The Hilton Honors American Express card continues to bring in value for service members and Hilton loyalists alike. The no annual fee makes it accessible for everyone, and upgrading to an Aspire will maxamise its value!
For the full guide on the best credit cards for active-duty military, check out this post!
Hilton Honors American Express Card 2021: Full Review
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Table of Contents
Hilton Honors American Express Perks [2021]
- No annual fee
- Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 5+ stays!) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in 3 months
- Earn 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 3+ stays!) after you spend an additional $4,000 in 6 months
- Automatic Silver Status
- Earn 7X points when booking Hilton Hotels
- Earn 5X points on flights booked through Amex Travel
- Earn 3X points on all other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
Who Is This Card For?
If you love Hilton Hotels, then this card brings some serious value to the table. This card can give you tons of Hilton Honors Rewards points with the 7X points bonus!
For Military members, there is no reason why this card shouldn’t be in your wallet since your annual fee is covered by the MLA & SCRA. can be upgraded to the best luxury hotel card on the market (American Express Aspire Card) later on.
Let’s walk through each of the benefits step-by-step, so you can understand all the ways you will be rewarded.
Card Perks Review
Sign-up Bonus
The sign-up bonus is easy for the average person to achieve. Spending $1,000 in 3 months means that as long as your household has roughly $333+ in expenses a month, you will be rewarded with 80,000+ points worth 5+ night stays at various Hilton Hotels.
If you manage to spend an additional $4,000 in 6 months, (a total of $5,000 in 6 months), you will be rewarded with an additional 50,000 points or the equivalent of roughly 3 night stays. This brings the total signup bonus to 130,000+ points.
While it isn’t quite as easy as cashback, you will still earn 8+ nights covered for business travel. Or you can treat yourself to a weeklong vacation. You deserve it.
Upgrading To American Express Aspire
A great strategy for military members and their spouses is to acquire three American Express Aspire cards.
Since you can upgrade the American Express Surpass / Hilton Honors American Express card after one year, the rewards from all three AMEX Aspire cards will stack.
Let’s say after a year of credit card churning, you and your spouse acquire six American Express Aspire cards (three each) your annual benefits would be:
- 6 free weeknight stays
- $1,500 in Hilton Hotel Resort credit
- $1,500 in Airline Credit
- $600 in credit for charges at Waldorf Astoria Hotels / Conrad properties
These credits renewing every single year!
Silver Status
To obtain Hilton Gold Status, you would normally need to complete one of the following:
- 5 nights OR
- 2 stays OR
- 12,500 base points earned
The silver status could be obtained relatively easily, even without the Hilton Honors American Express Card. However, when you get the Hilton Honors American Express card, you automatically get silver status regardless of nights/stays/base points. Your silver status comes with free perks such as:
- 20% bonus on all earned base points
- Two complimentary water bottles
- Fifth night free
For most people, Hilton’s silver status won’t exactly carry the prestige you may be looking for. While getting a couple of free water bottles at checkout is nice, it’s only a small nod to your Hilton status.
However, since this card is one you should acquire after already holding an American Express Aspire Card, you will already be receiving the top-notch Diamond status, so the fact that it carries only Silver Status isn’t a huge deal!
Conclusion
Military
If you are an active duty service member covered by the MLA & SCRA act, this card is a stepping stone to the best possible Hotel Rewards card out there. Since you won’t have an annual fee, all of these hotel nights and rewards are FREE.
Non-Military
If you are not an active duty service member, but you ARE a Hilton Hotel loyalist, this card still offers serious value.
With no annual fee, the sign-bonus is a completely free bonus for military and non-military alike, For military members, the card will add even more value for subsequent years after it is upgraded to an AMEX Aspire card.
If you are ready to have the above Hilton rewards, then go ahead in confidence and apply for the best free luxury hotel card on the market!
Building Wealth
While Credit Cards are a great way to rack in thousands of free dollars a year, they play a small part in the big picture of building your wealth.
If you are interested in learning the best ways to build your wealth over time, swing by and check out our completely free guide on the Six Steps to Build Wealth!