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PROGRAMME PROFILE
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is a premium co-branded credit card from American Express that earns Hilton Honors points on eligible spending and includes complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond elite status and an annual free-night reward, for a $550 annual fee. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- The card earns 14X points on eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, 7X on select travel and at US restaurants, and 3X on other eligible purchases. [1]
- Cardholders receive complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status, a tier that Hilton normally awards for 25 stays, 50 nights or US$11,500 of Eligible Spend in a calendar year. [1] [4]
- The published annual fee is $550, with no annual fee for Additional Cards, and the card has no foreign transaction fees. [1]
- Benefits are tied to specific purchase channels: the resort and flight credits apply only to purchases made directly with the named merchants or through American Express Travel. [1]
How do you earn Hilton Honors points with the Aspire card?
The card earns Hilton Honors Points at four published rates, and the highest rate is reserved for spending made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. [1]
| Eligible spending | Points |
|---|---|
| Purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio | 14X [1] |
| Flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies | 7X [1] |
| Dining at US restaurants, including takeout and delivery | 7X [1] |
| Other eligible purchases | 3X [1] |
These are card earning rates on eligible purchases; Hilton Honors separately awards Base Points on hotel spending, at ten Base Points per US dollar of Eligible Spend at most brands and five Base Points per US dollar at Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Apartment Collection by Hilton and YOTEL, with Home2 Suites properties in China earning ten Base Points per US dollar. [4] At LivSmart Studios by Hilton, members earn three Base Points per US dollar of Eligible Spend plus 3,000 Bonus Points for every ten nights completed within the same stay. [4] Taxes such as city occupancy tax are not Eligible Spend and are excluded from point accrual. [4]
What Hilton Honors status does the Aspire card give you?
The card comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status for the cardholder. [1] Diamond status is otherwise awarded to members with 25 stays, 50 nights or US$11,500 of Eligible Spend during any calendar year. [4] Elite status earned through stays, nights or Eligible Spend is kept for the remainder of the calendar year in which it was earned and the following calendar year. [4]
Hilton lists the Diamond benefits as a 100% bonus on Base Points earned during a qualifying stay, premium in-room and lobby Wi-Fi, space-available room upgrades and executive lounge access at select properties. [1] [4] Lounge access covers the member and up to one additional registered guest, even without a room upgrade, at hotels with Executive Lounges; members with complimentary lounge access that includes breakfast seven days a week are not eligible for the daily Food & Beverage Credit. [4] Upgrades are given for one room per member per stay and are not offered at brands including Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hilton Grand Vacations and Motto by Hilton. [4]
The tier above Diamond is Diamond Reserve, awarded for either 40 stays and US$18,000 of Eligible Spend or 80 nights and US$18,000 of Eligible Spend in a calendar year. [4] Separately, the card also provides complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status, which cardholders must enrol for through their American Express online account using the card. [1]
Which statement credits and free nights does the card include?
| Benefit | How it works |
|---|---|
| $400 Hilton Resort Credit | Up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually, for up to $400 back per year, on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts [1] |
| $200 Flight Credit | Up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline, through AmexTravel.com or through the Amex Travel App [1] |
| $219 CLEAR+ Credit | Up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after paying for a CLEAR+ membership with the card, excluding applicable taxes and fees [1] |
| $100 Property Credit | Up to $100 for qualifying charges at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, on a two-night minimum stay booked with the card at HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com on the Aspire Card Benefit rate, or by calling Hilton Honors with the proper booking reference [1] |
| Free Night Reward | An annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in the first year of card membership and every year on card renewal, plus one more after $30,000 of purchases in a calendar year and another after an additional $30,000 [1] |
Points earned on the card can be used across the programme: Hilton Honors says free nights can be booked with any combination of Points and money and with no blackout dates, and members can also pool, gift, buy, transfer and convert points. [5]
Fees, exclusions and limits
- Annual fee. The annual fee is $550 and there is no annual fee for Additional Cards. [1] Purchases made abroad do not carry foreign transaction fees. [1]
- Free-night mechanics. On all-points Standard Room Reward Stays of five or more nights, every fifth night is free, no more than four free nights are awarded per stay, and the benefit applies to consecutive nights within the same all-points booking up to 20 nights; it does not apply to paid stays or to Points & Money Rewards stays. [4] If a fifth free night is declined, the reservation is cancelled, or check-out happens before the fifth night, the free night is forfeited. [4]
- Points can be lost for inactivity. Hilton Honors members with no eligible activity in any 24 consecutive month period are subject to forfeiture of all accumulated Points, and a Reward redeemed before points are forfeited remains valid. [4] Earning points through a Hilton co-branded credit card counts as eligible activity under those programme terms. [4]
- Tier credit is narrow. Points earned do not count toward elite tier qualification, and members receive stay and night credit for one room only regardless of how many rooms are booked. [4]
- Insurance exclusions. Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is secondary coverage and is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy and New Zealand. [1] Trip Delay Insurance reimburses up to $500 per trip, with a maximum of two claims per card per 12 consecutive month period, where a covered reason delays a round trip paid entirely with the card by more than six hours. [1]
- Credits are channel-specific. The resort credit applies to eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts, and the flight credit applies to flight purchases made directly with an airline or through American Express Travel channels. [1]
Frequently asked questions
What is the annual fee for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card?
The published annual fee is $550, and Additional Cards carry no annual fee. [1]
Do you get Hilton Honors Diamond status with the Aspire card?
Yes — the card provides complimentary Diamond status, a tier Hilton otherwise awards for 25 stays, 50 nights or US$11,500 of Eligible Spend in a calendar year. [1] [4]
How many points do you earn on a Hilton hotel stay?
The card earns 14X Hilton Honors points on eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio [1]; Hilton Honors separately awards Base Points on Eligible Spend at a rate of 10 points at most brands [4].
Does the Aspire card charge foreign transaction fees?
No — American Express states that the card has no foreign transaction fees. [1]
How often is the Free Night Reward issued?
An annual Free Night Reward is issued in the first year of card membership and every year on card renewal, with further rewards earned after $30,000 and then an additional $30,000 of purchases in a calendar year. [1]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Card benefits of other Hilton co-branded products, Hilton Honors tiers other than those described above, and hotel programmes outside Hilton Honors are not covered here.
- American Express: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, checked 18 October 2026
- Hilton Honors programme terms and conditions (effective 15 July 2026), checked 18 October 2026
- Hilton Honors: earning and using points, checked 18 October 2026
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card on Flyerfolio
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- Transfer ratio calculatorConvert points to partner miles at a ratio you enter or a sourced ratio with its official link and check date, with optional bonus and minimum block.
- Points value calculator
- Award vs cash calculatorCompare paying with points and paying cash using your own point value, including points the cash booking earns, and see the break-even value.