Hilton Honors American Express Aspire review 2024: Premium perks for a price

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A hotel credit card that offers top-tier loyalty status, an anniversary Free Night Reward, resort and airline statement credits and a big welcome bonus — but is it worth the hefty annual fee? Our Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. review weighs the card’s perks.

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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire basics

• Annual fee: $550 (terms apply).
• Welcome bonus: 175,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 7/31/24.
• Rewards: 14 Hilton Honors points per $1 at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3 points per $1 on other purchases.
• APR: 20.99% to 29.99% variable APR on purchases.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
• Other benefits: Hilton Honors Diamond status; Anniversary Free Night Reward; Up to $400 Hilton Resort statement credit ($200 semi-annually); Up to $200 flight statement credit ($50 quarterly); Up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit; Up to $100 Hilton on-property credit for qualifying stays at select hotels; National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required); Cellphone protection up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible (up to two claims per 12-month period)¹; Purchase protection²; Trip cancellation and interruption insurance³; Trip delay insurance³ on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire review

Standing out in the hotel credit card crowd isn’t easy, but the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. manages to do it. The top-tier credit card offers an eye-catching welcome offer: 175,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 7/31/24. 

Plus, the Aspire comes with premium travel perks that can help offset its big $550 annual fee. With complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status granted to cardholders, this card is probably a no-brainer for Hilton loyalists and may be worth considering even for those who aren’t. 

No other hotel chain offers its highest tier loyalty status as an automatic benefit of having one of its personal credit cards — and with perks like room upgrades when available, a Daily Food and Beverage Credit or Continental Breakfast (depending on brand and region), executive lounge access and a 100% Points earning Bonus on Stays, Hilton Honors Diamond status can be quite valuable.

If the benefits of elite status are too subjective for you, perks with a price may be more appealing: The card comes with up to $400 annually in Hilton Resort statement credits for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts, an up to $200 annual flight statement credit for flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com with the card and an up to $100 Hilton on-property credit for qualifying charges when you use your card to book a two-night minimum stay at participating Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts through hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com or by calling Hilton Honors. 

The Hilton Resort credit is broken up into two semi-annual statement credits of up to $200, while the flight credit is distributed quarterly as statement credits of up to $50. Frequent fliers shouldn’t have a problem maxing out the available perks, but remembering to use the credits during their allotted quarters does add a barrier to ease of use.

Of course, the actual value of the statement credits depends on one’s travel style and ability to utilize them. So, if something like a property statement credit at a high-end, cash-booked accommodation is useless to you, the Hilton Aspire has other perks with broader appeal that are easier to benefit from — including a hotel credit card favorite, the anniversary Free Night Reward. That perk alone can be used to justify the card’s annual fee, depending on where and when you redeem it. 

Not only do cardholders receive an annual Free Night Reward upon card renewal, but an additional Free Night Reward can be earned after spending $30,000 in purchases in a calendar year, and another one after spending another $30,000 in purchases in the same calendar year — totalling $60,000 or more in cumulative purchases in that calendar year. Although not something to go out of your way trying to earn, this benefit can be nice for those whose budgets require a large spend anyway. 

Points can add up quickly as the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card earns 14 Hilton Honors points per $1 at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3 points per $1 on other purchases. 

Outside of hotel benefits, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. has several perks that will improve other aspects of your travel experience. From an up to $189 CLEAR Plus statement credit to National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required) to trip cancellation, interruption and delay coverage³, this card can make your travel more comfortable in plenty of ways beyond your hotel stay. 

Pros

• Diamond status: Hilton’s highest available status can be had just by being a cardholder. Reaching Hilton Honors Diamond status otherwise requires 60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 Base Points.
• Annual Free Night Reward: With the anniversary Free Night Reward helping recoup the annual fee, keeping the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. makes sense even after the first year.
• Hilton Resort statement credit: Receive up to a total of $200 in statement credits semi-annually (January through June; and July through December), for up to $400 back annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts. 

Cons

• High annual fee: With one of the highest annual fees for a hotel credit card ($550 per year), making sure you’ll utilize the benefits and offset the cost of carrying theHilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is important. 
• Quarterly benefits: While the up to $200 annual flight statement credit is a great perk, breaking up those statement credits to $50 per quarter makes it harder to use. 
• No airport lounge access: This card used to come with a Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment, but after the October 2023 update that impacted both the Aspire and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, that benefit will be sunset in 2024.

Want to know more about airport lounge access through Priority Pass? Here’s our guide to Priority Pass and how it works.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire rewards

With an expansive portfolio of over 20 brands as well as over 7,000 hotels spanning 124 countries and territories, there’s no shortage of reward options at Hilton Hotels and Resorts. And, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ’s current welcome bonus offers a huge chunk of points — 175,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 7/31/24.

For ongoing rewards, cardholders earn 14 Hilton Honors points per $1 at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3 points per $1 on other purchases.

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has around $25,087 in annual expenses that can be charged to a credit card. Here’s how our sample household’s rewards could break down:

Hilton reward stays start with as few as 5,000 points per night, bookable with any combination of points and money — but with its dynamic pricing, finding anything that low is not easy. On the other hand, Hilton has no blackout dates so while you may need a lot of points to book a reward night, you shouldn’t be restricted from doing so. 

For a grand total of 116,753 in Hilton Honors rewards points annually, you can extract a lot of value from that haul depending on how you use the points. For example, a night at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock during the last weekend of March 2024 could run you 80,000 Hilton Honors points per night. The cash price before taxes and fees for the same stay is $789 at the time of writing, giving you a value of about 0.99 cents per point. 

