Hilton Honors Amex Business card review: Elite perks on a budget
| 12X | Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases. |
| 5X | 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 | 3X on all other eligible purchases. Terms & Limitations Apply. |
Editor's Note
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, car rental status and great earnings on Hilton purchases, it provides premium benefits (enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply). 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 its automatic Hilton Gold elite status. From free breakfast to room upgrades (based on availability), this card can provide meaningful benefits right from the start. Terms apply.
With a $195 annual fee (see rates and fees), the card isn't going to break the bank for most. Applicants approved for the Hilton Honors Business typically have a credit score of at least 670.
I'll take a closer look at the Hilton Amex Business card to help you decide whether it's the right hotel card for your wallet.
Hilton Amex Business Card pros and cons
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Hilton Amex Business Card welcome offer
New Amex Hilton Business cardmembers can earn 175,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of cardmembership. This offer ends Jan. 8, 2025.
According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, those 175,000 bonus points are worth $1,050. This offer is very close to the best-ever offer we have seen, making it a good time to apply if you've been thinking about this card.
Keep in mind that Amex has a "once per lifetime" policy on card offers and states the following:
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
The Hilton Amex Business offers a variety of benefits and perks for $195 each year. Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
- Up to $240 in statement credits every calendar year: Earn statement credits on eligible Hilton purchases, up to $60 each quarter (up to $240 each calendar year). 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. 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 through the end of the next calendar year after spending $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.
While this isn't a stellar set of benefits, I believe it's reasonable for the annual fee. That said, this card will be hard to justify paying for each year if you don't stay with Hilton at least a couple of times annually.
If you don't anticipate being able to take advantage of the full up to $240 Hilton statement credit each calendar year (up to $60 each quarter), then I advise considering another hotel cobranded business card.
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 on 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 September 2024 valuations. You'll also earn 5 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases (up to $100,000 each calendar year, 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 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 on 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 for credit cards 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.
He aims to book five-night stays, as he only needs to pay for four thanks to the elite status that comes with his Hilton cobranded cards.
If you're looking to maximize your Hilton redemption options, check out these three guides:
- The award travelers guide to Hilton Honors
- How to redeem points with the Hilton Honors program
- Maximizing redemptions with Hilton Honors
Transferring points with the Hilton Amex Business Card
Hilton offers over 25 airline transfer partners, including notable options like Air France-KLM, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and United. Hilton points typically transfer at a poor rate; for example, when transferring to United, you'll only receive 1,000 MileagePlus miles in exchange for 10,000 Hilton Honors points.
Given the poor value of this redemption option, I don't recommend using your Hilton points for airline transfers. Even if you need to top off your airline rewards balance, there's likely a better and more value-conscious way to do it.
Which cards compete with the Hilton Amex Business Card?
The Hilton Amex Business card is Hilton's only business card, but it faces solid competition from other cobranded hotel cards 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, an 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. The card has an annual fee of $125 (see rates and fees). Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply. To learn more, 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 statement credits for Hyatt purchases and two benefits you can unlock through spending: tier-qualifying nights toward elite status and earning a 10% points rebate. To learn more, 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 and more than 20 other 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 (then 1 point per dollar). The card has a $375 annual fee (see rates and fees). To learn more, 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
Bottom line
You may be hesitant to pay an annual fee on a credit card or wonder if the $195 annual fee on the Hilton Amex Business card is worth it. Consider how much value you'll get out of the card's automatic Hilton Gold status, as that can be a deciding factor in whether this card is for you.
The Hilton Amex Business card has advantages for business travelers who frequently stay with Hilton. However, others should opt for another hotel card or business card.
Apply here: Hilton Honors Amex Business card
Related: Why small businesses need a business credit card and good first choices
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.