If you have considered entering the United States credit card market, you have definitely heard of the American Express Hilton Honors credit card lineup. Comprised of three personal credit cards and one business credit card, the Hilton cards offer a great way to save money on your next hotel stay at any property within the Hilton network.
Let’s look at the best American Express Hilton Honors credit card strategy to maximize the points you can earn in the long term.
Why Should I Be Interested in the Hilton Honors Program?
When it comes to Canadians and earning hotel loyalty program points through credit cards, the only real option we have is Marriott Bonvoy. While both the American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card and American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business credit card are great, it is hard to accrue a meaningful amount of points for a stay of a decent length
Thus, the logical next step is to look south of the border where our American counterparts have many more opportunities to earn points in other hotel loyalty programs, including Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt.
The Hilton Honors program is the most prominent hotel loyalty program in the US credit card market, and logically, is the easiest hotel program to earn a large number of points in. Simply put, if you are serious about saving money on your hotel stays, the Hilton Honors program is absolutely one you should be paying attention to. Not to mention, it is easy to combine Hilton Honors points with another member, making the path to your next hotel redemption that much quicker.
As mentioned, all of the cards listed below in this article are for United States American Express cardholders. However, Canadians can gain access to these cards by holding an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN); click here to learn about ITINs and click here to learn more about getting US credit cards as a Canadian.
If you are interested in obtaining your first US credit card, consider applying for any of the below cards with Nova Credit to leverage your existing relationship to easily apply for US Amex cards.
The Optimal Strategy for the American Express Hilton Honors Credit Cards
If you have already started in the US credit card game or are interested in starting, the Amex Hilton Honors cards should be near the top of your list. Below, we will walk through the optimal order that which you should obtain these cards and whether you should hold them or close them after one year.
Learn more: US Credit Cards for Canadians
Throughout this strategy, we will keep a running total of points and annual fees to determine the total value available from these cards, with a combined review of earnings at the end. Of note, we will be using the currently elevated bonuses that are available as of January 2025 as a point of reference.
Our goal with this strategy is to maximize Hilton Honors points earned, minimize the risk of going over the Chase 5/24 rule (in case we want to apply for a card with Chase in the near future), and start with cards that can potentially be upgraded (for even more points) after one year of holding them.
First Card – The American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card
Whether you are new to the US game or new to the American Express Hilton Honors series of cards, we highly recommend starting with the no-fee American Express Hilton Honors card (US).
The American Express Hilton Honors card offers instant Hilton Honors Silver Elite status, which grants cardholders access to the fifth-night free benefit when booking stays on points.
80,000 Hilton Honors
$2,000
$480+
$0
No
–
This is the best card to start with as it has no annual fee and is a great long-term keeper for your first US credit card. Typically it has a pretty strong bonus with a low minimum spend, making the bonus achievable by the average consumer. At the time of writing, you could earn 80,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000 in the first three months of card membership.
Once the bonus has been earned, the strategy with this card is to hold it for a year and then hope to receive upgrade offers to the other higher-tier Hilton Honors credit cards. We will touch more on upgrade offers in the section below, but it is highly recommended to never close this card, especially if it is your first US American Express card.
Total Points & Annual Fees So Far: 80,000 Hilton Honors & $0 USD in annual fees
Second Card – The American Express Hilton Honors Business Credit Card
The second card you want to sign up for is the American Express Hilton Honors Business card (US). Before you ask, you are absolutely eligible to hold business credit cards as an individual.
The American Express Hilton Honors Business card offers benefits that include Hilton Honors Gold Elite status and a quarterly $60 USD Hilton credit.
130,000 Hilton Honors
$6,000
$780+
$195
No
–
This is a great second card to sign up for. It doesn’t impact Chase’s 5/24 rule since many business credit cards do not show up on your US credit file. At the time of writing, you could earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership for an annual fee of $195 USD.
