Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. “All information about the American Express® Green Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card have been collected independently by Amber on Points. American Express® Green Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Cards are no longer available through Amber on Points.”

Hilton Honors Reward Program

It’s time to talk all things Hilton. Let me walk you through the Hilton Honors reward program and introduce you to the Hilton Honors American Express cards that will help you earn rewards in the most effective way possible.

The Hilton Honors program is one of the most underrated hotel programs for travelers – and for good reason. It can take a LOT of points to book a night at your local (or bougie) Hilton. As of 2024, Hilton had the 4th largest number of hotel rooms across the globe. We recently stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Rome Monti, which has a great location. Whether you’re looking for easy family hotels on road trips (Homewood Suites and Embassy Suites) OR bougie resorts like Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort – there are options for you! 

Here’s why we love Hilton:

Easy to Earn Points – With great credit card welcome offers, it’s easy to earn a huge chunk of valuable points. Additionally, Hilton is a travel partner of American Express.

5th Night Free – When you book an Hilton award night on points, the 5th consecutive night is free.

Bank Transfers from American Express and Bilt – Hilton is a travel partner of American Express, which transfers points at a 1:2 ratio (1,000 American Express Membership Rewards® Points would equal 2,000 Hilton points). Be sure to watch for transfer bonuses between American Express and Hilton!

Annual Free Night Certificate – Some credit cards offer an free night certificate upon opening and annually at renewal. Hilton is unique in that the certificate can be used at almost any property – and there’s some spectacular properties. Additionally you can spend your way to additional free night certificates some cards. Read more about Hilton free night certificates.

Cardholder Status – Depending on the card, you’ll receive instant status – Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond. Additionally, waived resort fees, late check out, free breakfast (or credit toward breakfast), late checkout, and more!

Which Hilton Personal Card Should You Get?

Of the Hilton Honors American Express Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, I always recommend waiting for a great elevated welcome offer (and especiallyyyyy if there is an offer of a free night certificate, because those certificates are SO VALUABLE. There is also the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. We most recently opened this card – and the annual fee is big – but you get a free night certificate at card opening and every year at renewal.

Let’s Compare:

Hilton Honors American Express Card

To know:

There is NO annual fee, and yet you can still take advantage of the 5th consecutive night is free when booked on points (free night awards do not count)

7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.

5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.

3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

Annual Fee: $0 Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

To Know:

Automatic Hilton Gold Status – this means free breakfast when traveling internationally. Domestically this will include a daily credit for you and a guest (usually $15-$25 each).

5th consecutive night is free when booked on points (Free Night Certificates do not count)

Up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio

6X Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations

4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.

3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

Annual Fee: $150 Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

“All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Amber on Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.”

To Know:

This is the only Hilton card with a reoccurring free night certificate. You’ll receive one Free Night Reward when you open the card and every year upon renewal.

5th consecutive night is free when booked on points

Up to $400 each year in Hilton Resort Statement Credits ($200, semi-annual credit)

Up to $200 Annual Flight Credit (Up to $50 each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year)

Complimentary Diamond Status – this means free breakfast when traveling internationally. Domestically this will include a daily credit for you and a guest (usually $15-$25 each)

14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on Hilton Purchases

7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. Restaurants and on Select Travel Purchases

3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other Eligible Purchases

Annual Fee: $550 Rates & Fees

Let’s Talk Business

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

To Know:

Automatic Hilton Gold Status – this means free breakfast when traveling internationally. Domestically this will include a daily credit for you and a guest (usually $15-$25 each).

5th consecutive night is free when booked on points

Up to $240 per year in statement credits, on purchases made on Hilton properties (up to $60 per quarter)

12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.

5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.

Annual Fee: $195 Rates & Fees

My Take:

I really recommend applying for these cards when the offers are elevated. Often times we’ll see elevated offers that offer increased points AND a free night certificate. We personally have the Hilton Honors Aspire card, mainly because it comes with a free night certificate upon card opening and an additional free night certificate every year when you renew the card. The annual fee is substantial. The annual free night certificate needs to be used within one year of receiving the certificate. In my opinion, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card are most common for the everyday traveler and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is for those who enjoy at least one bougie night in a hotel each year!

I truly think you can’t go wrong with any of these personal cards, as long as they come with a free night certificate.

Understanding Your Free Night Certificates

Okay, if you’re opening a Hilton card, the free night certificate is probably a big reason why! Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of it! Let’s do this Q&A style, shall we?

Read more about Hilton Free Night Certificates.

Q: When Can I use my free night certificate?

A. Any night of the week – weekdays, weekends, holidays – you name it. There just has to be standard award availability at the property for the night you want to book.

Q. Where can I use my free night certificate?

A. You can use your certificate at almost any property in Hilton’s portfolio. There’s a small number of Hilton properties that are excluded. But the vast majority of them are fair game. Which is great news because there are some really amazing properties available to use. Additionally, Hilton has partnered with SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World™) which have some very unique properties. And even those are available to book as long as there’s standard award availability.

Q. What can’t I do with my certificate?

A. You can’t combine your certificate with points on the same reservation. You also cannot combine it with a fifth night free award booking. The free night award would need to be used as a separate booking.

Q. Can I combine free night awards with someone else?

A. No. The awards should be used by the person whom they were issued to. HOWEVER, if you and spouse happen to have each earned a free night certificate, you could book the two individual reservations back to back and request to link the reservations together. I’d make sure to have the same room type to avoid needing to move rooms.

Q. How do I book my free night certificates?

A. You can’t book online (come on Hilton!). But you can call into Hilton Honors customer service to book. Recently, I successfully booked two certificates via chat also – so keep that in mind!

Where Should I Use My Free Night Certificate?

• Waldorf Astoria – Park City, Utah
• Grand Wailea – Wailea, HI
• Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Conrad Bora Bora Nui – Bora Bora Nui
• Conrad Maldives – Maldives
• Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam – Netherlands
• Hilton Lake Como – Como, Italy
• Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C. – DC, USA
• Hilton Marco Island – Marco Island, FL
• Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach – Dana Point, CA
• Zemi Beach House Anguilla – West Indies, Anguilla
• Hotel del Coronado – California, USA
• Conrad Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan

Wrap Up

Again, the Hilton Honors American Express cards are often overlooked, but provide so much value across Hilton’s global footprint.

Reach out with any questions. I can’t wait to hear where you go!

xo – Amber