Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card Review [2024]: Lux Rewards

Hilton is one of the most recognizable names in the travel world. With more than 570 hotels and resorts around the globe, Hilton offers travelers luxury accommodations no matter where they go.

With the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Hilton fans can earn valuable rewards and perks not available to the casual traveler. While it does carry a sizable annual fee, the Aspire card is worth the cost as long as you use the available benefits.

Keep reading this Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card review to find out if this is the best hotel credit card for you.

Fabulous Rewards for Hilton Fans

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Compare Credit Cards

Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$550

Rewards Rate

14X points on eligible purchases within the Hilton portfolio, 7X points on qualifying travel purchases made directly with airlines/select car rental companies or Amextravel.com, 7X points at U.S. restaurants, and 3X points on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
• 14X points at eligible purchases within the Hilton portfolio
• $400 in annual Hilton Resort credits
• No foreign transaction fees
• $550 annual fee. Terms apply.

Drawbacks

• High annual fee
• Best for frequent Hilton travelers

Card Details

• Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
• 14X points on eligible purchases within the Hilton portfolio, 7X points on qualifying travel purchases made directly with airlines/select car rental companies or Amextravel.com, 7X points at U.S. restaurants, and 3X points on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply

Who should get the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is for frequent travelers who want luxury level benefits. If you’re already a fan of Hilton hotels and resorts or planning to make them your “go-to” hotel chain, having the Aspire card makes sense.

If you are a member of the Hilton Honors loyalty program, or planning to join it, then this card will be greatly beneficial to you. The Aspire card automatically earns you Diamond Status, the highest tier of member benefits offered by Hilton. It also earns points at a ridiculously high rate for all Hilton purchases, making this the perfect card if you plan to travel to Hilton properties over the next year and beyond.

This card does have a $550 annual fee, though. So if you aren’t planning on taking advantage of its travel perks or planning to be frequently earning rewards by staying at Hilton properties, you’ll be better off getting either a different Hilton credit card or other travel rewards credit card.

Card basics

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer: New cardmembers can earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.
• Complimentary Diamond status: Enjoy complimentary Diamond elite status with your Hilton Honors Aspire card. This is the highest Hilton status tier and gives you access to perks like free breakfast on all stays, room upgrades, premium WiFi, Executive Lounge access, unlimited milestone bonuses, and more.
• Hilton resort credit: Enjoy up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually at participating Hilton Resorts.
• Airline fee credit: You can receive up to $200 back per year ($50 in statement credits each quarter) on eligible flight purchases. 
• Property credit: Cardmembers can get a credit of up to $100 each time they book an eligible two-night hotel stay at a Waldorf Astoria or Conrad property.
• Free Night Reward: Your new Aspire card earns you a Free Night Reward at a Hilton property during your first year as well as one every year after renewal. You can earn an additional free night after making $30,000 in purchases and another after making $60,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
• CLEAR® Plus statement credit: If you use your Aspire card to pay for an eligible CLEAR Plus membership, you can receive up to $189 back in statement credits per calendar year (subject to auto-renewal).
  
• National Car Rental Status: You can receive complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. 
  
• Cell phone protection: You can receive up to $800 per claim for damaged or stolen cell phones when you pay your cell phone bill in full with this card. You can have up to two claims per card account per 12-month period. A $50 deductible per claim may apply to each claim.
• Insurance coverage: By using your Hilton Aspire card, you can get car rental loss and damage insurance as well as baggage insurance for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
• Select benefits require enrollment.

Drawbacks to the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

• Annual fee: While this card does come with some impressive perks, it also comes with an annual fee of $550. It can be an expensive card if you aren't a loyal Hilton guest and you aren't traveling often enough to offset the annual fee.
• No Priority Pass access: If you want lounge access, this may not be the card for you.
  
• Low transfer value: If you are interested in transferring your Hilton points to a hotel or airline partner, make sure you check the value before you complete your transfer. Typically, Hilton points transfer at a 10:1 ratio, though you may get a better value, depending on the partner you choose.

Earning & redeeming Hilton Honors points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.0055 cents apiece.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $3,000

Year two earnings: $2,037

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Note that the values above only take general travel spending into account. They do not account for Hilton-specific spending, the annual statement credits, or Hilton Honors Diamond Status perks that you receive as a cardmember. If you factor those in, the value you'll get from this card in years one and two will likely be significantly higher. 

Best ways to earn

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the perfect card for earning rewards on travel purchases, especially if you frequent Hilton properties. You can earn 14X points on eligible purchases within the Hilton portfolio, 7X points on qualifying travel purchases made directly with airlines/select car rental companies or Amextravel.com, 7X points at U.S. restaurants, and 3X points on all other eligible purchases.

Few credit cards offer rewards earning with rates this high. So, as you can see, using your Hilton Honors Aspire card for all of your purchases can help you earn Hilton Honors points quickly.

Maximizing your redemptions

Your Hilton Honors points can be used for a variety of redemptions. But when it comes to maximizing the value of your Hilton Honors points, it makes the most sense to use them on free Hilton stays. Redemptions for Hilton hotel stays start at just 5,000 points a night, though the number of points required will increase depending on the specific property, type of room, and other factors.

Other things you can get with your Hilton Honors points include:

• Hilton vacation packages
• Cruises
• Car rentals
• Lyft ride certificates
• Online shopping
• Gift certificates

Your Hilton Honors points can also be converted to airline or rail miles with select Hilton travel partners. There’s also an option to transfer points to someone else or donate them to charity.

Hilton Honors transfer partners

If you prefer, you can transfer your Hilton Honors points to one of several hotel, airline, and travel partners. Hilton Honors currently has over 30 airline, rail, and mileage rewards program partners. Among these hospitality companies are American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

You can also add to your Hilton Honors points with rewards from both American Express and Diners Club. American Express cardholders in the U.S. will receive 2,000 Hilton Honors points for every 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points transferred into your Hilton Honors rewards account.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

If you like luxury travel rewards, but don’t want to be tied to a particular hotel chain, try the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. This travel card’s 60,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening and $300 annual travel credit definitely help offset its annual fee of $550. It earns 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges no foreign transaction fees and also has other travel benefits like airport lounge access, a statement credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry fees, and more.

If you’re a fan of Hilton, but don’t love the high annual fee attached to the Aspire card, why not check out the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card? You’ll earn 12X points on eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts; 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases. Plus, you’ll earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months (offer ends 1/8/2025).

Fabulous Rewards for Hilton Fans

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Why We Like It

Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months

Terms Apply

See how these cards compare:

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits
• Great rewards on travel purchases and dining
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• Comprehensive travel protections, including trip delay and cancellation insurance
• 50% point redemption bonus when booking through Chase Travel

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

• Automatic Hilton Honors Gold Status and a path to reaching Diamond status
• $200 annual Hilton credit
• High non-bonus category earnings
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply