Hyperlink: Apply now for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card
As I usually say, I discover lodge bank cards to be fairly underrated. These playing cards may be value holding onto even should you don’t intend to spend some huge cash on them.
For instance, I’ve written about how the World of Hyatt Credit score Card (overview) is nice — the cardboard has a $95 annual payment, and I believe the Class 1-4 free evening certificates supplied by the cardboard greater than justifies the annual payment in and of itself.
However there’s one much more premium lodge bank card that I discover to be no less than as helpful. I’ve had this card for a number of years now, and have constantly gotten outsized worth from it. Particularly, I’m speaking in regards to the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card (you’re doubtlessly eligible for this card even if in case you have one other card within the Hilton Honors portfolio).
The cardboard has a $550 annual payment, which is on the excessive facet for a lodge bank card, although it is a card that’s additionally extraordinarily rewarding, even with the latest refresh of the product.
For functions by means of January 17, 2024, the Hilton Aspire Card is providing a welcome bonus of 180,000 Hilton Honors factors after spending $6,000 throughout the first six months, although what makes this card so worthwhile is the long-term advantages it provides. In no specific order, I’d say the beneath 5 advantages greater than justify the annual payment on the cardboard.
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Hilton Honors Diamond standing
Only for having the Hilton Aspire Card you obtain Hilton Honors Diamond standing. That’s legitimate for so long as you retain the cardboard, and that is Hilton’s prime tier lodge standing. That’s proper, you get prime tier standing only for having a bank card.
This will get you bonus factors, breakfast or membership lounge entry (or a meals & beverage credit score throughout the US), room upgrades topic to availability, premium Wi-Fi, and extra.
Whereas I don’t take into account Hilton Diamond to be probably the most helpful prime tier standing, getting it only for having the cardboard is an outstanding deal, particularly as Hilton has an enormous international footprint. I’ve been particularly impressed by how Hilton has been rising its luxurious footprint, with extra Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR properties opening across the globe.
There’s nothing you must do to activate this — it’s automated. This profit solely applies for the first cardmember, and never for any licensed customers. Sometimes when you’re authorized for the cardboard you need to see your Honors account up to date inside a day or so to mirror your new standing. It’s wonderful how briskly that occurs.
One factor I realized the arduous method is that any present reservations received’t replace along with your new standing with out handbook intervention. When you’ve made any reservations earlier than your standing is upgraded, be sure to name Hilton Honors and have an agent take away your loyalty quantity after which put it again in your reservation, so the Diamond standing exhibits accurately.
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Annual free evening reward
With the Hilton Aspire Card you obtain an annual free evening reward your first yr and each subsequent yr. This may be redeemed at just about any Hilton Honors property on the planet the place there’s a regular room accessible (right here’s the small record of excluded properties), for stays any day of the week.
Hilton properties retail for as much as 150,000 factors per evening, so cardmembers can get lots of worth out of this. Simply to provide some examples of the previous couple of locations that I’ve redeemed these free evening certificates:
When you do get a certificates the primary yr, you don’t get it immediately. In my expertise, the primary certificates arrives a bit over two months after you open the cardboard. Certificates are legitimate for a yr, and also you’re given a code to redeem it over the telephone (you possibly can’t redeem it on-line). To see should you’ve acquired it, test your e-mail for the topic line “Your Free Reward has arrived!”
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
As much as $400 annual Hilton resort credit score
The Hilton Aspire Card provides as much as $400 in assertion credit yearly for purchases made straight with collaborating Hilton resorts utilizing your card. See this hyperlink to seek out all collaborating resorts. The way in which this works, you obtain a $200 credit score in January by means of June, after which one other $200 credit score in July by means of December.
What’s nice is that just about any spending at these resorts qualifies, no matter whether or not we’re speaking in regards to the room fee, eating, spa remedies, actions, and so forth. So so long as you spend simply $200 each six months at Hilton resorts, you need to have the ability to make full use of this profit. Simply take note this quantity must be charged to a folio, so you possibly can’t simply go to a lodge’s restaurant with out staying there and use the credit score.
You might even redeem your anniversary free evening certificates at a prime Conrad or Waldorf Astoria resort after which use the as much as $200 in assertion credit to get massages, a pleasant dinner, and so forth. For instance, final yr I redeemed factors for a keep on the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, and was in a position to make use of my credit score towards incidentals. It might take 8-12 weeks for credit to be posted, however in observe the credit score usually posts a lot sooner than that.
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
As much as $200 annual flight credit score
The Hilton Aspire Card provides as much as $200 in assertion credit yearly for purchases made straight with airways or by means of amextravel.com. This comes within the type of a $50 quarterly assertion credit score, so so long as you spend no less than $50 on an eligible flight, you’ll obtain an announcement credit score for that quantity. There’s no must register to make use of this perk.
I do know that it is a fairly small quantity, however these days many US airways don’t have change charges, so you possibly can all the time purchase a reasonably cheap ticket, after which financial institution that ticket credit score quantity towards a future ticket buy, so that you simply maximize worth.
Whereas the phrases state that it might probably take 8-12 weeks for the assertion credit score to publish, in observe it ought to publish a lot sooner than that.
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
As much as $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit score
The Hilton Aspire Card provides as much as $189 in annual CLEAR Plus credit. Simply cost an eligible CLEAR Plus buy to your card, and this may robotically be reimbursed. It is a nice strategy to save time with safety at dozens of airports. Whereas the phrases state that it might probably take 6-8 weeks for a credit score to publish, in observe it ought to publish a lot sooner than that.
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Backside line
The Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card is a profitable card that I’ve gotten lots of worth from. For a $550 annual payment you’re getting an annual free evening reward, an as much as $400 annual Hilton resort credit score, an as much as $200 airline flight credit score, an as much as $189 CLEAR Plus credit score, and prime tier Hilton Diamond standing.
Personally I get greater than $550 of worth out of the free evening certificates alone, so so far as I’m involved the remainder of the advantages are simply the icing on the cake.
And I’m not even speaking about all the advantages of the cardboard, because the Hilton Aspire additionally provides entry to Amex Presents, Nationwide Emerald Membership Govt standing, and extra. See this publish for an in depth overview of the Hilton Aspire Card.
Anybody else love the Hilton Aspire Card as a lot as I do?
The data and related card particulars on this web page for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.