Hilton Honors Amex Business Card Review: Low Fee, Great Perks

Link: Apply now for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Hotel credit cards are among the most underrated credit cards out there, given the perks that they can offer, including elite status and free nights.

While I’ve historically been primarily loyal to Hyatt and Marriott, Hilton has grown on me a lot in recent years, thanks to the number of new luxury hotels the group has opened, and also thanks to how easy it is to earn points and status with Hilton’s co-branded credit cards.

I’ve reviewed all three personal Hilton credit cards, including the:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card (review)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card (review)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review)

In this post, I wanted to take an in-depth look at the one business credit card issued by Hilton and American Express, which is potentially a great option if you have a small business.

The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Hilton Honors Business Card Basics For March 2024

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is the one Hilton American Express small business credit card. How does this card compare to the personal versions of the card, and how does it compare to other business credit cards?

In this post, I wanted to take a closer look at the welcome offer, annual fee, return on spending, perks, and more.

Earn 130K Hilton Honors Points

At the moment, the Hilton Business Card has a welcome offer of 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months. Personally, I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so to me, the points are worth $650.

Eligibility For Bonus & Amex Application Restrictions

The welcome offer on the Hilton Business Card is not available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card in the past, in line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule. You are eligible for the bonus if you have had any of the personal Hilton credit cards, though, as those are all considered to be separate products.

I find that Amex cards are fairly easy to be approved for, for those with excellent credit. Just make sure you know Amex’s general application restrictions, including:

• You can be approved for at most two Amex credit cards in a 90-day period
• You can generally have at most five American Express credit cards at any point

Also keep in mind that if it’s a concern, opening Amex business cards doesn’t count toward Chase’s 5/24 limit.

Annual Fee

The Hilton Business Credit Card has a $95 annual fee, and you can add authorized users to the card at no extra cost. (Rates & Fees)

Earning Honors Points With The Hilton Business Card

The Hilton Business Card has some potentially useful bonus categories, as the card offers anywhere from 3-12x Honors points per dollar spent.

In addition to the points you earn through spending, you can earn Hilton Diamond status and up to two free night certificates if you spend enough on the card.

Which types of purchases earn bonus points?

12x Hilton Points At Hilton Hotels

The Hilton Business Credit Card offers 12x Hilton Honors points for spending at all Hilton properties globally. I value Hilton points at ~0.5 cents each, so to me, that’s like a 6% return on hotel spending, which is excellent.

6x Hilton Points Bonus Categories

The Hilton Business Credit Card offers 6x points per eligible dollar spent in a variety of categories, including:

• U.S. restaurants
• U.S. gas stations
• U.S. shipping purchases
• Wireless phone services with U.S. service providers
• Flights booked directly with airlines or with amextravel.com
• Car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies

That’s the equivalent of a 3% return on spending in those categories, which is pretty good, though in many cases there are better options.

3x Hilton Points On Other Purchases

The Hilton Business Credit Card offers 3x points on all other eligible purchases, which I value at a return of ~1.5%. On the surface, there are better cards for everyday spending, but as I’ll explain below, there are some tricks to do even better.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Hilton Business Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so it’s an excellent card for purchases abroad, especially for stays at Hilton properties.

Hilton Business Credit Card Benefits

The Hilton Business Card offers a variety of benefits that potentially more than justify the annual fee. Under what circumstances are these perks worth taking advantage of?

Earn Up To Two Free Night Rewards Annually

With the Hilton Business Amex you can earn up to two free night rewards annually:

• Earn a free night reward after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year
• Earn a second night reward after spending a total of $60,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year

This is an ongoing benefit, and could make it worthwhile to put spending on the card. For example, these certificates could be redeemed at properties costing up to 150,000 points per night.

If you put $15,000 of spending on the card in non-bonused categories you’d earn 45,000 Honors points plus a free night award, which is an excellent deal if you redeem it for a top property. This is an especially good deal when you consider that you’ll already be spending some amount on the card to earn the welcome offer, so the incremental spending to earn a free night isn’t that much.

How The Free Night Reward Works

Here are some things to be aware of with the free night rewards:

• It’s issued within 8-12 weeks of when the spending requirement is met
• It’s valid for stays up to a year from when it’s issued
• It can be redeemed for a one night stay in standard accommodation
• There’s a small list of excluded properties
• You can stay any day of the week
• To redeem you have to call 1-800-446-6677 and mention your award code

Hilton Honors Gold Status

Just for having the Hilton Business Amex you receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. This is the lowest annual fee card that offers Gold status with Hilton without any spending requirement.

