Hilton Honors American Express Credit Card Review 2024

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American Express issues four co-branded Hilton credit cards, but only one — the Hilton Honors American Express Card — has a $0 annual fee. Usually, no-annual-fee credit cards come with a modest welcome bonus offer and few perks, but that’s not the case here. 

Hilton Credit Card Review: Is It the Best Card for You?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card currently has a welcome bonus offer of 70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership (offer ends 7/31/2024). 

You can also earn bonus points in everyday spending categories, whether you’re traveling or staying close to home. Along with 7 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases, Hilton Honors American Express Card cardholders earn 5 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. These bonus categories are useful and can help boost your Hilton points balance quickly.

This card offers automatic Hilton Honors Silver elite status, which is the brand’s lowest elite tier. It doesn’t offer the widest range of benefits, but it does unlock one lucrative perk. Any Hilton elite status member (including Silver) qualifies for the fifth night free on award stays of five nights or more, so if you redeem points for longer stays, this can add up to significant savings.

Standard award nights at Hilton hotels start at 5,000 points and usually top out at 95,000 points for the most luxurious resorts (with a few exceptions) — so depending on where you redeem your rewards, the welcome bonus offer from the Hilton Honors American Express Card could be worth multiple nights at inexpensive brands, or fewer nights at upscale locations.

If you stay at Hilton hotels even a couple of times a year, be sure to compare the benefits you’ll receive from the other Hilton cards. For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card also have excellent welcome bonus offers with more points and they come with Hilton Gold status, which gets you free breakfast (currently awarded as a food and beverage credit at U.S. hotels) and better perks.

See our picks for the best credit cards »

Hilton Honors Credit Card Rewards

Hilton Honors Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offer

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is offering a welcome bonus of 70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership (offer ends 7/31/2024).

Business Insider considers Hilton points to be worth 0.5 cents each, on average. The points from this bonus, therefore, are worth around $350 in Hilton hotel stays. 

How to Earn Points With the Hilton Honors Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a straightforward earning structure, and it’s good for earning points at Hilton hotels and on your everyday purchases.

Cardholders earn:

• 7x points on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels
• 5 points per dollar spent at eligible U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
• 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases

The points you’ll earn at eligible Hilton hotels are in addition to what you’d normally earn for paid Hilton stays (10x points at most brands) and any elite status bonus points you qualify for.

For example, with Silver elite status (which comes automatically with the card), you’ll get a 20% bonus on base points for your stay, or a total of 12 points per dollar at most brands. Plus, when you use your Hilton Honors American Express Card to pay, you’ll earn an additional 7 points per dollar, for a total of 19x points at Hilton.

How to Use Points from the Hilton Credit Card

The Hilton Honors program includes over 7,000 hotels in 123 countries, so it’s easy to redeem your points just about anywhere you go. You can earn and use Hilton points at 19 brands:

You’ll usually get the best value from Hilton points by redeeming them for award nights, either for a free hotel stay or by combining points and cash. Hilton doesn’t have a standard award chart; instead, the price of an award night at a particular hotel varies based on demand, cash price, and season.

Standard award nights start at 5,000 Hilton points and go all the way up to 150,000 points per night (though the cap for the vast majority of five-star hotels is 95,000 points). Premium awards (for better rooms, suites, or high-demand dates) can cost much more. Keep in mind the lowest-priced Hilton hotels are usually budget-friendly brands (like Tru by Hilton or Hampton Inn) located off the beaten path; upscale hotels in big cities or luxury resorts will cost more points.

For example, you can book an overwater villa at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island for 120,000 points a night instead of paying over $1,300 with cash. Or, you can stretch your points at hotels like the Hampton Inn Niagara Falls, which starts at 19,000 points per night. Always be sure to compare the cash price to the award rate, because sometimes the paid rate is so low it’s better to save your points for a higher-value redemption.

The Silver elite status you automatically receive with the Hilton Honors American Express Card qualifies you for the fifth night free on award stays of five nights or more. This is another great way to stretch your points if you want to make them last.

Transfer Hilton points to airlines

Hilton Honors partners with over two dozen airlines, and you can transfer points at varying ratios depending on the program. This typically won’t result in the best value, but if you won’t be using points for stays it’s an option for other types of travel.

Redeem Hilton points for experiences, events, merchandise, and more

Other options for redeeming Hilton points also won’t get you the highest value, but they could be helpful in certain circumstances:

• Hilton experiences — Use points for exclusive events, dining, and tours
• Use Hilton points for event credits — Starting at 25,000 points for a $50 credit
• Redeem Hilton points at Amazon — A poor value; you’ll get just 0.2 cents per point
• Donate Hilton points to charity — For every 10,000 points you donate, Hilton will send $25 to a charity of your choice
• Use Hilton points toward Lyft rides — Again, not the best value; you’ll typically get around 0.2 cents per point
• Pool or transfer Hilton points to a friend — Send up to 2 million points per year to friends or family with no fee, or  pool your points with up to 11 people to save for a redemption

Hilton points expire if there’s no activity in your account for 24 months. Spending on a Hilton credit card like the Hilton Honors American Express Card is an easy way to keep your points from expiring until you’re ready to travel.

Hilton Credit Card Benefits and Features

The Hilton Honors American Express Card comes with a handful of useful perks that can improve your travel experience and save you money.

Automatic Hilton Silver elite status

Cardholders receive Hilton Silver status as long as their card is open and in good standing. As Hilton’s lowest elite tier, Silver status isn’t exceptional, but it does come with a few handy perks:

• Fifth night free on award stays of five nights or more
• 20% points bonus on paid stays
• Free bottled water 
• Elite rollover nights

However, suppose you spend $20,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year with your Hilton Honors American Express Card. In that case, you’ll get upgraded to Hilton Gold elite status through the end of the following calendar year. Hilton Gold status is much more valuable and includes benefits like free breakfast at Hilton hotels (currently awarded as a food and beverage credit at U.S. hotels), an 80% points bonus on paid stays, room upgrades when available, and milestone bonuses.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

When you pay for your car rental with the Hilton Honors American Express Card and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you can get secondary coverage for damage to or theft of the vehicle. Some countries and vehicle types are excluded, so be sure to read the terms and conditions before you rent and note that liability insurance isn’t included.

Extended warranty

American Express cards are well known for offering excellent purchase protections, and the Hilton Honors American Express Card is no exception.

When you use the card to pay for an eligible purchase, Amex will extend the manufacturer’s warranty up to one additional year on original manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less. You’re covered for up to $10,000 per eligible purchase and up to $50,000 per account, per calendar year.

Purchase protection

If you pay for an eligible item with your Hilton Honors American Express Card and it’s stolen or accidentally damaged within 90 days of purchase, purchase protection could cover you for up to $1,000 per item and up to $50,000 per account, per calendar year. 

Global Assist Hotline

Hilton Honors American Express Card members can access Amex’s Global Assist Hotline when they’re traveling 100 or more miles from home.

This service can provide help with issues like lost passport replacement, translation services, missing luggage assistance, and emergency legal and medical referrals, but you’ll be responsible for any third-party costs incurred.

Amex Offers

Like other American Express cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card includes targeted discounts and bonus rewards at participating merchants through Amex Offers**. 

Hilton Credit Card Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has no annual fee, so it’s easy to keep without incurring a yearly cost. Because your credit score is partly determined by the average age of your accounts, keeping a no-annual-fee card open for the long term could potentially improve your credit score. Plus, the card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, which makes it a good option for international purchases. 

As with most other cards, other fees may apply to certain situations, including. 

• Cash advance fee
• Late payment fee
• Returned payment fee

How the Hilton Credit Card Compares

Hilton Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Methodology: How we reviewed the Hilton Credit Card

Business Insider’s credit cards team compared the Hilton Honors Amex to other co-branded Hilton credit cards, as well as similar no-annual-fee hotel credit cards from other chains like Marriott, IHG, Wyndham, and Choice.

We assessed several factors in our review, including:

• Ease of use — Is the card’s reward structure easy to understand? Are there complex award charts to navigate, or is redeeming points straightforward?
• Rewards earning — Does the welcome bonus offer a value that’s as good or better than similar cards? If there are bonus categories, do they appeal to a wide variety of users? Are any categories capped at a maximum spending limit? 
• Fees — On no-annual-fee cards, are there other fees to be aware of, like foreign transaction fees or a high APR? And if the card charges an annual fee, do its benefits justify the cost? 
• Benefits — Does the card come with money or time-saving perks that can upgrade your travel experience? Do any benefits stand out?

You can read our article on how we rate credit cards at Business Insider for a full breakdown of our methodology.