Hilton Honors American Express Card Review [2023]: Excellent Rewards with No Annual Fee

Travel credit cards provide a lot of valuable features, but many of the best options charge annual fees. If you're in the market for a new card and want to dip your toe into the world of travel rewards — but aren’t yet sure how you feel about annual fees — the Hilton Honors American Express Card may be a good fit.

In this Hilton Honors American Express Card review, you’ll learn about the pros and cons of this rewards card, who it’s good for, how to use it, and some potential alternatives.

Who should get the Hilton Honors American Express Card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is worth considering if you’re loyal to Hilton and don’t want the pressure of an annual fee. The card offers potentially valuable rewards on purchases made with the hotel brand and select everyday spending categories.

If you’re looking for more value, however, a hotel credit card with an annual fee may be able to provide enough benefits to outweigh the yearly cost. Be sure to carefully consider all your options and run the numbers for each one to ensure you get the right fit.

Card basics

Card type	Travel
Credit card issuer	American Express
Annual fee	$0. Terms apply.
Welcome bonus	Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (plus a free night reward) after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
Reward rate	7X points at participating hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio; 5X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases
Recommended credit score	Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee	None

Hilton Honors American Express benefits & perks

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (plus a free night reward) after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Depending on where you look, Hilton Honors points are worth 0.5 to 0.6 cents apiece on average.

• No annual fee: Annual fees aren’t inherently bad, but they do require you to get enough value out of cards to make up for them. With no annual fee, you can use your card without wondering whether it’s worth it.

• Silver elite status: The card offers complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, which comes with extra benefits regular members don’t have. Examples include a fifth night free at Hilton properties, two bottles of water in your room, and elite tier rollover nights. Enrollment required.

• Path to Gold elite status: If you spend at least $20,000 on your card in a calendar year, you’ll be bumped up to Gold elite status. The upgrade is valid for the calendar year it's earned through the end of the next calendar year. This level provides more perks beyond Silver, including room upgrades, daily food and beverage credit (U.S. hotels only) or complimentary breakfast (non-U.S. hotels), and unlimited milestone bonuses.

• Trip protections: The card doesn’t offer a lot in the way of travel protections, but you will get rental car insurance (secondary coverage) and access to a Global Assist Hotline. There are also no foreign transaction fees, which can save you money when on international travel.

Drawbacks to the Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Limited travel benefits: Beyond secondary car rental insurance coverage and access to a Global Assist hotline, this card offers limited travel perks. So if you're looking for perks such as baggage or trip delay insurance, you may be better off with a different option.
• No 0% introductory APR offer: Like many other travel cards, this card does not offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers.
  

Earning & redeeming Hilton Honors points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your Hilton Honors points can add up with the Hilton Honors American Express Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of .006.

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: $1,355.40

Year two earnings: $935.40

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

Best ways to earn

Depending on how you spend your money, it’s possible to get a good amount of value out of this Hilton card’s rewards program. And because Hilton has a dynamic rewards program, the value of your points can vary based on how and where you book, so it’s feasible to maximize your points that way, too.

Category	Rewards rate
Hotels and resorts in the Hilton Portfolio	7X
U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations	5X
All other eligible purchases	3X

Like virtually all of the best hotel credit cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card offers bonus rewards on purchases made with its co-branded hotel partner. You’ll earn 7X points per dollar spent on hotels and resorts in the Hilton Portfolio.

The card also offers 5X points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, as well as 3X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. The more you spend at Hilton hotels and in other bonus categories, the easier it will be to rack up rewards.

Maximizing your redemptions

As previously mentioned, Hilton Honors points are worth 0.5 cents to 0.6 cents apiece on average, depending on where you look. The important thing to understand with that range is that it’s an average rather than a set value.

This means that depending on how you redeem your points, they could be worth more or less than that average. As a result, it’s important to be mindful when redeeming rewards to avoid losing value on a bad redemption. Look at the price of the stay with and without points to understand how much value you’re getting per point, then compare that to the average.

For example, if a hotel is charging $120 per night or 30,000 points, the redemption value is 0.4 cents per point and may not be worth it. If, however, the cost is $200 per night or 30,000 points, you’re getting 0.67 cents per point, which could be worth it.

Also, keep in mind that Hilton offers other redemption options, including experiences, on-property rewards, shopping and dining, travel and transportation, and more. In general, though, you’ll get the best value when you use your points to book Hilton stays.

Hilton Honors transfer partners

Hilton Honors travel partners include more than 30 airline, rail, and mileage rewards programs. Among these partners are Amtrak, Hawaiian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

If you're interested in boosting your Hilton Honors point balance, you can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards or Diners Club. As a U.S. Hilton cardholder, you will receive 2,000 Hilton Honors points for every 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points you transfer.

FAQs about the Hilton Honors American Express Card

As we’ve researched the Hilton Honors Card, we’ve come across some questions that might help you decide if the card is right for you. Here are some of the more popular ones, along with their answers.

Other cards to consider

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a solid no annual fee card for consumers who want to earn rewards with Hilton. However, if you want more flexibility with your travel rewards credit card or more Hilton-specific perks, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card may be a better fit.

As a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder, you get access to the popular Chase Ultimate Rewards program. This loyalty program is widely known for its flexible redemption options. You can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for airfare, hotel stays, gift cards, and more. In some cases, you can maximize the value of your points when you transfer them to one of Chase's 13 airline partners or hotel partners.

For frequent travelers and loyal Hilton guests, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card may be a better option. While the Hilton Honors Surpass does come with an annual fee of $95, this credit card offers a higher rewards rate — 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; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases.