American Express Hilton Honors BUSINESS Card Review
Updated June 25, 2023.
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 12x and 6x categories depending on your points valuation.
Amex Hilton Business Card is similar to the personal Amex Hilton Surpass in that they share most of the features including the $95 annual fees. However, the business card is actually a little better due to its wider 6x bonus categories and the potential to earn the second free weekend night. Amex Hilton Business Card is a great card to have even without much spending, because the complimentary Hilton Gold status by itself probably more than pays the $95 annual fee, and free weekend nights (one with $15K and two with $60K) are also attractive if you decide to make spending with the card.
The Conclusion
Amex Hilton Business Card is a great card for business owners that stay at Hilton hotels, even just a few times in a year.
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- Annual Fee: $95
- Signup Bonus: 150,000 points + one free night after you spend $4,000 within 3 months of new account opening. This signup bonus is not available to applicants who have or have had this card. Historical best bonus of this card: (1) 150,000 points + one free night in 2023; (2) 130,000 points + one free night in 2022; (3) $150 + 150,000 points in 2021; (4) 100,000 points + free night at first anniversary in 2017; (5) 130,000 points in 2020; (6) 125,000 points in 2018 & 2020. The free night certificate expires after 12 months of issuance. 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.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 12x Hilton Worldwide portfolio hotels, 6x airfare (booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com), car rentals, U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless phone services, and U.S. shipping services, 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 Gold status, which is normally achieved by 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75,000 base points annually, and offers complimentary breakfasts for two at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Curio Collection, and Tapestry Collection, is considered the best mid-tier hotel status in industry. (2) When you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you will receive 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). (3) When you spend $15,000 in a calendar year, receive one annual 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 and upon each card anniversary. 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 70,000 to 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, Grand Wailea A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and Waldorf Astoria Park City (in peak seasons). (4) Earn a second free weekend night when you spend a total of $60,000 in a calendar year. (5) 500 bonus points each time you book a stay online with any Hilton portfolio website and pay with your card.
- Other Benefits: (1) Priority Pass Select membership with 10 free visits each year to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide (additional passes are $27 per person per visit). (2) Waived foreign transaction fees with a embedded EMV chip. (3) Automatic discounts with Amex OPEN Savings.
- 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 (name changed from Hilton Surpass, annual fee increased to $95, free weekend night with $15K spending added) 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 12x and 6x categories depending on your points valuation.
Amex Hilton Business Card is similar to the personal Amex Hilton Surpass in that they share most of the features including the $95 annual fees. However, the business card is actually a little better due to its wider 6x bonus categories and the potential to earn the second free weekend night. Amex Hilton Business Card is a great card to have even without much spending, because the complimentary Hilton Gold status by itself probably more than pays the $95 annual fee, and free weekend nights (one with $15K and two with $60K) are also attractive if you decide to make spending with the card.
The Conclusion
Amex Hilton Business Card is a great card for business owners that stay at Hilton hotels, even just a few times in a year.
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