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A Beginner’s Guide to Hilton Credit Cards: Pros, Cons and Which Are Worth It
Hilton offers credit cards that include a no-annual-fee version to a premium one. Are they worth it?
After spending seven years in the U.S. Air Force as an Arabic linguist, Carissa is now a freelance writer using points and miles to fund a four-year (and counting!) adventure. She previously worked as a reporter for The Points Guy. Her writing has since been featured in numerous publications, including Forbes, Business Insider, and The Balance. When she's not flying, you'll usually find her in a Priority Pass lounge somewhere, sipping tea and cursing slow Wi-Fi.
Claire Tsosie is a managing editor for the Travel Rewards team at NerdWallet. She started her career on the credit cards team as a writer, then worked as an editor on New Markets. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press.
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Hilton’s credit cards, issued by American Express, cater to a range of travel priorities, offering perks that vary widely depending on the card.
From the no-annual-fee entry-level card to premium options that pack in luxury benefits, there’s a Hilton card for a variety of travelers. But which one of them (if any) is right for you?
There are four Hilton credit cards, including one small-business option. They are:
Higher annual fees correlate with better benefits, but those might not be worth it to all travelers, especially those who either don't regularly stay with Hilton or who just prefer budget Hilton brands over the luxury names.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
5 points per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.
All other eligible purchases earn 3 points per $1 spent. Terms apply.
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has few ongoing benefits. The welcome offer is fairly good, as you'll earn enough points to cover at least a night or two (and maybe even three) depending on the property. That offer: Earn 70,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms Apply.
Besides that, you get complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver Status, which doesn't offer much in the way of perks, unless you get excited by a free bottled water. But you do get your fifth night free on award redemptions. Terms apply.
Who is the Hilton Honors American Express Card best for? If you stay at Hilton occasionally and want a card with an annual fee of $0 to boost your points balance, this is a solid pick. But don’t expect major perks beyond points accumulation.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
6 points per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.
4 points per $1 spent on U.S. online retail.
All other eligible purchases earn 3 points per $1 spent. Terms apply.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has the following introductory offer: Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms Apply.
Hilton’s Gold status is substantially more rewarding than Silver, entitling you to room upgrades and daily food and beverage credits for you and a guest. Terms apply.
If you’re a heavy spender, you also have the ability to earn a free night certificate when you use the card for $15,000 in spending in a calendar year.
7 points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com; on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies; and at U.S. restaurants.
All other eligible purchases earn 3 points per $1 spent. Terms apply.
For frequent Hilton guests or travelers seeking luxury benefits, the Aspire card’s perks can easily outweigh the fee. However, casual travelers may find it difficult to maximize the high-cost benefits.
First off, there's the welcome bonus: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
The only small-business card that Hilton offers, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card charges a $195 annual fee.
The benefits that come with this $195 annual fee mimic many of those from the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Those benefits include:
Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with the ability to spend your way to higher Diamond status.
Up to $60 per quarter good on eligible purchases made with your card at Hilton properties, such as in-hotel dining or spa services.
12 points per $1 spent on Hilton purchases, 5 points per $1 for the first $100,000 of purchases in each calendar year that are not Hilton purchases and 3 points per $1 for other purchases.
Terms apply.
Like the other cards on this list, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with a welcome bonus. Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card in the first six months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/15/2026. Terms Apply.
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
Tiffani Sherman
Contributing Travel Writer
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Carissa Rawson
Contributing Travel Writer
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Carissa Rawson
Contributing Travel Writer
Tiffani Sherman
Contributing Travel Writer
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
Tiffani Sherman
Contributing Travel Writer
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Carissa Rawson
Contributing Travel Writer
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Carissa Rawson
Contributing Travel Writer
Tiffani Sherman
Contributing Travel Writer
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
I usually only use Hilton Honors points when I am staying for five nights because if I use points for four nights, the fifth one is free. That's the case for all Hilton Honors elite members. I think this is a good use of points because of the free night. I rarely will redeem points for a single-night stay unless the price is so high that I don't want to pay any other way. I also usually redeem points in Europe or Asia because the values are usually better than in the United States.
Tiffani Sherman
Contributing Travel Writer
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Hilton Honors points have saved me a lot of money during cross-country road trips. I've driven from coast to coast six times and can find a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn almost everywhere. Using points allows me to preserve cash to instead use on food, gas and experiences along the way.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Carissa Rawson
Contributing Travel Writer
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Every year I buy Hilton points on sale and promptly spend them at the Conrad Bora Bora. With enough advanced planning, award availability isn't hard to come by. Plus, this means I'm buying my Hilton points for 0.5 cents each and always redeeming them at around 2 cents each.
Certificate can be earned after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
Initial certificate distributed when you are approved for the card and every year on your cardmember anniversary. Earn a second night when you spend $30,000 and a third night when you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year.
Elite status
Hilton Honors™ Silver.
Hilton Honors™ Gold.
Hilton Honors™ Diamond.
Welcome offer
Earn 70,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms Apply.
Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms Apply.
Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
How many Hilton Honors points are needed for a free night?
Hilton ditched its award chart in favor of dynamic pricing. The minimum number of Hilton points needed to book a standard room is 5,000, but rooms at high-end properties can reach upward of 150,000 or more.
Use the Hilton Points Explorer tool to search hotels by redemption rates, and if you have a specific destination in mind, it’s also simple to search by location.
Hilton offers the ability to search using flexible pricing, allowing members to scan award rates a month at a time. To do this, check “My Dates are Flexible” in the date-selection tool.
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Is a Hilton credit card worth it?
If you're a Hilton loyalist, a Hilton credit card can be worth it — especially if you can use free night certificates, resort credits or elite status upgrades.
But if you’re not planning regular Hilton stays, a general travel credit card may offer more flexibility and better rewards for everyday purchases.
How to choose a Hilton credit card
Which Hilton credit card is right for you? Ask yourself these key questions before deciding:
How often do I travel?
If you’re often on the road, it’s much easier to extract value from these credit cards. Then again, the $400 resort credit and $200 flight credit that come with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card are of no use to you if you never leave your city.
Do I value elite status?
If room upgrades and extra perks matter, go for the gold. After all, perks like these start when you have Gold status, which is conferred by the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card’s $550 annual fee comes with more than that in credits, but having cash in your bank may be more valuable to you.
If you just want a way to earn a few extra Hilton points, you may want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card and its $0 annual fee. Although it offers the fewest perks, it’s also the cheapest to have in your wallet.
If you’re considering a Hilton credit card ...
Hilton credit cards offer a variety of benefits, but they’re not a one-size-fits-all solution. Carefully consider your travel habits, budget and ability to maximize rewards before committing to any of these cards.
To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, see this page.To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, see this page.To view rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, see this page.All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
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