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Hilton Honors American Express Card Review

Updated on:

LendingTree's Review

3.2

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

Rewards Rate

Up to 7X Hilton Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases

Rates & Fees

No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad

We receive commissions from our advertising partners. These commissions do not influence our recommendations. Click here to learn more.

The information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Our take: The Hilton Honors American Express Card can be a great option if you’re looking for Hilton Honors points with a $0 annual fee

Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card worth it?

As a Hilton Honors loyalty program member, you may want a credit card that helps you earn points — but don’t want to pay for that privilege. Your best option is the Hilton Honors American Express Card, which charges a $0 annual fee and offers a robust rewards rate. You’ll earn the most points for hotel-related spending, along with higher points when using the card for U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is absolutely worth it for most customers, since there’s $0 annual fee or cost to use the card. In fact, with its generous welcome offer, ongoing rewards on a wide variety of purchases and automatic Silver status (enrollment required), it’s one of the best no-annual travel cards around.

Still, savvy travelers will know that there are other travel credit cards available that might give better rewards — especially if you’re willing to pay an annual fee. Every dollar you spend on this card means you’re not earning rewards on a card with a higher earning rate. And if hotel perks and elite status matter to you, you’re better off with a higher tier Hilton credit card.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.

Quick facts

Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
No Annual Fee.
Terms Apply.

Recommended Credit

Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion

660 720 850

Good / Excellent

Get my free score

Automatic Silver elite status (enrollment required)
No foreign transaction fee
Global Assist® hotline when more than 100 miles from home
Exclusive access to events and ticket presales

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.

Intro Purchase APR

N/A

Regular Purchase APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Intro BT APR

N/A

Regular BT APR

N/A

Annual Fee

Cash Advance Fee

Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.

Foreign Transaction Fee

None

Balance Transfer Fee

N/A

Pros and cons

$0 annual fee
Good welcome offer
Generous earnings on everyday purchases
Redeem points at 7,000+ hotels worldwide
Good elite status benefits (enrollment required)
No foreign transaction fees

Hilton points are inflated
Rewards are limited to Hilton
Limited travel benefits

Hilton Honors American Express Card benefits

Good welcome offer

One of the biggest perks about the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors card is the welcome offer that comes with the card. Currently you can earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Note that Hilton no longer publishes an award chart, so it’s impossible to tell exactly how many free nights you can get with your points — still, this bonus should be worth at least a couple of free nights.

While this is a solid offer for a card with no annual fee, there are other rewards credit cards that offer higher sign-up bonuses.
Generous earnings on everyday purchases

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has an excellent earning rate for everyday purchases. Currently, you can earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations AND 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

This is a great rate for a no-annual-fee card, even considering that Hilton Honors points are less valuable than most credit card rewards (more on this below).
Redeem points at more than 7,000 hotels worldwide

Hilton has one of the largest footprints of hotels in the world. With more than 7,000 properties across 120 countries and territories, you’re likely to find a Hilton hotel in most places you plan to travel. And you can easily redeem points at any of those hotels, with no blackout dates.
Good elite status benefits

Just by having the Hilton Honors American Express Card and being enrolled in the Hilton Honors program, you’ll be granted instant Silver Elite status. Hilton Silver status comes with better-than-average perks compared to other hotel programs. You’ll get:
- A 20% tier bonus points per hotel stay
- A guaranteed member discount
- No resort fees on reward stays
- A fifth standard reward night free
- Two bottles of water daily
You can also qualify for Hilton Gold Elite status by spending at least $20,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year (enrollment required).
No foreign transaction fee

If you’re a frequent international traveler, you’ll enjoy the fact that the Hilton Honors American Express Card has no foreign transaction fees. That means that you can use the card for foreign purchases — both online and while traveling — without incurring an extra 3% fee.

However, acceptance of American Express cards is more limited outside the U.S. and most of the rewards are targeted for U.S. purchases, so it likely won’t be your top choice for international travel.

Hilton Honors American Express Card drawbacks

Hilton points are inflated

One of the biggest drawbacks about earning Hilton points is that they’re worth about half of a normal award point. That, coupled with the fact that Hilton no longer publishes an award chart, means that you may need a huge amount of points to get a free night. For example, a standard room at a mid-tier hotel like the Hilton Austin required 70,000 points for most nights in a recent search.

As mentioned, the card does offer impressive rewards earnings, so you can stack up free nights quickly in spite of the inflated value. Just be aware that the earnings aren’t as impressive as they appear.
Rewards are limited to Hilton

Hilton does offer a few other redemption options for your points (including transfer to airline programs), but they are generally poor value. Depending on your travel patterns, many people will get better rewards value out of a general travel card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.
Limited travel benefits

The card is lacking many of the perks and benefits that come with some rewards cards with an annual fee, like travel insurance or award nights. These limited travel benefits are one of the tradeoffs that come with signing up for a card with $0 annual fee.

