The Hilton Honors program is quickly becoming one of my favorite hotel loyalty programs, as it is very easy to earn points in, and the co-branded American Express US credit cards offer some exceptional benefits that are easy to get value out of. Plus, there are many aspirational Hilton hotels and resorts worldwide that make for excellent high-value redemptions.
Related: Best Hotels to Redeem a Hilton Free Night Certificate
I’ve previously written about a proposed Amex Hilton Honors strategy that is a good starting point if you are looking to ramp up your participation in the Hilton loyalty program, but I’ve never dug deep into how you can get the most out of the benefits and credits offered by these cards. This is a key aspect of holding these cards, as the credits can add up to hundreds of dollars, oftentimes even netting positive after paying the annual fee.
Let’s take a look at the American Express US Hilton Honors credit card family and how you can easily get the most out of the benefits and credits they offer.
The American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card Family
American Express US issues four Hilton Honors co-branded credit cards that offer different annual fees, benefits, and annual credits. While many consumers may choose to add only their favorite Hilton Honors card to their wallet, there is serious value to be extracted from almost all of these credit cards, with some excellent synergy between benefits.
Before we get into how to maximize the value and benefits that are available, it’s worth exploring each credit card to showcase the similarities and differences in what they offer.
American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card
The American Express Hilton Honors card (US) has a welcome bonus of 70,000 Hilton Honors points paired with no annual fee and no annual credits.
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.
70,000 Hilton Honors
$2,000
$420+
$0
No
Apr 29, 2025
Cardholders receive complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, which isn’t a significant level of elite status, except for the fact that with Silver status, you do receive the fifth night free when making a booking completely with Hilton Honors points. If you spend $20,000 USD on the card within a calendar year, you will receive Hilton Honors gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
While we still believe that this is the best first US credit card for Canadians, the journey for this card stops here in this article as there aren’t any benefits or credits that we need to worry about maximizing.
American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Credit Card
The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card (US) currently has a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors points and an annual fee of $150 USD, but it also comes with $200 USD in annual credits.
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
Apr 29, 2025
The only credit that is offered on the Surpass card is a quarterly Hilton credit of $50 USD. Cardholders will instantly receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Elite status, and if they spend $40,000 USD in a calendar year, they will earn Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status through the end of the following calendar year.
Hilton Honors Surpass cardholders can receive a Hilton Honors Free Night Certificate after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year. If you have the spending capacity, it can be worth chasing this free night certificate as it is very easy to receive high value when redeeming one of these certificates at aspirational properties worldwide.
American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card
The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US) currently has a welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors points and an annual fee of $550 USD, but it also comes with $600+ USD in annual credits.
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.
175,000 Hilton Honors
$6,000
$1,050+
$550
No
Apr 29, 2025
Semi-annually, American Express Hilton Honors Aspire cardholders will receive a semi-annual $200 USD credit that can be used at eligible Hilton resorts. These credits reset in January and July, meaning cardholders can receive up to a $400 credit per calendar year. The list of qualifying Hilton resorts can be found here.
Cardholders are also entitled to a quarterly $50 USD airline credit, up to $200 USD per calendar year. These credits can be used on a variety of airlines, and cardholders do not need to select the desired airline in advance.
As a cardholder, you will instantly receive Hilton Honors Diamond elite status, which is the highest status within the Hilton program. This status will persist for as long as you hold the Aspire card. This means that you will receive free breakfast for two, lounge access, and room upgrades where possible when staying at a Hilton portfolio property.
Cardholders can also receive Hilton Free Night Certificate Awards as a benefit of holding and spending on the card. These free night awards can be used at almost any Hilton property that has “Standard Award Availability”, and they can be earned:
- Upon card approval and at every cardholder anniversary
- Upon spending $30,000 USD on the card in a calendar year
- Upon spending $60,000 USD on the card in a calendar year
The card also offers up to $199 USD in statement credits per calendar year towards a CLEAR® Plus Membership, but these are only really useful for US residents who have an actual interest in obtaining a membership.
American Express Hilton Honors Business Credit Card
The American Express Hilton Honors Business card (US) currently has a welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors points and an annual fee of $195 USD, but it also comes with $240 USD in annual credits.
The American Express Hilton Honors Business card offers benefits that include Hilton Honors Gold Elite status and a quarterly $60 USD Hilton credit.
175,000 Hilton Honors
$8,000
$1,050+
$195
No
Apr 29, 2025
The only credit offered on the business card is a quarterly Hilton credit of $60 USD.
Similar to the Surpass card, Cardholders will instantly receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Elite status, and if they spend $40,000 USD in a calendar year, they will earn Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status through the end of the following calendar year.
American Express Hilton Honors Business cardholders will also receive complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status.
