Our Take
5.0
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
If you can take full advantage of all the Hilton benefits this card offers, it's an outstanding choice. And while the card's high rewards rates can make it easy to earn lots of Hilton points, it doesn't offer an automatic free night benefit like other hotel cards do.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Annual fee
$195
Regular APR
19.99%-28.99% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on American Express' website
More details from American Express
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
- Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. With Hilton Honors Gold status, you can enjoy benefits at hotels and resorts within the Hilton Portfolio. As a Gold member, earn an 80% Bonus on all Base Points you earn on every stay getting you to free nights faster.
- You may receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
- As a Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you’re enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
- Terms apply.
View Rates & Fees
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High rewards rate
- Automatic elite status
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Annual Hilton travel credit
Cons
- High annual fee
- No free anniversary night
- Rewards have limited flexibility
Compare to Other Cards
at American Express | at American Express | at American Express |
Annual fee $195 | Annual fee $150 | Annual fee $0 |
Regular APR 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR | Regular APR 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR | Regular APR 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A |
Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
Full Review
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
underwent some major changes in March 2024. While its benefits were shuffled — and its annual fee more than doubled from $95 to $195
— this hotel business credit card ultimately remains an outstanding option if you frequent Hilton properties. That's largely due to the card's rewards rates: Cardholders still earn a strong 12 points per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Beyond that, the reward structure is now simpler. Previous bonus categories (including 6 points per dollar spent at U.S. gas stations and restaurants) were scrapped in favor of 5 points on all non-Hilton purchases — although with a $100,000 annual cap. Purchases beyond that threshold earn 3 points per dollar, the same general rate
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
offered prior to these changes. AmEx also added a statement credit of up to $60 per quarter good on eligible purchases made with your card at Hilton properties, such as in-hotel dining or spa services.
Those new perks perhaps soften the elimination of other benefits. Namely, airport lounge access and the ability to earn free reward nights.
Hilton loyalists can no longer earn free nights by hitting certain spending thresholds.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
was already an outlier among hotel cards with annual fees by not offering an automatic free night every year. Instead, this card got you 10 free visits to select airport lounges each year. Those are gone, too.If you valued those extras, their loss will surely sting — especially given the card's new higher price tag. Still, the card's benefits can easily outstrip that annual fee if you make full use of the new and existing rewards. And with thousands of Hilton locations to choose from, you'll have plenty of options for redeeming points.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Basics
To view rates and fees of
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
, see this page.Card type: Hotel and small business.
Annual fee:
$195
. Bonus offer:
Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
- 12 points per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
- 5 points per dollar on all other purchases up to $100,000 each calendar year, then 3 points per dollar on all purchases thereafter.
- Terms apply.
NerdWallet values Hilton points at
0.6 cent
each. This is drawn from real-world data, but it's not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 0.6 cent
or more in value from your Hilton points.Interest rate:
The ongoing APR is 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR
.Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other benefits:
- Up to $60 in statement credits per quarter for purchases made directly with a Hilton property.
- Complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status, which comes with additional benefits.
- Ability to upgrade to Diamond status when you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year. Once you qualify, you'll have Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Terms apply.
Benefits of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Rich rewards and welcome offer
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
earns 12 points per dollar spent on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, and 5 points per dollar on all other purchases up to $100,000 each calendar year thereafter. Terms apply. There's also a large welcome offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.
Aside from points earned on the card, you can also earn points through Hilton. You'll earn up to 10 base points for every eligible dollar spent on your room, plus up to 8 bonus points per eligible dollar spent for having Gold status, which comes with the card. All told, that could add up to as much as 30 points per dollar spent on eligible Hilton purchases.
Hilton Honors Gold status
With this card, you'll get automatic Hilton Honors Gold status. That gets you a variety of extra Hilton benefits, including:
- An 80% bonus on Hilton Honors base points earned. (This bonus applies to points earned on stays through Hilton's membership program, not the credit card.)
- Complimentary breakfast at select hotels.
- Room upgrades, subject to availability, at select hotels.
- Fifth night free when you book a stay of five or more nights using only points.
- All benefits available to lower-tier elite members, such as free internet access at select properties, late checkout and more. Terms apply.
The 80% bonus on base points is especially valuable for those who stay at Hilton often. Say you booked an eligible $300 Hilton room and earned 3,600 bonus points through your credit card, an additional 3,000 base points through Hilton's membership program and 2,400 bonus points from having Gold status. That adds up to an impressive 9,000 points for a single purchase.
Statement credits for Hilton expenses
Cardholders can earn up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made at Hilton properties. Those credits may not be as valuable as the automatic free night that other hotel business credit cards offer. But they're still potentially worth a meal or two at the in-hotel restaurant, or you could take advantage of other amenities (spa services, laundry, parking, etc.) at a discounted rate or potentially on the house.
Drawbacks and alternatives
No automatic free nights
Most times, a hotel card with an annual fee comes with an automatic free award night each year, which can be worth hundreds. Not so with
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
. For a small-business hotel card with an automatic free night each year, consider the
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
. With this card, you'll get one free night award every year after your account anniversary, as well as Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and robust ongoing rewards. The annual fee is $125
. Terms apply (see rates and fees).Tied to Hilton program
Because Hilton has more than 7,000 properties around the world, you’ll generally have plenty of options when you're redeeming for hotel stays. It's also possible to use points in other ways — as store credit when shopping on Amazon, for example — although such options are generally less valuable. But you won't be able to use your Hilton points to cover, say, a Hyatt stay or an Airbnb.
With a general travel card, like the
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
, there's more flexibility. You'll earn an unlimited 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases, which you can redeem for 1 cent apiece against a range of travel purchases. Plus, you can transfer points to several other loyalty programs, including airlines and hotels. The card also comes with a credit to cover the TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee.Annual fee
The annual fee of
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
is one of the most expensive among major co-branded hotel business cards. If you like Hilton but don't travel often enough to max our rewards or Gold status, you might want to consider one of their consumer credit cards instead. The
Hilton Honors American Express Card
($0
annual fee) isn't a small-business card, but it offers rich Hilton benefits at no cost (see rates and fees). It features automatic Hilton Honors™ Silver status and high ongoing rewards on Hilton purchases. It also has a solid welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.
Keep in mind: The consumer version lacks some of the perks that come with the business card. Namely, free employee cards (that also earn points) and expense management tools.
Is The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card right for you?
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
offers excellent value for those who can make use of its latest perks and Hilton benefits. If you're looking to earn free nights or for broader travel benefits, go with a different hotel card or business travel card.To view rates and fees of
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card
, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
, see this page.Apply now
on American Express' website
New elevated offer