Alternative cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

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Learn More

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card*

Intro Purchase APR N/A

Regular Purchase APR 20.74% - 27.74% Variable

Annual Fee $0

Rewards Rate Earn up to 14X total points for every $1 spent at thousands

Highlights

Earn 30,000 Bonus Points and a Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase®!
Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card.
2X points for every $1 spent on purchases at grocery stores.
2X points for every $1 spent on rideshare and select food delivery.
2X points for every $1 spent on select streaming, and internet, cable and phone services.
1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Receive 5 Elite Night Credits annually, plus complimentary Silver Elite Status. Restrictions apply.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Earn unlimited Marriott Bonvoy® points and get Free Night Stays faster.

Recommended Credit

660 720 850

Good / Excellent

Get my free score

*The information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card is the $0-annual-fee Marriott credit card that is issued by Chase. If you find that you stay with Marriott more than Hilton, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card may be a better option.

Similar to the Hilton Honors American Express Card, you’ll also get Marriott Silver status along with extra points with each paid stay. But while the welcome offer with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card is decent, currently it’s not quite as high as the offer that comes with the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card*

Intro Purchase APR N/A

Regular Purchase APR 20.24%-29.24% Variable

Annual Fee $150

Rewards Rate Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases

Highlights

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required. Terms apply.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
$150 annual fee.
Terms Apply.

Recommended Credit

660 720 850

Good / Excellent

Get my free score

*The information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply

If you frequently stay at Hilton hotels and want a Hilton credit card that comes with a few more perks, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card may be a better option. While it does come with a $150 annual fee, it also comes with a higher welcome offer and more perks (like higher earning rates and instant Gold Elite status upon enrollment, instead of just Silver).

If you’re not sure about whether the $150 fee will be worth it for you, you can always apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card for the higher welcome offer. Then you can downgrade the card to the no-annual-fee version if you find that the benefits you’re getting aren’t worth it for you.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, please click here.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card*

Intro Purchase APR N/A

Regular Purchase APR 19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)

Annual Fee $95

Rewards Rate 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per

Highlights

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

Recommended Credit

660 720 850

Good / Excellent

Get my free score

*The information related to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply

Another option to consider is a card that earns flexible rewards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. While you won’t get any hotel-specific perks like elite status, extra earning or late checkout with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the upside is that you have additional flexibility.

You can use your Venture miles to book nights at just about ANY hotel, which means you won’t be tied down to Hilton hotels. This added flexibility may be worth it, especially if you are a more infrequent traveler or vary your stays across many different brands.

Compare the Hilton Honors American Express Card

Credit Cards	Our Ratings	Welcome Offer	Rewards Rate	Annual Fee	Recommended Credit Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion
Hilton Honors American Express Card* Learn More	3.2	Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.	Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations AND 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.	$0	Good / Excellent	Learn More
Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card* Learn More	3.1	Earn 30,000 Bonus Points and a Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.	Earn up to 14X total points for every $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® and 2X points for every $1 spent at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, and cable and phone services. Plus, earn 1X point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases.	$0	Good / Excellent	Learn More
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card* Learn More	4.2	Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.	Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.	$150	Good / Excellent	Learn More
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* Learn More	4.7	75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel	$95	Good / Excellent	Learn More

*The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms Apply.

Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card right for you?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is the no-annual-fee rewards card issued by American Express and Hilton. If you’re looking for a decent amount of Hilton Honors points as a welcome offer, solid rewards on everyday spending and no annual fee, this could be the right card for you.

If you are looking for more Hilton points or increased earnings, you could also consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card. On the other hand, if you’re looking for more flexible rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might be a better option.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.

*To see rates & fees for Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, please click here.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

The information related to the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Frequently asked questions

Hilton and American Express have several different co-branded credit cards, and you may be eligible to upgrade your Hilton Honors card. If you currently have the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card, you may be eligible to upgrade to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card or Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. If you want to upgrade your card, log on to your online account to chat with a representative or call the customer service number on the back of your card.

The information related to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

American Express uses a number of different factors when deciding whether to approve applicants for the Hilton Honors card. This might include your income, your credit score or other information on your credit report. You’re most likely to be approved for the Hilton Honors American Express Card if you have good / excellent credit, which roughly corresponds to a score of 700 or above.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

The information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.

The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

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American Express Disclosure

Hilton Honors American Express Card Review

Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card worth it?

Quick facts

Pros and cons

Hilton Honors American Express Card benefits

Hilton Honors American Express Card drawbacks

Alternative cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

Compare the Hilton Honors American Express Card

Is the Hilton Honors American Express Card right for you?

Frequently asked questions

Can I upgrade my Hilton Honors American Express Card?

What credit score is needed for the Hilton Honors American Express Card?

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card