On this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air, Greg and Nick dug deep into how to strategize around American Express’ portfolio of Hilton Honors cards. Hilton’s new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is stirring up some increased interest in Hilton, even for someone like Greg who’s never bothered with the company’s Amex cards.
Now things have gotten even more interesting.
Three of the American Express Hilton Honors credit cards have limited-time welcome offers that include both a free night certificate (FNC) and a substantial tranche of Hilton points. Even the no annual fee Hilton Honors card now comes with a FNC after completing the minimum spend. These new offers represent some of the best we’ve seen on the Hilton cards when you combine the bonus points and the certs.
The Offers & Key Card Details
For more card information and to find an application link, see our dedicated card pages by clicking the names of the cards below.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Limited Time Offer: 70K points + Free Night Certificate ⓘ Affiliate 70K points + free night certificate after $2K spend within the first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) (Offer Expires 7/31/2024)No Annual Fee After clicking through, be sure to choose the card you want on the landing page. Recent better offer: None. This is the best that we've seen. FM Mini Review: This card isn't particularly rewarding, but it's good to keep primarily for targeted Amex upgrade offers to the Surpass card. Earning rate: ✦ 7X Hilton spend ✦ 5X US restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Gold elite status with $20K calendar year spend Noteworthy perks: ✦ Free Silver status; Gold status with $20K spend. ✦ Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees) |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Limited Time Offer: 130K points + Free Night Certificate ⓘ Friend-Referral 130K points + free night certificate after $3K spend within the first 6 months. Terms apply. (Offer Expires 7/31/2024)$150 Annual Fee After clicking through, be sure to select the card you want on the next page. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: None, this is the best that we've seen. FM Mini Review: Easy way to secure Hilton Gold status (which offers free breakfast among other perks). Those who want Diamond status may be better off with the Aspire card. Earning rate: ✦ 12X Hilton spend ✦ 6X U.S. restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ✦ 4X U.S. Online Retail Purchases ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases Base: 3X (1.44%) Dine: 6X (2.88%) Gas: 6X (2.88%) Grocery: 6X (2.88%) Shop: 4X (1.92%) Brand: 12X (5.76%) Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: ✦ Free night award after $15K spend in calendar year ✦ Diamond elite status with $40K calendar year spend ✦ Terms apply Noteworthy perks: Free Gold status. Diamond status w/ $40K spend. ✦ Up to $200 in Hilton credits ($50 per quarter) ✦ Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees) |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Limited Time Offer: 175K Points + free night certificate ⓘ Friend-Referral 175K after $6K spend in first 6 months. Free night certificate every year - first certificate is awarded 8-12 weeks after approval. Terms apply. (Offer Expires 7/31/2024)$550 Annual Fee After clicking through, be sure to select the card you want on the next page. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: This card is loaded with valuable perks that are more than worth the card's annual fee if you stay in Hilton resorts at least twice per year. Earning rate: ✦ 14X Hilton spend ✦ 7X US restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, select car rental companies ✦ 3X on all other eligible purchases ✦ Terms & Limitations Apply. Card Info: Amex Credit Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: Additional free night awards after $30K and $60K spend in calendar year Noteworthy perks: ✦Annual Free Night Reward every year upon renewal ✦ Free Diamond Status ✦ Up to $400 Hilton Resort Credit per membership year ($200 semi-annually) ✦ $200 Flight Credit ($50 per quarter for purchases directly with airlines or via Amex Travel) ✦ $100 on-property credit w/ Aspire Card package ✦ Terms Apply. See Rates & Fees See also: Amex Hilton Aspire In-Depth Review |
Quick Thoughts
Hilton has possibly the most flexible and easy to use free night certificates of any major hotel chain. You can use them for a standard room at almost any Hilton property worldwide, regardless of what the nightly cost is in cash or points. Originally, these certs were only applicable towards weekend stays, but during the pandemic, Hilton made them available for use any day of the week, a change that was made permanent in 2022.
Even better, we’ve learned that these certificates will be able to be used at SLH properties as they’re added to Hilton Honors, which should create some drool-worthy opportunities to use them in the future.
As for the cards, the offer on the Surpass is probably the most attractive to me. It gives you 130K Hilton points combined with a free might certificate, all for a very reasonable minimum spend. In addition, the Surpass earns another FNC by putting $15K total spend on the card during the cardmember year, an especially lucrative proposition if you can concentrate that spend in the one of its numerous 6x categories.
The Aspire always awards a free night certificate when you get the card, so that part of the offer isn’t new. Given that, if the choice is between that or the Surpass and you don’t need the Diamond status that the Aspire gives you ASAP, I’d go for the Surpass first, knowing that you can circle back and get the Aspire and still have access to the FNC after these limited-time offers have expired.
Keep in mind that each Hilton card is considered a separate product and they aren’t yet covered by Amex’s dreaded family rules. Because of this, it’s still possible to get a welcome offer on all four cards without running afoul of Amex’s “one welcome offer in a lifetime rule.”
Note that each of these offers are available via referral, so if you’re in 2-player mode you can add even more points to the total haul. You don’t even need a Hilton card to refer someone, as referrals are possible from Membership Rewards (MR)-earning cards as well (ie, Amex Platinum, Gold, etc). Some folks are finding referral offers as high as -25-30K MR for referring a new cardholder, which is a significant addition to these already sweet Hilton offers.
The post Hilton Amex Cards: Limited time welcome offers with free night certificates and big points appeared first on Frequent Miler. Frequent Miler may receive compensation from CHASE. American Express, Capital One, or other partners.