Hilton Honors American Express Business card review: Full details
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card overview
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a useful hotel business card. With mid-tier Hilton Gold elite status and a Hilton statement credit, it provides premium benefits. If Hilton is your company’s hotel chain of choice, this card could be a worthwhile addition to your wallet. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Hilton Honors Business card is built for small-business owners, but you don’t need a bustling office or dozens of employees to apply. A side hustle or consulting gig that requires travel is more than enough to qualify for a small-business card.
One of the best perks of the Hilton Business card is the automatic Hilton Gold elite status. From free breakfast to room upgrades (based on availability), this card can provide meaningful benefits right from the start.
With a $195 annual fee (see rates and fees), the card offers a few useful benefits for Hilton loyalists. Applicants approved for the Hilton Honors Business typically have a credit score of at least 670.
The card was recently refreshed, which brought changes to its benefits and an increase to the annual fee. Let’s take a closer look at the Hilton Business card to see if it’s a fit for your wallet.
Hilton Amex Business Card pros and cons
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Hilton Amex Business Card welcome offer
New applicants for the Amex Hilton Business card can earn 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after they spend $8,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
TPG values those 175,000 bonus points at $1,050. This is very close to the highest offer we’ve seen on this card (180,000 points), so now is a good time to apply.
Keep in mind that Amex has a “once per lifetime” policy on card offers and states the following:
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You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.
Hilton Amex Business card benefits
For $195 each year (see rates and fees), the Hilton Business offers a variety of benefits and perks.
- Up to $240 in statement credits: Earn statement credit on eligible Hilton purchases split into up to $60 each quarter. Eligible purchases include room reservations at Hilton properties and incidental charges such as dinner or spa treatments.
- Complimentary National Car Rental elite status: Cardmembers receive National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club program is required. Benefits include guaranteed upgrades, access to Executive Area cars, and no second driver fees.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status: With Gold status, you’ll earn an 80% points bonus on Hilton stays, the fifth night free on award redemptions, elite tier rollover nights, complimentary breakfast or food and beverage credits at all hotels, room upgrades (when available) and more.
- Upgrade to Diamond status: You can reach Diamond Elite status when you spend $40,000 with your card in a calendar year. Diamond status comes with even more benefits, such as better upgrades (when available), executive lounge access, a 48-hour room guarantee and more — though if you want this tier of status, you’re likely better off applying for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which offers Diamond status as a built-in perk.
- Travel protections: Baggage insurance*, secondary car rental loss and damage insurance**, access to the Global Assist Hotline#, and extended warranty* and purchase protection* benefits are available to cardmembers.
- Expense management tools: As a business cardmember, you’ll have access to tools like the American Express Business app, QuickBooks integration, Vendor Pay and more.
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Related: Your complete guide to shopping protections on American Express cards
The information for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
**Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
#Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
Earning points with the Hilton Amex Business Card
With the Hilton Business card, you’ll earn 12 points per dollar at Hilton Hotels and Resorts — a 7.2% return on spending according to TPG’s valuations. You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on all other purchases up to $100,000 then 3 points per dollar after that.
As with Hilton’s other credit cards, you’ll get the best return on Hilton purchases. For your other business-related spending, you’ll get a 1.8%-3% return on spending.
Other cards like the American Express® Business Gold Card or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer a better value. Plus, Amex Membership Rewards allows you to transfer points to Hilton, which makes the Amex Business Gold a great complement to this card.
Related: 10 considerations for your small-business credit card strategy
Redeeming points with the Hilton Amex Business Card
As with most hotel loyalty programs, the best value comes from using your points on hotel bookings.
You can redeem your Hilton Honors points in several ways. Hotel redemptions offer the best value, while Hilton event discounts, Hilton Honors Experiences and Amazon purchases offer poor value.
While Hilton Honors doesn’t have a published award chart, the Points Explorer tool can show you the award redemption price range over the next 30 days. This can help you know what to expect when considering locations for using your points.
TPG managing editor Matt Moffitt likes to redeem his Hilton Honors points to book three- and four-star hotels abroad. These properties tend to offer a higher redemption value than those in the U.S., and he aims to book five-night stays, as he only needs to pay for four, thanks to the elite status that comes with Hilton cobranded cards.
If you’re looking to maximize your Hilton redemption options, check out these three guides:
Which cards compete with the Hilton Amex Business Card?
The Hilton Business card is the only business card offered by Hilton, but it has solid competition from other cobranded hotels and standard business cards.
- If you want a hotel business card from Marriott: The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers automatic Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, up to 7% discount on eligible bookings made directly with Marriott at participating properties for cardmembers and a free night award (worth up to 35,000 points) on each account anniversary. You’ll also receive 15 elite night credits per year to help you reach higher status tiers; the card has an annual fee of $125 (see rates and fees). For more information, read our full review of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card.
- If you want a hotel business card from Hyatt: The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card has a $199 annual fee and offers entry-level Discoverist status for you and up to five employees, up to $100 in annual spending credits with Hyatt and two benefits you can unlock through spending: tier-qualifying nights toward elite status and earning a 10% points rebate. For more information, read our full review of the World of Hyatt Business card.
- If you want flexible points that you can use beyond Hilton stays, The American Express® Business Gold Card doesn’t offer any hotel status but instead earns American Express Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to Hilton but also use with more than 20 hotel and airline partners. You’ll earn 4 points per dollar in your top two spending categories each billing cycle — on up to $150,000 in purchases per calendar year. The card has a $375 annual fee (see rates and fees). For more information, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold card.
For additional options, see our list of the best business credit cards and the best American Express cards.
Related: How to apply for an Amex business card
Is the Hilton Amex Business Card worth it?
The Hilton Business Card is best for those who spend a lot at Hilton properties and can take advantage of the complimentary Gold status. However, this card does not offer valuable earning rates on everyday spending and lacks free night certificates that come with other hotel cards. If you’re looking for a credit card with elevated travel benefits and higher elite status, Amex offers better options.
Bottom line
You may be hesitant to pay an annual fee on a credit card or wonder if the $195 annual fee (see rates and fees) is worth it on the Hilton Business card. Consider, how much value you’ll get out of the card’s automatic Hilton Gold status, as that can be a deciding factor on whether this card is for you. For business travelers who frequently stay with Hilton, there are things to like about the Hilton Business card. Others are best opting for another hotel card or business card.
Apply here: Hilton Honors Amex Business card
For rates and fees of the Amex Hilton Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold card, click here.
