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Hilton’s premium co-brand is interesting because it straight up comes with Honors Diamond status, though I view Hilton Diamond as worth less than similar status at Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG (no guaranteed late check-out from Hilton or IHG, even, but at least IHG offers confirmed suites).
The premium card is also the only one where Hilton spend is more rewarding that putting it on an alternative card. Earning on the card remains the same at 14x on Hilton purchases; 7x on flights, rental cars, and restaurants, and 3x on all other purchases.
American Express has refreshed the card. The card’s annual fee is going up by $100, and it’s losing:
- Priority Pass
- $250 airline fee credit
- $250 annual resort credit
Meanwhile it’s gaining:
- $200 Hilton resort credit every 6 months ($400 per year)
- $50 flight credit every quarter ($200 per year)
- Additional free night earned via spend
- $189 CLEAR credit
- National Emerald Club Executive status and cell phone protection
If you don’t value Priority Pass, for instance because you have it from another card, I actually think these changes are net positive and even worth the increased fee. Assuming someone with a premium Hilton card stays with them at least once every six months and buys a flight once per quarter, there’s more than $325 in real, usable increased credits against a $100 increase in annual fee. (That value shrinks if you already have CLEAR or won’t get it.)
Overall though with the loss of Priority Pass alongside increased fee I’d say that the product is less valuable.
They do a nice job incentivizing spend now with (3) free nights on offer, one at account anniversary, one after $30,000 spend in a calendar year (new), and one after $60,000 spend in a calendar year. The card still isn’t among the more rewarding ones for actual spend outside of at Hilton properties, but it closes the gap somewhat.
Nonetheless I am frustrating by the quarterly and semi-annual credits to keep track of. It’s designed to incentivize regularly pulling out the card and using it. It’s also designed to promote breakage, while promoting to consumers high headline value. That’s honestly the biggest reason I dropped my Marriott premium co-brand, since I no longer need it for platinum status (given lifetime status).
At the end of the day, this is a pretty good hotel card considering the constraints that it is a Hilton card – a premium Honors card needs to tie to a premium Honors elite program. And Hilton doesn’t promise a path towards suites, hotels are merely permitted to offer them if available.
The loyalty program doesn’t provide a reason to stick with the chain. It’s merely worth participating in the loyalty program if you’re staying at the chain anyway. And if you’re doing that, having status is better than not having status.
Information about this product was not reviewed by its issuer.
Isn’t “$200 Hilton credit every 6 months ($400 per year)” still a resort credit?
@Miles – yes, it’s still a resort credit, i have clarified
“Assuming someone with a premium Hilton card stays with them at least once every six months” this is highly misleading, the vast majority of Hilton properties are not eligible for resort credits.
Yes only being a resort credit is a big issue. I had to invent a resort stay this year to use the current credit. I don’t see doing that twice a year. I may need to drop the card as a result. Everything about this card seems to encourage breakage now. Splitting the air credit into quarterly chunks isn’t great either.
So instead of spending $450 to get $500, I can now spend $550 to get $600 with more hoops to jump through, and this is supposed to be a good thing? This is a good thing like replacing an easy to use and entirely free breakfast with an erratically honored daily f&b credit. It’s more “designed to break” from AMEX and means I downgrade to the no annual fee card next cycle, just like I did with my delta and bonvoy cards. It’s become exhausting paying up front fees so Amex can get a free loan from me while I need an abacus, slide ruler, and ChatGPT queries to figure out if I’m recouping.
It MIGHT be worth considering if it was a Hilton credit, but Hilton Resort? I never go to Resort hotels. And I can’t imagine purchasing a flight with this card since it probably doesn’t come with all the trip insurance and other travel benefits of the Chase CSR or Amex Platinum. Useless to me now.
Can they change in the middle of a year? Don’t they have to keep benefits the same if you recently paid the annual fee?
Luckily, I used my annual credits for 2023.
Yes it’s only a resort credit but that was true *already* … if an existing cardmember only stays at a Hilton resort once a year instead of once in the first half and once in the second, value drops $250 -> $200.
There’s potential upside here, and worst case it’s $50 less. If you’re only benefiting from a card by that $50 margin you probably shouldn’t have it to begin with IMHO.
