Hilton Honors Aspire: The Champion of Hotel Credit Cards

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by 10xTravel.

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market and is deserving of its title: the Champion of Hotel Credit Cards.

Even if you’re not a Hilton loyalist, the card could still be worthwhile for its wide range of statement credits and additional perks. And when you do eventually stay at a Hilton property, you’ll enjoy the top-tier perks that come with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.

Let’s dive into what makes the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card so valuable.

Welcome Bonus

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card typically has a welcome bonus in the range of 150,000 to 180,000 points with a minimum spending requirement between $4,000 and $6,000 in the first three to six months of card membership.

As with all its cards, Amex limits you to one welcome bonus per card in a lifetime, so you’ll be able to earn the Aspire card welcome bonus only if you’re a new cardholder. However, there are no restrictions on you holding or having held other Hilton Honors cards, unlike with co-branded Amex Delta Air Lines credit cards.

As is the case with most hotel points, Hilton points tend to have a slightly lower redemption value than credit card rewards currencies such as Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards. They have an average value of around 0.6 cents per point, making the welcome bonus worth between $900 and $1,080. Nevertheless, that’s still a lucrative welcome offer, which you can redeem for more value if you find a sweet-spot redemption opportunity.

If you’re wondering what 150,000 to 180,000 points are worth in real terms and what you can use them on, here are a couple of examples.

Certain Hilton properties outside of the United States (U.S.) can be booked for as few as 5,000 points per night, but 20,000 to 60,000 points per night for a standard room is a more realistic number to expect. For example, a night at this Hilton in Berlin goes for 30,000 to 40,000 points while this boutique-style Hilton in Krakow goes for between 36,000 and 48,000 points.

There are luxury properties that cost between 95,000 and 120,000 points per night, but these tend to be outliers rather than the norm. The points required per night for any Hilton property vary with the time of year, cash price of the ticket and type of room. Keep in mind that you’ll get every fifth night for free (on a stay of up to 20 nights maximum) when booking a stay with points as a Diamond status member.

Bonus Spending Categories

The Aspire card has a generous rewards-earning structure, offering the following bonus spending categories:

• 14X points on eligible purchases at properties in the Hilton portfolio
• 7X points on select travel purchases, including cars booked directly with select rental car companies and flights booked either directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• 7X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including delivery and takeout
• 3X points on all other purchases

The card balances travel-related bonus spending categories with relevant everyday expenses.

For instance, American household expenditure on food away from home averaged $3,639 in 2022. If you charged that spending to the Aspire card, you’d earn 25,473 points on dining alone, enough for a free night or two at certain Hilton properties.

Likewise, the flat rate of 3X points on all other non-bonus category spending makes the card perfect for paying expenses that don’t fall into typical bonus spending categories on other cards.

With these bonus spending categories and a high flat rate on all other purchases, the card enables you to rack up points on most of your spending, making redemptions easier and more frequent.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card Benefits

Despite its solid earning rates, the Hilton Honors Aspire card shines when it comes to perks and additional cardholder benefits. These perks make offsetting the hefty annual fee a whole lot simpler.

Here’s a detailed rundown of what you’ll get as a cardholder.

Hilton Honors Diamond Status

The Aspire card comes with automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status. Typically, you’d have to spend 60 nights (or have 30 stays) at Hilton properties or have 120,000 base points to qualify for Diamond status. But with the Aspire card, you simply have to be a cardholder.

Diamond status is Hilton’s top-tier status. It includes the following benefits:

• Executive lounge access
• Free food and beverage credit for you and up to one guest at U.S. properties or a free continental breakfast at properties abroad
• Room upgrades, including standard suites (subject to availability)
• Late check-out (subject to availability)
• 100% points bonus on paid stays
• Free premium Wi-Fi upgrades
• 48-hour room reservation guarantee
• Space-availability-dependent room upgrades
• 15% all-inclusive spa discount
• Fifth night free on award stays
• No resort fees on award stays

If used, the value of this perk alone can offset the annual fee.

Annual Free Night Reward

You’ll get a free night reward in your first year of card membership and every subsequent year you renew your card.

It’ll be issued as a redeemable code, sent to your linked email address, eight to 14 weeks after you renew your card membership. The free night certificate expires one year after issuance and cannot be rolled over into the next year if unused.

The free night award can be used at almost any property (with a few exceptions), including some of the most expensive hotels and resorts in Hilton’s portfolio.
You can also earn an additional free night award after you spend $30,000 on eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year and another free night after spending $60,000 in a calendar year.

$400 Hilton Resort Credit

During each year as a card member, you can receive statement credits of up to $200 semi-annually, totaling $400 per year, on your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card for any eligible purchases made directly at participating Hilton resorts.

