The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts

Annual Fee

Avg. Min. Credit Score

Ongoing APR

Balance transfers fees

Best Multiplier

Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)

Bonus Offer

Rating

Review

Key features

Trip Protections

Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver

Extended Warranty

Purchase Protection

No Foreign Transaction Fees

No Fees for Authorized Users

Annual Statement Credits

Grants Hotel Status

Grants Car Rental Status

Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile

Metal Card

Amex Offers

Unique Card Benefits

Free Checked Bags

Roadside Assistance

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Free Access to Credit Score

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Annual Fee

$195 (Rates and fees)

Avg. Min. Credit Score

Good-Excellent

Ongoing APR

20.49%-29.49% (Variable)

Balance transfers fees

Best Multiplier

5x Dining Out / Food Delivery

5x Groceries

5x Airfare

5x Hotels

5x Car Rentals

5x EV Charging

5x Gas Stations

5x Cruises

5x Transit

5x Drugstores

5x Cable / Internet / VOIP Phone

5x Cellular Phone Service

5x Office Supplies

5x Rent

5x Streaming Services

5x Advertising (Online / TV / Radio)

5x Gym Memberships

5x U.S. Electronic Goods Retailers / Software / Cloud System Providers

5x Construction Materials / Hardware Supplies

5x Online Retail Shopping

5x Amazon / Whole Foods

5x Entertainment (Concerts / Shows / Movies)

5x Costco

5x Shipping

5x Advertising on Search Engines and Social Media

5x Lyft

5x Single Charges over $5,000

5x All Other Eligible Purchases

Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)

$0.005

Bonus Offer

Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of Card Membership (Terms apply).

Rating

(3.83) Our Review

Review

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with some valuable benefits, including Gold Elite status, which gets you free breakfast (or a daily food and beverage credit) on all stays at full-service Hilton hotels and resorts and is the only business credit card that earns Hilton Honors points.

With Hilton Honors points having an approximate value of 0.5 cents per point, you are earning roughly 6% back on Hilton stays (earning 12X) and 2.5% back on your first $100,000 of eligible spend (earning 5X).

However, after $100,000 in a calendar year, all eligible spend outside of a Hilton property will earn 3X which we would value at about 1.5% cash value.

Also, you’ll get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. If you use all 4 credits in full, you’d more than cover the Card’s annual fee.

Hilton Honors Business Credit Card

The Hilton portfolio also has some breathtaking hotels and resorts at which you can spend your Hilton Honors points.

While we don’t recommend the Hilton Honors Business card as your only business credit card, it certainly is worth more than its annual fee if you frequently stay at Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts.

Rates and fees for the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Trip Protections

yes

Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver

yes

Extended Warranty

yes

Purchase Protection

yes

No Foreign Transaction Fees

yes

No Fees for Authorized Users

yes

Annual Statement Credits

yes

Grants Hotel Status

yes

Grants Car Rental Status

yes

Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile

yes

Metal Card

yes

Amex Offers

yes

Unique Card Benefits

Free Checked Bags

Roadside Assistance

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Free Access to Credit Score

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Annual Fee

$99

Avg. Min. Credit Score

670-850

Ongoing APR

21.49%-28.49% (Variable)

Balance transfers fees

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Best Multiplier

3x Airfare

2x Transit

2x Cable / Internet / VOIP Phone

2x Cellular Phone Service

2x Streaming Services

1x Everything Else

Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)

$0.014

Bonus Offer

Earn 85,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months from account opening on qualifying purchases.

Rating

(3.93) Our Review

Review

The Southwest Premier credit card is Southwest’s mid-tier personal card. It balances offering some perks while still charging less than a $100 annual fee.

Cardholders will be reimbursed for up to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases each year, get 25% back on inflight purchases on Southwest Airlines, plus get 6,000 bonus points each card anniversary.

The Southwest Premier Card offers some of the broadest spending bonus categories of any card with an annual fee under $100. Cardholders will earn 3x points on Southwest purchases and 2x points on Southwest Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners; local transit, commuting, rideshare; internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.

Points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus, primary cardholders earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List Preferred Status for every $10,000 spent on the card each year.

The Southwest Premier Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, unlike the Southwest Plus Card. Add in the higher earning rate on Southwest purchases, higher anniversary bonus, and ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List Preferred Status, and the Premier Card easily justifies its $30 higher annual fee.

Lastly, this card is great for getting a good piece of the way to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer, since the signup bonus points count. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.

Trip Protections

yes

Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver

yes

Extended Warranty

yes

Purchase Protection

yes

No Foreign Transaction Fees

yes

No Fees for Authorized Users

yes

Annual Statement Credits

Grants Hotel Status

Grants Car Rental Status

Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile

Metal Card

Amex Offers

Unique Card Benefits

yes

Free Checked Bags

yes

Roadside Assistance

yes

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

yes

Free Access to Credit Score

yes