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Update August 1, 2024: The recent limited-time offer on the Hilton Honors American Express Card has ended. The card is now back down to its business-as usual offer:
bonus_miles_full (See Rates and Fees)
This offer isn’t as exciting as the previous offer, which offered fewer points, but included a Hilton free night certificate, but it still is a good offer for a card with no annual fee.
Here’s what you need to know about the new cardmember welcome offer on the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
In this article…
Best welcome offer: Earn 80k points
Here are the details on the best Hilton Honors American Express Card welcome offer:
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: $0
(See Rates and Fees)
Hilton Honors American Express Card welcome offer
bonus_miles_full
This card is a good choice if you want a way to keep your Hilton points from expiring. If you stay at Hilton regularly, choose another Hilton credit card.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Hilton Honors Silver status.
Rewards:
7x on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts.
5x on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
5x on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
5x on gas at U.S. gas stations.
3x on other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Hilton Honors bonus points.
Learn more:
Compare this card to other Hilton cards in our overview of Hilton credit cards.
Are you eligible for a new Hilton Honors American Express Card welcome offer?
American Express will generally not let you earn a welcome bonus on a card if you’ve previously had the card. If you’ve ever had the Hilton Honors American Express Card or a previous version of the card, you might not be eligible to receive a welcome bonus.
American Express may also exclude you from welcome bonus eligibility based on your history with Amex, the number of cards you’ve opened or closed, or other factors. Fortunately, Amex will notify you prior to processing your application if you are ineligible for a bonus. So, even if you’re unsure whether you qualify, it can make sense to apply—your credit score won’t be affected if Amex tells you that you are ineligible for the welcome bonus and you withdraw your application.
A few notes on applying for American Express credit cards
Here are a few things that you should know about applying for American Express cards.
- Amex will let you know if you’re ineligible for the new cardmember welcome offer when applying. If you don’t qualify for a welcome offer for any reason, American Express will inform you during the application process and let you withdraw your application before they perform a “hard pull” on your credit report. If you withdraw your application, the withdrawn application will have no impact on your credit score.
- No hard pull if they deny you. If Amex denies your credit card application, they usually won’t issue a hard pull on your credit report. This means that your credit score won’t decrease because of the denied application.
- One welcome offer per card per “lifetime”. Most Amex card terms say that you’re ineligible for a welcome offer if you’ve ever had the card before. Some targeted offers do not have this lifetime language. Readers and other blogs have reported that Amex may internally define “lifetime” as 7 years—if it’s been 7 years since you’ve had a card, you might be eligible to get a welcome offer again.
- Some cards allow one welcome offer per card “family”. Some American Express cards, like the personal Platinum card or the Charles Schwab Platinum card have language that prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had a card from the same card family before.
- Maximum 5 Amex credit cards and 10 pay-over-time cards. You can have a maximum of 5 American Express credit cards at one time. In addition, you can hold up to 10 American Express pay-over-time cards (like the Platinum, Gold, and Green cards.) These limits are known to occasionally be flexible for some cardmembers, some of the time.
- You might be able to get a better welcome offer than the public offer. American Express offers some customers targeted offers. See our post on how to get the best welcome offers from American Express and try those methods before applying for an American Express card. You might be able to get an elevated welcome offer.
- Check your application status online. You can check the status of your American Express card application online through the Amex website.
Our take and bottom line
The standard offer on the Hilton Honors American Express Card is impressive considering that the card has no annual fee. If collecting Hilton points fits within your miles and points strategy, you’ll want to pick up this card. Be aware, however, that Hilton points are worth substantially less than transferable rewards points like Amex Membership Rewards®.
If you stay at Hilton hotels regularly, you’ll probably want to upgrade to consider an upgrade to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That card’s statement credits for Hilton stays can more than pay for the card, and you’ll earn more points on your Hilton stays.
But if you only occasionally stay at Hilton hotels or have a large cache of points that you want to keep alive, the Hilton Amex can help you keep your points alive. To keep your points from expiring, you need to earn points with a Hilton-branded credit card, redeem points from your Hilton account, or earn Hilton points from a stay at least once every 24 months.
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: $0
(See Rates and Fees)
Hilton Honors American Express Card welcome offer
bonus_miles_full
This card is a good choice if you want a way to keep your Hilton points from expiring. If you stay at Hilton regularly, choose another Hilton credit card.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Hilton Honors Silver status.
Rewards:
7x on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts.
5x on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
5x on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
5x on gas at U.S. gas stations.
3x on other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Hilton Honors bonus points.
Learn more:
Compare this card to other Hilton cards in our overview of Hilton credit cards.
Frequently asked questions
How can I keep my Hilton points from expiring?
Hilton points expire if you have 24 months with no activity in your Hilton account. Any earning or redeeming points will reset this 24 month clock, so holding and occasionally using the Hilton Honors American Express Card can keep your points alive.
Do Hilton Honors points expire?
Hilton points expire after 24 months of inactivity. You can keep your points alive by earning or redeeming any number of Hilton points.
American Express card disclosures
- For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Amex Basic Purchase Protection benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Extended Warranty benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Basic Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance disclosure: Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
