Hilton Honors Announce Four New American Express Branded Credit Cards

Hilton Honors today announced four new co-branded credit cards that it will launch with American Express next year. Hilton made an announcement earlier this year that they will end their partnership with Citi (read more here).

There are quite a few changes to the Hilton Amex portfolio including dropping foreign transaction fees that is important for anyone that travels outside of the US. The number of points earned for Hilton stays varies from 7 to 14 depending of the type of the card.

You can access Hilton Honors here.

Here’s what will happen to current Citi Hilton Honors credit card members:

On January 30, 2018, all open and eligible no-fee Citi Hilton Honors Cards will be replaced with the Hilton Honors American Express Card. All open and eligible Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Cards will be replaced with the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card. Until then, cardmembers should continue to make purchases on their Citi Hilton Honors Card.

You can access Hilton’s frequently asked question for existing cardmembers here.

Here are the four new cards:

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Designed for the occasional traveler, the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card received an upgrade, including the removal of foreign transaction fees. It maintains the same name and much-loved benefits of the original card turning everyday spend into inspiring travel opportunities.

The full benefits include:

• 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide

• 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. grocery stores, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations

• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status; Earn Gold status after spending $20,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year

• No foreign transaction fees

• No annual fee

Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card

For the savvy and established traveler, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card will deliver maximized travel rewards, including elevated Hilton Honors status, the ability to earn more points and Priority Lounge passes.

The full benefits include:

• 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide

• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. grocery stores, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations

• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status; Earn Diamond status after spending $40,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year

• One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $15,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year

• 10 free Priority Pass™Lounge passes to ease the airport experience

• No foreign transaction fees

• $95 annual fee

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Designed to address the needs of 25 million US small business owners, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card will help small business owners get the most out of every dollar spent and every mile traveled to invest back into their business. This card will allow the user to maximize card rewards related to business expenses and travel and includes access to the American Express OPEN platform designed specifically for small business owners.

The full benefits include:

• 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide

• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service producers and U.S. purchases for shipping

• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies

• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status; Earn Diamond status after spending $40,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year

• One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $15, 000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year

• A second Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $60,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year

• 10 free Priority Pass™Lounge passes to ease the airport experience and get work done more easily and comfortably while waiting for a flight

• No foreign transaction

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Frequent travelers seeking premium services and elevated experiences will find the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is their complete travel partner – providing instant Diamond status, lounge access, airline credits, free nights and 24/7 concierge access. This new card offers the richest Hilton Honors earn rate ever.

The full benefits include:

• 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide

• 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants

• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status

• One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio with your new Card and each year of Card Membership

• A second Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $60,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year

• Unlimited Priority Pass™Lounge passes to ease the airport experience

• $250 Airline incidental fee statement credit

• $250 Hilton resort statement credit

• $100 on-property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package

• Access to 24/7 American Express concierge

• No foreign transaction fees

• $450 annual fee

Here’s the press release from Hilton Honors:

Download (PDF, 123KB)

Conclusion

There are three options for consumers and one business card. The $450 card comes with Diamond status and all kind of other benefits that easily covers the fee for anyone that travels a bit and stays at Hilton affiliated hotels.

The only downside is that American Express acceptance is not as good as Visa and Mastercard especially with smaller merchants (no way around this. I just experienced this yesterday when paying some travel purchase online.