How to Best Use the Benefits & Credits On The American Express Hilton Honors Credit Cards
As I alluded to above, the American Express US Hilton Honors suite of credit cards comes with some pretty powerful benefits and quarterly, semi-annual, and annual credits. Understanding and getting the most out of these benefits drive serious value and reduce the effective cost of holding these credit cards.
I won’t touch on the complimentary Hilton elite status benefits in the headings below, but take some time to read our Hilton Honors Gold guide and Hilton Honors Diamond guide for more information. The most important thing to know about Hilton status is that Gold status members and above receive complimentary breakfast for two at eligible Hilton properties, which can result in significant savings.
Quarterly Hilton Hotel Credit
Available On:
- American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card ($50 USD per quarter)
- American Express Hilton Honors Business card ($60 USD per quarter)
Optimally, you can just use these credits when staying at a Hilton Honors hotel to pay for the room rate and any incidentals charged to the room, including dining purchases. This credit resets quarterly, so it refreshes in January, April, July, and October.
If you have multiple Hilton Honors credit cards with this quarterly credit and are staying at a Hilton hotel, you shouldn’t have any issue asking the front desk to charge multiple cards in $50 or $60 USD denominations to liquidate those credits. I do recommend stopping by the check-in desk the evening before your departure to run the cards with your desired charges so you have time to get the charges processed correctly and don’t feel rushed for your departure.
If you have a stay upcoming in the future, it is worth reaching out to the hotel in advance to see if you can pre-pay to build a credit balance on your booking reservation. I’ve had success in having resorts send multiple $50 and $60 USD pre-payment links to build a credit balance in advance of my stay, which is a great use case for these credits when I know I will be spending significantly at the property.
As an aside, both of these methods can also be done with the American Express Business Platinum card (US), which also offers a $50 quarterly Hilton credit.
Semi-Annual Hilton Resort Credit
Available On:
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card ($200 USD semi-annually)
The semi-annual Hilton resort credit can only be used at eligible resort hotels that are included on this list. There are many notable eligible hotels, so take a look to see if you are planning to book any of them in the near future; a popular booking option is any of the Resorts World hotels in Las Vegas. This credit resets semi-annually, so it refreshes in January and July.
The best strategy is the same as the one mentioned for the smaller Hilton-wide credits, as you will either want to pre-pay a credit balance towards your booking or split your eligible charges among your desired cards when checking out.
The $200 semi-annual credit is significant, so do what you can to utilize this credit. Even if you are not sure about the stay and may need to consider canceling the booking, it’s worth adding one of these hotels into your future travel plans if you find yourself near one.
Hilton Honors Free Night Certificate
Available On:
- American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card (upon spending $15k USD in a calendar year)
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (Upon signing up and on cardholder anniversary, plus at $30k USD and $60k USD spent in a calendar year)
Hilton Honors free night certificates are arguably the most valuable free night certificates in the hotel loyalty program world, as they can be used at almost any property that has “Standard Award Availability”. This means that you can use these certificates for aspirational properties that would have exorbitant Hilton points costs, such as the Conrad Osaka and the Conrad Singapore Orchard.
Hilton Honors free night certificates have a one-year expiry from the date they were earned. These certificates must be consumed by the expiry date, meaning the booking needs to be made and the stay must be completed, all before the expiry date. I’ve had success in asking them to extend the certificate expiry date when I had a booking in mind, but they typically will only extend the expiry date by a few weeks while making the booking at the same time.
Quarterly Airline Credit
Available On:
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card ($50 USD/quarter)
The quarterly airline credit is not attached to any specific airline, nor does the cardholder need to select an airline of their choice. This credit resets quarterly, so it refreshes in January, April, July, and October.
The flexibility in this credit is what really makes it shine. Paying taxes and fees on award bookings for the majority of airlines does work for this credit, so consider that approach if you have tickets that you will be booking. Incidental fees, such as checked baggage fees and seat selection fees, should also work, but these can vary between airlines.
Another option is loading your United Travel Bank, which can then be used for United Airlines bookings. Purchasing American Airlines digital gift cards should also work. If you choose to use either of these options, have a plan in place to use the loaded credit eventually.
CLEAR Membership Credits
Available On:
- American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card ($199 USD per calendar year)
The CLEAR Membership credit is where things kind of fall off for Canadians, as these credits can only be used by US residents. For those US residents, they could use this credit to actually sign up themselves, their family, or their friends for CLEAR membership, similar to the NEXUS membership credits in Canada. I personally just ignore this credit, as there really isn’t any value to be derived as a Canadian.
Conclusion
American Express US loves offering benefits on their cards with a “coupon book” approach, and understanding each of these credits on the Hilton series of cards and how to best utilize them is just part of the game when it comes to adding one of these cards to your wallet. I hope you take these ideas away and are able to unlock additional value as a Hilton Honors credit card holder!
Josh Bandura
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