The NEW Hilton Family of Credit Cards
In a post titled “The Hilton Family of Credit Cards” I detailed the various Hilton co-branded credit cards that were available from both Citi and American Express.
That two different banks offered co-branded credit cards for the same hotel chain was a unique situation in the credit card/Miles and Points world. Multiple banks each offering two credit card products allowed for the ability to amass sizable chunks of Hilton points from sign-up bonuses and generously bonused spend categories.
Since that piece published, much has changed regarding Hilton and its co-branded credit cards.
As I noted in an “update” on that post, Hilton ended its credit card relationship with Citi and made American Express the exclusive issuer of Hilton co-branded credit cards.
At the time of my “update,” it had yet to be determined what would happen to those who currently held Citi issued Hilton credit cards.
Toward the end of 2017, it was announced that American Express would take over the Citi Hilton credit card portfolios.
- Holders of the Citi Hilton Honors credit card would be transitioned to the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
- Holders of the Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card would be transitioned to the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card.
The new American Express cards were sent out a few weeks ago and beginning today, January 30, 2018, can be activated and used.
As of today, Citi Hilton credit cards are no longer active.
The New Hilton Family of Cards
With Citi now completely out of the Hilton credit card picture, American Express has tweaked its old Hilton co-branded cards and added two new Hilton credit card options to its lineup.
Here are the current American Express Hilton credit cards.
Hilton Honors Card
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Sign-up Bonus: 50,000 Hilton Honors bonus points (above referral link may be higher) after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
Annual Fee: No annual fee
Bonus Categories:
- Earn 7 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels/resorts.
- Earn 5 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Benefits:
Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status. Hilton Honors Gold status when $20,000 is spent on the card in a calendar year. No foreign transaction fees. Access to the various benefits associated with holding any American Express card, including the potentially lucrative Amex Offers.
Hilton Honors Ascend Card
Sign-up Bonus: 100,000 Hilton Honors points – 75,000 points after spending $2,000 within the first 3 months of card membership and an additional 25,000 points after spending an additional $1,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.
Annual Fee: $95
Bonus Categories:
- Earn 12 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels and resorts.
- Earn 6 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points on all other purchases.
Benefits:
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status (free breakfasts at participating properties). Hilton Honors Diamond status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year. A free weekend night after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year. No foreign transaction fees. Airport lounge access (10 free visits) via a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Access to the various benefits associated with holding any American Express card, including the potentially lucrative Amex Offers.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card
Sign-up Bonus: 100,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
Annual Fee: $450
Bonus Categories:
- Earn 14 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels and resorts.
- Earn 7 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly with car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants.
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points on all other purchases.
Benefits:
Make no mistake, this is a card for frequent travelers who prefer Hilton properties for their business and leisure travel stays. While the annual fee is high, the benefits – if used – more than offset the initial outlay.
Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status (free breakfast, 50% bonus points on base earnings, room upgrades, etc.). One free weekend night award with card sign-up and every year after renewal. Earn an additional weekend night after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year. $250 Hilton Resort statement credit each year of card membership. $250 airline fee credit (incidental fees charged by airlines to your card). $100 Hilton on-property credit when a 2-night stay is booked. Priority Pass Select (airport lounge access) membership – unlimited visits. No foreign transaction fees. Access to the various benefits associated with holding any American Express card, including the potentially lucrative Amex Offers.
Business Card
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Sign-up Bonus: 100,000 Hilton Honors points – 75,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership and an additional 25,000 points after spending $1,000 more in the first 6 months of card membership.
Annual Fee: $95
Bonus Categories:
- Earn 12 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels and resorts.
- Earn 6 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on U.S. purchases for shipping, at U.S. restaurants, on flights booked directly with airlines or at amextravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies.
- Earn 3 Hilton Honors points on all other purchases.
Benefits:
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status (free breakfasts, bonus points, etc.) Free weekend nights after hitting spend minimums. Ten free Priority Pass airport lounge visits every year. No foreign transaction fees. Access to the various benefits associated with holding any American Express card, including the potentially lucrative Amex Offers.
American Express Credit Card Tips
American Express limits credit card sign-up bonuses to once-per-lifetime. So if you’re going to sign-up for any American Express credit card – these Hilton cards included – you want to maximize the sign-up bonus you’ll receive.
It’s unlikely any of the above Hilton cards will see significantly higher sign-up bonuses than are currently being offered, but it is a possibility. Sign-up knowing that once you receive a sign-up bonus for a specific card, you will not be able to get a sign-up bonus for that card again.
And, just to make things more complicated, if you currently hold, or, more appropriately put, held, one of the “old” Amex Hilton cards and were automatically switched to the “new” version (Ascend or Hilton Honors), you likely won’t be able to get the sign-up bonus on the “new” card, either. Only time will tell for sure, as reports come in from those who try applying or American Express provides a definitive answer.
American Express also limits cardholders to a total of 5 primary account credit cards. Charge cards are not counted for the 5 card limit. Charge cards include Amex Platinum and Gold cards. All of the Hilton cards are credit cards.
My Quick Thoughts
It’s nice to still have four Hilton co-brand credit cards available.
But, with all four being issued by American Express, the opportunity to get the sign-up bonus multiple times is now gone. Barring targeted offers that do not include the “once-in-a-lifetime” language, that is.
If you’re not familiar with the Hilton Honors program, I’d encourage you to check it out before applying for any of these cards. While 100,000 Hilton Honors points sounds great, when it comes to using those points for free nights – especially at higher-end properties – you’ll be surprised at what you can get. Depending on the property and time of year for your stay, you might be lucky to get one free night for that 100,000 point sign-up bonus.
But, for those who stay at Hilton properties – especially for work where hotel charges are reimbursed – the sign-up bonuses are just gravy…the real points earning comes from the incredibly high point/dollar earning opportunities these cards offer at Hilton properties. Add to that other nice point/dollar bonus spend categories, and you can really rack up the Hilton Honors points.
And, while a $450 annual fee scares most casual credit card applicants, the Hilton Honors Aspire card shouldn’t be so quickly dismissed. If you travel at all and do stay at Hiltons, especially Hilton Resorts, the card’s benefits can more than make up for the high annual fee. We’ll have to wait and see if the $250 airline fee reimbursement can be used similarly to other Amex cards’ airline reimbursement benefit. If so, that makes this card even more valuable – a money maker, even.
So there you have it, Citi and Hilton have parted ways and American Express has welcomed all former and future Hilton cardholders with open arms.
Now Amex just needs to get rid of the “once-per-lifetime” sign-up bonus restriction and all will be good.
Which Hilton American Express credit card do you have your eye on?
