How to maximize the Hilton Amex Aspire Card

Top floor Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express delivering countless benefits to Hilton regulars, exceeding our expectations of a premium co-branded product hotel card.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the card’s unique benefits and discuss strategies for maximizing each benefit, ensuring you get full value from the card in return for the $550 annual fee (see exchange rates and fees).

Information about the Hilton Honors Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Great welcome offer

The Aspire card is currently offering 150,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of account opening. Those points are worth $900, according to our pricing.

Here are three ways to Maximize Hilton honor points:

• Use Bonus points and bonuses at luxury hotels to make Hilton points worth up to 1 cent each to subsidize the cash price of a hotel.
• Hilton points are extremely valuable in MexicoEgypt, Malaysia and some South American countries, incl resort in Oman and Egypt.
• Take advantage of Thursday night free, the benefit of Diamond status, anytime you can. This is overlooked too often.

If I get the Amex Aspire card, the welcome offer will be just the start of growing my Hilton Honors balance significantly. With the bonus spending categories discussed below, you should aim for a few hundred thousand points and then look to make a great international trip with the strategies above.

Hilton Honors diamond status

I believe there is a right way and a wrong way to maximize your top hotel status, like Hilton Diamond powered by Aspire card. I usually accidentally mishear a few times a year at the Hilton hotel check-in desk. It sounds like, “But I’m a Diamond member, I get the suite available” or “I’m a Diamond member, I get the 4pm late check-out.”

Both statements demonstrate a lack of understanding of Hilton Diamond’s benefits or the wrong way to maximize top status. They are also rude and often do not get employees to comply with your requests.

There is no guaranteed path to room upgrades or late checkout as a Hilton Diamond. Subject to terms and conditions“Late check-out must be requested and is subject to availability.”

To maximize Diamond status, read all the benefits, including the fine print. The most important benefits are access to the Executive Lounge, free breakfast (at participating category brands this can be difficult), 48-hour room guarantees (also not really guaranteed depending on arbitrarily determined high-demand periods), and Reward Points.

Free night certificate

Longing Cardholders can receive up to three reward night certificates. You receive a reward night certificate to use at almost any Hilton hotel worldwide after account opening and on your card membership anniversary year.

Get your second reward night certificate when you spend $30,000 on the Aspire card in a calendar year, and your third reward night certificate when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.

Frequent travelers can take advantage of this benefit and can save hundreds of dollars each year. The best part is, as long as the property qualifies and has availability, you can book with some exceptions.

Related: Hilton Free Night Certificates: How to Earn Them and Maximize Their Value

$200 airline credit

With flexible usage, this co-branded hotel card gives you a $200 flight credit per calendar year.

Cardholders receive up to $50 in statement credits each calendar quarter when purchasing airfare on flights purchased directly from the airline or through AmexTravel.com.

TPG management editor for credit cards Matt Moffitt Maximize this credit by adding $50 to his United TravelBank balance each quarter.

$400 resort credit

Visit Hilton.com/resorts and find a property for your next stay where you’ll be eligible to receive an annual credit of up to $400 for purchases made during your visit (this includes room rates and expenses). incurred).

The resort credit is divided into two semi-annual credits of up to $200 from January-June and July-December. Like the $100 property credit above, your room must be charged and you must use your Aspire card to pay folio fees for your stay.

Keep in mind that this totals up to $400 per year, not per stay at the resort. You can use the credit to pay for parking, dining, spa services and many activities the resort can arrange for you during your stay. If I head towards one of these Hilton Resort in HawaiiFor example, $400 in the bank before arrival would be a pretty sweet deal.

Clear Plus Credit $189

Cardholders receive up to $189 in statement credits for one Clear Plus member annual.

Clear is a great benefit when used in conjunction with TSA PreCheck. In the event those emergency lanes are closed or backed up, you have the flexibility to use another service to speed up security.

Related: 10 ways to get through airport security faster

$100 Waldorf and Conrad property credit

Two-night consecutive stays at luxury brands in the Hilton portfolio must be booked in advance through special gateand you’re eligible to receive an asset credit of up to $100 for almost anything charged to your room record during your stay.

In test searches for Conrad Bora Bora, Conrad Tokyo, The Roosevelt New Orleans, Waldorf Astoria and Waldorf Chicago, the full $100 was offered and qualifying rates were matched with flexible rates for those who do not have an Aspire card.

Taxes, fees, gratuities and room rates are not eligible. The terms of the offer require you to check with the hotel front desk to ensure that the amount you wish to charge is eligible for refund. I’ll check out the massages, room service, gift shop souvenirs, or buy a few elaborate coffee drinks to take advantage of the credit.

Elite status car rental

Cardholders enjoy free benefits Emerald National Car Rental Club Executive Status (Terms apply). Benefits include Executive Area Access, no second driver fee and guaranteed upgrades.

If National Car Rental isn’t your preferred car rental agency, you can easily take advantage of automatic elite status and Sign up for a status match to your preferred rental agency.

Bonus spending categories

If you want to accumulate Honor points quickly, you have to know when your Aspire card will appear and when it will be in your wallet. The Aspire Card offers 14 points per dollar spent at hotels in the Hilton portfolio. In Our pricing is 0.6 cents per point, equivalent to an 8.4% return on spend.

You’ll also earn 7 points per dollar (4.2% return) on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from car rental companies Select bowls and at restaurants in the United States. Finally, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar (1.8% return) on all other spending on the card.

You need to compare the earn rate for an impending expense across all the cards in your wallet and decide which card will help you quickly reach your next award-winning travel goal.

Pay for a stay at a Hilton hotel

Before you decide to earn rewards points on travel spending with a card like Reserve Chase Sapphire®Consider the huge earnings rates that will show up in your account when you use your Aspire card to pay for stays at Hilton.

Here’s a breakdown of the Hilton points you’ll earn per dollar when you stay and pay with your Aspire Card:

• 10 points for every dollar earned.
• 10 points per dollar with your Diamond rewards.
• 14 points per dollar for Aspire card earnings.
• Any mobile app booking promotions or bonuses.

At a minimum, you’ll earn 34 Hilton points per dollar when you stay at a Hilton Hotel. Using our pricing without any promotions, that equates to a profit of over 20% on your next stay at Hilton, which is great.

Although the cost of Hilton’s award nights is relatively high compared to other chains’ award charts, you can earn more points per stay than with those chains. Don’t forget to set your Aspire card as your default payment method in your Hilton profile.

Bottom line

Adding the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express to your wallet can give your award trip a shot of adrenaline. At the hotel, you’ll earn Diamond status which gives you breakfast and lounge access, bonus points, a $400 asset credit, and hopefully a room upgrade. This is really a no-brainer if you’re even remotely a Hilton regular or have planned a few annual trips to Hilton hotels.

To learn more, read ours Full review of Hilton Aspire.

For Hilton Aspire Card rates and fees, click This.