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All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by AwardWallet
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has one of the best new-cardmember bonuses currently available with 150,000 Hilton points after you make $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months.
The current bonus matches the highest public offer we've seen on this card, delivering enough points for a luxury weekend at some of Hilton's finest (and most expensive) hotels and resorts. Hilton award nights start at just 5,000 points, and there are plenty of budget-savvy options if you're looking to stretch your bonus into multiple trips or a longer getaway.
The Hilton Aspire comes with a $450 annual fee , but the card's incredible lineup of benefits make it a solid long-term value for many.
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Feature Benefits of the Hilton Aspire
The cornerstone of a good rewards strategy is choosing cards whose benefits far outweigh their costs. For anyone who stays with Hilton at least a few times per year, the Hilton Aspire should pass that test with flying colors. Here are the top benefits you get just for being a Cardholder:
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status – The Hilton Aspire is the only co-branded rewards card to offer top-tier elite status just for holding the card. Hilton Diamond provides access to room upgrades, free breakfast, lounge access, and a 100% bonus on points earned from Hilton stays. Hilton elite members also receive every fifth night free on stays booked with points.
- $250 Hilton Resort statement credit – Each cardmember year, you’ll get up to $250 in statement credits for eligible purchases at Hilton Resorts, including incidental charges made at restaurants and spas when you charge them to your room and pay with your Hilton Aspire.
- $250 Airline Fee Credit – You’ll get up to $250 in statement credits towards your selected airline’s incidental airline charges. Eligible charges include checked bag fees, change and cancellation fees, lounge passes, in-flight food and beverage purchases, and seat upgrades. This benefit is per calendar year, so you could technically claim it twice in the first year, depending on when you receive your card. This credit won’t cover airline tickets, paid upgrades, points or miles purchases, or gift cards.
- Weekend Night Rewards – Earn a weekend night reward when you receive your new card and each year on your account anniversary. Except for a small list of excluded properties, you can use your free nights at almost any Hilton Hotel or Resort. You can also earn a second weekend night award by spending $60K on your card in a calendar year.
- Priority Pass Select Membership – Gain unlimited access to over 1,200 Priority Pass lounges worldwide for you and up to two guests. Keep in mind, Amex cardholders no longer receive credits at restaurants and other non-lounge locations, so we don’t give this benefit as high a value as Priority Pass memberships provided by other issuers.
- $100 Property Credit – Book two nights or more at a Waldorf Astoria or Conrad property via HiltonHonors.com/aspirecard, and receive a $100 property credit towards incidental charges during your stay.
- Additional benefits – In January 2020, Amex added trip delay and trip interruption & cancellation coverage to the Hilton Aspire, plus the card offers lost baggage insurance, and you’ll pay no foreign transaction fees .
Temporary Covid-19 Hilton Aspire Enhancements
In response to Covid-19, Amex made some changes that can help you get more value from your card while you're waiting for travel to return to normal.
- Unexpired Free Weekend Night Rewards—including new rewards issued between May 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020—can now be redeemed any night of the week.
- Weekend Night Rewards issued between May 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, will be valid for 24 months instead of the typical 12 months.
In particular, the 24-month validity for weekend night certificates should make a big difference for anyone on the fence about whether they can cover the $450 annual fee long term with travel on hold.
Application Restrictions
American Express limits welcome offers to once per lifetime per product. If you currently hold or have previously held the Hilton Aspire, you won’t be eligible for the signup bonus. There are no restrictions on applying for this card if you already hold another card within the Hilton co-branded family. However, Amex does have some additional rules that apply to their overall relationship with each cardholder. If you have four or more Amex credit cards, check out this post for more details.
Our Take
The Hilton Aspire comes with benefits you won’t find with any other hotel rewards cards. In addition to the increased 150,000 point welcome offer, the complimentary Hilton Diamond status provides top-tier elite perks that can genuinely enhance your stay, and the annual weekend reward night can return a ton of value when redeemed at premium properties. Add in the $250 airline and resort credits and complimentary lounge access, and it isn’t hard to justify the card’s $450 annual fee.
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
It’s a great set of perks, but the much cheaper card from Hilton offers many of the same things. Almost as good but not quite, so before signing up, you should compare the two cards to see which one best meets your needs.
Hilton card is the best choice! Always…
Can you get the 150,000 with an upgrade?
Some cardholders have indeed reported receiving 150k bonuses for upgrading to an Aspire. However, it’s a targeted offer.
This is great specially now that I found out that Hilton points can be used as cash in a famous online shopping site that also has a video streaming service. (wasn’t sure if I could say the name here)
If you held the equivalent of the Aspire card with Citi before Amex Hilton then you won’t get the bonus either. I learned that. Oh well, I still like the card and the benefits. I just wish that I would gotten the bonus. Amex has always been very tough on getting bonuses and applying for their cards. I wonder what their angle is. With Marriott not guaranteeing their elite benefits I wonder if Hilton is getting more business now?
Had 100k before but it expired without giving me alert notification. Lost a few days of hotel stay.
I was planning to downgrade the Aspire to the Surpass next month when my annual fee posts. Do we know if the extended Diamond status applies for those who got status from the credit card only? Will my status be downgraded immediately when my card is downgraded?
Before the Amex announced changes for COVID-19, I was eyeing my upcoming Aspire Card renewal and wondering the same thing. With the resort credit being applicable to restaurants, I decided to keep the Aspire for this renewal. So, I don’t have a data point for you on this. I could see it going either way.
Hilton cards are definitely better than Marriott offers now.
Is there an Amex Hilton Aspire Business? Does it have a similar bonus?
There’s only one dedicated Hilton business card: the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card https://awardwallet.com/blog/apply-for-hilton-honors-american-express-business-card/
12 points on groceries is the winner for me! Thanks.
looks good. hilton is bouncing back and this will be good for the industry
I got the no annual fee card last year. Great deal for no annual fee.
I use this card the most. The free night, resort and airline credit more than take care of the AF.
Dang I’m tempted!
Always one of the best cobranded hotel credit cards
In general, I really like this card. Keeping track of all the little perks and credit amounts can be a bit much sometimes, but the Diamond status is especially great at some of the nice Asian properties.
I’m waiting for the Surpass card to get an increased welcome bonus as well.
Looks like a great card if you use Hilton.
A great bunch of points! Very tempting!
Great time to apply for this card now, especially since the $250 resort credit applies to restaurants through August. Easy to maximize that benefit!
This is a powerful card and for the right people is possibly the best card in the industry.
It’s mildly disappointing that the $95 card offers 12x points and the $450 card only bumps up to 14x but for everything else it has, it’s a great card.
Nice deal but very similar to Amex Platinum…the Covid enhancements are a nice perk!