You can charge incidentals such as spas and restaurants to your room and pay with your Aspire card, having it covered by the credit.

The statement credit is automatically applied about 8 to 12 weeks after the charges are posted to your account.

Some of the hotels that aren’t called “resorts,” such as the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Breckenridge or the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City–The Yarrow, are also eligible for the resort credit.

So you don’t have to travel to far-flung destinations to take advantage of this great benefit.

$200 Annual Airline Fee Credit

The Hilton Honors Aspire card comes with a $200 annual airline fee credit, issued in quarterly $50 increments.

The credit can be applied toward airfare purchases for scheduled flights made directly with the airline or through amextravel.com. Charter flights, private jet flights, flights that are part of tours, ticket cancellation or change fees are among some of the charges that are not covered by the credit.

The only drawback to this benefit is that if you miss out on using the credit during one quarter, you won’t be able to have it rolled over to the next quarter. This means you’d have to purchase qualifying flight tickets every quarter to get the full $200 value out of this perk.

$100 Hilton On-Property Credit

If you use your Aspire card to book through HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com or by calling Hilton Honors at (855) 292-5757, for a minimum stay of two nights at Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts or Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, you’ll receive an on-site credit of up to $100 for qualifying charges.

The credit is applied to your bill at the time of check out, rather than posting to your account.

Keep in mind that ineligible charges include property fees, taxes, gratuities and the cost of your room.

$189 CLEAR® Plus Credit

The Aspire card comes with an annual $189 statement credit for CLEAR® Plus membership.

This perk can help you speed through security lanes at participating airports with the help of fingerprint and facial recognition technology.

National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status

You’ll receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status.

Typically, you’d have to have made 12 rentals or accumulated 40 rental days within a calendar year to qualify for Emerald Club Executive status, making this benefit highly valuable.

You’ll enjoy the following benefits:

• Earn 1 rental credit per qualified car rental. 6 credits are required for a free rental day
• When in the U.S. or Canada, choose cars in the Executive area and pay the Midsize rate only
• Guaranteed upgrades in the U.S. and Canada for full-size reservations

American Express Concierge

Amex Hilton Aspire cardholders get access to a concierge team that can help with everything from making dinner reservations at hard-to-book restaurants to helping you purchase tickets for sought-after events.

Just call the number on the back of your card to get started.

Hilton Honors Points Pooling

Hilton allows you to combine Hilton Honors points with up to 10 friends or family members, free of fees.

Points and Money Rewards

In addition to using Hilton Honors points to book free nights, you can use a combination of points and cash to book your rooms. This is a great way to pay for rooms when you don’t have enough points to cover an entire stay.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has no foreign transaction fees, so don’t forget to take it with you when traveling outside of the U.S. That way, you’ll be able to continue spending and earning points abroad, allowing you to maximize the value of the card.

Amex Offers

Amex Offers can save you hundreds of dollars every year at various retailers, so check them often. From wine to gifts to everyday purchases, Amex Offers give card members significant savings.

ShopRunner Membership

Card members receive a ShopRunner membership, which gets you free two-day shipping on eligible items at more than 100 online stores as well as free returns. Remember to enroll in your complimentary membership before shopping online and keep in mind that orders may be subject to a minimum purchase requirement.

Extended Warranty

Amex Hilton Honors Aspire card members are eligible for extended warranty protection that provides up to one extra year of protection on top of the original manufacturer’s warranty.¹

This applies to existing U.S. manufacturer (including U.S. territories and possessions) warranties of up to five years.

Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item, up to a maximum of $10,000 per covered purchase with a limit of $50,000 per cardholder per calendar year.

Purchase Protection

Items purchased with the Hilton Aspire card are eligible for purchase protection if they’re accidentally damaged, stolen or lost for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date, up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.²

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

Car rental insurance provides secondary coverage for damage or theft of a rental vehicle in a covered territory when you use your Aspire card to reserve and pay for the entire rental cost.³ Make sure you decline the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company, otherwise you won’t be covered by Amex.

Trip Delay Insurance

If you purchase round-trip travel entirely with your Hilton Honors Aspire card and encounter delays longer than six hours, Amex trip delay insurance will cover eligible additional expenses purchased with your Hilton Aspire card up to $500 per trip.⁴ You can make a maximum of two claims per 12 consecutive months.

