It’s an exciting day in the Canadian credit card landscape, as American Express Canada has unveiled their newest product: the Hilton Honors American Express® Card.
We haven’t seen a new American Express product in Canada for several years, and the fact that it is a new co-branded hotel loyalty credit card for a hotel chain that we previously didn’t have access to via credit cards in Canada makes this a big deal. Here are the details about this exciting new launch!
Finally, a New Hotel Co-branded Card in Canada!
While there are four Hilton Honors cards available through American Express US, in Canada, we have been relegated to having Marriott Bonvoy as our only co-branded hotel credit card for years. Not that Marriott Bonvoy is a bad option at all, but being limited to only one option is always going to be a negative when it comes to utilizing miles and points.
American Express Canada bringing a Hilton Honors card to market makes the most sense courtesy of the existing partnership in the United States, not to mention that it is one of the biggest hotel chains worldwide with over 9,400 properties. Canadians can now easily earn Hilton Honors points, and with access to two major loyalty programs via credit cards, saving on hotel stays just got significantly easier.
Hilton Honors has been my most used hotel loyalty program over the last few years, accounting for 80% of my stays, so this new credit card is right up my alley. I’ve had some excellent stays at Waldorf Astorias, Conrads, and most recently, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, so I’m planning to add this card to my wallet sooner rather than later.
Here are the specifics that you need to know about the Hilton Honors American Express® Card.
Hilton Honors American Express® Card Overview
Welcome Bonus
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card currently has a welcome bonus in which new cardholders can earn up to 70,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward:
- Earn 60,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward after spending $3,000 in purchases on your card within the first 3 months of cardmembership
- Plus, earn an additional 10,000 points when you spend $500 in month 13 of cardmembership
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card offers instant Hilton Honors Gold Elite status and an Annual 50,000 Points Bonus when spending $12,000 in a calendar year.
70,000 Hilton Honors points
$3,000
$420+
$150
Yes
Jan 11, 2027
This offer has an expiry date of Jan 11, 2027, so ensure you apply early enough to be approved by that date if you are interested in this welcome bonus.
Similar to other American Express Canada cards, the Hilton Honors American Express® Card has no annual or household income requirement.
Earning Rates
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card earns Hilton Honors points for all eligible purchases made on the card at the following rates:
- Earn 6 Hilton Honors points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at participating Hilton brands, plus the Points you already earn as a Hilton Honors Member
- Earn 4 Hilton Honors points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants in Canada
- Earn 2 Hilton Honors points for every $1 in all other Card purchases
The earning rates are nearly identical to the base-level Hilton Honors card in the United States, albeit slightly lower, which is most likely due to the weaker currency.
Annual Fee
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card has an annual fee of $150.
Benefits
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Elite Status
Once approved, cardholders will instantly receive Hilton Honors Gold Elite status. This status will persist for as long as you hold the Hilton Honors American Express® Card. This means that you will receive free breakfast for two during eligible Hilton hotel stays, which is the biggest perk of Hilton Gold status.
This is not a new benefit to Canadians, as Hilton Gold status is currently offered as a benefit on the American Express Platinum Card, albeit at a much higher annual fee. No matter how you obtain it, Hilton Gold Elite status is absolutely a meaningful level of status with stand-out benefits for the average traveller.
Upon spending $40,000 in net purchases in a calendar year, the cardholder will receive Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status, which will remain through the end of the following calendar year.
Annual 50,000 Hilton Honors Points Bonus
Cardholders who spend $12,000 in a calendar year unlock an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Points bonus. This is on top of what you will already earn from spending on the card, and could absolutely be worth reaching for if you have the spending capacity required.
Insurance Coverages
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card credit card offers several types of insurance coverage:
- Flight delay insurance: $500 total coverage for reasonable purchases within 48 hours when delayed or denied boarding for 4 hours or more (combined maximum with baggage delay insurance)
- Baggage delay insurance: $500 total coverage for essential purchases within four days of arrival when baggage is delayed for 6 hours or more (combined maximum with flight delay insurance)
- Hotel burglary insurance: $500 total coverage for stolen items (excluding cash)
- Lost or stolen baggage insurance: $500 total coverage for all insured persons
- Travel accident insurance: $500,000 of accidental death and dismemberment coverage
- Car rental theft and damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for cars up to $85,000 MSRP
- Purchase protection plan: $1,000 coverage for accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the date of purchase
- Buyer’s assurance protection plan: Extend the manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year
Refer to the American Express Hilton Honors card insurance certificate for additional details, including terms and conditions for eligibility.
Redeeming Hilton Honors Points for Hotel Stays
Hilton Honors points are easy to redeem for hotel stays, and this is the only redemption worth considering with these points. There is a typical floor of 0.5 cents per point USD, since that is usually the lowest price you will pay to buy points from Hilton during a promotion, which works out to about 0.7 cents per point CAD. While it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, I would recommend trying to receive at least that much in value when redeeming Hilton Honors points.
When you search for hotel stays on the Hilton website using Hilton Honors points, you will see rooms that are available as a “Standard Room Reward” or a “Premium Room Reward”:
It is recommended to only ever use your Hilton Honors points for “Standard Room Reward” redemptions, as this is the least amount of points you will pay. Hilton Honors members with at least Silver Elite status will also receive the fifth night free when making a booking entirely on Hilton Honors points, so don’t forget about that benefit if you are making a longer booking.
While it is easy to comb through months of availability on the Hilton Honors website, using a hotel availability searching tool like MaxMyPoint is also a great option, as you can set alerts for when hotel availability shows up or when it drops below a specified price point.
Plus, if you are looking to redeem a Hilton Honors free night certificate, these are only valid to be redeemed on points rates that are classified as a “Standard Room Reward”. Outside of that, these certificates are uncapped on points, so ensure you book something of high value if you are looking to maximize.
It’s no secret that Hilton Honors has gone through several devaluations in recent years, so your points might not stretch as far as before, especially for aspirational and luxury redemptions. However, there still is a lot of value in this program; you just might have to look a bit more carefully.
Frugal Flyer’s Thoughts on the Hilton Honors American Express Card
I think the Hilton Honors American Express® Card is a much-needed addition to the Canadian credit card landscape, and a major plus for the overall American Express Canada portfolio.
The current welcome bonus is powerful with the addition of the free night certificate, but it’s to be determined if this will be a consistent part of the welcome bonus going forward. If it were removed, it would significantly decrease the value of the welcome bonus, as a chunk of Hilton Honors points offers far less value than points plus a free night certificate.
What I would have loved to see is a way to earn an annual free night certificate each cardholder year, linked to a medium-sized spend requirement. The Hilton Honors free night certificates offer consistent outsized value, so not having a way to earn those in an ongoing manner is a bit disappointing.
The benefits on the card are good, and an easy way to earn Hilton Honors Gold Elite status is a definite plus since free breakfast is always a crowd pleaser. Some cardholders might find value in shooting for the extra 50,000 Hilton Honors points by spending $12,000 in a calendar year, which isn’t a bad offer if you have serious spend capacity.
Looking at the total package this card offers, I absolutely will be looking to add it to my wallet in the coming weeks.
Comparable Hotel Credit Cards in Canada
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is the closest competitor to the newly launched Hilton card as the only other personal hotel co-branded credit card in Canada.
The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card offers benefits that include an annual Marriott Bonvoy free night certificate and 15 elite qualifying nights towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
$3,500
$630+
$120
Yes
–
When it comes to loyalty programs and co-branded credit cards, diversity can be a massive benefit for optimizing redemptions and not being locked into one program, so I would absolutely recommend Canadians hold both cards if they are keen to improve and save on their next hotel stay.
Participating in Marriott Bonvoy unlocks a huge range of hotels worldwide, similar to Hilton Honors, and the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card even comes with an annual free night certificate worth 35,000 Bonvoy points simply for reaching the cardholder anniversary, offering a bit more ongoing value than the Hilton Honors card.
That being said, the complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status on the Hilton Honors American Express Card blows the complimentary Silver Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy out of the water. Hilton Gold will get you tangible and meaningful benefits like free breakfast, whereas Silver with Marriott Bonvoy won’t get you anything of significance.
Conclusion
Today is a great day for miles and points enthusiasts in Canada with the introduction of the new Hilton Honors American Express® Card. A new points currency, a valuable welcome bonus, and some strong perks make this a card worth adding to your wallet if you are serious about cutting hotel costs for future travels.
Josh Bandura
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