The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is a premium hotel card with a $550 annual fee. The card is easily worth the annual fee if you are well organized to get back all the Amex annual credits (see table below).
Hilton Aspire Annual Credits & Benefits
| Parameter | Benefit Explanation | Notes |
| Annual Fee $550 | ||
| $400 annual statement credit (calendar year) | Split into $200 statement credit every six months x 2 | This credit can be used on dining, activities, spa treatments, room rates and taxes (doesn’t apply to advance-purchase or non-refundable rates). |
| $200 annual statement credit toward flight purchases. | Split into $50 statement credit every 3 months x 4 | Applies towards flight purchases made either directly with an airline or through Amextravel.com (no need to designate a specific airline). |
| $100 Hilton On-Property Credit | Only at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad | Minimum 2-night stay. |
| $199 CLEAR Plus credit | ||
| Annual free night award on account anniversary every year | Certificates can be used on any day of the week without a cap on points. | Must call 1-800-446-6677 to make your booking. |
| National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status | ||
| Cell phone protection benefit | Maximum amount of $800 with two claims per 12-month period. | $50 deductible |
| Hilton points earning with the card | 10 points per dollar base earning + 10 points per dollar Diamond bonus + 14 points per dollar earned from using the Aspire card. | This totals to 34x points/$1 spent on every Hilton stay before any promotional bonus or mobile app booking bonus. |
| Hilton Diamond Status Benefits | ||
| Fifth night free on award stays: No Resort Fees on Award Stays; Free room upgrades, including suites:Complimentary breakfast: Executive Lounge access; Complimentary premium internet access; Late check-out (subject to availability); Welcome amenities and 48-hour room guarantee. | ||
Earn 34 x points at Hilton hotels when using the Aspire card
Below is a breakdown of the Hilton points earned per dollar when staying at Hilton properties and paying with your Aspire Card:
- 10 points per dollar base-earnings.
- 10 points per dollar Diamond bonus.
- 14 points per dollar on Aspire card earnings.
This totals to 34x points/$1 spent on Hilton stays before any promotional bonus or mobile app booking bonus. You can accumulate thousands of Hilton points from staying at Hilton properties and paying with the Aspire card (e.g., spend $5000 and you will get 170K Hilton points). While Hilton points have a low value compared to Hyatt points, they are much easier to earn and the 5th night free on award stays can be useful.
What works for the Hilton Aspire flight credits?
- As usual, Amex intentionally made this $200 annual credit split into four $50 quarterly credits so most people will not be able to get them.
- The good news is there’s no need to designate a specific airline, but rather any eligible airline purchase would qualify.
- Flight purchases can be made either directly with the airline or through amextravel.com using your card.
- Add funds to United travel Bank using the Aspire card ($50 every 3 months).
- Book a refundable main cabin ticket from a U.S. airline (e.g., AA, Delta or United) so you can cancel and use the travel credit toward a future itinerary.
$100 Hilton On-Property Credit at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad
This is a harder to get annual credit since you must book at least a two night stay using a specific link (https://www.hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com).
Hilton Aspire free night award
- Members typically receive one free night award after opening the account and each year after the anniversary and renewal.
- Free night award property exclusions ( https://www.hilton.com/en/p/promotions/free-night-reward-property-exclusions/).
- Several expensive properties around the world (e.g., Maldives and Bora Bora) can be booked using Aspire’s free night award since it has no cap on the category (it only works when standard room awards are available).
Conclusion
Hilton Aspire is my favorite hotel card due to the 34 x points earned at Hilton hotels, an easy to use annual free certificate and free Diamond status. I became a Hyatt enthusiast when Manufactured Spending was easy from buying Simon Mall gift cards and unloading at Western Unions (review). I may not be a Globalist after 2026 since none of my local Western Union stores (that are inside the grocery chain stores) are accepting the gift cards (review). I may switch back to Hilton from 2026 unless I venture into Buying Clubs for Manufactured Spending.