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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card

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(4.4) Rating
Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on Your Best Credit Cards are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. Your Best Credit Cards does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our Card Explorer results and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.

* Suggested credit score ranges are supplied by QuinStreet, not from the issuers, and are guidelines, not a guarantee of approval.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card

The top tier Hilton card from American Express, with Diamond status built in along with up to $500 in statement credits (Terms apply.)

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(4.4) Our Review
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All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card has been collected independently by Your Best Credit Cards.
Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on Your Best Credit Cards are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. Your Best Credit Cards does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our Card Explorer results and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.

* Suggested credit score ranges are supplied by QuinStreet, not from the issuers, and are guidelines, not a guarantee of approval.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card

The top tier Hilton card from American Express, with Diamond status built in along with up to $500 in statement credits (Terms apply.)

BONUS OFFER

Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of Card Membership (Terms apply).

💵 Your Projected Rewards Value
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Key facts

All information about the Hilton Honors Aspire® Credit Card has been collected independently by Your Best Credit Cards.

The Hilton Honors Aspire® Credit Card comes with complimentary top-tier Hilton Diamond status, an annual Free Night Reward (valid on any Standard Room Reward, any day of the week, with no cap on how many points the room costs), and up to $500 in annual credits. (Terms apply.)

Annual Fee:

$550 (Rates and fees)

AVG Point Value:

$0.005 (Learn More)

Min. Credit Score for Approval:

Good *

This may be one of the best American Express credit cards.

Reward multipliers

  • Earn 14x Hilton Honors points at Hilton portfolio properties
  • Earn 7x Hilton Honors points at US restaurants, flights booked directly with the airlines or on Amextravel.com, and select car rental companies.
  • Earn 3x Hilton points on other eligible purchases

Earns bonus points for spend in the following bonus categories:

At Hilton portfolio properties when you book direct with Hilton or the hotel. Otherwise, earn 3X points

14x
Hotels

Estimated Rewards Value: 7%

7x
Airfare

Estimated Rewards Value: 3.5%

7x
Car Rentals

Estimated Rewards Value: 3.5%

U.S. dining, including takeout and delivery

7x
Dining Out / Food Delivery

Estimated Rewards Value: 3.5%

3x
All Other Eligible Purchases

Estimated Rewards Value: 1.5%

Key features

1

Unique Card Benefits

Global Dining Access by Resy

You’ll have expanded reservation access at select restaurants when you add your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to your Resy profile.

2

Free Annual Hotel Night

Every year, including when you are first approved for your Hilton Aspire card and then each year within a few months of your Card renewal, you’ll receive a Free Night Reward. You can redeem these any night of the year at almost any Hilton property in the world. The only requirement is that the hotel is making available a “Standard Reward Night” (not to be confused with Premium Reward Nights).

Even if that room goes for 150,000 points, it’s yours completely free with your annual Reward Night certificate. Resort fees are even waived on a Hilton Reward Night stay.

Earn a second Free Night Reward almost anywhere in the Hilton system when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year.

Earn a third Free Night Reward almost anywhere in the Hilton system when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.

Some call these a “free night certificate” but Hilton calls them Free Night Reward certificates.

3

Annual Statement Credits

  • Up to $400 in annual statement credits at participating Hilton Resorts: Get a $200 annual credit each half year of Card Membership ($200 January to June and $200 from July to December) for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts. This is valid at any resort listed at hilton.com/resorts.
  • Up to $200 in airline spend reimbursements: (Terms Apply). You’ll get up to a $50 credit each calendar quarter on purchases made directly with airlines; up to $200 total per year
  • $100 Hilton On-property Credit (Book a 2 night minimum stay at HiltonHonors.com/aspirecard and get up to $100 in credits for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts.)
  • $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership, excluding any applicable taxes, with up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you enroll and pay for CLEAR Plus which is subject to auto-renewal with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card.

4

Grants Hotel Status

Incredibly, this hotel grants you top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status. You’ll be entitled to meaningful room upgrades, lounge access, and either complimentary breakfast or a daily food credit, depending on brand and region.

5

Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver

Your Hilton Aspire will include secondary CDW.
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 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.

Terms

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.

6

Extended Warranty

When an American Express® Aspire Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.

Terms

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.

7

Purchase Protection

Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Hilton Aspire Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits Apply.

Terms

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.

8

Return Protection

Return Protection

Bought something on the card but decided you want to return it? If the original merchant won’t process the refund, this card’s return protection benefit will refund the full purchase price up to $300 per approved claim (up to $1,000 per calendar year) within 90 days of purchase.

woman, shopping, lifestyle

Terms:

With Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories.

9

Grants Car Rental Status

Receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required. Terms apply.

10

Cell Phone Protection

With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your cost to repair or replace your damaged cell phone, including a cracked screen, for a maximum of $800 per claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Terms: 

  • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
  • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

11

Trip Protections

Baggage Insurance

Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card.

Terms

Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip.  For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.

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.

12

No Foreign Transaction Fees

You won’t be charged any foreign transaction fees when traveling abroad.

13

No Fees for Authorized Users

Add an authorized user card at no cost for anyone you’d like, like your child (13+), spouse, or employee.

14

Concierge Services

American Express has Lifestyle concierges that can assist you with finding restaurant reservations or show or event tickets.

15

Amex Offers

As with all Amex cards, you’ll have access to targeted offers on select merchants. In some cases, the savings can be quite impressive and the brands are ones you use every day.

Earn more rewards by combining credit cards

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card
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Pros & cons

  • Diamond Elite Status
  • Up to $889 in annual statement credits (Terms apply)
  • An annual Free Night Reward with no cap on value
  • Points earned are only good for booking Hilton family stays
  • High annual fee (but not really, considering the value)
  • We really can't think of a third!

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card

How to apply Rates and fees

Our review

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.

Frequently asked questions

1

Does the Hilton Honors Aspire Card have an annual fee?

$550

2

Does the Hilton Honors Aspire Card get you into airport lounges?

Not anymore. It did offer this until late 2023 but is no longer offered as a Card Benefit.

3

Is it hard to get the Hilton Honors Aspire Card?

You’ll want at least a 670+ FICO, although existing Amex customers are judged on their existing Amex relationship, not FICO, most of the time.

4

Is it worth getting the Hilton Honors Aspire Card?

If you stay at Hilton at least a half dozen times a year, we think you’d be crazy not to!

5

How do I earn points with the Hilton Honors Aspire Card?

  • Earn 14x Hilton Honors points at Hilton properties
  • Earn 7x Hilton Honors points at US restaurants, flights booked directly with the airlines or on Amextravel.com, and select car rental companies.
  • Earn 3x Hilton points on other eligible purchases

6

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card charge foreign transaction fees?

No, it does not.

7

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card have car rental coverage?

Yes, although it’s secondary.

8

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card come with any Elite Status?

It comes with Diamond Elite status as long as you hold the Hilton Aspire card.

9

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card offer extended warranty?

When an American Express® Aspire Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.
Terms apply, see complete terms above under “Extended Warranty”

10

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card offer purchase protection?

Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Hilton Aspire Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits Apply.
Terms apply, see complete terms above under “Purchase Protection”

11

How does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card compare against the Hilton Honors American Express Card?

12

How does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card compare against the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card?

13

How does the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card compare against The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card?

14

Does the Hilton Aspire offer Cell Phone Protection?

Yes, as of October 2023, it does.

With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your cost to repair or replace your damaged cell phone, including a cracked screen, for a maximum of $800 per claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Terms: 

  • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
  • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

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