- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on purchases
- NerdWallet estimates Hilton HHonors Points are worth 0.5 cents each based on our analysis of point redemption options at hotels around the world
- 6 points per $1 at Hilton, Gas, Groceries, Drug stores, Cable/internet/wireless bills
- 3 points elsewhere
- 15% bonus for points with complimentary Silver Status
NerdWallet Credit Card Review: Hilton HHonors from American Express
The key to understanding the Hilton HHonors cards is understanding what a Hilton Point is worth. If each point had similar value to other point programs, the card would be very attractive, because you earn in excess of 3 points per $1 spent. However, this is not the case.
NerdWallet estimates Hilton points are worth 0.5 cents, about 1/2 the value of other point programs.
Our methodology:
The exchange rate is even less favorable when you exchange Hilton points for airline miles or buy points directly:
If you’re confident you can consume all of your Hilton points at Hilton/Waldorf hotels, assume more rewards than NerdWallet’s estimate. If you never stay at Hilton/Waldorf hotels, assume fewer rewards than our estimate.
Also, before you take the leap with HHonors, we’d recommend considering the American Express Blue Cash and Blue Sky, the Discover Escape with 2% rewards on all purchases, and the American Express Costco Card with 3% on gas/groceries and 2% on travel.
How to decide between the Hilton HHonors, the Hilton HHonors Surpass, and the Citibank Hilton HHonors card?
Rewards Type: Hilton Honors Points
Finance Charge Calculator
*Effective Annual Rate for Balance Transfers of 14.5% includes transfer fees and APR promotions. See our breakdown of EARs vs APRs.
APR Rankings
Average is 13.26%.
Average is 3.26%.
Average is 22.36%.
Rewards Rankings
Average is $24.
Average is 0.98%.
Average is 1.06%.
Average is $84.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It looks like Nerdwallet recently increased its estimate of how much a Hilton HHonors Point is worth from 0.3 cent to 0.5 cent. That makes this credit card a nicer choice if you like to maximize your rewards by using different cards for different categories. If you only use the Hilton HHonors AMEX for the categories that earn you 6 times the points (gas, groceries, drug stores, cable/internet/wireless services), then you can effectively earn a 3% reward rate. I think the only cards that earn a higher reward rate for wireless or internet services are business credit cards.
Matt, you are absolutely right. We have recently re-examined all of the hotel credit cards by comparing point redemption rates to room rates, and have come away convinced that Hilton HHonors and Starwood both deserve a point value upgrade. While Hilton point values ranged from 0.1 cents at The Las Vegas Hilton, to 0.9 cents at the DoubleTree Times Square in New York City, in our arbitrary sample time period of August 2010, most Hilton hotels were clustered right about 0.5 cents both domestically and abroad.
At all Hilton Hotels, there was strong correlation between point value and hotel room rates. The more expensive the hotel, the better your point value calculation turns out to be. In most cases rooms that are $200 a night works out to around 0.5 cents, whereas rooms that are around $100 a night work out to 0.3 cents. We’ll be putting out a more comprehensive hotel infographic soon, so keep an eye out!