American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card Review (Old Review NOT being Updated)
Updated July 5, 2019. Please see our updated review here.
The Facts
The Math
The value of Hilton Honors points varies greatly and the general consensus is that it doesn't exceed 1 cent per point. Our current valuation is below half a cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your points balance for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending, because it will be a stretch in our opinion to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat 2% cashback provided by cards like Citi Double Cash, or Fidelity Visa.However, you may consider this card for the 14x and 7x categories depending on your points valuation.
Even though we caution about spending with the card, the Hilton Aspire is one of the best credit cards to keep paying annual fees without spending, aka a "drawer card". With an effective annual fee of $200 after considering the annual $250 airline credits, you enjoy a suite of valuable perks: one annual free weekend night, annual $250 resort credits, Hilton Diamond status, annual $250 airline incidental credits, and Priority Pass Select with unlimited access. If you ever stay at any Hilton portfolio hotels, even just a few times in a year, this card is a must-have.
The next question is "do you want to spend $60K a year to get the second weekend night?" As the rewards from 3x on general spending are less than 2% cashback which we consider a benchmark, you might find yourself actually paying too much for the "free" night. For example, if you value Hilton points at 0.4 cent a piece, 3x points come out to be 1.2%, which is 0.8% less than 2%; in this case, your "free" night actually costs $60,000 x 0.8% = $480.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($450) vs. Amex Hilton Surpass ($95): after considering the $250 annual airline credits, Hilton Aspire is only $105 more than Hilton Surpass. With that different in annual fees, you get 2 extra points on Hilton purchases, an annual free weekend night without spending (Surpass requires spending $15K to get the free night), annual $250 resort credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which is not much on paper, but in reality as a top-tier elite you usually get better treatments), and Priority Pass Select unlimited access instead of 10 visits. It is not too hard to agree that Hilton Aspire is the one to get for most Hilton guests.
Amex Hilton Aspire vs. Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: As the flagship credit card in each of their program, each card carries a $450 annual fee and offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited access for you plus two. How do they compete with each other? Let's first compare the annual statement credits - Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers $300 for any Marriott portfolio hotel purchases, while Hilton Aspire offers $250 for airline incidentals plus $250 for Hilton portfolio resorts; obviously, Marriott's credits are easier to use, but Hilton's total credits are $200 more - considering both the absolute value and how easy to use, we call it a draw. Secondly, let's look at the annual free nights - Hilton Aspire wins this one as the annual free weekend night can be redeemed at any Hilton portfolio hotels, while Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's free night is capped at 50K-point properties (a top-tier hotel requires 70K-100K). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status again blows Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's complimentary Gold status out of water. Marriott Platinum status will be a good match of Hilton Diamond status, but it does require a whooping $75K annual spending on the card. Lastly, while we don't recommend either card for general spending, charging the hotel purchases to either card does make sense and the value actually compares well - Hilton Aspire's 14x points (5.6% cash equivalent return in our book) vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 6x points (4.5% in our book and offering more flexibility due to the valuable airline miles transfer). In general, Amex Hilton Aspire packs more value in our opinion, but which to pick actually heavily depends on which frequent guest program you are more loyal to.
Amex Hilton Aspire vs. JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa: Even though JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa has been discontinued to new applicants, it will still be interesting to compare the two. Both cards carry $450 annual fees, and let's break down the differences. (1) Annual airline incidental credits: $250 on Hilton Aspire vs. $300 on Ritz-Carlton Visa. Amex requires you to select a certain airline, but once set up, the reimbursement will be automatic. JPM doesn't have this limit but requires you to call in to request reimbursement. (2) Elite status: you have Hilton Diamond as long as having Hilton Aspire, while you have Marriott Gold for free and Marriott Platinum after $75K spending on Ritz-Carlton Visa. Hilton Diamond is comparable to Marriott Platinum; however, $75K spending is ridiculously excessive for most consumers. (3) Hotel Benefits: one free uncapped weekend night + $250 resort credits from Hilton Aspire vs. one free night capped at 50K points + three lounge upgrades for paid stays (up to 7 nights each) from Ritz-Carlton Visa. We will say this one is probably neck to neck, but for wealthy travelers who stay at Ritz-Carlton regularly the potential gain using lounge upgrades could be huge. (4) Ritz-Carlton Visa provides a few valuable perks that are not available on Hilton Aspire, such as luxury hotel privileges at Relais & Chateaux properties and through Visa Signature/Infinite Hotel Collection, $100 companion discount in domestic economy class travel, car rental elite status, and primary rental car collision coverage. (5) Ritz-Carlton Visa's travel protection is much better than Hilton Aspire's, as the latter doesn't cover travel cancellation, travel delay, baggage delay, and extended family members as well as awards tickets. In general, we think Ritz-Carlton is better but your opinion may differ due to your pick of loyalty program, and quite a few travelers will actually keep both.