This change strikes me as a net improvement to the product, even if annoying because it’s piecemealed out. And I say that as someone not impressed by the changes overall.
I can actually make this work for me, I think. I get some outsize value from the free night, and adding National Executive status is probably going to make it so I can cancel my AmEx Plat (which I’d been on the fence about, mostly because I REALLY like National status for the rentals I do).
Not everyone will be in a position to be able to drop another premium card, naturally, but this isn’t a terrible change, IMHO. Probably it will serve AmEx’s goals of encouraging spend over merely holding the card, as well, which makes this a more sustainable change.
I knew this card’s benefits were too good to last for much longer. Trying to find something (anything) positive in all this . . . at least with the quarterly $50 flight credit replacing the annual $250 airline fee credit, you no longer have pick just one airline for the entire year, and you will actually be able to use the credit for airline tickets instead of just for that narrow list of airline fees. But the card is no longer worth the cost, especially when you have to keep track of all the benefits that are now fragmented quarterly or semi-annually. The hit job Amex has done to the top Hilton card is similar to what they did to the top Marriott card.
Amex cards are becoming coupon books
I paid $450 annual fee on July 16 and used airline and Hilton resorts credits already. This means that before the new fee hits, I can use $150 in airline + $400 in Hilton resort credits before deciding what to do next. I am mainly with Hyatt nowadays. Coupon book spending on airfare is certainly annoying. Note that with sufficient prior record, one can expand the Diamond status for 1 year to burn your points.
I’m considering downgrading to the Surpass. Why? Because there really aren’t that many tangible benefits between Gold and Diamond anymore.
The $250 fee credit becomes a much more convenient $200 ($50×4) credit where you don’t have to choose an airline, but you’re still required to spread benefits out and it’s less per year. But annual fee goes up. I don’t normally stay at resort properties so that benefit increase doesn’t do much for me.
Yet, with the Surpass, you get a quarterly credit on Hilton stays — which covers the annual fee and then some.
With this change, the Surpass got a much bigger upgrade. The Aspire got a downgrade for users who do not make 2 yearly stays at resort properties. TBD.
For pre–existing cardholders who have yet to use the $250 resort credit, does the new $200 semi-annual resort credit replace it immediately ?
I have already guaranteed $900 return next year and this will bring it to $1400.
Canceled Citi Prestige, Cap One Venture (they keep residuals on flight credits), and now this one is a gonner too. Life is getting simpler.
Gary,
Regarding “There’s potential upside here, and worst case it’s $50 less” the worst case is $150 worse than the old arrangement not $50 due to $100 annual fee increase, based on only using half the resort credit for once a year
@Luke – but this was just about the Hilton resort credit.
If you want to add in discussion of the annual fee increase (fair) then also need to look at other changes as part of the overall package, too.
As a long time holder of the Aspire card these changes are not too bad, especially since one can consider the cost of the AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant card from Amex goes for $650.00!!
The previous card annual fee was a no brainer for those who could use it — and I did quite well.
I look at old card as a $450 annual fee yielding $500 in credits (airline and resort) plus an uncapped free night and Diamond status.
I look at the new card as a $550 annual fee yielding a maximum of $600 in credits = $200 airline and possible $400 in resort credits plus a uncapped free night and Diamond status.
Yup, more hoops, but they are not so onerous and if you can use the credits as stated with the changes then it is likely still a keeper for me.
If I can still use the United Travel Bank for the airline credit, then I will keep it. I maxed out on my airline credit this year and I just paid my annual fee in the last couple of days, so I should be able to get another $50 airline credit right now.
Therefore, I just executed a $50 United Travelbank purchase and the pending charge reads as a ticketing charge — if I am eventually reimbursed, I will so advise.
Gary, your observations about resort fee semi-annually are accurate, especially in 2 player mode and those who have resorts near them make out even better than with the prior card..
Priority Pass is a loss, but I have never used due to spouse’s superior JPM Reserve and United Club benefits,so no biggie to me.
With the caveats above about Unitied Travel Bank, then it will not be an onerous change for tme and I likely will retain card.
Poorly written article. You don’t even say when the changes are effective.