Keep in mind that only covered reasons for delays will enable you to take advantage of trip delay insurance. These include:

• Inclement weather
• A terrorist action or hijacking
• Common carrier’s equipment failure
• Lost or stolen passports or travel documents

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance

If you use your Hilton Honors Aspire card to pay for your entire trip and a covered reason cancels or interrupts it, Amex trip cancellation and interruption insurance will help reimburse the non-refundable expenses incurred on the card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per card per 12 consecutive months.⁵

Covered reasons include:

• Accidental bodily injury, death or sickness
• Inclement weather
• A change in military orders
• A terrorist action or hijacking
• Call to jury duty or subpoena by the courts
• If your home is made uninhabitable
• Quarantine imposed by a physician

Baggage Insurance Plan

Amex baggage insurance provides coverage for lost, damaged or stolen baggage when traveling on a common carrier.⁶ The benefit applies only when you charge the entire fare to your card.

The Hilton Honors Aspire card provides coverage for up to $2,000 for checked bags, $1,000 for high-risk items and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on luggage, in addition to the coverage provided by the common carrier.

There is a $3,000 aggregate limit per trip.

For residents of New York, you get a limit of $2,000 per bag for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip.

Return Protection

In the event you try to return an eligible item within 90 days of having purchased it and the merchant refuses to take it back, Amex will refund you up to the full purchase price, up to a maximum of $300 per item.⁷ The refund excludes the cost of shipping and handling.

You can claim up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per card account, assuming you charged the purchase to your card at a merchant within the U.S. or its territories.

Cell Phone Protection

Assuming your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and last month’s wireless bill was paid using your Aspire card, you’ll be entitled to Amex cell phone insurance.⁸ This can cover you for up to $800 for repairs or replacement, in the event your cell phone is damaged. You can make a maximum of two claims per calendar year and a $50 deductible will apply.

Annual Fee

The annual fee for this card comes in at a steep $550.

However, as we’ve already seen, the perks go a long way in helping you to offset the annual fee.

The welcome bonus alone can offset the annual fee by almost double in the first year of membership. After that, the $400 Hilton Resort credit will cut the annual fee by more than half in subsequent years. Combine that with the $200 annual airline fee credit, $100 Hilton on-property credit, the annual free night reward and complimentary Diamond status, and the annual fee starts to look small in comparison.

How to Optimize Your Hilton Honors Aspire Card

The Hilton Honors Aspire card isn’t nicknamed the Champion of Hotel Cards without reason. The card has a wide range of hugely valuable perks.

However, as with any travel rewards credit card, perks are only as valuable as you make them.

To optimize your return on the Aspire card, you’ll need to use the card’s perks to their max.

That begins with securing the welcome bonus.

You should try to open the card when the welcome bonus is historically highest, which for the Aspire card is when it’s at 180,000 points. You also need to time your application to align with a period of naturally high expenditure. For example, having the welcome bonus time frame fall around the holiday shopping season is a solid way to hit the minimum spending requirement naturally. This will prevent you from having to overspend to earn the welcome bonus–a strategy that sets you up for failure.

Once you’ve secured the welcome bonus, the next step is to use the card frequently.

Make sure to have it at the ready when it comes to dining at U.S. restaurants or paying for takeout and delivery. You can also charge eligible travel purchases to the card as well as use it for purchases that fall outside of typical bonus spending categories. By following this strategy, you’ll accumulate a significant stock of points over time.

The only caveat to frequent usage is responsible usage. Make sure you always pay your balance off before its due date. By doing so, you’ll protect your earnings and avoid late penalty fees and exorbitant interest charges.

The last step is forming a plan as to how you’ll utilize the card’s perks throughout the year.

If you frequent Hilton properties, making the most of the $400 Hilton Resort credit and the $100 on-property credit shouldn’t be much of a challenge. Likewise, if you fly more than once a year, apply for CLEAR® Plus membership and have your fees reimbursed with the $189 credit.

The only credit that poses a challenge to utilize is the $200 airline fee credit, given that it’s issued in quarterly $50 increments. However, even if you managed to use this perk in only one or two quarters, you’d still manage to offset the annual fee as long as you took advantage of the other perks on the card.

Final Thoughts

Hotel credit cards are typically overlooked. General travel rewards credit cards often take center stage, given their flexible point currencies and transfer partners.

However, if you’re ready to get a hotel credit card, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card should be a top contender as it’s one of the most rewarding cards currently on the market.

The card’s generous benefits, including the annual credits and the Hilton Honors Diamond status, make it a long-term keeper. You don’t have to be a hardcore Hilton loyalist to get great value from the card. Even if you stay at Hilton properties just a few times every year, a combination of resort credits and the automatic Diamond status can provide significant value.

¹ When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

² Purchase Protection is an embedded benefit of your Card Membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited to up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage Limits Apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

³ Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

⁴ Up to $500 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive 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.

⁵ The maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive 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.

⁶ Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

⁷ With Return Protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

⁸ Coverage 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.