Update 05/17/18: All of these cards apart from the Aspire are offering increased bonuses. We’ve updated the table to reflect this.
Now that all of the American Express Hilton cards have been released and are available for sign up, I thought I’d create an easy to navigate spreadsheet that compares the four different cards. For reference the cards and our individual reviews are:
Comparison Table
| No AF | Ascend | Business | Aspire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0.00 | $95.00 | $95.00 | $450.00 |
| Sign up bonus | 75,000 points after $1,000 spend + $50 after first purchase | 100,000 points after $3,000 in spend within three months + free weekend night certificate after card anniversary | 125,000 points after $5,000 in spend within the first 3 months + $50 after first purchase | 100,000 points after $4,000 in spend within 3 months |
| Earning rate at Hilton properties | 7x | 12x | 12x | 14x |
| Earning rate for travel | 3x | 3x | 6x (airlines & car rental agencies booked directly and amextravel.com) | 7x (airlines & car rental agencies booked directly and amextravel.com) |
| Earning rate at U.S restaurants | 5x | 6x | 6x | 7x |
| Earning rates on U.S gas stations | 5x | 6x | 6x | 3x |
| Earning rates on U.S super markets | 5x | 6x | 3x | 3x |
| Earning rate on wireless telephone & shipping | 3x | 3x | 6x | 3x |
| Earning rate on all other purchases | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x |
| Elite status | Silver | Gold | Gold | Diamond |
| Elite status with spend | Gold with $20,000 per year | Diamond with $40,000 per year | Diamond with $40,000 per year | N/A |
| Annual Free Night(s) | N/A | One weekend night with $15,000 in spend | One weekend night with $15,000 in spend. Second night with $60,000 in spend | One weekend night at any property with no spend. Additional free weekend night with $60,000 spend in calendar year |
| Priority Pass Membership | None | 10 complimentary passes | 10 complimentary passes | Unlimited complimentary access for you + two guests |
| Airline incidental credit | None | None | $250 calendar year | |
| Hilton resort credit | None | None | None | $250 card member year |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None | None | None |
I don’t see any mention of the $250 Hilton resort credit in the upgrade offer, but it’s listed on Amex’s website. Does anyone know if it’s included in the upgrade offer?
should update this to reflect the surpass over the accend name as the product was renamed
i just worry if i upgrade, it going to list current date as account opened? I’ll be 4/24 in Jan 2020. i really wanted the Chase Hyatt card. 🙂
Would hope you get more than just one card out of chase!
I have the Ascend and no af version and I got offers from both for 150k upgrade bonus to Aspire. At this moment, should I apply for Aspire directly and take the upgrade offer then? Will that yield 300k? Thanks!
In my email today, I got a welcome-bonus offer for 80,000 points after spending $1,000 in 3 months for the no annual fee card. I’ve been reading daily, but this is my first comment because I feel i never have anything useful to share. Thanks for all the great information your provide on this site!
on my Hilton ascend card (converted from former Hilton surpass), i got the free weekend night well before annual card anniversary and 2nd annual fee due…..pleasantly surprised though!!!!!!
can i now just cancel it even though card anniversary is not due soon? will the free weekend night get clawed back/cancelled?
I just received an upgrade offer for my standard Hilton card for 75K points after $2K spend, but no waived AF. Worth the upgrade?
Good question, because AMEX doesn’t usually Hard Pull, so it’s not really saving a pull..
Are you 5/24?
Out of all the cards the Hilton Aspire would be the best bet imo. The Annual fee is the biggest drawback, but with the all the benefits and statement credit it pays itself. There is the $250 hilton credit if you stay at a hilton portfolio, there $250 travel credit which you get twice for the first year. And you get a complimentary weekend.
GREAT
I have Amex Blue Cash, Blue Cash Everyday, Starwood, Blue Business Plus & Simply Cash.
Which one should I close ?
Thanks
I noted in January that I thought AMEX’s Hilton card portfolio had gotten too complicated, and I still think that’s the case. I myself still have a hard time remembering which card is “Ascend” and which is “Aspire.” This is the most moronic loyalty naming since Hyatt went to names like “Globalist” and “Discoverist” in their loyalty program. And the complexity in the offerings is reminding me of the over-complexity of airline frequent flyer programs. That said, for gamers who are frequent hotel guests, there is definitely value in sorting through all of this, and taking advantage of the various AMEX cards. I signed up for the Aspire card, and I think I’m getting more than my money’s worth from it.