton Honors points without paying an annual fee, look no further than the Hilton Honors American Express Card. You receive automatic Hilton Honors™ Silver status just for holding the card and have the ability to earn Gold status through $20,000 in spending each calendar year. The card offers a solid welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership.

Although Hilton Honors points don’t carry as much value as other hotel points, the welcome bonus can cover a night or two when you strategically book your Hilton stay. You also earn 7 Hilton Honors points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Hilton Honors points typically are worth about 0.5 cents per point. So when spending on U.S. supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants you effectively earn 2.5% in points, which is a solid earnings rate for a card with no annual fee.

There’s also no limit on how many points you can earn, which means your rewards can add up quickly. Many cards that offer bonuses on groceries and gas have a spending cap, so if you’re a heavy spender at grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants this card offers extra appeal. The card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, which makes it even more attractive for those who travel internationally, although you won’t get the earning bonus on groceries, gas and dining while abroad.

On the other hand, you don’t get a lot of the premium travel perks that other credit cards with an annual fee offer. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (terms apply, see rates & fees), for example, offers Gold status with the ability to spend up to Diamond status (Hilton’s highest level of status) and the ability to earn a free night reward with $15,000 of spending on the card. Still, if you just want a simple no-annual-fee card to help earn Hilton Honors points, the Hilton Honors American Express Card fits the bill.

• $0 annual fee
• Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership.
• Earn 7 Hilton Honors points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations and 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status
• Upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status by spending $20,000 in a calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is best for sporadic Hilton guests who want a card that can grant them a few extra benefits during stays without charging an annual fee. Since the card provides complimentary Silver status, cardholders can also stretch their Hilton Honors points further by getting the fifth night free on reward stays.

Earning Rewards

Cardholders earn:

• 7 Hilton Honors points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio
• 5 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets and at U.S. gas stations
• 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases

The Hilton Honors American Express Card comes with Hilton Honors™ Silver status which gets you a 20% base points earning bonus on stays. And if you spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year you receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.

Hilton Honors Gold comes with a better chance of upgrades, higher points-earning on stays and a food and beverage credit for stays in the U.S. or complimentary breakfast for international stays. If you earn Gold status and get upgraded to an Executive Floor room on a stay, you’ll even get access to the Executive Lounge.

Redeeming Rewards

Hilton boasts a large portfolio of over 7,600 properties across more than 20 brands and it does not have blackout dates for award redemptions. However, rates can vary quite a bit. Your best bet for finding the lowest rates is to search for a standard room. Upgraded rooms often cost twice as many Hilton Honors points.

Because there’s so much variation, it’s important to shop around when looking to redeem your Hilton Honors points. In a big city, you’ll likely find multiple options ranging from suburban hotels for 30,000 to 40,000 points per night to city-center hotels for 50,000 to 80,000 points to luxury properties up to 95,000 points per night for a standard room and upwards of 100,000 points per night for a premium room. Be sure to do some searching to find the option that best suits your needs.

Paying with Hilton Honors points offers two unique benefits. First, if the hotel charges a resort fee, you will not need to pay it if you booked your hotel stay entirely with points or with free night certificates. Note that if you pay with cash and points, you will have to pay for the resort fee.

Secondly, when you book five consecutive award nights, the fifth night is free as a Silver member, which is a benefit of holding the card. This benefit can stretch your Hilton Honors points 20% further on longer stays.

One final notable feature of Hilton Honors is points pooling—the ability to share points among up to 11 family members and friends (yourself and up to 10 additional people). That means, for example, that partners in the same family could earn the welcome bonus from this or any of the Hilton Honors card offerings to help pay for that dream vacation.

Rewards Potential

Forbes Advisor uses government spending data to determine average household spending in various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households, which we use to determine this card’s rewards potential, brings in $118,438 per year and can put $39,337 on a credit card annually.

Hilton Honors American Express Card Rewards Potential

Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Eligible Hilton Purchases	7X	$2,858	20,006
U.S. Supermarkets	5X	$7,243	36,215
U.S. Restaurants	5X	$4,622	23,110
U.S. Gas Stations	5X	$3,562	17,810
All Other Purchases	3X	$21,052	63,156
			Total: 160,297 Hilton Honors Points

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Assuming this annual spending, the family will earn 160,297 Hilton Honors points each year. If we add in the welcome bonus, this family will earn more than enough Hilton Honors points in the first year for a five-night stay at a hotel costing up to 50,000 points a night using the fifth night free.

• Car rental loss and damage insurance. When you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory. Terms apply.¹
• Global Assist Hotline. Travel with the peace of mind that you can contact the Global Assist Hotline 24/7 if you run into any issues when traveling over 100 miles from home.²
• Additional cards. Add additional cards for anyone 13 or older to increase your potential Hilton Honors points earned.
• American Express Offers. Get targeted discounts or extra point offers.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: N/A
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: None

Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card*

Marriott Bonvoy, like Hilton Honors, has a large hotel footprint in the U.S. and around the world. Many people already know whether they prefer to earn Bonvoy or Hilton Honors points, but if you don’t have a preference, you may want to look at Marriott Bonvoy before you commit to Hilton Honors. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card*, like the Hilton Honors American Express Card, comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee.

Where the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card* falls short is in its everyday earning power. You can earn 3 points per dollar at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 2 points on groceries, rideshare, select food delivery and streaming and on internet, phone and cable services and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Most Americans spend so much at grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants that in terms of pure earning power the Hilton Honors American Express Card comes out ahead even after accounting for differences in point values.

Ultimately, choosing between the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card* becomes a function of choosing between the two hotel chains.

Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

If you’re a Hilton loyalist, you should consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees). This Hilton card, also issued by American Express, comes with a $150 annual fee. For that yearly cost, you receive automatic Hilton Gold status, which improves your upgrade chances. You can sometimes get upgraded to an Executive Floor with an Executive Lounge, especially when overseas.

With the Hilton Surpass, you can also earn up to $200 annually in statement credits for eligible purchases made at Hilton properties (up to $50 per quarter). Plus, you’ll receive a food and beverage credit at all Hilton brand hotels in the U.S. or free breakfast overseas. While at some brands this may only be a continental breakfast, the benefit can still prove very valuable.

With the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, you’ll earn 12 Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 6 points on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations, 4 points on eligible U.S. online retail purchases and 3 points for other eligible purchases. On top of all these benefits, you can earn a free night reward when spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year and can get an upgrade to top-tier Diamond status after spending $40,000 in a calendar year.

Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

If you want travel rewards with more flexibility than hotel stays with a single chain, consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. The card earns 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per dollar on every other purchase. The rewards can be redeemed for eligible travel purchases you’ve made with your card. This means you can book directly with Hilton to use any status benefits you’ve acquired, but still earn Capital One rewards for your purchase.

Capital One also allows you to transfer your miles to 15-plus travel partners, including Choice Hotels and airlines like British Airways and Emirates. It also has no annual fee (rates & fees), no foreign transaction fee and is a solid contender because of the versatility of Capital One miles and the ease of not having to track bonus categories.

If you’re searching for a hotel card without an annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Card matches up favorably against its peers. However, those who frequently stay at Hiltons should take a close look at the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. In spite of its annual fee, the Surpass card can be a more rewarding choice.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual rewards
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.

To view rates and fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card please visit this page.
¹Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. 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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
²You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.