Hilton offers a variety of credit cards that can help you earn rewards to use toward free night stays at one of their more than 7,000 properties worldwide. So whether you’re an occasional guest or a Hilton road warrior, there’s likely a Hilton Honors credit card for you.
These cards offer generous rewards rates, valuable welcome offers, free night stays, complimentary elite statuses and more. But, keep in mind that the more robust the benefits and higher the rewards rate, the higher the annual fee will be. Further, the best Hilton card for you may not even be an actual Hilton-branded credit card, but instead a travel card — like The Platinum Card® from American Express — that provides the flexibility to transfer your points to the Hilton Honors program at a solid rate.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers an excellent welcome offer, strong earning rate and premium travel benefits — making it our top pick.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Generous welcome offer
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is our pick because it offers an outstanding welcome offer, generous earning rate and valuable perks — all for a reasonable annual fee. You’ll get access to benefits like a Free Night Reward after $15,000 spent in a calendar year, up to $200 in statement credits (up to $50 quarterly) toward Hilton hotel purchases, automatic Hilton Honors Gold status (which includes an 80% points bonus on stays, daily food and beverage credits and more (enrollment required)), a pathway to top-tier Diamond status and more. Plus, since dining, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations are categories where many people spend a lot, the ability to get 6 points for every dollar spent is another nice feature.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Luxury credit card with highest level of rewards
While the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express does come with a $550 annual fee, it’s also packed full of benefits — including top-tier Hilton Diamond elite status (which comes with a 100% points earning bonus on stays, enrollment required), up to $400 (up to $200 semi-annually) in statement credits for Hilton resort purchases, executive lounge access, premium Wi-Fi, a free night award every year and much more.
You can more than make up for the annual fee just by taking advantage of the card’s resort credit, airline fee credit (enrollment required) and $100 property credit each year.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is Hilton’s luxury credit card that comes with its highest level of benefits and rewards earning rate. 14X points on eligible purchases at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3X points on other purchases. You’ll also get the following welcome offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Hilton card with no annual fee
$0 annual fee
If you want to boost your balance of Hilton Honors points without paying an annual fee, you might want to look at the Hilton Honors American Express Card. The card offers mediocre travel benefits compared to the other Hilton cards, but its $0 annual fee and solid rewards rate can still make this card worth your while.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
The Hilton Honors American Express Card offers a lower welcome offer and earning rate than the mid-level and premium Hilton Honors cards; however, it’s also the only Hilton card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations AND 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 12x rewards on eligible Hilton purchases
If you want to earn rewards to help offset the cost of business travel and you frequently stay at Hilton properties, you should look at The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. Similar to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, it comes with a generous welcome offer, Hilton Honors Gold status* and complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status*.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
If you’re a small business owner who travels on a regular basis, you should consider The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. You’ll earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases. Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter. Terms & Limitations Apply.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn transferable rewards points on every purchase
If you’re looking for a premium card with luxury benefits, but want one that’s more flexible than the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, the The Platinum Card® from American Express is a good option. Along with redeeming your Membership Rewards points for travel, statement credits and more, points can be transferred to American Express travel partners — which includes the Hilton Honors loyalty program.
While the The Platinum Card® from American Express does come with a hefty $695 annual fee, it also comes with Hilton Honors Gold elite status (enrollment required), the largest collection of airport lounges around and a variety of valuable travel credits.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
Because you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points at a rate of 1:1, the four Hilton American Express cards are not your only options for boosting your Hilton Honors point balance. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Also, earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn flexible points that can be transferred to a variety of hotel and airline partners
If you prefer earning flexible card rewards instead of being tied down to only earning Hilton points, but can’t justify the high fee of The Platinum Card® from American Express, you may want to consider the American Express® Gold Card.
The American Express® Gold Card lets you transfer your rewards to a variety of airline and hotel programs, including Hilton. However, the card doesn’t offer any Hilton-specific benefits.
