After much speculation it looks like American Express has finally confirmed that starting in January, 2018 they will be offering two new cards. In addition they will also be refreshing their existing line up. This coincides with American Express becoming the sole issuer of Hilton cards.
Contents
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire
- Annual fee of $450
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status for as long as you hold the card
- One weekend night at any hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio (on account opening and on account anniversary)
- A second weekend night at any hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $60,000 on the card within a calendar year
- Priority Pass membership (unlimited access, no word on guest access)
- $250 airline incidental fee statement credit (to work the same as the credits provided on Platinum & Gold cards)
- $250 Hilton resort statement credit
- $100 on property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- Annual fee of $95
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
- 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service producers and U.S. purchases for shipping
- 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases
- Complimentary Hilton Honors gold status. Earn Diamond status after spending $40,000 in purchases within a calendar year
- One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $15,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year
- A second Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $60,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year
- 10 free priority pass lounge passes
- No foreign transaction fees
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card
Yay, our speculation was right. This card replaces the Hilton Surpass card. Annual fee increases from $75 to $95.
- Annual fee of $95
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
- 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases
- 10 free priority pass lounge passes
- Complimentary Hilton Honors gold status. Earn Diamond status after spending $40,000 in purchases within a calendar year
- One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $15,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year
- No foreign transaction fees
Hilton Honors American Express Card (No annual fee)
Card is same as before but with no foreign transaction fees.
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
- 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases
Our Thoughts
First of all it’s nice to see no negative changes being made, both the Ascend (formerly Surpass) and no annual fee Hilton card are getting improvements (Ascend more so then the no annual fee card) [Update: This isn’t correct as the annual fee is increasing to $95]. The business card looks very similar to Aspire, only better with extra 6x categories the opportunity for a second free night and the status benefit. Either way it’s nice to have another card we will be able to get the sign up bonus on.
The real killer here is the new Aspire card. I honestly expect some of these marketing bullets to have some significant catch’s or be outright wrong, because the value proposition is too good. For a $450 annual fee we get:
- Free award night annually
- Hilton Diamond status
- $250 airline incidental credit
- $250 Hilton resort fcredit
- Priority pass membership
That’s before considering any potential sign up bonus, but I suspect given it comes with a free night in the first year that will be the sign up bonus. If I naturally had Hilton diamond status I’d be angry, offering top tier elite status on a card with this value proposition just means that a lot more people are going to have that status now and there are only so many upgrades to go around. It also seems that Citi Hilton cards are set to become American Express Hilton cards.
Your move, Chase.
If you enjoyed this post, please considering retweeting it on Twitter or sharing it on Facebook.
F.A.Q’s
Will Ascend Be Treated As A New Product?
It’s entirely possible that it will be considered a different product than the Surpass, making it possible to get the bonus again. My gut feeling is that this will not be the case, but I could easily be wrong.
Should I Get The Surpass Now If I’ve Never Had It Before?
See above. If you think it will be considered a new product, then I’d recommend it. Keep in mind the bonus is a weak 75,000 points at the moment (high of 100,000 points + free night on anniversary) and I suspect we will see high bonuses when the new card is relaunched.
Will Existing Surpass Cardholders Become Ascend Cardholders?
Yes and that’s part of the reason why I think you won’t be able to get the bonus on the Ascend if you’ve had the Surpass previously.
$250 Resort Credit – How Does It Work?
I don’t know as I don’t have a full guide to benefits yet (this has been requested). I suspect it will only work at Hilton resorts. They provide a different booking portal for those here. I would be very surprised if it works at regular properties given it’s called a resort credit rather than a property/hotel credit. Would also be far too valuable if this was the case as well.
What Sign Up Bonuses Should We Expect?
I think expectations lead to disappointment. That being said my predictions:
- Hilton Aspire: Two free nights (plus the one free night it comes with normally)
- Hilton Ascend: 100,000 points + free night on anniversary
- Hilton no annual fee: 80,000 points
That’s basically the highest bonuses we’ve send on the Ascend/Surpass and no annual fee cards and then three free nights on the Aspire card.