You could also cover one night at 94,000 points at the Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio by Hilton any night in April 2024. That same night would run you $353, at the time of writing — giving you a value of about 0.38 cents per point for the room, but since all meals and drinks are included, the true value is much higher. 

You can maximize reward stays with Hilton’s Fifth Night Free benefit on standard room reward stays of five or more consecutive nights at the same property, up to 20 nights (for a maximum of four free nights). 

If you’re short points or planning a group trip, Hilton’s point pooling allows for up to 11 Hilton Honors Members to combine their points — with a member being able to transfer a maximum of 500,000 points into a pool in a calendar year and able to receive up to 2 million points in a calendar year.

And if that’s not still not enough points, you can add authorized users to your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. at no extra cost to help build your points pile, but they won’t get the extra perks that the primary cardholder receives.

The bottom line is, there are multiple ways to use your points and the best way is on the trip that’s right for you.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire perks

• Hilton Honors Diamond status with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .
• Anniversary Free Night Reward.
• Up to a $400 annual Hilton Resort statement credit (up to $200 semi-annually).
• Up to a $200 annual flight statement credit (up to $50 quarterly).
• Up to $189 CLEAR Plus statement credit per calendar year.
• Up to $100 Hilton on-property credit for qualifying charges when you book a two-night minimum stay at participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts.
• National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required).
• Cellphone protection (up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible; up to two claims every 12-month period)¹.
• Return protection⁴.
• Purchase protection².
• Extended warranty².
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance³.
• Trip delay insurance³.
• Baggage insurance plan².

How the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire compares to other hotel cards 

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

For those looking to stay in the Hilton family but not ready for a premium card, the $150-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (terms apply, rates & fees) is currently offering 130,000 Hilton Honors points plus a Free Night Reward after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 7/31/2024. 

The mid-tier card comes with:

• Hilton Honors™ Gold status.
• A Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within a calendar year. 

While the lower price tag comes with a far less robust list of perks when compared to the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , the Surpass card still has lots of earning potential: 12 Hilton Honors bonus points per $1 on eligible purchases at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 4 points per $1 on eligible U.S. online retail purchases, 6 points per $1 on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations and 3 points per $1 for other eligible purchases.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Also a top-tier hotel card, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (terms apply, rates & fees) has a hefty $650 annual fee. But, the benefits can outweigh the cost when you consider its perks that include:

• Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
• Up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
• Up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit.
• Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited airport lounge visits for you and up to two guests at no additional charge per visit (enrollment required).
• Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points every year upon card renewal.
• Up to a $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book directly through Marriott Bonvoy using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay.

The Bonvoy Brilliant earns 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 3 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases. The welcome offer is: 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. 

Ultimately, between these two cards (the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card), the one that’s best for you will come down to which hotel chain you prefer and/or which hotel brand offers locations in the places you want to travel. Marriott is the world’s largest hotel chain with more than 8,500 properties, which means you’re likely to find a hotel just about anywhere you go — but Hilton isn’t far behind with over 7,000 properties.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

Although not a hotel card, The Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply, rates & fees) with its hefty $695 annual fee is a premium travel card that earns American Express Membership Rewards® points that can be transferred to both airlines and hotels (including Hilton) and has an extensive list of perks. 

With this card you’ll earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per $1 for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. 

The Amex Platinum card comes with:

• Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
• Access to Centurion Lounges.
• Other types of statement credits, including eligible media and Uber Cash (for U.S. purchases).
• Up to a $200 annual statement credit for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay).
• Complimentary breakfast for two or an experience credit (varies by property; applied to eligible charges up to $100) at participating properties. 
• Enrollment is required for select benefits.

The card offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. 

If you want the ability to use your points to travel in the way that best suits you, with a broad selection of airline and hotel transfer partners, the Amex Platinum is a better choice over the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . It also comes with the most expansive airport lounge access you’ll find on any premium card, which can make getting to your destination more comfortable.

Is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire worth it?

At first glance, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ’s $550 annual fee is very high, even for a premium hotel credit card. But once you break down the value of the card’s many perks, the cost can be offset quickly even with just the welcome bonus and the annual anniversary Free Night Reward thereafter. Add on top of that benefits like the Hilton on-property credit and flight statement credit and the Aspire card easily becomes worth it.

However, having to pay attention to semi-annual and quarterly caps on the card’s statement credits make it not ideal for everyone. And, the removal of the Priority Pass membership was a blow as well.

Do the math and weigh how likely you are to use this card’s perks. For Hilton loyalists who travel frequently and value luxury benefits, the Aspire is likely still worth it to carry.

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire is right for you if:

• You are a frequent guest at Hilton hotels and would like to elevate your experience and extract more value out of each stay.
• You want to benefit from top-tier Hilton loyalty perks plus additional travel benefits.
• You want a credit card that will give you consistent, reliable value year after year which you get with the annual anniversary Free Night Reward.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is the Hilton Aspire card a credit card or charge card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is a credit card. You will have a credit limit assigned if you are approved for the card.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

What is the Hilton Aspire maximum credit limit?

There is no published maximum credit limit for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . When assigning a credit limit after approving an application for a credit card, lenders typically consider factors such as your credit history and income. A longer credit history (with no missed payments) and a higher income may increase your chances of getting a higher credit limit.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

Does the Hilton Aspire card give you automatic Diamond status?

Yes, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. gives you automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

What credit score do I need to get the Hilton Aspire card?

With this being a premium rewards card, you need a good to excellent credit score for the best chances of getting approved for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , typically considered a FICO Score in the range of 670 to 850.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

^{For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card please visit this page.}

^{For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.}

^{For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card please visit this page.}

^{¹Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12 month period. 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.}

^{²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}

^{³Eligibility 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.}

^{⁴Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.}