Unlike the Amex Hilton Honors card, this is one card that you can hold for one year and then cancel once the second annual fee posts. There won’t be any upgrade offers since it is the only business Hilton Honors credit card. The card does offer a quarterly $60 USD Hilton credit to be used at any Hilton property, up to $240 USD per calendar year.
The only use case for keeping this card will be if you are looking for an easy way to achieve Hilton Gold status. If not, there is minimal value in keeping the card long-term.
Total Points & Annual Fees So Far: 230,000 Hilton Honors & $195 USD in annual fees
Third Card – The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Credit Card
The third card I recommend signing up for is the American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card (US). This is the mid-tier card in the Hilton personal credit card lineup, offering a good bonus with a minimal annual fee.
The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card offers benefits including instant Hilton Honors Gold elite status and a quarterly $50 Hilton credit.
130,000 Hilton Honors
$3,000
$780+
$150
No
–
At the time of writing, you could earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 in the first six months of card membership for an annual fee of $150 USD.
The main use case for keeping this card past the first year would be to earn the annual free night certificate provided you can spend $15,000 USD on the card in a calendar year. Holding onto this card would also mean retaining easy Hilton Gold status, plus the potential to receive offers to upgrade to the Hilton Aspire card as well.
The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card also includes a $50 USD Hilton quarterly credit ($200 USD total per calendar year). If you can maximize this credit, you will be getting paid to hold this card year after year.
If you can’t foresee yourself being able to spend $15,000 USD on the card each year to earn the free night certificate, I would recommend downgrading this card to the American Express Hilton Honors credit card with no annual fee to double your chances for upgrade offers (as you will now be holding two no-fee cards).
Total Points & Annual Fees So Far: 360,000 Hilton Honors & $345 USD in annual fees
Fourth Card – The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card
The final card that I would recommend signing up for is the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US) as a result of the higher annual fee. Many consumers don’t often see the value in paying significant annual fees for premium credit cards, and on the surface, the Hilton Aspire card has a relatively average welcome bonus for a premium card so I can understand the hesitation.
The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card offers benefits that include a $200 semi-annual Hilton Resort credit, a quarterly $50 airline credit, instant Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status, an annual free night certificate, and more.
Check out our American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card review for more details.
150,000 Hilton Honors
$6,000
$900+
$550
No
–
While this card has the highest annual fee of the bunch at $550 USD, it has multiple benefits that far outweigh the high annual fee. The Amex Hilton Aspire card offers a Hilton Honors free night certificate per cardholder year, $400 USD in Hilton Resort credits per cardholder year (split out as 2 x $200 USD credits), $50 quarterly airline flight credit ($200 USD per calendar year), and complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.
Related: Hilton Free Night Certificates Guide & The Best Hotels to Redeem a Hilton Free Night Certificate
Provided you can squeeze the full value out of the credits and are able to use the free night certificate every year, this is definitely worth a place in your wallet as a keeper card for the long term. At the time of writing, you could earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership.
Total Points & Annual Fees: 510,000 Hilton Honors & $895 USD in annual fees
Total Value Earned From This Strategy
Let’s recap everything that we have earned from signing up for these cards to determine the total value:
- All Cards Combined
- 510,000 Hilton Honors points (worth $2,550 at 0.5 cents per point)
- American Express Hilton Honors Business Card Benefits
- $60 USD Hilton credit quarterly ($240 USD per calendar year)
- American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card Benefits
- $50 USD Hilton credit quarterly ($200 USD per calendar year)
- An annual free night certificate if you can spend $15,000 USD in a calendar year
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card Benefits
- 1 Hilton free night certificate worth up to 120,000 points (worth $600 at 0.5 cents per point)
- $400 USD Hilton resort credit (2 x $200 USD per cardholder year)
- $50 USD airline credit quarterly ($200 USD per calendar year)
- Hilton Honors Diamond Status
- Total Value: $4,190 USD
When you consider that we are only out of pocket for $895 USD in annual fees, this leaves us with an overall value of $3,295 USD. Considering all we really did was sign up for four credit cards following a basic strategy and meet the minimum spending requirements, this is fantastic value.
