Over the last few months, card issuers have launched and relaunched credit cards in the high end segment. While these premium credit cards have undergone an overhaul, issuers have significantly increased fees across the board. However, there’s one card that still charges an annual fee that’s lower than many of its peers and still offers outsized value.
Long Term Keeper: A Premium Credit Card that’s Underrated
Hilton Honors often gets a bad rap and it’s justified at times. The program doesn’t have an award chart any more and also devalues certain properties with very short or no notice. However, it’s still very easy to earn Hilton Honors points and if you have a co-branded credit card, then it can help you supercharge your points earning potential. Moreover, Hilton Honors certificates are amongst the most valuable in the industry as you can use them without any points caps at high end properties, as long as a standard room is available. At the moment, American Express is offering higher than usual welcome bonuses on all of their co-branded Hilton credit cards. The Hilton Aspire card is Amex’s most premium product out of the lot.
Also Read: My top 5 favorite hotel redemptions to date
Hilton Aspire Card: Basics
While the Aspire card now has a an annual fee of $550, it’s packed with benefits and is offering a lucrative welcome bonus.
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 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
- 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
Post revamp, Amex has made changes to the credits offered on the card.
$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.
Getting over $900 in value from a $550 card!
In my case, I’ve primarily derived outsized value from the free night certificate that you get each year, one after approval and then each year after you pay the annual fee. Also, you can combine a stay with free night certificates and points. You simply have to call Hilton Honors and they will do the needful for you and combine the stay into a single confirmation number.
Here are a few examples of how I’ve maximized the free night certificate to book some really memorable stays.
- Free Night Certificates used at: Hilton Shillim (Cash Rate: $300/night), Conrad Maldives: (Cash Rate: ~$1,250/night), Conrad Dubai: Cash Rate: ~$300/night), Hilton Amingiri Maldives (Cash Rate: ~$700/night), Waldorf Astoria Bangkok (Cash Rate: ~$400/night). These are just a few examples from the last few years and you can see that I’ve been able to extract value worth $300 at the lower end and well upwards of $1,000 at the upper end with just one certificate. On an average, I can say I get a value of at least $500 from this benefit.
- I find the $200 airline credit pretty easy to use. You get $50 each year and unlike the airline fee credit on the Amex Platinum Card, this credit works even if you simply buy airfare directly with any airline in the world. Easy $200 off on airlines each year.
- $400 Resort Credit: I don’t assign full value to this credit. I do book resort stays to utilize it but it’s more difficult to use as it’s split half way thru the year and is only valid at properties that Hilton deems as ‘resort’ properties. So I’d probably say I get 70% value out of this which brings it to $280.
- Diamond status is extremely valuable. I’ve receive upgrades in most cases. Also, since most of my hotel stays are outside the US, I get full value out of the complimentary breakfast benefit for me and p2. Even if I book only two stays each year with a maximum of 3 nights, I’d still extract $120 out of this benefit at a minimum, if you estimate the price of breakfast to be $20 per person.
The Pundit’s Mantra
As you can see, even if price it modestly, I’m already getting $900 in value for a card that charges an annul fee of $550. 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 stay at Hiltons every now and then and aren’t quite sure about paying a $550 annual fee, then you have a few more options. The no annual fee Hilton Honors card is great if you’re just looking to dip your toes. If you travel a few times during the year and stay at Hilton properties, the the Surpass card is a better option.
At the moment, American Express is offering higher than usual welcome bonuses on all of their co-branded credit cards with Hilton Honors. These limited time offers expire on August 13, 2025.
| Card Name | Limited Time Offer & Application Link |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | 100,000 points + $100 credit |
| Amex Hilton Surpass Card | 130,000 points + $0 intro annual fee |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | 175,000 & 1 free night certificate |
| Amex Hilton Business Card | 175,000 points |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Have an interesting travel story? Subscribe to my podcast and join the conversation
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards and enjoy a 0% intro APR on the Business Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Cards
- Earn 100,000 bonus points and a $500 statement credit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Earn 200,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for Business
Co-Branded Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
- Earn 185,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
- Earn 155,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card
- Earn 125,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss out on the deals, news and travel industry trends. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep getting the latest content!
