The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Review 2024

• Introducing the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Quick Facts
• What Is the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Best For?
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Rewards
• Other Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Stacks Up
• Is the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card for You?
• Methodology

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is one of four Hilton cards offered by American Express, but it’s the only Hilton small business card. It currently offers a welcome bonus: 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $8,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership, offer ends 6/5. That’s a generous incentive for a card with just a $195 annual fee.

Plus, this card really rewards spending. Cardholders will earn 12 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio and 5 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar spent on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3 points thereafter.

Cardholders get automatic mid-tier Hilton Honors Gold status. This elite status grants members 80% bonus points on stays, room upgrades, food and beverage credit in the U.S. and free breakfast overseas. This sets Hilton apart as other hotel chains do not offer dining benefits with mid-tier status. You can upgrade your elite status to top-tier Diamond by spending $40,000 in a calendar year.

Cardholders also get credit they can use toward Hilton purchases. The card offers $60 in statement credits per quarter on eligible Hilton purchases for a total of $240 per year.

It also comes with several travel¹ and purchase² insurances and protections.

• Earn 12 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio and 5 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar spent on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3 points thereafter
• Welcome bonus: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $8,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership, offer ends 6/5
• $195 annual fee
• Complimentary Hilton Gold status, which grants bonus points, upgrades, dining benefits and a fifth night free on award bookings
• Up to $240 in Hilton purchase credits per year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required)

This card is going to be a good fit for business owners who often stay in the Hilton portfolio of properties. For such people, the card’s outsized rewards will be a huge value, plus the more traditional business benefits you’d expect in a card in this category.

Earning Rewards

Cardholders will earn Hilton Honors points at the following rates: 12 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio and 5 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar spent on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3 points thereafter.

New cardholders are also eligible for the following welcome bonus: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $8,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership, offer ends 6/5.

Hilton Business cardmembers get mid-tier Hilton Gold status—which includes valuable benefits like a food and beverage credit in the U.S. and breakfast at international locations, 80% bonus points on stays and room upgrades. In addition, cardholders can earn top-tier Diamond elite status by spending $40,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. The status upgrade will be valid through the end of the calendar year it was earned and the subsequent calendar year.

Redeeming Rewards

The most straightforward and cost-effective use of Hilton points is for stays at one of Hilton’s over 7,500 properties. Hilton Honors will allow you to use points for any available room. However, the points price for a night can vary depending on demand. That said, most reward programs have blackout dates, so it’s nice to have the opportunity to redeem points even for peak dates.

Standard Room Rewards are the cheapest award option, but Hilton Honors members also have the option to redeem for Premium Room Rewards and even suites.

You can get an idea of how many points you’ll need to redeem for a Standard Room Reward by using Hilton’s Points Explorer tool. After entering your points budget and your destination, Hilton will show you a list of matching hotels. You can further filter the results by hotel brand.

As a Hilton Gold member through the Hilton Business Card, you’ll get a fifth night free when you redeem points for a standard room reward stay of five or more nights.

Hilton stays are generally going to provide the best value for redeeming Hilton points. However, there are some additional redemption options.

Through Hilton’s partnership with Lyft, you can redeem Hilton points for Lyft credits—4,500 points are enough for a $10 credit. That’s a redemption rate of just over 0.22 cents per point, which is a very low return compared to other options.

You can also redeem Hilton points for Amazon purchases. But again, it’s not a great redemption rate. A $100 purchase would set you back 50,000 Hilton points. That’s a redemption rate of just 0.2 cents per point.

Hilton also lets members redeem Hilton points for rental car reservations. From a few sample searches, we found the redemption rate is between 0.1 and 0.3 cents per point.

You can also convert your Hilton points to airline miles with a long list of airline transfer partners, but the transfer rate is quite low. For example, 10,000 Hilton points will only get you 1,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Rewards Potential

For consumer credit cards, Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies in order to determine both baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $$118,438 annually, with $39,337 in expenses that can reasonably be charged to credit cards each year. For consistency, we estimate that a sole proprietor will have expenses in the same range.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Rewards Potential
Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Hotels within the Hilton portfolio	12X	$2,858	34,296* Hilton Honors Points
All Other Purchases	5X	$36,479	182,395 Hilton Honors Points
			Total: 244,127 Hilton Honors Points

*You would also earn an 80% points bonus for the Gold status that comes with the card or 27436 points.

