Hilton is one of the largest hotel chains in the world with 6,500 properties in 119 countries, with luxury options like the Conrad or Waldorf Astoria, or budget options like the Hilton Garden Inn.
Whatever your budget is, you need a credit card that offers you nice perks at Hilton such as upgrades, extra points, free breakfast, and more.
We hand-picked the best cards for stays at Hilton Hotels and Resorts for every type of Hilton loyalist.
Best for Luxury Travel Benefits: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review)
Best for Hilton Stays, Dining, & Gas Stations: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review)
Best for Small Business Owners: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review)
1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Best for Luxury Travel Benefits
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review) offers top-tier Hilton Diamond status and valuable travel credits. This premium card provides excellent rewards for Hilton stays and nice perks that can easily offset the annual fee for frequent Hilton guests.
(All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Deals Points and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.)
Welcome Bonus: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Earning Rewards: 14x points at eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio; 7x points on at U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com, and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies; 3x points on all other eligible purchases.
Main Benefits: Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond elite status, $400 Hilton Resort credit (up to $200 semi-annually), free night award at any Hilton Hotel and Resort; $200 flight credit ($50 each each quarter), $199 CLEAR Plus Credit, $100 Hilton On-Property Credit, National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive Status, and Trip Delay Insurance.
2. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Best for Hilton Stays, Dining, & Gas Expenses
- bonus_miles_full
- 12X Points at Hilton Hotels and Resorts
- 6X Points at U.S. Restaurants, U.S. Supermarkets, and U.S. Gas Stations
- Up to $200 Hilton Credit Each Year
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $150 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review) offers nice rewards at Hilton properties while providing automatic Gold status that includes valuable perks like room upgrades and breakfast benefits. This mid-tier Hilton card hits a sweet spot for occasional Hilton guests who want elite perks without premium card costs.
Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Rewards: 12x points on eligible purchases made directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio; 6x points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations; 4x Points on U.S. Online Retail Purchases; 3x points for all other eligible purchases.
Main Benefits: Hilton Gold elite status, up to $200 Hilton credit (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a Hilton property), free night award after eligible spending of $15,000 in a calendar year, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive Status.
3. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Best for Small Businesses
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review) offers complimentary Gold elite status and up to $240 in annual Hilton credits (up to $60 per quarter), making it a solid option for small business owners who frequently stay at Hilton properties. While it lacks free night awards, the card provides good value for Hilton loyalists through its earning rates and elite status benefits.
Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Points: 12x points for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio and 5x points on all other purchases made with the card on the first $100,0000 in purchases each calendar year (3x points thereafter).
Benefits: Complimentary Hilton Gold elite status, earn Hilton Diamond when you spend $40,000 on your Card in a calendar year, up to $240 back each year for eligible purchases made directly with Hilton ($60 per quarter), National Emerald Club Executive status (upon enrollment), baggage insurance plan, secondary rental car insurance, extended warranty, and purchase protection.
4. Hilton Honors American Express Card
Best for No Annual Fees
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- 7X Points at Hilton Hotels and Resorts
- 5X Points at U.S. Restaurants, U.S. Supermarkets, and U.S. Gas Stations
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Hilton Honors American Express Card (review) is an entry-level card featuring 7 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases and complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, plus 5 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants.
Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Rewards: 7x points on eligible purchases directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio; 5x points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations; 3x points on all other eligible purchases.
Main Benefits: Hilton Honors Silver Elite Status, secondary rental car insurance, and purchase protection.
Non-Hilton Cards to Consider
There are a couple of non-Hilton cards that offer special perks at Hilton Hotels or extra points:
5. American Express Platinum Card®
Best for Airport Lounge Access
American Express Platinum Card® (review) offers the most comprehensive airport lounge network available, giving you access to premium Centurion Lounges plus thousands of other lounges worldwide. You can easily offset the card’s large annual fee through generous credits for Uber, hotels, digital entertainment, Resy dining, and lifestyle brands like lululemon.
Earning Points: 5x on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel®, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year; 5x points on on prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com; 1x points on all other purchases.
Card Benefits:
- Airport Lounge Access to Eligible Cardmembers: American Express Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta and limited to 10 annual visits unless you spend $75,000 in a calendar year), Priority Pass with unlimited visits, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and select Lufthansa Lounges (when flying a Lufthansa Group airline).
- Statement Credits: You can enjoy monthly and annual statement credits (enrollment required for most benefits; terms and conditions apply) for a wide range of services and merchants, including airline fees, Uber Cash, hotel bookings, digital entertainment, Walmart+, Saks Fifth Avenue purchases, CLEAR® Plus membership, Equinox fitness club membership, and SoulCycle At-Home Bike purchases.
- Elite Status: Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Honors Gold, Hertz President’s Circle, National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive, and Avis Preferred Plus.
- Travel Benefits: Trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, secondary rental car insurance, and baggage insurance plan.
- Purchase Benefits: Extended warranty, purchase protection, return protection, and cell phone protection.
Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Air France – KLM Flying Blue, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic.
6. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best for Dining & Travel
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (review) offers premium travel benefits including lounge access, hotel elite status, and multiple statement credits that can offset its $795 annual fee. With bonus earnings on travel and dining purchases plus the ability to transfer points to 14 airline and hotel partners, this card delivers strong value for frequent travelers who can maximize its benefits.
Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Rewards: 10x points on Hotels (excluding The Edit) and car rentals and 5x points on flights through Chase Travel after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 10x points on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards; 3x points on dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out; 3x points on other travel after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 1x points on other eligible spending.
Card Benefits: $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass airport lounge membership with unlimited visits, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit of up to $120 every four years, no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance (primary rental car, trip delay, trip cancellation, travel accident, lost luggage, and baggage delay), purchase protection, return protection, and extended warranty.
Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
7. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best for All-Around Spending
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) delivers both everyday value with unlimited 2x miles on purchases and premium comfort through comprehensive airport lounge access for you upon enrollment. You’ll also receive $300 in annual travel credits plus 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, creating substantial ongoing value.
Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Rewards: 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on all other purchases.
Card Benefits: $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, airport lounge access (Capital One and Priority Pass) upon enrollment, Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and cell phone protection.
Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here. 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.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here. 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.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here. 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.
