Late last year, I wrote about how I booked my second trip to the Maldives in 2 years. Thanks to the Hilton Aspire card, I’ve been able to use my free night certificates to book stays at some amazing properties in the Hilton portfolio, be it in the Maldives, Dubai, Queenstown, Rome, Hawaii or Koh Samui.
Late last year, American Express revamped the Hilton Aspire card, the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Business card.
HILTON ASPIRE CARD
The Hilton Aspire Card is the top of the line premium card when it comes to co-branded Hilton credit cards by American Express. While the Aspire card carries a an annual fee of $550, it’s packed with benefits and is offering a fantastic limited time welcome bonus as well.
WELCOME BONUS
With this offer, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors points and one free night certificate.
- Once you spend $6,000 in the first 6 months of card membership, you’ll earn 175,000 Hilton Honors points as a welcome bonus.
- Moreover, you’ll earn a free night certificate which will be valid for one year after issuance. This benefit is fantastic because you don’t need to meet any minimum spend. You earn one free night certificate once you’re approved. You’ll earn another free night certificate each year, as long as you simply pay the annual fee and renew the card each year.
APPLY NOW FOR THE 175,000 POINTS + 1 FREE NIGHT OFFER
BENEFITS
For me, I’ve found the top tier Diamond status to be of great value. You’ll earn top tier Diamond elite status for simply keeping your card active. Here are the benefits:
- Executive lounge access at properties that have Executive lounge access (irrespective of which room category you book)
- Complimentary breakfast (or breakfast credits at hotels in the US)
- 100% bonus points earned on stays
- Room upgrades based on availability
- Premium Wifi
- 48 hour room guarantee
In my experience, I’ve been upgraded during a majority of my stays. A few of them have been suite upgrades as well. Thanks to Diamond status, I’ve enjoyed complimentary breakfast during my stays outside the US. Given that almost 90% of my travel is international in nature, I find the breakfast benefit of immense value.
EARNING POINTS
If you frequently bank stays with Hilton, then this card is fantastic for building a nice stash of points.
- You’ll earn 14x Hilton Honors points for each dollar you spend at eligible hotels in the Hilton portfolio
- You’ll earn 7x Hilton Honors points for each dollar you spend on flights booked directly with airlines, car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies, bookings with AmexTravel.com. Moreover, you’ll also earn the same 7x points on purchases US restaurants (including takeout and delivery)
- On all other purchases, you’ll earn 3x Hilton Honors points on each dollar spent
NEW CREDITS
$200 AIRLINE CREDIT
In my opinion, this is a huge improvement. Previously, one had to jump through hoops to often use the ‘airline fee’ credit that the card offered. Now, this credit is simpler to use. You get $50 each quarter and all you need to do is spend that with any airline. This is really simple to use and I’ve written a detailed post here on how the credit works.
$400 RESORT CREDIT
You can now earn a $400 resort credit. However, this credit is split into two chunks of $200 each mid way through the calendar year.
- You’ll earn $200 between January and June
- You’ll earn another $200 between July and December each year
Bear in mind that any property that has the word resort in it may or may not qualify. Before you plan on using the credit, you need to check this link in order to confirm whether it’s a qualifying property.
$189 CLEAR CREDIT
You’ll earn a statement credit of up to $189 when you pay for a Clear membership with your Hilton Aspire card.
$100 PROPERTY CREDIT
When you book a minimum 2 night stay with Conrad or Waldorf Astoria properties, you’ll earn a $100 credit. You’ll need to book via this link in order to earn the credit.
CAR RENTAL ELITE STATUS
With this new benefit, you’ll earn complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status as long as you card account is active. You’ll need to enroll in order to active the benefit.
THE PUNDIT’S MANTRA
Like me, if you frequently stay at Hiltons, then this card is great to carry in your wallet. I can rack up a ton of points thanks to corporate stays and then use the free night certificates and points to book high end properties in the Hilton portfolio.
If you’re looking to dip your toes, the Amex offers a couple of other options as well. For starters, you can op for the no annual fee Hilton Honors card as well. If you stay at Hiltons a few times each year, then the Hilton Surpass card may be a better fit. For business owners, you also have the Hilton Business card, which is currently offering a limited time welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors points.
| Card Name | Welcome Bonus + Application Link | Minimum Spend Required in 6 months |
| Hilton Honors Card | 100,000 points | $2,000 |
| Hilton Surpass Card | 165,000 points | $3,000 |
| Hilton Aspire Card | 175,000 points + 1 free night certificate | $6,000 |
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