Earning Hilton Honors rewards
The American Express® Gold Card is another card that earns Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to Hilton Honors at a rate of 1:1. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply Plus, Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Annual Fee | Recommended Credit Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
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Winner
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Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. | $150 | Good / Excellent | |
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Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express*
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Best for luxury benefits
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Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. | $550 | Good / Excellent | |
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Hilton Honors American Express Card
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Best for no annual fee
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Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. | $0 | Good / Excellent | |
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The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
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Best for business travel
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Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025. | $195 | Good / Excellent | |
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The Platinum Card® from American Express
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Best for general premium travel
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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | $695 | Good / Excellent | |
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American Express® Gold Card
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Best to transfer points to Hilton
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Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24. | $325 | Good / Excellent |
If you’re loyal to Hilton-branded hotels and properties, you may want to consider a Hilton credit card, since they offer Hilton Honors elite status and let you earn a high earning rate on Hilton stays. Before deciding if a Hilton card is right for you, think about the following:
| Consider this card | If you... |
|---|---|
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | Want to earn a generous amount of Hilton points with only a reasonable annual fee. |
| Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express | Plan to take advantage of the card’s premium benefits to help offset the card’s high annual fee. |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | Want to boost your Hilton Honors rewards balance without paying an annual fee |
| The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card | Are a small business owner who regularly travels for work. |
LendingTree pegs Hilton points at 0.5 cents each, so 10,000 Hilton points are worth roughly $50.
If you’re receiving around 0.5 cent per point or better for an award stay, it’s usually worth using points rather than paying cash.
All of the Hilton-branded credit cards offer automatic Hilton Honors status. Depending on which card you get, you’ll receive a different level of status and/or the ability to earn a higher-tier status by reaching a certain spending threshold.
Anyone can sign up to be a Hilton Honors member for free and receive a basic level of benefits. This includes the ability to earn points on stays, no resort fees on award stays, free Wi-Fi and access to member-only pricing.
The Hilton Honors American Express Card offers automatic Hilton Silver elite status (enrollment required) and the ability to upgrade to Gold status after spending $20,000 in a calendar year. Here are a few of the benefits that come with Silver elite status:
Both the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offer complimentary Gold elite status (enrollment required). You can also upgrade to top-tier Diamond elite status after spending $40,000 in a calendar year. Gold elite members get all of the benefits of Silver status, in addition to the following benefits:
Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express offers automatic Diamond elite status (enrollment required), which is the highest status that Hilton offers. Diamond elite members get the benefits of all lower levels of status, and also receive the following:
Hilton credit cards come with valuable travel benefits, like elevated rewards on Hilton hotel stays, no foreign transaction fees, car rental loss and damage insurance and Global Assist hotline. Here are a few of the Hilton credit card benefits you might be interested in:
Up to $400 property credit (enrollment required)
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express includes a posh benefit for those who stay often at Hilton resorts. You’ll get up to $200 semi-annually in statement credits toward eligible purchases at participating Hilton resorts.
Up to $200 airline fee credit
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express comes with a $200 airline fee credit that you can use for incidental charges like seat selection fees, baggage fees or in-flight refreshments after you choose a designated airline at the beginning of the year.
Up to $100 property credit
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express also offers a $100 property credit when you book a stay at participating Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts.
Free night reward
You can earn free night awards with several of the Hilton cards as well. The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express gives one free night award each year. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card gives one free night award if you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year.
Baggage insurance
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express offers baggage insurance of up to $3,000 for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage*.
*Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Many people first consider a card’s welcome offer and whether it’s attainable when shopping for a new card. The co-branded Hilton American Express cards often have elevated offers of more than 100,000 points, which translates to $500 at LendingTree’s estimated worth of 0.5 cents per point. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card both have welcome offers of Membership Rewards points as well.
