Earlier in January, Amex launched two new card products. The Hilton Ascend and the Hilton Aspire card.
The Hilton Aspire card is a $450 annual fee premium card. There was some ambiguity on whether the Hilton Aspire card comes with a free weekend night in its first year.
No one had any data point at the time given that the Hilton Aspire was new product. I understood that a free weekend reward night is included based on the fine prints. I didn’t expect anyone to have confirmation until March or April at the earliest, given the language,
“You will receive the reward email within 8-14 weeks after opening your Card Account”.
This weekend, I received a promising email with the subject line:
It comes with this message:
How Long Does It Take To Receive the Reward Night Certificate?
Update: I received the Hilton certificate today, two days after receiving the Amex email and a little over 8 weeks from application approval. The subject header is “Your Reward Night has arrived!” from Hilton Honors. You have to call in with the reward ID and it expires exactly one year from the date of email delivery. Have fun!
I thought the email was quite humorous. The subject line suggests that I’ve “received” an annual weekend night reward, while the email content says it might take another 8-14 weeks. I am not in a hurry to get the certificate, so I’m not fretting about the timeframe. I strongly suspect that cardholders would still get the weekend reward certificate no later than 14 weeks from application approval. In my case, I expect to receive it no later than late April/early May.
It seemed to me that Amex could use a little help in word-smithing. While it’s fine to recycle the language, timing must also be accounted for in the delivery of email. For cardholders who have had the card for a couple of weeks already, the email is being read as an unexpected extension of the delivery date.
That said, for those who had doubts about whether a free weekend night is included in the first year, the email serves as a confirmation that it is included. For those who has near term use of the certificate, plan ahead. It still takes a couple of months before you get your rewards night email.
I had the same issue/concern when I received the 1st email 9 weeks after opening the account. When I called CS to question the timing, they said it was still the 8-14 total to get it, and not another set on top of that first email receipt. I confirmation/certificate came 2 days later.
One question that I could use verification on: the expiration of one year from receipt of the certificate…is that just to REDEEM/BOOK the stay or does the stay itself have to occur within the 12 months? Thanks
If it works the same way as other Hilton certs (and I don’t see why it would work any differently), the stay has to occur within the 12 months. In other words, you have to “complete” your stay before the expiration date on the cert. Still plenty of time.
Has anyone been able to confirm if you can use the $250 Hilton Resort credit at any Hilton property, or does it have to be at a Hilton Resort?
Resort property as listed on their link
Kind of annoying that you have to call in to book.
Got my cert info today. Must be booked by phone.
Same here! I received mine this morning and updated the post to reflect it. It arrived sooner than expected. I thought it might take up the full 14 weeks.
I received mine this AM