American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card Review
Updated March 29, 2024.
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 $550, you enjoy a suite of perks that could easily negate the annual fee and then some: one annual free night, Hilton Diamond status, $200 semi-annual resort credits, quarterly $50 flight credits, and a CLEAR plus membership. 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 $30 or even $60K a year to get one or two additional free nights?" 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 $30,000 x 0.8% = $240. This is much better than the value before the 2023 revamp, but there is still a decision to be made.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($550) vs. Amex Hilton Surpass ($150): With the difference of $400 in annual fees, on Aspire, you receive an annual free night without any spending (Surpass requires $15K spending to get one, while Aspire allows one or two more for $30K or $60K spending), $400 annual Hilton resort credits in form of $200 semi-annual 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), somewhat comparable $200 annual credits in form of $50 quarterly credits (for flights on Aspire vs. for Hilton on Surpass), and some different bonus categories (which aren't that important anyway). Before the October 2023 revamp, it used to be fairly straightforward to recommend Aspire over Surpass for most Hilton guests; now, however, while we think Aspire still has some edge, it is really up to each individual to decide which is better.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($550) vs. Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ($650): As the flagship credit card for each of their programs, each card carries a high annual fee. How do they compare? Let's first look at the effective annual fees: Marriott 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 $200 for flights in form of quarterly credits and $400 for Hilton portfolio resorts in form of semi-annual credits, which we think is reasonable to value at $400 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 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). In addition, Hilton Aspire allows two additional free nights at $60K spending, while Marriott Brilliant only offers one additional free night (assuming what most people choose for the "Earned Choice Award"). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status is similar to Marriott Platinum. Fourthly, Marriott Brilliant offers a free Priority Pass Select for you plus two, while Hilton Aspire lost this benefit since October 2023. 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). To summarize, 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 was recommended by us as a real deal that was almost too good to be true. The 2023 revamp may change some people's mind, but in general we think it is still a good to be highly recommended. 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.
© 2011-2024 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $550
- Signup Bonus: 150,000 points after spending $6,000 within 6 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 and 2020-2023.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 14x Hilton Worldwide portfolio hotels, 7x airfare (booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com), car rentals, and U.S. restaurants, 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.
- Statement Credits: (1) Up to $400 resort credits each calendar year in form of up to $200 semi-annual credits for purchases (including room rates, taxes, resort fees, and any incidentals charged to your room) at over 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 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. (2) Up to $200 flight credits each calendar year in form of up to $50 quarterly credits towards airfare booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com. (3) Up to $189 CLEAR credits each calendar year, covering an annual CLEAR Plus membership, which enables you to clear security faster at select U.S. airports and stadiums.
- 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 while the competitors offer annual free nights starting the first card anniversary, Hilton Aspire offers a free night already upon new account opening, making it part of the 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 $30,000 on the card each calendar year, and another additional free night after you spend $60,000 per year. (4) 500 bonus points each time you book a stay online with any Hilton portfolio website and pay with your card. (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 semi-annual $200 credits at a resort location.
- Other Benefits: (1) Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status, which gives you faster free rental days, guaranteed upgrades on full-size and above reservations, etc. (2) Waived foreign transaction fees with an embedded EMV chip. (3) Amex 24/7 Concierge Service. (4) 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. (5) Entertainment Access including American Express Presale, American Express Preferred Seating, and Premium Access (dining access). (6) ShopRunner membership for free 2-day shipping with select merchants.
- 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. In October 2023, Amex introduced a major revamp of the Aspire card by increasing the annual fee from $450 to $550, increasing the resort credits from $250 annually to $200 semi-annually, replacing the $250 annual airline incidental credits with the $200 flight credits ($50 per quarter), allowing one additional free night at $30K spending, adding $189 CLEAR credits, adding National Executive status, adding cell phone protection, and removing Priority Pass Select membership.
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 $550, you enjoy a suite of perks that could easily negate the annual fee and then some: one annual free night, Hilton Diamond status, $200 semi-annual resort credits, quarterly $50 flight credits, and a CLEAR plus membership. 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 $30 or even $60K a year to get one or two additional free nights?" 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 $30,000 x 0.8% = $240. This is much better than the value before the 2023 revamp, but there is still a decision to be made.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($550) vs. Amex Hilton Surpass ($150): With the difference of $400 in annual fees, on Aspire, you receive an annual free night without any spending (Surpass requires $15K spending to get one, while Aspire allows one or two more for $30K or $60K spending), $400 annual Hilton resort credits in form of $200 semi-annual 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), somewhat comparable $200 annual credits in form of $50 quarterly credits (for flights on Aspire vs. for Hilton on Surpass), and some different bonus categories (which aren't that important anyway). Before the October 2023 revamp, it used to be fairly straightforward to recommend Aspire over Surpass for most Hilton guests; now, however, while we think Aspire still has some edge, it is really up to each individual to decide which is better.
Amex Hilton Aspire ($550) vs. Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ($650): As the flagship credit card for each of their programs, each card carries a high annual fee. How do they compare? Let's first look at the effective annual fees: Marriott 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 $200 for flights in form of quarterly credits and $400 for Hilton portfolio resorts in form of semi-annual credits, which we think is reasonable to value at $400 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 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). In addition, Hilton Aspire allows two additional free nights at $60K spending, while Marriott Brilliant only offers one additional free night (assuming what most people choose for the "Earned Choice Award"). Thirdly, Hilton Aspire's complimentary Diamond status is similar to Marriott Platinum. Fourthly, Marriott Brilliant offers a free Priority Pass Select for you plus two, while Hilton Aspire lost this benefit since October 2023. 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). To summarize, 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 was recommended by us as a real deal that was almost too good to be true. The 2023 revamp may change some people's mind, but in general we think it is still a good to be highly recommended. 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.
© 2011-2024 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.