Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
$550 annual fee · $919/yr in printed statement credits · 3x on everything else · no foreign transaction fees
Earn rates · how we got this
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 7x | uncapped |
| Dining | 7x | uncapped |
| Everything else | 3x | uncapped |
| Hotels at Hilton only — anywhere else in this category the card earns its base rate, so it is excluded from every ranking on this site |
14x | uncapped |
See how it ranks: best flights cards · best dining cards.
What we have watched change
Differences between one check of the issuer's page and the next — not a reconstruction of the card's history. We only know what we were watching when it moved.
- Welcome offer Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card welcome bonus rose from 150,000 to 200,000. 2026-09-11
Signup bonus: 200,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months. We never count unearned bonuses in savings math — a bonus you don't clear is worth zero. Limited-time offer; ends 2027-01-13.
Statement credits — $919/yr on paper · how we got this
| Credit | Value | How it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Resort Credit | $400/year | twice a year |
| Flight Credit | $200/year | quarterly |
| CLEAR+ Credit | $219/year | annual |
| Waldorf Astoria / Conrad Property Credit | $100/year | annual |
Monthly and quarterly credits expire if unused — that's where most of their printed value quietly disappears.
Non-cash perks
- Hilton Honors Diamond status (100% bonus points on stays, Premium Wi-Fi, space-available upgrades, executive lounge access at select properties)
- Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required)
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance (secondary)
- Premium Global Assist Hotline
- Baggage Insurance Plan
- Trip Delay Insurance
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
Does the fee earn out? · how we got this
The printed statement credits ($919/yr) cover the $550 fee on paper — if you'd spend that way anyway. Credits you have to remember, enroll in, or change behavior for are worth less than face value. Our app tracks each one against your actual charges.
Is this $550 fee worth it? See the break-even math →
Check the current offer on the issuer's site → Where a card link will appear once available — no link on this page pays us today.
Who this card is not for
Every point below is a term the issuer prints, read off this card's own row in our database — not an opinion about the card. two things on this card rule out a kind of spender:
- Anyone who doesn't spend at Hilton. Its largest printed rate, 14x on hotels, pays only at Hilton. Anywhere else it earns its base 3x, so the headline number is a loyalty rate rather than a category rate — which is why no ranking on this site counts it.
- Anyone who won't work the statement credits. The $550 fee is argued for by $919 of printed credits, spread across 4 separate credits, 1 of them monthly or quarterly — an unused month is gone, not banked. Each one only pays if you were going to spend that way anyway; ignore them and the whole $550 has to come back through earn rates instead.
Compared head-to-head
Don't want the fee any more?
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card can normally be product-changed to two lower-fee cards in the American Express Hilton Honors family instead of being closed — which keeps the account, its age and its credit line.
What does Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card downgrade to? →
Comparing cards in the same currency? See the best cards that earn Hilton Honors points →
More from American Express
Which card should this spending actually be on? The demo re-scores a year of realistic spending against every card in a wallet — free, no signup. See it on sample data →
Verified 2026-09-15 against issuer terms · sources: www.americanexpress.com · www.thepointsguy.com · www.americanexpress.com. Spot an error? Tell us.