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• Complimentary Hilton Gold status. Get 80% bonus points, a food and beverage credit in the U.S. or free breakfast internationally, and room upgrades on Hilton stays.
• Baggage insurance plan³. Provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage⁠—up to $1,250 for carry-on and up to $500 on checked bags. Terms Apply.
• Car rental loss and damage insurance⁴. When you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory.
• Extended warranty⁵. Get up to one additional year of warranty on manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less on eligible products when you pay with your card.
• Purchase protection². Covers eligible purchases from damage, loss or theft for up to 90 days for up to $1,000 per item and $50,000 per year when you pay with your card.
• Statement credit for Hilton purchases. Get up to $60 in statement credits per quarter, $240 per year, for eligible Hilton purchases.
• National Car Rental elite status. Complimentary Emerald Club Executive status with National Car Rental (enrollment required) is included.
• Amex Offers. Cardholders can earn cash back or bonus points on purchases after enrolling in targeted offers.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.99% - 29.99% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $195
• Balance transfer fee: N/A
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: None

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

In addition to the Hilton business card, American Express also issues a Marriott business card that small businesses may want to consider. The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card has a lower $125 annual fee (terms apply, see rates & fees) compared with the Hilton business card’s $195 annual fee. The rewards potential is also significantly lower on this card, although that gap narrows when considering the difference in point values. You’ll earn 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The main benefit of the Marriott business card over the Hilton business card is the anniversary free night award each year after your card renewal month. Marriott business cardholders receive a free night redeemable at a property costing 35,000 points or less just as a benefit for holding the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. That potentially makes this free night award worth more than the $125 annual fee.

Both cards come with Gold status in their respective loyalty programs, but Hilton Gold status is more valuable than Marriott Gold. However, the annual free night award on the Marriott Bonvoy Business may make it worth holding despite the lack of other benefits, as long as you use it before it expires.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

If you run a small business and aren’t loyal to Hilton, you may want to consider a general travel rewards card like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has a lower annual fee of $95, which may be another reason it’s more appealing.

Instead of earning Hilton points, Ink Business Preferred cardholders earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. These points can be transferred to multiple airline and hotel partners to book high-value travel. Alternatively, you can redeem points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point toward airfare, lodging, car rentals and other travel directly through Chase Travel℠. Just keep in mind that hotel stays booked through the travel portal are considered third-party bookings and are unlikely to earn points or let you utilize your status benefits.

Plus, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. While that’s a much lower earning rate than the Hilton business card, Ultimate Rewards points are a lot more flexible than Hilton points.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

There are no other business cards that earn Hilton points directly. However, you can indirectly earn Hilton points through an American Express business card that earns Membership Rewards® points. That’s because Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton Honors points at a rate of 1 Membership Rewards point to 2 Hilton Honors points. There are periodic transfer bonuses that bump the transfer rate even higher.

While there are many solid business Amex cards, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (terms apply, see rates & fees) stands out for its simplicity in earning points. Cardholders earn 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners up to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Thanks to the 1:2 transfer ratio, this is equivalent to earning 4 Hilton points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 in purchases. That’s worse than the Hilton Business Card’s earning rate of 5 Hilton points per dollar spent on non-bonus purchases, but you may value the flexibility of the Blue Business Plus more than that extra point per dollar. Plus, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has no annual fee. However, you won’t get Hilton elite status or the bonus categories found on the Hilton business card.

Read more: Best Business Credit Cards Of 2024

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offers respectable benefits for a card with a $195 annual fee. The card’s value really shines for those who can maximize its rewards.

However, the travel benefits are only valuable to those who can use them. So, this card isn’t going to be worth the moderate annual fee for those who don’t at least periodically stay in Hilton properties.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards

To view rates and fees for The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express please visit this page.
¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
²When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
³Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
⁴Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
⁵When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.