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Since we reported in June 2017, that Hilton Honors had signed an exclusive deal with American Express to be their sole credit card issuer, questions have arisen about how the changeover would be handled. The new arrangement comes into effect as of January 30, 2018.
Which Cards Will Be Changed Over
- Holders of the Citi® Hilton Honors™ Visa Signature® Card will be moved over to the rebranded Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Holders of the Citi® Hilton Honors™ Reserve Card will be moved over to the Hilton Surpass
Note: Both Citi Hilton cards are no longer open to applications.
Other Changes To Come
Not surprisingly with a major changeover of credit card issuers, there are plenty of changes to come. Key changes that you need to know include:
- You can use your Citi card as normal up through January 30, 2018
- Through January 30, 2018, continue to make your card payment to Citi, after that date direct them to American Express
- There will be no change to your Hilton Honors number or the points you have earned through a Citi card
- There is no need to cancel your Citi card it will transfer automatically on January 30, 2018, if you cancel your card your account will not automatically transfer to Amex
- Any unpaid balances on Hilton Citi cards will be automatically transferred to your new American Express card account
- Authorized users will also be transferred and have cards issued in their names that will be mailed to the primary cardholder
- Any bonuses whether points or free night certificates will be honored and American express will take into account your spending on Citi cards
- Hilton Honors Elite status earned from holding a Citi card will be honored through to its expiry date. After that date, you will have to reach out to Hilton Honors’ customer service department with your questions
Overall
Conveniently Hilton Honors have a page on their website detailing all the finer points of the transition. Although the bigger questions are easily answered, in all likelihood there will be a few questions that Hilton will need to clarify over the next few months before the change happens.
Source: Hilton Honors
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I’ve cancelled mine already to be able to take advantage of any new card sign up bonuses. If you keep the existing card and it transfers to Amex, you will lose the capability to get the card as a first time user and take advantage of signup bonuses.
Good point, will do the same.
Thanks for the idea. I wouldn’t have thought of that
Is it better to cancel the card and reapply?
I am wondering the same… I could just apply for the AMEX when it becomes available.
thanks for tracking this move
Same as the above poster. I canceled mine for that reason as well.
I have not cancelled my cc yet, as lorrie explained above, but I plan to do so for the same reasons.
I cancelled mine too and signed up with the new Hilton Surpass.
It looks like AmEx is making sure the transition gets handled well.
I’m having high hopes for the new Hilton AmEx cards.
Thanks for the heads up!
Good to see more info on the transition. Seems like it’ll be fairly effortless and easy for consumers
The new $450 Hilton Aspire card looks interesting to me. Instant Hilton Diamond status!
That seems like a very good deal to get instant Hilton Diamond. Hilton is my favorite hotel chain and diamond has great benefits particularly lounge access, upgrades, free breakfast and of course extra points.
wonder what’s going to happen to my surpass card…
Thank you for insight.
Thank you Lorrie, I love signup bonuses, even if it is one per lifetime.
Time to snag bonuses before they’re gone.
Thanks for all the information.
I’m glad they’re making the transition smooth but I def prefer visa over amex cards, since they’re accepted at more places!
Should I wait for the changes before applying for a new credit card?
It all depends on which card or cards interest you most and make sense for you. Personally, we’ll be waiting.
There are some blogs that say that the Ascend is not a new product but an upgrade to Surpass so not a new product
At this point, I don’t think anyone can speak definitively to that as Amex hasn’t shared that information.
True – I do hope this is a new card as well but they were quoting emails from Amex which said that “your Hilton Honors Surpass card will become your Hilton Honors Ascend card on 1/18/17” so its like a product change instead of a new product
Concerned about acceptance of Amex especially outside the US
Whilst it will never be as widely accepted as mastercard or visa, in my experience it its a lot more widely accepted than people think.
I agree – most hotels and places that cater to tourists do accept AMEX. Some smaller shops may not even take credit which is why I always just carry cash as well and a couple of cards when I travel
No ForEx fees FTW! Also nice that spend on the Ascend will earn a free night cert, similar to the Citi Reserve. Those were the two biggest holes in the Surpass offering; glad to see those addressed.
I cancelled mine card. Will sign up with the new
I also plan on canceling the card and getting the sign up bonus for the new one. It’s not a card that I use very much anyway. I don’t have a huge use for Hilton points and I also already had the no annual fee Hilton Amex Card that would keep my points from expiring.
I would love to be able to convert my Citi Hilton into one of the Amex Hilton cards!
I think that will just happen automatically. I did hear that Citi is offering retention bonuses to HHonors card holders not to cancel just an FYI
Hilton HHonors, come to Canada with a co-branded card!
I have the Amex Hilton Surpass card but I still got a letter saying they are switching me to another card. Strange. Did not look like an upgrade.
I have the Citi Hilton and Amex Hilton no-fee cards. I plan to cancel the Citi because I don’t want two of the same card, but I was wondering if I should also cancel the Amex and see what the new Amex card offers (and whether I would even qualify for the bonus on the new card or if they’d deem it the same as the current Amex Hilton, even though it’s supposed to be a new product). Any info on that?
Interesting. I heard about this and apparently it wasn’t a rumor. I wonder how this will affect the HHonors program long-term.
interesting – good sign up bonus?
Looks like it’s worth delving into
The new Amex cards seem to be better
Same concern, Amex not always accepted internationally.
I already applied for the Amex no annual fee Hilton card, so am working on that bonus, before I got an email saying that I was being switched over on Jan 18, 2018. Should I just want and let them transfer me, since I signed up late this year with Citi Hilton? Or should I cancel and just wait for them to switch and then cancel? Wish I would have waited to see if they would have emailed me something before I applied for Amex! argh!
I don’t really think there is any need to keep both accounts. If it were me I’d probably close it to avoid a duplicate account or perhaps change to a different Citi product.
Thank you! I’ve been agonizing over it but I did lean to canceling so I wouldn’t get dup accounts. It’s nice to have another opinion!
When I called they told me I need to cancel in December to avoid the push to AMEX. Since the date in your post says 1/30/18, I’ll go a few days into January before closing it. I do not want a new card without the bonus attached, that’s just crazy!
The competition of having double issuers was a unique thing. It will be missed.
I just book Hilton award and will move to the new card for more points. Good heads up
Useful info, thanks!
Great info. Will miss both banks having Hilton cards. Was great way to cycle either one every 24 months