Update 12/17/22: Reddit user said that a phone rep said the fee is increasing to $650 in January.
Over the weekend a rumor was shared that American Express planned to increase the annual fee on the Hilton Aspire by $100 to $550 and include Centurion lounge access for the primary cardholder. After checking with some sources it seems extremely unlikely that this will be the case (although it’s possible the annual fee will be increased at some stage next year).
They’ve now upped the AF to $550 and nerfed the benefits:
No more Priority Pass Select (to be removed after Nov 1, 2024)
2x$200 semi-annual Hilton resort credit
Airline credit down to $200 per year, comes as $50 per quarter.
Added $189 Clear credit
Chat rep said the changes kick in on Jan 1, 2024
So now it’s become a coupon book just like the Platinum card 🙁
Moving the flight credit to Southwest is now a pain as it’s hard to find fares to fit the credit
I wish I would have known about this so P2 could have gotten the car at a couple days ago.
I’m getting rid of this card if the AF goes up to 650. Diamond status is worth very little over Gold at most properties. The resort credit is too much of a pain to use.
This is going to be a tough call for me as an Aspire holder. It’s my oldest card (having gotten the no-AF version back in 2003) so I will keep it in some form, perhaps going back to the no-AF version. At the very least it gives me another card with AMEX offers on it.
I figure I get about $600 out of this card per year, when accounting for what I would have paid with a competitor with the FNC and the resort credits. $650 makes me lean towards downgrading.
That said, I don’t think they can raise the fee without adding something else. The possibility of Centurion Lounge access is intriguing – P2 has an AMEX plat and with guest privileges going away in February. That would be welcome from my perspective. However, with the lounges bursting with people, I find it unlikely that they’d offer this.
Increasing the Hilton resort credit would be ok, although at some point that becomes harder to use.
I am definitely in agreement that adding “benefits” like making the card metal or adding the Equinox credit to the card would be poor, and frankly enough of a slap in the face that I’d downgrade the card just to spite them. I’d rather they add nothing if that’s what they plan on doing.
If you stay at a resort the $650 is still a good deal. E.g. this year I’m using free nights at Waldorf in Cabo. My free room would have cost $1500 and I get to use the $250 there. Also can use that 250 at Hilton Los Cabos (also a resort). I woudl not otherwise pay such a high rate, but those benefits plus the 250 airline credit (United TravelBank) is still worth paying more than 650. Plus I get free/heavily discounted breakfasts on these stays. Unlike others, I usually get at least a minor upgrade at Hiltons, even in the US, and in Asia the Diamond status is even better. My math is that I would pay 150 for the 250 in TravelBank money, so the question is whether a free night plus 250 at a resort is worth more than $400. For Pedregal, absolutely yes. I’ll be keeping my card and my wife’s.
I do not even have this card. Only the base Hilton card to keep points from expiring.
AmEx has destroyed Hilton Honor single handedly. If anyone can just pay AmEx to get the top hotel elite status, then the loyalty has no meaning. Money can just buy the loyalty.
So do not care how the annual fee is.
Diamond status is worthless anyways
In the US, maybe, not anywhere else on the planet.
That give Americans unfair advantage to buy some “nobel” status with cash….
Amex is bound to up the annual fee at some point. The $200 Airline Credit, $250 Resort, Free Night Cert & Diamond Status….we all know that is worth waaay more than $450 so it makes sense that they up the fee. Plus, I am sure they will break the credits up into monthly credits. Amex wants to give you just enough value to want the card, but make the credits just alittle harder to use. They are in the business of making money and a big part of that is swipe fees. We all knew this was coming.
If they increase the annual fee, we will be canceling the 2 Aspire cards in our family
They’ll probably just add a credit for clear and act as though that justifies the fee increase even though clear is stupid and many of us have the benefit through another card already.
for me to hold on to this card at $650, amex has to provide additional tangible benefits of at least $200 such as dining credit.
peleton bike discount or the monthly uber credit won’t cut it.
a DP – my AF of $450 got posted yesterday.
Not really a surprise as the article clearly states the AF increase will be in January.
Wow interesting. Did anyone get something like “you do not qualify for welcome offer”? I haven’t had this card, so perhaps I don’t quality due to number of cards opened and closed?
You my friend are in pop-up jail.
Lost AMEX but got a friend, still a win in my books O.O. thx will see how to get myself out of it XD
That’s a helluva jump. Get ready for another coupon book 🙄