American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card Review (Old Review NOT being Updated)
Updated June 21, 2023. 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 a seemingly high annual fee of $450, you enjoy a suite of perks that could easily negate the annual fee and then some: one annual free 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 free 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): with the difference of $355 in annual fees, you get 2 extra points on Hilton purchases, an annual free night without spending (Surpass requires spending $15K), annual $250 Hilton resort credits, annual $250 airline credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which aren't that different 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 for each of their programs, each card carries a high annual fee and offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited access for you plus two. How do they compare? Let's first look at the effective annual fees: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers $300 per year for dining in form of monthly credits, which we think is reasonable to value at $200, while Hilton Aspire offers $250 for airline incidentals and $250 for Hilton portfolio resorts, which we think is reasonable to value at $300 combined; in this way, the effective annual fees are $450 for Marriott Brilliant and $150 for Hilton Aspire. Secondly, let's compare the annual free nights - Hilton Aspire wins slightly on this one as the annual free night can be redeemed at any Hilton portfolio hotels, while Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's free night is capped at 85K-point properties (but can be redeemed at up to 100K-point properties when you top off with your own points). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status is similar to Marriott Platinum. 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 slightly more value, with about $300 less in effective annual fees, and is thus a clear winner.
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.
© 2011-2023 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 night at most Hilton portfolio hotels, excluding all-inclusive properties and distinctive properties with no standard rooms, with the new card account opening. This signup bonus is not available to applicants who have or have had this card. The free night certificate expires after 12 months of issuance, and non-participating hotels are listed at HiltonHonors.com/freenightreward. Hilton's most expensive hotels require 95,000~120,000 points or $400 to over $1,000 in cash per night. Here are some examples of exceptional redemption for free nights: Waldorf Astoria Maldives, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Grand Wailea - A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Waldorf Astoria Park City (in peak seasons), Conrad Bora Bora Nui, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Conrad Koh Samui, Conrad Punta de Mita, Conrad New York Midtown, Conrad Tokyo, Zemi Beach House - LXR Hotels & Resorts, Oceana Santa Monica - LXR Hotels & Resorts, The Biltmore Mayfair - LXR Hotels & Resorts, Cliffrose Springdale - Curio Collection, Hilton Seychelles Labriz, and Hilton Seychelles Northolme. Historical best bonus of this card: 150,000 points + one free night in 2018 & 2020 & 2021.
- Application Landing 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, spark 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 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 free night rewards. (3) Earn an additional free 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).
- 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. In 2022, after allowing Free Weekend Night (originally defined as a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night) rewards to be used on any day of the week since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Hilton finally made this change permanent.
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 a seemingly high annual fee of $450, you enjoy a suite of perks that could easily negate the annual fee and then some: one annual free 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 free 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): with the difference of $355 in annual fees, you get 2 extra points on Hilton purchases, an annual free night without spending (Surpass requires spending $15K), annual $250 Hilton resort credits, annual $250 airline credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which aren't that different 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 for each of their programs, each card carries a high annual fee and offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited access for you plus two. How do they compare? Let's first look at the effective annual fees: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers $300 per year for dining in form of monthly credits, which we think is reasonable to value at $200, while Hilton Aspire offers $250 for airline incidentals and $250 for Hilton portfolio resorts, which we think is reasonable to value at $300 combined; in this way, the effective annual fees are $450 for Marriott Brilliant and $150 for Hilton Aspire. Secondly, let's compare the annual free nights - Hilton Aspire wins slightly on this one as the annual free night can be redeemed at any Hilton portfolio hotels, while Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant's free night is capped at 85K-point properties (but can be redeemed at up to 100K-point properties when you top off with your own points). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status is similar to Marriott Platinum. 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 slightly more value, with about $300 less in effective annual fees, and is thus a clear winner.
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.
© 2011-2023 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.