For someone who occasionally stays at Hiltons, Gold status is excellent, as it offers the following benefits:

• Free breakfast and/or executive lounge access (you get a food & beverage credit in lieu of this at properties in the United States)
• Late check-out, subject to availability
• Preferred rooms
• 80% points bonus
• Fifth night free on award stays

Hilton Honors Diamond Status With Spending

You can earn Hilton’s top-tier Diamond status for spending on this card. If you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year you’ll earn top tier Hilton Honors Diamond status, which comes with the following perks:

• Guaranteed executive lounge access for properties with lounges
• Free breakfast at properties without lounges (you get a food & beverage credit in lieu of this at properties in the United States)
• Room upgrades, including up to suites, at the hotel’s discretion
• Late check-out, subject to availability
• 100% points bonus

10 Complimentary Priority Pass Visits

While there are some cards offering full Priority Pass memberships, they typically have much higher annual fees. The great thing about the Hilton Business Card is that it has a reasonable annual fee and offers 10 Priority Pass visits per year at no cost. That’s a useful perk for someone who travels occasionally.

Amex Offers

One of my favorite features of Amex cards is access to Amex Offers, which offers savings on purchases with all kinds of retailers. There’s huge value to be had in getting as many Amex cards as possible, so that you can get these offers on multiple cards.

Amex Offers could save you hundreds of dollars per year. You can access these offers by logging into your account and scrolling down to the bottom of your account summary page.

Is The Hilton Business Amex Worth It?

Given Hilton’s huge global footprint, I think it’s absolutely worth having a Hilton credit card. I also think the Hilton Business Card is one of the all-around best Hilton credit cards, and it’s also the only small business card.

For one, the Hilton Business Amex offers Gold status for as long as you have the card, which comes with perks like breakfast and more. Even if you just stay at Hilton properties occasionally, that should more than make up for the annual fee.

The card could also be worth spending money on, for the ability to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status and up to two free night rewards. Add in the welcome offer, and you could seriously come out ahead with this card.

Below I wanted to share a few more thoughts on the card.

Tip: Spend $15,000 On The Card Per Year

While I think the Hilton Business Card is primarily worth getting for the perks that it offers, I also do think it’s worth spending $15,000 on the card every year to get a free night reward.

To me, that’s really the sweet spot when it comes to spending on the card, since with that $15,000 of spending you’d earn at least 45,000 Honors points, plus a free night reward that can be redeemed at even Hilton’s top properties, which retail for up to 150,000 points per night.

Card Showdown: Hilton Surpass Vs. Hilton Business

The Hilton Surpass Card is essentially the personal version of the Hilton Business Card. However, with the recent refresh of the Hilton Surpass Card, there are quite a few differences between the cards. Both cards offer Hilton Honors Gold status, 12x points on Hilton spending, and 3x points on other eligible purchases, but beyond that, there isn’t too much overlap.

What are the key differences between the Hilton Business and Hilton Surpass?

• The Hilton Surpass Card has a $150 annual fee (Rates & Fees), while the Hilton Business Card has a $95 annual fee
• The Hilton Surpass Card offers up to $200 in Hilton credits per year, while the Hilton Business Card offers up to 10 Priority Pass visits per year
• The Hilton Surpass Card lets you earn up to one free night award per year (for spending $15,000), while the Hilton Business Card offers up to two free night awards per year (for spending $15,000 and $60,000)
• The Hilton Surpass Card offers National Emerald Club Executive status
• The cards offer different bonus categories — the Hilton Surpass Card offers 6x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and 4x points on U.S. online retail purchases, while the Hilton Business Card offers 6x points at U.S. gas stations, shipping providers, wireless cell phone services purchased directly from service providers, U.S. restaurants, flights, and rental cars

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer as to which card is more lucrative. I’d say one big deciding factor is how much you value the up to $200 in Hilton statement credits compared to the 10 Priority Pass visits.

Bottom Line

The Hilton Business Card is the only co-brand business card offered by Amex and Hilton, and it offers some fantastic perks.

Just for having the card you get Gold status, which should more than justify the annual fee after just a couple of stays. On top of that, the card can be worth spending money on, for the free night rewards and Diamond status.

If you want to learn more about the Hilton Business Card or apply, follow this link.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees).