Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card Overview
this Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card It is a premium hotel credit card with top benefits on it. Key allowances include free Hilton Diamond Elite identity, reward points for Hilton Stay and incredibly valuable statement credit. This card is a great choice for Hilton loyalists. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card ratings are based on the opinions of TPG editors and are not affected by the card issuer.
It’s no surprise that Hilton Aspire was named the Best Hotel Credit Card at the 2024 TPG Awards.
Even with the card’s high $550 annual fee (see rates and fees), the benefits can easily outweigh the costs, including the annual free night rewards that are valid for nearly all Hilton hotels. If your credit score is within a good range, then your chances of approval are the best.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Hilton Aspire.
Pros and cons of Hilton Aspire
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Hilton Aspire welcomes quote
New applicants Hilton Amex Aspire Card Spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership and earn 175,000 points. The offer ends on January 14th.
According to TPG’s October 2025 valuation, the value of this offer is $875.
This welcome offer is only 5,000 points higher than the highest we saw on this card, and if you’ve been following it, now is a good time to apply.
Remember that AMEX only allows you to earn one bonus per card in your lifetime, so when you have the best welcome quote (or approach) it is important to apply for a card.
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Per Amex:
If you have or own this card or a previous version of this card, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer. You may also not be eligible for welcome offers based on various factors such as the history of your credit card balance transfer, your history as an American Express member, the number of credit cards you have opened and closed, and other factors. If you do not meet a popular offer, we will notify you before processing the application so that you can choose to withdraw your application.
AMEX will alert you if you are not eligible for a welcome reward before submitting your application.
Related: Final Guide to Credit Card Application Restrictions
Hilton Aspire’s interests
There are many privileges and values in this common card:
- Hilton Honors™ Diamond Condition: As long as your card account is open, you will get the status of the Hilton Diamond Elite. Diamond status can add value, thanks to the fifth night benefit you get when booking points, reward points, lounge access in certain properties, free breakfast and available room upgrades that you will get.
- Up to three reward nights: Open an account and card for an anniversary every year, and you will receive one night at nearly all Hilton hotels around the world. You can spend the second night of $30,000 on your card during the calendar year and the third night of $60,000 on your calendar year.
- Up to $400 in the Hilton Resort Statement: Each calendar year, you will receive up to $400 (paid every biennial) on a qualifying Hilton Resort Qualified Purchase Line. This $400 is available for dining, activities, spa treatments, indoor fees and taxes.
- Annual airline fee credits up to $200 per calendar year: You will receive a declared credit of up to $50 per calendar quarter for purchases of tickets directly from the airline or via Amextravel.com.
- Business credit of up to $100 for Hilton: When you book at least two nights for a participating Waldorf Astoria or Conrad Properties via phone 855-292-5757, you will receive a lender of up to $100 during your stay.
- ClearPlus® Membership: When you sign up for a clear membership and pay with your Hilton Aspire card, you can get a maximum of $209 a declared credit per year (if automatically renewed). **
- Taxi elite identity: You will receive the free National Car Rental Emerald Club Emerald Club Emerald Club program (registration required, application terms). **
- Mobile phone protection: When using the Hilton Aspire Card to pay wireless bills for a specific cell phone cable, the card owner can be reimbursed for repairing or replacing damaged or stolen devices, up to $800 per claim. There are two restrictions on approving claims within 12 months, each with a $50 deduction. ††
The card also offers some travel protections, including trip delay insurance† (when your flight is delayed for more than six hours) and trip cancellation and interruption insurance. †
Ultimately, Hilton Aspire has no foreign transaction fees.
**Registration is required.
†Qualifications and income levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. For more information, visit AmericaneXpress.com/benefitsguide. The policy is insured by AIG New Hampshire Insurance Company.
Related: Current Offers on Hilton Amex Card
Win points at Hilton Aspire
This card allows you to easily accumulate high points balances in your Hilton Honors account, saving cash prices if you want to use the Hilton free night rewards while staying on a luxury property.
and Hilton Amex Aspire Card You will earn:
- Hotels in Hilton Portfolio 14 points per dollar (based on our October 2025 valuation of 7%)
- Car rentals and dining at U.S. restaurants booked directly from select car rental companies at 7 o’clock per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines, or via Amextravel.com (return 3.5%)
- 3 points per dollar spent with all other expenses on the card (return 1.5%)
These are not groundbreaking, but if you are interested in winning Hilton points, this is a great option.
Related: How to choose a hotel credit card
Hilton Asper’s Redemption Point
Hilton offers you a lot of options and many options available. We recommend using them for standard reward nights for best value, but you can also redeem them for merchandise, gift cards, premium room redemption and airline transfers (usually in a ratio of about 10:1).
Although you can’t be completely sure how much points the reward night will cost due to Hilton’s dynamic rewards table, you can use these dots Explorer to get a rough idea of how much points the property you need will cost.
You can also use points to subsidize payments, and use points and money options to get up to 1% of your total room bill when choosing an expensive Hilton hotel.
TPG Travel Content Director Eric Rosen has previously used the 5th Night’s proceeds to maximize the value of his points in order to stay at the remodeled Waldorf Astoria los Cabos Pedregal. Standard bonus nights earn 120,000 points during his stay.
Based on our October 2025 valuation, he took advantage of his fifth night free benefits to pay 480,000 points for his five night stay and saved $600 worth of Hilton points.
Related: How to Redeem Points Through Hilton Honors Program
Transfer Points in Hilton Asper
Hilton has over 25 airline partners and you can transfer Hilton honors points such as Air Canada, British Airways Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Delta Skymiles.
However, this is usually not a good redemption because most partners have extremely low rates.
The only possible scenario for a good redemption is if you need to use any credit card transfer partners like Eastern China Miles and Saudi Arabians (Saudia Alfursan) to purchase reward tickets, or you need points or miles.
Related: Should you transfer your hotel points to your airline partner?
Which cards compete with Hilton Aspire?
If you want a card that carries a lower annual fee or receives a different type of reward, one of these may be more appropriate:
For other options, check out our list of the best hotel cards.
Related: Hilton & Hilton Aspire Sperpass: Do you want gold or diamond conditions?
Bottom line
Hilton Aspire offers incredible value, which makes it a favorite among several TPG employees, and an excellent premium product if you don’t have a top hotel card yet.
While its $550 annual fee seems to be high, it comes with valuable welcome offers, annual free night certificate, automatic elite identity, and multiple declaration credits. If you can use all or most of the benefits, then you will easily prove that the annual fee for the Hilton Aspire is justified.
However, if you often don’t stay at Hilton Properties and thus gain a lot of value from these benefits, it might be better to use a general travel reward card.
Apply here: Hilton Amex Aspire Card
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click here.
For rates and fees on Hilton Aspire Cards, click here
For Hilton Overcoming Card rates and fees, click here.
