Two Hilton Honors credit cards are offering higher bonuses as the decade closes. Miles to Memories (H/T) reported about these two offers yesterday and they look fantastic for anyone who wants to earn Hilton Honors (HH) points. The two cards with these offers are the no annual fee Hilton Honors Card and the Hilton Honors Business Card.
Card Overviews
Hilton Honors Card
The Hilton Honors Card is Hilton and American Express’ entry-level card. It earns 7x HH points on Hilton hotel purchases and 5x HH points on Dining, Gas, and Grocery Store purchases. Plus, it earns 3x HH points on non-bonus spend. This is a decent earning structure given the low value of HH points.
Furthermore, this card comes with complimentary Silver Elite Status, Hilton’s lowest level of status. Complimentary status of any level on a no annual fee card is rare. Silver Elite Status provides a free bottle of water each day you stay over and a fifth night free when you pay with points. Plus, you will earn a 20% points bonus on all Hilton purchases.
Hilton Honors Business Card
The Hilton Honors Business Card is Hilton and American Express’ only business card. It earns 12x HH points on Hilton hotel purchases and 3x HH points on non-bonus spend. It also earns 6x HH points on the following business and travel expenses:
- Airfare (booked directly from airlines)
- Car Rentals (booked directly with agencies)
- Cell Phone Services (purchased directly from a provider)
- Gas Stations
- Shipping
- US Restaurants
Moreover, this card comes with complimentary Gold Elite Status. Hilton Gold Elite Status comes with everything offered with Silver Elite Status plus complimentary room upgrades (up to Executive Room), free breakfast, milestone points bonuses, and a welcome gift. This card has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year).
But that’s not all. The Hilton Honors Business Card comes with 10 Priority Pass Airport Lounge passes every year as well as the chance to earn two free nights per year. You must spend $15,000 per year to receive the first night and $60,000 per year to receive the second night.
What’s Going On?
The Hilton Honors Card currently has a bonus worth 75,000 HH points. This bonus can be earned by spending $1,000 within the first three months. However, you will also receive a $100 statement credit after making one purchase on the Hilton Honors Card. This statement credit is the best part of this offer by far, especially for a no annual fee card.
Furthermore, the Hilton Honors Business Card currently has a bonus worth 125,000 HH points. This bonus can be earned by spending $3,000 within the first three months. Plus, this card also comes with a $100 statement credit which can be earned after making one purchase on the Hilton Honors Business Card. This card has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year), so this statement credit is like having the card’s annual fee waived for the first year and earning $5.
Analysis
Of the two Hilton Honors Card offers, the no annual fee offer is the better one. Receiving a $100 statement credit on top of the card’s normal bonus is fantastic. But the fact that this card has no annual fee only makes this offer better!
However, the Hilton Honors Business Card offer is not as good. The $100 statement credit is great, but it acts as a first-year annual fee waiver because this card has a $95 annual fee. Therefore, the “net” statement credit is only $5. But having no annual fee for the first year lets you “test drive” the Hilton Honors Business Card for an entire year before deciding to continue paying annual fees. Nonetheless, 125,000 HH points is still a great bonus if you have $3,000 of business expenses to put on the card.
Final Draw
The two Hilton Honors cards are offering a total of 200,000 HH points and $200 in statement credits for effectively no annual fee. Plus, both offers are some of the best ones I have seen for these cards. Just remember that the Hilton co-branded cards are issued by American Express. That means you must be aware of the Once Per Lifetime Rule, which disqualifies you from earning the bonuses if you have ever had either card before.
Apply Today: Hilton Honors & Hilton Honors Business Cards
