Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Visa Signature Review (discontinued)
Updated October 25, 2017.
The Facts
The Math
The value of Hilton points varies greatly and general consensus is that it will not exceed 1 cent/point . As analyzed in the our blog article, after the March 2013 devaluation, we are now valuing one Hilton point less than half cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your account for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending like we used to, since it will be a stretch to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat FIA Fidelity Amex's 2% cash back.
Citi Hilton Reserve Visa vs. Amex Hilton Surpass: With the introduction of the Reserve Card in 2012, Citi has Amex beaten in almost every respect. After March 2013 devaluation, the gap between the two grew even bigger. In November 2013, Amex finally made Hilton Gold complimentary so the gap became a little smaller, but we still think the Reserve is a better card in general. Yes, the Reserve Card costs an extra $20 in annual fee ($95 vs. $75). Yes, the Reserve Card has 2 less points for Hilton spending (Amex pumped Hilton bonus from 9x to 12x in November 2012) and it has 5x airfare and rentals cars while the Surpass Card has 6x gas, groceries, and dining. However, these are all minor differences, especially after the devaluation. The Reserve's signup bonus (two weekend nights) is much bigger than the Surpass's - 50,000 points now only means about "half night" at Category 10 hotels. In addition, the Reserve gives you a free weekend night after $10K spending, which can easily be worth hundreds of dollars; this feature becomes more attractive after the devaluation - think this as an extra 9.5x bonus since now a Category 10 hotels requires as much as 95,000 points a night. Finally, combining waived foreign transaction fees, embedded EVM chip, and wider acceptance abroad, the Reserve Visa simply edges out Amex Surpass when it comes to foreign spending.
Citi Hilton Reserve Visa vs. Citi Hilton Visa: the Reserve card is $95 more expensive but offers free Gold status and potential Diamond status after $40,000 annual spending, an improved 10-5-3 earning structure (with different mid-tier categories), a weekend night certificate for $10K annual spending, and waived foreign transaction fees. So for most travelers, it actually makes a lot of sense to spend $95 and upgrade to the Reserve card.
The Conclusion
With the Reserve Card, Citi has a better product than Amex's Hilton Surpass for most consumers. It is one of the few cards that we would love to keep paying annual fees after the 1st year due to the valuable Hilton Gold status and the easy-to-achieve one free weekend night after $10K spending, especially when you have large Hilton spending.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $95
- Signup Bonus: none - you can't apply for this card any more. Historical best bonus of this card: Two weekend nights & $100 statement credit. For most part over the years, this card offered a signup bonus of Two weekend nights at select Hilton Worldwide hotels after spending $2,500 within 4 months of new account opening. They actually are good at most Hilton Worldwide properties, except for all-inclusive properties and distinctive properties with no standard rooms. Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights are considered weekend nights. The certificates expire after 12 months of issuance and the non-participating properties can be found at HHonors.com/weekendcertificate. Their most expensive hotels require 70,000 to 95,000 points or $400 to over $1,000 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). The signup bonus won't be available if you have opened or closed any Citi Hilton credit card in the past 24 months.
- Rewards: 10x Hilton Worldwide hotels, 5x airfare and car rentals, 3x everywhere else
- Best Use of Hilton Honors points: Hilton Honors points are best used for Hilton Worldwide hotels, including Waldorf Astoria Collection, Conrad, Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites.
- Other Benefits: (1) One weekend night upon anniversary when you spend more than $10,000 a year. The certificate expires after 12 months of issuance. (2) Complimentary Hilton Gold status as long as you have the card and upgrade to Hilton Diamond status after spending $40,000 each calendar year. (3) Waived foreign transaction fees. EMV chip embedded for chip-and-signature transactions abroad. It was the first Citi card to carry this feature.
- Protection: Citi Hilton Reserve offers the second highest level of consumer and travel protection among Citi cards.
- Other Facts: Citi introduced this Reserve Card in mid 2012. There has been an non-fee Citi Hilton Card for years which we haven't reviewed since we think it is inferior to its counterpart from Amex - it earns 2x points on general spending while Amex's earns 3x.
The Math
The value of Hilton points varies greatly and general consensus is that it will not exceed 1 cent/point . As analyzed in the our blog article, after the March 2013 devaluation, we are now valuing one Hilton point less than half cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your account for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending like we used to, since it will be a stretch to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat FIA Fidelity Amex's 2% cash back.
Citi Hilton Reserve Visa vs. Amex Hilton Surpass: With the introduction of the Reserve Card in 2012, Citi has Amex beaten in almost every respect. After March 2013 devaluation, the gap between the two grew even bigger. In November 2013, Amex finally made Hilton Gold complimentary so the gap became a little smaller, but we still think the Reserve is a better card in general. Yes, the Reserve Card costs an extra $20 in annual fee ($95 vs. $75). Yes, the Reserve Card has 2 less points for Hilton spending (Amex pumped Hilton bonus from 9x to 12x in November 2012) and it has 5x airfare and rentals cars while the Surpass Card has 6x gas, groceries, and dining. However, these are all minor differences, especially after the devaluation. The Reserve's signup bonus (two weekend nights) is much bigger than the Surpass's - 50,000 points now only means about "half night" at Category 10 hotels. In addition, the Reserve gives you a free weekend night after $10K spending, which can easily be worth hundreds of dollars; this feature becomes more attractive after the devaluation - think this as an extra 9.5x bonus since now a Category 10 hotels requires as much as 95,000 points a night. Finally, combining waived foreign transaction fees, embedded EVM chip, and wider acceptance abroad, the Reserve Visa simply edges out Amex Surpass when it comes to foreign spending.
Citi Hilton Reserve Visa vs. Citi Hilton Visa: the Reserve card is $95 more expensive but offers free Gold status and potential Diamond status after $40,000 annual spending, an improved 10-5-3 earning structure (with different mid-tier categories), a weekend night certificate for $10K annual spending, and waived foreign transaction fees. So for most travelers, it actually makes a lot of sense to spend $95 and upgrade to the Reserve card.
The Conclusion
With the Reserve Card, Citi has a better product than Amex's Hilton Surpass for most consumers. It is one of the few cards that we would love to keep paying annual fees after the 1st year due to the valuable Hilton Gold status and the easy-to-achieve one free weekend night after $10K spending, especially when you have large Hilton spending.