When booked through Capital One Travel; else earn 2X
When booked through Capital One Travel; else earn 2X
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
With the ability to transfer miles to travel partners or use miles to cover the cost of whatever travel charges you wish — along with a simple rewards structure — the Venture card is a great $95 annual fee option that has only improved its value proposition and perks over the years. On the earnings front, Capital One miles are pretty much as easy as it gets. You’ll earn rewards at a rate of 2X miles per dollar spent on pretty much everything, with 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The redemption process is similar to other programs, such as Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, with transferable points often providing a higher value for your travel rewards. Some high-value ways to use Capital One Venture miles include redeeming with Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles & Smiles, and Virgin Red (redeem miles for Virgin Voyages and Virgin Atlantic). For simplicity’s sake, you can also book travel however you want, then redeem miles for a statement credit for some or all of the cost. Miles are worth a flat 1 cent apiece when redeemed this way — and there’s no minimum redemption amount.
On top of all of that, there’s a decent array of travel and purchase protections (although it’s not as robust as the flagship $395-per-year annual fee Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card). Finally, you’ll get reimbursed for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, up to $120, every four years.
At Hilton portfolio properties when you book direct with Hilton or the hotel. Otherwise, earn 3X points
U.S. dining, including takeout and delivery
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
I’ve long said at MilesTalk that I think the Hilton Aspire is the best hotel credit card on the market.
Setting aside the welcome bonus, here are your yearly benefits:
Hilton Resort Credits – $400: If you stay at Hilton resorts twice annually (although it must be one time January to June and one time July to December, this is as good as cash.
Airline credits – $200 ($50 per calendar quarter): Easy to use if you fly once per quarter
Hilton Honors Diamond status – $950: This could technically be worth a couple thousand if you stay frequently at Hilton properties (and a certain site I won’t name would say it’s worth over $3,000), but that would also likely mean you don’t need this card to earn it, since you’d earn it from nights stayed.
Even if you only stay 10 nights a year, the free breakfast or daily food credits and lounge access for two would be conservatively worth ~$70 a day. Room upgrades are never guaranteed, but they are frequent in my experience. Let’s call those ~$25 a stay even though that’s very light as a value given that some upgrades are likely to be suites. If you stay 10 nights a year, Diamond status is worth $950 using the calculations above.
Annual Free Night Certificates – $500: Valid any night of the week and good at any Hilton properties in the Hilton portfolio. with no points limit. It’s not going to be hard to pick and choose where to use that for maximum value and at any Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria at a busy time, $500 is easy. I recently redeemed my own for the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal in Cabo for a $1,500 night room!
I won’t value the potential free second or third weekend night since those do require $30,000 and $60,000 in spend.
I also won’t value the $189 CLEAR+ credit as that is available on so many other Amex cards.
Total Tangible Benefits from your $550 in annual spend? $2,050
I mean, that is NUTS. And I hope you can tell that if anything I tried to assign lower values to perks than they are probably worth! If anything, I undervalued them. The only thing is that you obviously need to stay at Hilton hotels or resorts a handful of times a year to enjoy the benefits. And really, if you don’t, then you likely don’t need a Hilton credit card.
Rates and Fees for the Hilton Honors Aspire® Credit Card
All information about the Hilton Honors Aspire® Credit Card has been collected independently by Your Best Credit Cards.