To see how Amex Hilton Aspire competes with other cards with similar annual fees, please check out our featured review Comparing High-end Cards covering Amex Platinum Card, Amex Delta Reserve, Amex Hilton Aspire, Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase United MP Club, Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve, CNB Crystal, and MasterCard Black Card.
The Conclusion
With a seemingly hefty annual fee, Amex Hilton Aspire is actually a real deal that is almost too good to be true. It is one of best cards to keep paying annual fees without spending (probably other than Hilton purchases) and is rated #2 Best Credit Card for Perks.
© 2019 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $450
- Signup Bonus: 150,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months of new account opening + one free weekend night (defined as a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night) at most Hilton portfolio hotels, excluding all-inclusive properties and distinctive properties with no standard rooms, with the new card account opening. The free night certificate expires after 12 months of issuance, and participating hotels are listed at HiltonHonors.com/weekendreward. Hilton's most expensive hotels require 95,000 points or $400 to over $1,000 in cash per night. Here are some examples of exceptional redemption for the weekend free nights: Conrad Maldives, Conrad Koh Samui, Conrad Bora Bora Nui, Conrad Tokyo, Hilton Seychelles Labriz, Hilton Seychelles Northolme, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Grand Wailea A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and Waldorf Astoria Park City (in peak seasons). Historical best bonus of this card: 150,000 points + one free weekend night in 2018.
- Application Page
- Rewards: 14x Hilton Worldwide portfolio hotels, 7x U.S. restaurants, car rentals, and airfare (booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com), 3x everywhere else.
- Best Use of Hilton Honors points: Hilton Honors points are best used for hotels and resorts in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, including Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Conrad, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, motto by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, and Hilton Grand Vacations.
- Hilton Benefits: (1) Complimentary Hilton Diamond status, the top-tier Hilton elite status which is normally achieved by 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120,000 base points annually and offers perks such as 50% points bonus (100% as of April 2018), complimentary breakfasts for two at Waldorf Astoria, and guaranteed lounge access for two at Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Curio Collection and Tapestry Collection properties (complimentary breakfasts for two at properties that do not have lounges). (2) Receive one annual free weekend night upon new account opening and each anniversary thereafter. Note that the competitors offer anniversary free nights starting the first card anniversary, while Hilton Aspire offers the free night upon new account opening, making it a signup bonus in our opinion. See "Signup Bonus" section for details of the weekend night rewards. (3) Earn an additional weekend night after you spend $60,000 on the card each calendar year. (4) Annual $250 statement credits each membership year for purchases (including room rates, taxes, resort fees, and any incidentals charged to your room) at nearly 200 Hilton portfolio resorts (hilton.com/resorts). Starting August 2019, advance purchase rate or non-refundable rates are no longer eligible for this credit. This could be regarded as a free night at a Hilton resort when the nightly rate is below $250. This could also be combined with bookings made through Virtuoso, Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, or similar luxury hotel booking channels that offer hotel credits, room upgrades, and other perks. (5) $100 on-property credits for each 2-night-minimum stay at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad properties booked through HiltonHonors.com/aspirecard. This could be combined with the annual $250 statement credits at a resort location. (6) 500 bonus points each time you book a stay online with any Hilton portfolio website and pay with your card.
- Other Benefits: (1) Annual $250 airline incidental credits each calendar year. You need to select an airline before getting reimbursed and are allowed to change the airline once every January. Incidentals include check bag fees, change ticket fees, onboard meals, airport lounge day passes, and so on. (2) Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide for the primary cardholder plus two guests. (3) Waived foreign transaction fees with an embedded EMV chip. (4) Amex 24/7 Concierge Service. (5) Amex Offers - you receive savings in form of statement credit or earn bonus points on select merchants when using your Amex card; you need to manually add an offer to your Amex card to be eligible for savings or bonus, and unlike other savings/bonus programs, you don't need to shop through a certain portal. (6) ShopRunner membership for free 2-day shipping with select merchants. (7) Entertainment Access including American Express Presale, American Express Preferred Seating, and Premium Access (dining access). (8) Premium Roadside Assistance - while most credit card's roadside assistance service only dispatches a provider and you have to pay for the actual charge, Amex Hilton Aspire is among the very few cards that cover towing up to 10 miles and other incidental charges, up to 4 times in a calendar year, regardless of how far you are away from home.
- History: In January 2018, after Amex took over Citi's Hilton credit card portfolio and became the sole issuer of Hilton credit cards, Amex introduced two new products - the $450 Hilton Aspire and the $95 Hilton Business Card and revamped two existing products - Hilton Ascend ($95, name changed from Hilton Surpass but changed back to Surpass in 2019) and the non-fee Hilton Amex.
The Math
The value of Hilton Honors points varies greatly and the general consensus is that it doesn't exceed 1 cent per point. Our current valuation is below half a cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your points balance for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending, because it will be a stretch in our opinion to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat 2% cashback provided by cards like Citi Double Cash, or Fidelity Visa.However, you may consider this card for the 14x and 7x categories depending on your points valuation.
