Hilton Hotels has two American Express consumer cards, a no annual fee and a $95 annual fee version (with more perks of course). There is also a business card version. Right now, all of them have a limited-time increase to their welcome offer, from 75,000 to 125,000 points. (Up from 50k and 100k.) Each person can only get one welcome offer, per card in your entire lifetime, so it’s best to apply during one of these temporary bump-ups. (You could get all three of these welcome offers separately, but only one per card per person per lifetime.)
What are 75,000 or 125,000 Hilton Honor points worth? The best value is from booking free hotel nights or using their “Points & Money” option where you pay with a combination of Hilton points and cash. Hilton has some really nice properties, but the value varies from hotel to hotel. I just ran a search and for the same 60,000 Hilton points, I could book rooms that cost $320 or $532 cash. I’ve seen some valuations around 0.6 cents per point, which I think is fair on average, but I would be more conservative at 0.5 cents a point. That would make 75,000 points = $375 value and 125,000 points = $625 value towards Hilton hotel stays.
The good part of Hilton points is that they have so many different hotel brands, from business-class DoubleTree to luxury Waldorf Astoria. Hilton also lets you transfer and pool points with other with other family or household members. As long as you keep them active (once every 12 months), I do like to keep some around. Here’s a tip on
Hilton Honors Ascend Credit Card from American Express
- 125,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
- Earn a Weekend Night Reward certificate after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
- 12X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
- 6X Hilton Honors points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
- Free upgrade to Hilton HHonors Gold status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
- Spend $40,000 in a calendar year on this card and get HHonors Diamon status through the end of the next calendar year.
- $95 annual fee.
- Terms apply.
Hilton Honors Credit Card from American Express
- 75,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
- 7X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
- 5X Hilton Honors points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
- Free upgrade to Hilton HHonors Silver status (5th standard reward night free, 2 bottles of water in your room).
- Spend $20,000 in a calendar year on this card and get HHonors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- No annual fee.
- Terms apply.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- 125,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
- Earn a Weekend Night Reward certificate after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
- Earn another Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases in the same calendar year.
- 12X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
- 6X Hilton Honors points on Select Business & Travel Purchases (ex. U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines)
- 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
- Free upgrade to Hilton HHonors Gold status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
- 10 free airport lounge visits each year once enrolled in complimentary Priority Pass
Select membership, which offers access to over 1,000 lounges in over 120 countries. - $95 annual fee.
- Terms apply.
Bottom line. If you can use the points towards Hilton hotel stays, the best time to apply for a Hilton co-branded American Express card is during a limited-time increase to their welcome offers. This is because American Express has changed their policy to only allow each person to get a welcome bonus once per card per lifetime.
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