5 Things to Know About the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card gives avid fans of Hilton hotel and resort properties a variety of rewards and benefits they won’t find with other credit cards. Indeed, this is the highest-tier credit card offered in the Hilton Honors family of cards.

Here are five things to know about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best hotel credit cards

1. The annual fee is high …

This is positioned as a luxury card, and its price reflects it. The annual fee is $450 a year. Before signing up for such a high fee, consider how committed you are to the Hilton Honors loyalty program. Do you travel often, and do you stay almost exclusively at Hilton properties when you do? If so, it’ll be easier to get the most out of this card. If not, other travel rewards cards may be a better fit.

» MORE: Is it worth paying an annual fee for a credit card?

2. … But you get plenty of perks

These are no rinky-dink card benefits if you’re able to use them: 

• $250 annual airline fee credit: Select one qualifying airline and receive up to $250 per calendar year in statement credits for incidental fees such as checked baggage, in-flight refreshments and flight change fees.
• $250 annual Hilton resort credit: Get up to $250 in statement credits each year of card membership for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts.
• Weekend rewards night(s): Get one complimentary weekend night reward with the card each year. Earn an additional night after you spend $60,000 on purchases on the card in a calendar year.
• $100 on-property credit: Book a two-night minimum stay with the card and get up to $100 in credits for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts.
• Priority Pass Select membership: This gives you access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. In lounges that allow guests, you can bring up to two for no additional charge.
• Terms apply.

3. You can rack up points quickly …

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers several ways to beef up your cache of points:

• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the card within your first three months of card membership. Terms apply. (This is the card’s welcome offer as of Aug. 13, 2019.)
• Earn 14 points on each dollar spent on eligible purchases directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 7 points on spending at U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies.
• Earn 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
• Terms apply.

4. … But don’t get fooled by high point totals

Hilton points seem to add up faster than points in other loyalty programs. There’s a reason: They’re worth a good bit less per point, so you get more of them. 

Hilton Honors points are worth 0.4 cent each, according to NerdWallet valuations. That’s half as much as Marriott Bonvoy points and about a quarter of the value of World of Hyatt points.

But again, you get more points per dollar spent than you do with some other hotel loyalty programs, so the valuation is neither good nor bad; it’s just a different scale.

5. It offers other travel benefits

With the card, you get automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, which includes perks, such as double bonus points on all base points you earn, room upgrades when available, premium Wi-Fi, late checkout and more.

The card has no foreign transaction fees and includes protections like rental car insurance, coverage for lost luggage, travel accident insurance and roadside assistance. Terms apply.

American Express cards aren’t accepted as widely outside the U.S. as Visas or Mastercards, so bring a backup credit card when you’re abroad.

» MORE: 9 credit card tips to take with you overseas

Information related to the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.