Transferable points made the most sense to me when I first entered the credit card rewards hobby.
My travel style has always been flexible. I don’t necessarily like any hotel chain more than anyone else, and I live in multiple airlines near the hub city.
My natural choice is a reward for using my loyal partner anytime, anywhere or any time I book through the travel portal. I can’t see how the coprand card strategy works for my strategy.
When I decided to apply Hilton Honors American ExpressSupasspass® Card. Despite what you might think of, I didn’t apply because I am now a big Hilton fan.
Since I haven’t booked a trip this year, I’m curious how the benefits of Ka’s improve on the upcoming trip. What if I tested loyalty to a global chain with multiple price points for thousands of properties in the chain?
Here are six reasons why Hilton surpassed me as someone who wasn’t interested in gay cards.
The annual fee that suits me
I could have picked up the unfamiliar fee Hilton Honors American Express Card (See rates and fees). However, I don’t want to simply dip my toes into a common card membership.
Instead, I wanted to see the status of the elite beyond and declare credits that could improve my travel experience. The $0 introductory annual fee for the first year of the card, followed by the $150 annual fee (quoted as of August 13, 2025; see Fees and Fees) seems to me to be completely reasonable at the interest rate.
Of course, it’s less privileged than the premium Hilton Honor American Express Aspire card, which charges $550 annual fees, but I don’t have such high annual fees yet.
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At comparable annual rates (e.g. Marriott Hotel BonvoyBoundless® Credit Card (See rates and fees), The World of Hyatt Credit Cards (See rates and fees) and IHG Reward Prime Minister Credit Card (See rates and fees).
So I landed in transcendence.
Related: Is the Hiltons worth the annual fee for over Amex cards?
My first elite identity
Because I’ve always been a free agent, I’ve never experienced any planned elite status allowances. Receiving automatic mid-term Hilton Golden Identity from a moderate annual fee card is attractive to me.
Hilton’s Golden Status has the following privileges:
- Daily food and Oktoberfest credit or continental breakfast (depending on where you live)
- Elite Rolling Night
- Free bonus accommodation in the fifth night
- Room upgrades with available space
- Get 80% bonus points on your stay
- After staying for 40 nights in a calendar year, 10,000 reward points every 10 nights every 10 nights after 10 nights.
I see myself enjoying the most reward points, daily food and beer points, and room with available space. The fifth night’s cheering also intrigued me, although it also had a lower silver status.
If you spend $40,000 in one calendar year, you can also upgrade to diamond status at the end of the next calendar year. While I don’t plan to spend it on this card, I still think that the status of spending is a good benefit for people who spend so much in the year.
Hilton Statement Credit
Statement credits are a major part of credit card rewards hobbies, and maximizing them is the best way to ensure you get the most value. Hilton surpassing is no exception.
The card can reach a quarterly Hilton Statement Credit Line (up to $200 per calendar year) and covers a wide range of purchases made directly with Hilton, including room rates, incidental expenses, room service, restaurant and spa purchases, and other expenses at institutions within the property, such as gift shops.
I think this is easy to use for me and it will actually eliminate the card’s annual fee before the end of the year. I got this card in early March and already had plans to travel to Louisville, Kentucky this spring, so my credibility in Q1 was designed to book three nights in Tempo, downtown Hilton Louisville, in downtown Nulu.
I’m going to travel to Europe later this spring and plan to use Q2 cutlery on Hilton City of London to use Q2 credit. In the fall, I’m going to Las Vegas and will use my credibility in Conrad Las Vegas of Resort World.
Related: How to Maximize Statement Credit on Hilton Shared Credit Cards
Reward categories not covered by my other cards
I like maximizing the bonus category. I use mine American Express® Gold Card To buy groceries, mine Chase Sapphire Priority® Card (See Rates and Fees) Streaming subscription and my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to cover purchases outside of the bonus category.
Although my wallet covers many bonus categories, I don’t have an extra card to earn on gasoline or online retailers. Luckily for me, the Hiltons are more than 6 points per dollar purchased at US gas stations and 4 points per dollar purchased at US online retail.
TPG’s July 2025 valuation sets Hilton’s points to 0.5 cents per point. The points earned with my transferable reward card are more valuable, so I won’t use overwhelming fees to buy the purchases I earn bonus points by using other cards such as restaurant and grocery store purchases.
However, since I often spend gas and online purchases, I’m glad I can earn more than 2 points per dollar in these categories now.
Related: 5 Reasons to Get Hilton Overcoming Card
National car rental status
One of the card’s most underrated allowances is its free state rental car Jade Club executive. Registration is required and the terms and conditions apply.
Since I travel domestically a lot, I see the value of executive status allowances, such as entering full-size bookings and above execution zones in the United States and Canada. Plus, the status grant guarantees an upgrade, and there is no second driver fee, which is another reliable benefit for me as I travel with others a lot.
I rent a car multiple times a year, so I’m excited about how this revitalization expands these experiences.
Related: The Best Car Rental Rewards Programs You Need to Know
Welcome rewards and redemption options
While the welcome quote depends on when you apply for a card, I ended up applying when the card offers an attractive limited-time quote.
At the time, new card members could earn 130,000 bonus points and receive free night rewards after spending $3,000 in the first six months of card membership. This offer is no longer available.
Currently, new card members earn 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. There is an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, and an annual fee of $150 (see Fees and Fees).
TPG’s July 2025 valuation sets the current bonus at $650. I can easily think that this is the great value of the annual fee.
Once I met the minimum spending requirement for getting a bonus, I started daydreaming about how to redeem these rewards for an upcoming two night stay in London. I used the Explorer tool to search for availability of properties up to 65,000 o’clock per night. Two nights will cost 130,000 points of bonus.
Since Hilton uses dynamic pricing, your points value can vary significantly depending on when you plan to travel. However, there is a lot of value you can find in the Hilton Honors program, especially if you have some flexibility.
For example, I booked two nights on Canopy in London City in Hilton, London this spring and I used all 130,000 bonus points from the “Welcome Offer” I surpassed. I then kept the free night reward and decided to book with it at the Cosmopolita Hotel Rome for Hilton’s Tapestry series. The standard room I booked this certificate was worth nearly $629 or $80,000 in Hilton Honors Points.
Related: Current Hilton Amex Card Quotation
Bottom line
A few years ago, I wasn’t sure if I could convince myself to apply for a common card. The multiple factors I outlined above bring the Hiltons beyond my best choice.
In the process, I learned that you don’t have to be loyal to a particular brand to find value in the benefits of a shared card. You just need to see how they fit into your overall card strategy.
Before applying for a new card, consider your priorities and spend your habits. At TPG, we encourage you to earn transferable points for its value and flexibility, but you don’t have to earn this currency first all time. It is equally important to diversify your reward portfolio.
To learn more, check out our full review of the Hilton American Express Sparpas Card.
Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Sparpas Card
For Hilton Overcoming Card rates and fees, click here.
For rates and fees for Hilton Amex cards, click here.
