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Business credit cards not only help keep your personal and business expenses separate but also allow you to earn rewards on the costs, big or small, that come with running a business. Whether your expenses include gas, food, shipping costs, or flights and hotels for business travel, you should be rewarded for your business spending — and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card does just that.
In addition to earning a generous welcome bonus, Hilton Honors American Express Business cardmembers will also earn bonus points on select business and travel purchases, travel benefits, and a slew of other valuable business-related perks. For any business owner who prefers staying with Hilton, getting this as your next new card may be a no-brainer.
However, if you aren’t sure whether or not this card fits your lifestyle and spending habits, this Hilton Honors American Express Business Card review will help answer some of those burning questions: Is it the best hotel credit card for me? Is it worth it? Let’s find out.
A Slew of Valuable Business Perks
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Current Offer
Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months (offer ends 6/5)
Annual Fee
$195
Rewards Rate
12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases; 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year; and 3X points thereafter
Who should get The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card?
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a great option for business owners who find value in staying at the various Hilton properties. When spending with this card, you can earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases; 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year; and 3X points thereafter.
Hilton travelers will be rewarded for their loyalty in booking stays with the brand, but this isn’t the only way to earn Hilton points. Virtually every other business expense is going to earn you points, too, allowing you to quickly amass points toward your next trip.
Since redeeming for Hilton stays is generally going to provide you more value per point, those who are loyal to Hilton will find the most value in this card.
Cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card typically require a credit score between good and excellent in order to be approved, so that means you’ll need a credit history that shows a track record of responsible habits.
Card basics
| Card type | Business |
| Card issuer | American Express |
| Annual fee | $195 (Terms apply) |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months (offer ends 6/5) |
| Rewards rate | 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases; 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year; and 3X points thereafter |
| Recommended credit score | Good, Excellent |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card benefits and perks
- Lucrative welcome bonus: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months (offer ends 6/5).
- Earn points on travel and business spending: Beyond earning 12X on eligible Hilton purchases, this card works double duty as a business and travel card. Eligible business and travel spending earns 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points other purchases made on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year.
- Complimentary Gold status: Enjoy Gold status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. Gold status gives you access to potential room upgrades and bonus points on bookings, as well as complimentary continental breakfast, late checkout, and a number of other great perks.
- Priority Pass Select membership: Enjoy 10 free airport lounge visits each year once you're enrolled in the free Priority Pass Select program, which offers lounge access to over 1,200 locations around the world. (Enrollment is required for this benefit.)
- Upgrade to Diamond status: Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year and earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No foreign transaction fees: Swipe your card on any purchase abroad without having to worry about racking up fees.
- Amex Offers: Add shopping, dining, travel, and other offers to your card to enjoy additional rewards. (Enrollment is required for this benefit.)
- Trip protection: Between baggage and car rental insurance (secondary coverage), as well as access to the Global Assist Hotline, you can relax knowing any trip is going to be protected.123
- Purchase protection: Benefit from an extended warranty and purchase protection on eligible purchases just by using your card to pay for them.45
Drawbacks to this card
- Best for Hilton loyalists: Since this card earns you Hilton Honors points and you can't transfer those points to any other hotel brands, this card is best suited for small business owners who regularly stay at properties in the Hilton portfolio.
- No automatic free nights: Many hotel cards come with free nights with no attached spending requirements. That is not the case with this card. If you don't mind applying for a personal card instead of a business credit card, you might consider getting the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. The Hilton Honors Aspire card comes with automatic free nights.
All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by FinanceBuzz.
Earning & redeeming Hilton Honors points
Best ways to earn
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Eligible Hilton purchases | 12X |
| Other purchases made on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year | 5X |
| All other eligible purchases | 3X |
Maximizing your redemptions
Just as you’d expect with a hotel credit card, you’ll get the most value from your points by redeeming them for stays at Hilton hotels, which can be easily done on the Hilton Honors website. How much each point is worth exactly varies depending on when you travel and where you stay, but hotel stays are still generally the best way to redeem them. Reward stays can be booked online, on the Hilton Honors app, or by calling 1-800-446-6677.
That said, the Hilton Honors website provides several other options you can choose from to redeem your points, with some giving you more for your money than others:
| Use Hilton Honors points for | Details |
| Hilton hotels and resorts | Starting as low as 5,000 points, you can redeem for free nights at any of the 5,700 properties around the world |
| Redemption experiences | Use your points for an experience, which could be concert tickets, travel excursions, and more |
| On-property rewards | Redeem your points for things like spa treatments, fine dining, or golf lessons to make your stay that much better |
| Travel and transportation | Transfer your points to airline, rail, and car rental partners |
| Shopping and dining | Use your points to redeem rewards from Hilton’s retail and entertainment partners |
| Pool and transfer points | Share your points with family and friends to enjoy experiences together |
| Exchange points | If you need extra points to reach a particular reward redemption, you can exchange points from other participating rewards programs for Hilton Honors points to help get you there |
| Donate your points | Support a charity or nonprofit that matters to you |
Hotels in the Hilton Honors program
Hilton Honors is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, with over 5,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Brands in the Hilton portfolio include:
- Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
- LXR Hotels & Resorts
- Conrad Hotels & Resorts
- Canopy by Hilton
- Tempo by Hilton
- Motto by Hilton
- Signia by Hilton
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts
- DoubleTree by Hilton
- Curio Collection by Hilton
- Tapestry Collection by Hilton
- Embassy Suites by Hilton
- Homewood Suites by Hilton
- Home2 Suites by Hilton
- Project H3 by Hilton
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Hampton by Hilton
- Tru by Hilton
- Spark by Hilton
- Hilton Grand Vacations
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card FAQs
Is the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card worth it?
You should be able to find value in this card if you try to stay at Hilton properties anytime you travel. With more than 5,700 properties in 113 countries, the Hilton Honors program provides an enormous amount of flexibility for business travelers. However, if you don’t frequent Hilton properties, you may find more value in a business credit card that isn’t tied to a specific hotel.
What credit score do you need for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card?
For the best chances of being approved for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you’ll want a good-to-excellent FICO score of 670 or higher.
What does Hilton Gold status get you?
Hilton Honors Gold Elite status offers a world of privileges and benefits, such as:
- A guaranteed member discount (discounted, changeable, and refundable rate)
- Earn reward nights faster with an 80% bonus on all Hilton Honors Base Points you earn
- No resort fees on Reward Stays
- Choose your room, check-in, and keep your key digitally with the Hilton Honors app
- Second guest stays for free
- Late check-out
- Free transfer of points and points pooling
- Book reward stays with points and receive every fifth night free
- Enjoy two complimentary bottles of water per stay
- Elite-tier rollover nights
- Enjoy space-available room upgrades (up to Executive room type)
- Enjoy daily continental breakfast for you and up to one additional guest
- Unlimited milestone bonuses
- Earn 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights you stay in a calendar year, starting at 40 nights. On top of that, earn an additional 30,000 bonus points when you hit 60 nights.
Does Hilton Honors have lifetime status?
Yes, but only for select Hilton Honors members — well, their most loyal guests, that is. To qualify for Lifetime Diamond status, Hilton Honors members must have Diamond status for at least 10 years and must have stayed at least a combined total of 1,000 paid and reward nights. Members can also have Diamond status for at least 10 years and have earned at least 2 million base points in order to qualify for Lifetime Diamond status.
Can you have both Amex Hilton Honors cards?
Yes, you can have both the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card and the consumer version of the card, the Hilton Honors American Express Card. Since all Amex Hilton cards are considered separate products, you not only can have both cards but you also can earn the welcome bonus on each one.
What is the highest level of Hilton Honors?
There are four levels of Hilton Honors: Member, Silver, Gold, and Diamond (the highest). Since your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card includes a complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, you’d need to spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
How much are Hilton Honors points worth?
Since there are several ways to redeem your Hilton Honors points and each way has its own value, determining what your points are worth depends on how you choose to redeem them.
Take the following scenario as an example:
Points booking:
- A three-night stay at Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront Suites during peak season in August 2019 costs 90,000 points, or $631 per night. That’s a value of roughly 0.7 cents per point.
- A three-night stay at the same hotel and room a month later in September 2019 still costs 90,000 points, but the room rate is now $315 per night. That’s a value of roughly 0.4 cents per point.
Whether it’s a hotel stay or transferring to a travel partner, shopping around before you decide to spend your points is the best way to ensure you’re getting the most value from them.
How many Hilton points do you need for a free night?
The amount of points required to redeem for a free night varies by hotel, room, booking, and the date you choose, but the number of points required for a reward stay starts at 5,000 points per night. This amount will also fluctuate depending if your stay is during a peak or off-peak period but will be no more than 95,000 points per night.
Other cards to consider
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a great option for small business owners who frequently stay at Hilton properties. But if you don’t want your rewards to be tied up with a single brand, there are other comparable credit card offers you may find rewarding.
The American Express® Business Gold Card is an ideal choice for business owners who value a combination of earning potential and flexibility. On top of earning bonus points in the categories with the most spend, cardmembers can also earn a lucrative welcome bonus and other business-related perks that should help offset the $375 annual fee . (Terms apply. Enrollment required for select benefits.)
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is another great small business card for entrepreneurs and business owners who value flexibility above all else. With a very generous welcome offer, high earnings rates, and useful transfer partners when it comes time to redeem your points, this card brings cardholders a lot of obvious value — even with a moderate annual fee of $95.
A Slew of Valuable Business Perks
Why We Like It
Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months (offer ends 6/5)
See how these cards compare:
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American Express® Business Gold Card
- Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months
- 4X Membership Rewards on the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 annually, after that 1X)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $375 annual fee
- See rates and fees | Terms Apply
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Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- 3X points on travel and common business spending categories
- Flexible redemption options
- Additional employee cards at no extra cost