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Amex just launched new welcome offers across the entire Hilton Honors card lineup, and three of the four come with a Free Night Reward on top of the points. That is the part I care about most, so let me start there.
In this article
Why I Love Free Night Rewards
A Hilton Free Night Reward is good on any Standard Room Reward. That is the whole reason why they are so coveted. There is no category cap, no blackout list, no “up to 35,000 points” ceiling like you see on other hotel certificates. If the hotel has a Standard Room Reward available on your date, the certificate covers it.
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Standard Room Rewards at the top end of the Hilton portfolio can run as high as 250,000 points a night. So a single certificate you got for spending $2,000 can be worth more than a lot of people’s entire Hilton points balance.
In dollar terms, we peg a Free Night Reward at a $250 minimum on Your Best Credit Cards, because that is roughly the floor. How high can it go, though?
These get used at properties running well over $1,000 a night, and that is where I aim mine. Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, the top LXR and Curio properties. Use one of these at a $200 Hampton Inn and, well, you have wasted it.
My rule: hold the certificate until you have a trip where the cash rate is high. Take a luxury staycation if it’s close to expiring. Note that within two weeks of expiration, Hilton agents can extend the certificates by up to 16 days – but they can’t do it before then.
The New Offers
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: Eligible Card Members can earn a Free Night Reward and 70K Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases on the Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Eligible Card Members can earn a Free Night Reward and 130K Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases on the Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card: Eligible Card Members can earn 200K Bonus Points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Eligible Card Members can earn a Free Night Reward and 150K Bonus Points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases on the Card within the first six months of Card Membership Terms Apply.
The Aspire Has No Free Night Reward – But It’s 200,000 Points
The Aspire welcome bonus offer is 200,000 Bonus Points with no certificate attached. Still, 200,000 is the highest welcome offer I have seen on this card and you can get each of the bonuses in this car family once. And anyway, the Aspire already gives you a Free Night Reward every year you hold it.
Card Benefits
Hilton Honors American Express Card: No annual fee. 7X at Hilton properties, 5X at US restaurants, US gas stations and US supermarkets, 3X everywhere else. Comes with Hilton Honors Silver status. A Free Night Reward for $2,000 of spend on a no annual fee card is awesome.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. $150 annual fee. 12X at Hilton, 6X at US restaurants, US gas stations and US supermarkets, 4X on US online retail, 3X on everything else. Hilton Honors Gold status, which is the one that gets you free breakfast or the food and beverage credit. Up to $50 in Hilton statement credits each quarter, and another Free Night Reward once you hit $15,000 in spend in a calendar year.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card. $550 annual fee. 14X at Hilton, 7X at US restaurants, on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, and at select car rental companies. Hilton Honors Diamond status outright, a Free Night Reward every year, and resort and property credits that offset more that the annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. $195 annual fee. 12X at Hilton, 5X on other eligible purchases on the first $100,000 each calendar year and 3X after that. Hilton Honors Gold status, up to $60 in Hilton statement credits each quarter, and Diamond status once you hit $40,000 in spend.
Which One I Would Get
If you only want one, the Surpass at 130,000 plus a Free Night Reward for $3,000 of spend is the sweet spot. Gold status alone gets you free breakfast abroad and an F&B credit domestically, and the $50 quarterly credits offset more than the annual fee.
Full details, current offers, and how to apply are on Your Best Credit Cards.
Thoughts?
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You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
