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More and more often, banks are adding a variety of travel credits to help justify the steep annual fees on their premium credit cards. Instead of offering one simple annual credit, these perks are now frequently divided into smaller monthly or quarterly amounts. The burden, then, ultimately falls on the cardholder to track and use them to get the full value from their card.
Cards like the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express come with a $200 Hilton credit, broken up into four quarterly $50 installments. But let’s be honest, I don’t usually have a paid Hilton stay lined up every few months to it on. Thankfully, there are other ways to put this credit to work besides booking a hotel stay.
Here’s how I used Amex Hilton credit to cover a fancy date night out in Las Vegas — no hotel stay required.
What is the Amex Hilton Credit?
The Business Platinum Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card each come with an annual $200 Hilton credit. This credit is divided into $50 installments doled out quarterly, rather than a single lump sum.
To activate the benefit, cardmembers must enroll through their Amex account before making eligible purchases. It’s worth noting that unused quarterly credits don’t roll over. So if you don't use your credit in a given quarter, the $50 disappears.
Once you make an eligible purchase at a Hilton, American Express then posts a statement credit to your account, typically within a week or two. In most cases, I have found that my credit posts the same day that the eligible purchase posts.
Several other Amex credit cards also offer Hilton credits. For instance, the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with $240 in Hilton credits, also doled out in quarterly $60 installments. The top-tier Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers an annual $400 Hilton resort credit — available as $200 semi-annual credits — but it can only be used at eligible resort properties.
In this post, we'll focus specifically on the $200 credit offered with the Business Platinum Card and the Hilton Surpass. But in theory, these tips would work for any of the Amex Hilton credits.
Related: Amex Business Platinum New $200 Annual Hilton Credit
- Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card company on the market as of 07/2025.
- See how you can unlock over $3,500 in business and travel value annually after meeting qualifying spend thresholds on the Business Platinum Card. Terms apply.
- New! Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually for up to a total of $600 in statement credits per calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using the Business Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- No Preset Spending Limit: The spending limit on the Business Platinum Card is flexible, so unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.
- Make the Business Platinum Card® work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment required.
- Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
- Use the Business Platinum Card and get up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal).
- Maximize your time away with Fine Hotels + Resorts through Amex Travel™.
- New! Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year.
- New! Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card.
- Get up to $90 in statement credits quarterly for purchases with Indeed on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $360 back per year. Enrollment required.
- Get up to $10 in statement credits per month for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $120 back per year. Enrollment required.
- Enhanced! 2X points on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
- 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
- 1X points on other eligible purchases
- $895 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 2X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
What Triggers the Amex Hilton Credit?
To trigger the Hilton credit, the charge must come directly from a Hilton property and be processed by Hilton itself, not through a third-party booking site or portal. Eligible purchases typically include:
- Room rates and taxes
- On-site dining, bars, and room service
- Spa services and resort amenities
- Purchases at hotel-operated gift shops
In other words, if the charge shows up as coming from a Hilton property on your Amex statement, it should qualify, even if you aren't staying at the property.
The key is making sure the purchase is processed through the hotel’s internal system. An easy way to confirm is to ask whether they are able to bill a purchase to a room. If they can, that means the hotel's restaurant or market is linked to the hotel’s billing system, and the Amex Hilton credit should trigger successfully.
Here are some of the things that I have used the Amex Hilton credit to cover
- Lunch with my family at the L'Enfant Bar and Grill inside the Hilton DC National
- Breakfast at Starbucks at the Hilton Austin
- A dinner on the San Antonio Riverwalk at Domingo at the Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk
- Snacks in the lobby of the Embassy Suites
- Drinks at the lobby bar in C. Baldwin, a Curio Collection hotel in Houston
I haven't tried it myself, but some data points suggest you can even purchase Starbucks gift cards at certain locations, which could be quite valuable for frequent latte-drinkers.
How I Used the Amex Hilton Credit for a Bougie Night Out
I currently hold three Amex cards that offer the Hilton credit, giving me $150 in Hilton credits to use each quarter. Most restaurants don’t mind splitting the bill across multiple cards, so I often combine my credits for one nice splurge. That’s exactly what I did during a kid-free getaway to Las Vegas with my husband earlier this year.
During our Las Vegas getaway, we were staying at the MGM Grand, but made our way to Hard Shake, the elegant bar atop the Waldorf Astoria, for a special night out. From its floor-to-ceiling windows, we watched The Strip glitter below while sipping craft cocktails and sharing appetizers. The setting was sleek and sophisticated, and the service was phenomenal — the kind of place that makes an ordinary night feel like a special occasion. And since the tab was billed through the hotel, my Hilton credits picked up the check.
We ended up spending just over $100. This felt like a great use of my credits, and I was able to split the charges between two cards. The statement credits posted a few days later.
A Word Of Caution
It’s important to note that not every restaurant or shop located within a Hilton property will trigger the credit. If you’re staying at a Hilton and charge the expense to your room, it will count without issue. However, many on-property restaurants and stores are operated by third parties, and those transactions typically won’t qualify.
If you’re not staying overnight, you’ll need to do a bit of homework to see whether your purchase is likely to work. Forums like FlyerTalk and Reddit are great resources. Users frequently share data points and compile lists of restaurants that have successfully triggered the credit. That’s how I discovered a Starbucks in Austin where the Hilton credit applied.
Final Thoughts
The Business Platinum Card and Hilton Surpass offer up to $200 in Hilton statement credits per year, split into four $50 quarterly credits. But, you don’t need a Hilton stay on the calendar every quarter to make use of this credit. With a little planning, it’s possible to find simple, worthwhile ways to use it, whether that’s a nice meal, a drink with a view, or even a quick coffee stop.
In my case, it turned into the perfect excuse for a five-star date night in Las Vegas.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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