Even though we caution about spending with the card, the Hilton Aspire is one of the best credit cards to keep paying annual fees without spending, aka a "drawer card". With an effective annual fee of $200 after considering the annual $250 airline credits, you enjoy a suite of valuable perks: one annual free weekend night, annual $250 resort credits, Hilton Diamond status, annual $250 airline incidental credits, and Priority Pass Select with unlimited access. If you ever stay at any Hilton portfolio hotels, even just a few times in a year, this card is a must-have.
The next question is "do you want to spend $60K a year to get the second weekend night?" As the rewards from 3x on general spending are less than 2% cashback which we consider a benchmark, you might find yourself actually paying too much for the "free" night. For example, if you value Hilton points at 0.4 cent a piece, 3x points come out to be 1.2%, which is 0.8% less than 2%; in this case, your "free" night actually costs $60,000 x 0.8% = $480.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($450) vs. Amex Hilton Surpass ($95): after considering the $250 annual airline credits, Hilton Aspire is only $105 more than Hilton Surpass. With that different in annual fees, you get 2 extra points on Hilton purchases, an annual free weekend night without spending (Surpass requires spending $15K to get the free night), annual $250 resort credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which is not much on paper, but in reality as a top-tier elite you usually get better treatments), and Priority Pass Select unlimited access instead of 10 visits. It is not too hard to agree that Hilton Aspire is the one to get for most Hilton guests.
Amex Hilton Aspire vs. Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: As the flagship credit card in each of their program, each card carries a $450 annual fee and offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited access for you plus two. How do they compete with each other? Let's first compare the annual statement credits - Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers $300 for any Marriott portfolio hotel purchases, while Hilton Aspire offers $250 for airline incidentals plus $250 for Hilton portfolio resorts; obviously, Marriott's credits are easier to use, but Hilton's total credits are $200 more - considering both the absolute value and how easy to use, we call it a draw. Secondly, let's look at the annual free nights - Hilton Aspire wins this one as the annual free weekend night can be redeemed at any Hilton portfolio hotels, while Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's free night is capped at 50K-point properties (a top-tier hotel requires 70K-100K). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status again blows Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's complimentary Gold status out of water. Marriott Platinum status will be a good match of Hilton Diamond status, but it does require a whooping $75K annual spending on the card. Lastly, while we don't recommend either card for general spending, charging the hotel purchases to either card does make sense and the value actually compares well - Hilton Aspire's 14x points (5.6% cash equivalent return in our book) vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 6x points (4.5% in our book and offering more flexibility due to the valuable airline miles transfer). In general, Amex Hilton Aspire packs more value in our opinion, but which to pick actually heavily depends on which frequent guest program you are more loyal to.
Amex Hilton Aspire vs. JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa: Even though JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa has been discontinued to new applicants, it will still be interesting to compare the two. Both cards carry $450 annual fees, and let's break down the differences. (1) Annual airline incidental credits: $250 on Hilton Aspire vs. $300 on Ritz-Carlton Visa. Amex requires you to select a certain airline, but once set up, the reimbursement will be automatic. JPM doesn't have this limit but requires you to call in to request reimbursement. (2) Elite status: you have Hilton Diamond as long as having Hilton Aspire, while you have Marriott Gold for free and Marriott Platinum after $75K spending on Ritz-Carlton Visa. Hilton Diamond is comparable to Marriott Platinum; however, $75K spending is ridiculously excessive for most consumers. (3) Hotel Benefits: one free uncapped weekend night + $250 resort credits from Hilton Aspire vs. one free night capped at 50K points + three lounge upgrades for paid stays (up to 7 nights each) from Ritz-Carlton Visa. We will say this one is probably neck to neck, but for wealthy travelers who stay at Ritz-Carlton regularly the potential gain using lounge upgrades could be huge. (4) Ritz-Carlton Visa provides a few valuable perks that are not available on Hilton Aspire, such as luxury hotel privileges at Relais & Chateaux properties and through Visa Signature/Infinite Hotel Collection, $100 companion discount in domestic economy class travel, car rental elite status, and primary rental car collision coverage. (5) Ritz-Carlton Visa's travel protection is much better than Hilton Aspire's, as the latter doesn't cover travel cancellation, travel delay, baggage delay, and extended family members as well as awards tickets. In general, we think Ritz-Carlton is better but your opinion may differ due to your pick of loyalty program, and quite a few travelers will actually keep both.
To see how Amex Hilton Aspire competes with other cards with similar annual fees, please check out our featured review Comparing High-end Cards covering Amex Platinum Card, Amex Delta Reserve, Amex Hilton Aspire, Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase United MP Club, Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve, CNB Crystal, and MasterCard Black Card.
The Conclusion
With a seemingly hefty annual fee, Amex Hilton Aspire is actually a real deal that is almost too good to be true. It is one of best cards to keep paying annual fees without spending (probably other than Hilton purchases) and is rated #2 Best Credit Card for Perks.
© 2019 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.