The ongoing earning rate is another critical feature to consider when choosing a credit card, and the co-branded Hilton credit cards all have a standard earning rate of 3X Hilton Honors points per $1. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card both earn 1X Membership Rewards points per $1 in non-bonus categories, which is effectively 2X Hilton points. If you’re looking strictly for Hilton points, any of the four co-branded cards might be a better choice.
However, it’s important to factor in bonus categories: All of the Hilton credit cards obviously offer elevated earning rates ranging from 5X in select categories to 14X points at Hilton hotels.
The co-branded Hilton cards all earn Hilton Honors points that you can redeem for free nights or in other ways — check out our guide to the Hilton Honors loyalty program for all the ways you can redeem your Honors points. No matter which of these cards you pick, you have the same redemption options with any credit card that earns straight Hilton Honors points.
The cost of the annual fee is often a deciding factor for some consumers. Some consumers prefer to avoid an annual fee altogether. However, an annual fee shouldn’t be an automatic deterrent if you’re searching for the best option for you.
Annual fee credit cards often net much better rewards and more valuable perks. You should weigh the value of the rewards and benefits against the card’s cost — you may find that you come up much farther ahead with an annual fee card than with a no-annual-fee card.
There are multiple Hilton credit cards that offer a free night reward as a cardholder perk:
Hilton Honors offers a fifth night free benefit on award stays to its elite members as a 20% discount off the total number of points required for the stay. All co-branded Hilton credit cards provide some level of Hilton elite status after you enroll in the Hilton Honors program, from lowly Silver with the Hilton Honors American Express Card to top-tier Diamond status from the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. Picking any Hilton credit card will allow you to take advantage of the Hilton fifth night free benefit.
Only the more premium Hilton credit cards offer travel credits as a perk:
You will generally need FICO credit score of at least 660 to 850 to qualify for an Hilton Honors American Express Card issued directly by the network, which includes the lineup of Hilton cards. Good FICO Scores start at 660, the minimum you may need to be approved. Application approval is always dependent on each individual’s overall credit profile.
Apply for a Hilton Honors credit card by using any of the links on this page, calling American Express or applying directly through the American Express website. Create a Hilton Honors account upon application — after applying, American Express will check your credit score and profile to see if you qualify and potentially instantly approve you for a new card, sometimes even offering an instant card number.
It’s difficult to select one credit card as best, due to the differing needs of each individual consumer. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is generally a good choice for the typical consumer who wants to earn Hilton points, while the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is likely the best choice for frequent guests of Hilton hotels due to the Diamond status, free night and annual resort credit it offers.
If you’ve held your Hilton Honors American Express Card for at least 12 months, you may be able to upgrade it to either the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. If you have held your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card for at least 12 months, you may be able to upgrade it to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express. You cannot upgrade the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express or the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. American Express often sends out upgrade offers for their Hilton credit cards.
American Express will issue a credit limit on the Hilton credit card that is specific to each cardholder.
The value of a particular hotel loyalty program is highly dependent on the preference of each individual consumer. Hilton Hotels has a much bigger global footprint than Hyatt, making it a good choice if your travels take you to every corner of the globe. That being said, World of Hyatt points are more valuable on a 1:1 basis, but you can earn Hilton Honors points from both stays and credit card spend more quickly.
The value of Hilton versus Marriott is highly dependent on each individual’s particular needs. Both Hilton and Marriott have expansive worldwide hotel portfolios, both issue co-branded credit cards and both offer elite status programs and perks — so it really comes down to personal preference.
Hilton has a dedicated landing page where you can buy, gift, pool or transfer points. You’ll need to have an open Hilton Honors account to be able to buy Hilton points for yourself.
To make choosing the right card easier, we’ve looked at credit cards reviewed on LendingTree, as well as cards on major issuer sites, to compile a list of the best credit cards for Hilton. Our recommendations are based on the additional value you can earn with the cards — including the rewards value, cost of ownership and value of benefits such as Hilton elite status and travel credits. Our choices are not influenced by our advertisers.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
The information related to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
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