We have another article on how to maximize credits on the Hilton Honors credit cards as well, so ensure you read up to guarantee you are getting the maximum value from your cards.
However, this is only the start. Let’s look at some other opportunities as to how we can continue to build our Hilton Honors points balance.
Earning More Hilton Honors Points After Signing Up for All Credit Cards
While we were already able to earn a massive stack of Hilton Honors points simply by signing up for credit cards, the game has only begun.
In the above strategy, I noted that it is important to keep the Amex Hilton Honors and Hilton Honors Surpass cards open past the one-year date. The reason for this is that American Express (US) often sends out upgrade offers that give you the chance to earn even more Hilton Honors points. While you may receive an email with this upgrade offer, it can also be found in the Amex Offers section of your account.
Read More: Guide to American Express (US) Upgrade Offers
An example of an offer to upgrade an Amex Hilton Honors card to the Amex Hilton Surpass can be seen below. There is no limit on earning Hilton Honors points from upgrades, meaning you can upgrade and downgrade, and repeat, as many times as you are offered an upgrade on each credit card.
There is one caveat with upgrades: do not upgrade to a Hilton Honors card that you have not held before. For example, if you hold the no-fee Hilton Honors Amex and receive an offer to upgrade to the Hilton Surpass Amex, but you have never held the Hilton Surpass card, do not upgrade. Upgrading will mean that you can no longer earn the welcome bonus on a new application for the Amex Hilton Honors Surpass card since the upgrade will count as your “lifetime” welcome bonus on the card.
In this scenario, the best play would be to apply for the Amex Hilton Surpass card, get approved, and then upgrade your no-fee card to double dip on the welcome bonus offer and the upgrade offer. You can hold multiples of any Amex Hilton Honors cards with no issues.
While it can be worth it to keep multiple base-level no-fee Amex Hilton Honors credit cards in the hope of receiving upgrade offers, remember that you are only able to hold five credit cards at a time with US American Express. With this in mind, ensure you are not shorting yourself on other potential points earning opportunities by only waiting for an upgrade offer that may or may not ever show up.
In addition to keeping an eye out for upgrade offers, you can also quickly bolster your Hilton Honors balance if you are earning with a significant other or player two. Not only can you easily refer them to any of these cards to earn even more points, but they can also transfer you up to 500,000 Hilton Honors points per year at no charge.
Finally, no lifetime language links for the Hilton Honors credit cards can often be found in private groups and sometimes make their way into the public eye. These offers are an excellent tool to build your Hilton Honors points balance as they do not restrict cardholders from earning a welcome bonus, even if they have held that card previously.
Conclusion
We recommend anyone starting out with US credit cards to heavily consider the Hilton Honors series of cards to diversify their hotel loyalty program points balances. This strategy can be executed over a delayed period of time, depending on your comfortability with meeting minimum spending requirements and signing up for new cards.
Josh Bandura
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I’d love to pick your brain as to how feasible this is if considering two Asia trips (Japan/Bali) in 2025.
I’m in Canada and would go down the amex global transfer route, but I’m unsure whether to just jump to the card offering diamond status for the purposes of booking everything and getting the benefits ahead of the trip, or trying to condense the route you advised into the next 8-10 months.
Without a US credit history, I figured I could do:
Amex Global to Hilton Honours Surpass – May
Meet spend requirements for 130k-150k points – August
Apply directly for Hilton Honours Business – September
Meet spend requirements for 130k-150k points – December
Apply directly for Hilton Honours Aspire – December
Earn 175k points and book all hotels for Japan (March) taking advantage of benefits where applicable.
After benefit reset in Q2, use remainder of Hilton credit for Bali (October)
Leverage points from signup offers to secure free accommodation in Hilton hotels. In meeting spend requirements and bonuses I expect to sit at half a mill in Hilton points. I’ll leverage Amex points & Avios points and companion voucher for business flights to Japan and Bali.
Is this even feasible? 😀 What’s my likelihood of approval considering the rapid fire application process once I have the workings of a US credit file.
Is the less risky option just to plump straight for Aspire and Diamond status and be done with it?
Hi Dan,
I like the way you have spaced things out and I think it is completely feasible (provided you are lucky with approvals). A few really good offers just lapsed on the Hilton cards (e.g. 130k HH + free night cert on Surpass), but the current offers aren’t bad. Hopefully we see some elevated offers come back later this year.
Note that the free night certificate on the Aspire card will show up after 8-12 weeks from approval (and from anniversary every year thereafter), so plan accordingly if you want to use that on your Japan trip (or just save it for Bali).
I don’t think there is any real risk with your plan. Amex USA is pretty giving with approvals, and even if you end up hitting the pop-up eventually, you could look into no lifetime language offers as an option. I’d say go for it as you have time on your side.
I would recommend keeping whichever card you open first as your “forever” US card for credit history. If you did the Surpass first, you could always downgrade or upgrade it if you had a different version of the card in mind as a keeper.
I have Regular Hilton Honors Amex for about 10 month. Tried to apply for Surpass today and got a msg that I am not eligible for SUB. What could be the reason?
You would be encountering what is referred to as “pop-up jail” in relation to American Express US. While you might not have held the Surpass before, Amex has deemed you ineligible for the sign-up bonus based on some reason (usually not spending enough on current cards).
The best way to get out of pop-up jail is to spend more on your existing American Express US credit card(s) or see if you can find a no lifetime language link as they often bypass the pop-up.
I would recommend ramping up your spend again and trying to apply next month after the next statement closes.
are the upgrade offers from hilton to surpass and surpass to aspire pretty common?
It really depends. I haven’t seen any for myself or P2, but know many friends who have received them. It seems random.
Are there any conditions which attract the upgrade offer, like spending habits? I’ve had Hilton Honors card for more than a year now, and I’ve seen offers for limit increase, checking account, personal loan, but never for an upgrade.
Would me applying for Aspire or Surpass affect the probability to get the upgrade offer?
No specific triggers as far as I know; myself and P2 have both never received an upgrade offer but I have friends that have.
I wouldn’t wait around for an upgrade offer, there are more points to be earned by signing up for a new card that you haven’t held before.
Hello, can I get the Aspire card first, then get the Surpass/Business/Regular cards later? Does the order (Regular – Business – Surpass – Aspire) really matter? Is it recommended to get one card every 90 days? Eventually I want to keep Aspire, Surpass and Business cards for different benefits. I am already holding the Bonvoy Brilliant Amex so I am not new to Amex US.
Thanks!!
The order ultimately is not a big deal, this post is just one of the strategies you could follow (especially if you were new to the US game). Ultimately up to you on the velocity of applications, but remember that you can only hold 5 credit cards (not including charge charges) with Amex USA at once.
Please is there any preferred way to apply for 2nd chase after using Nova credit for the 1st one ie. go Nova Credit again or switch through Global transfer or no difference. Thanks
Do you mean 2nd Amex card? Preferred method would be to get ITIN and apply for the second card about 6 months after the first, when your credit score is established.
You could try Nova again but its YMMV and generally only meant to be used once.
Can you apply for HH toady and then tomorrow apply for the Surpass card. This way you only get one credit hit. Or there should be some delays between applying for these cards.
Thank you
Typically Amex USA restricts to two credit cards per 90 days. You could definitely apply for two cards in one day with no issues, however, the second application may go “Pending” as we see with many issuers when applying for multiple cards on the same day. If that happens, you could just as easily call in and inquire about the status (e.g. perhaps they just need to confirm that both applications were valid).
That being said, with the “once per lifetime” language for American Express USA, ensure you sign up when there are strong welcome bonuses.