The American Express Hilton Aspire card is a must-have for travelers who frequently stay at Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
The Aspire Card gives you top-tier Hilton Diamond elite status, over $500 in credits, a free weekend hotel night, airport lounge access, and many other great benefits.
- Earn 150,000 Hilton Points After $4,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 3 Months.
- Hilton Honors Diamond Elite Status
- 14x Points at Hilton Hotels and Resorts
- One Free Night Award at Any Hotel
- $250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit
- $250 Airline Fee Credit
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access With Two Guests
- $450 Annual Fee and No Foreign Transaction Fees (Rates and Fees)
Hilton Aspire Card Benefits
The Hilton Aspire Card has a lot of great benefits to justify its annual fee including top-tier elite status, $500 in credits, a free weekend hotel night, airport lounge access, and several travel and purchase protections.
Hilton Diamond Elite Status
Hilton Aspire cardholders enjoy Hilton’s top-tier Diamond elite status every year they hold the card.
Members would normally need to stay 60 nights per year for Diamond Status, so the Aspire card is a great way to fast track your way to top-tier status.
Hilton Diamond status comes with several nice benefits including:
- A 100% points bonus (20 points per dollar spent at Hilton Hotels)
- Upgrades to Suites.
- Executive lounge access.
- Free breakfast or extra points.
- Premium WiFi.
- No resort fees on award stays.
- Two free bottles of water.
Free Weekend Hotel Night
Aspire cardholders receive a free weekend night at any Hilton hotel in the world. You can even use the certificate at the very expensive exotic destinations in the Maldives and French Polynesia.
For those big spenders, you can also earn a second free weekend night reward if you spend $60,000 on your Aspire card within a calendar year.
$250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit
Aspire cardholders receive a $250 resort credit each year for stays at Hilton Resorts.
This credit applies to room rates (except advance purchase/non-refundable rates) and incidental charges when billed to your room.
There are over 230 Hilton resorts worldwide, with over 110 resorts in North America, so you should be able to utilize this benefit each year.
$100 Hilton On-Property Credit
You are eligible for a $100 on-property credit when booking online at this special Aspire link for 2+ night stays at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad Hotels & Resorts.
$250 Airline Fee Credit
The Aspire card comes with a $250 airline fee credit each calendar year.
However, the credit is limited to one specific airline of your choice and only valid on things such as seat upgrades, baggage fees, airport lounge passes, change fees, and priority boarding.
We cover everything you need to know about this credit, including some loopholes, in our American Express Airline Fee Credit Guide.
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
The Hilton Aspire card offers Priority Pass, which gives you and two guests airport lounge access at over 1,200 lounges around the world.
However, the American Express version of Priority Pass does not allow you to visit restaurants that participate in the Priority Pass program, unlike the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige, Chase Ritz Carlton, or U.S. Bank’s Altitude Reserve.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance
This secondary coverage pays for any damage to the rental car not covered by your insurance.
If you don’t have collision insurance or renting outside the United States, this coverage is primary coverage.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
You can use your Aspire card anywhere in the world without having to pay foreign transaction fees, which are typically 3%.
Trip Delay Insurance
This great benefit covers you for up to $500 per trip if your trip is delayed by more than six hours.
For example, if you’re flight was delayed for over 6 hours (typically overnight) due to weather or mechanical issue, you could spend up to $500 for a hotel, food, and transportation.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
This benefit covers you for non-refundable travel expenses purchased with the Aspire card if your trip is canceled or delayed for a covered reason.
For example, you could utilize this benefit if you got injured or very sick before a big trip.
You are covered up to $10,000 per covered trip and up to $20,000 per consecutive 12 month period.
Baggage Insurance
Your carry-on and checked luggage are covered if they are lost, damaged, or stolen when you purchase the entire fare on this card.
Coverage is up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and $500 for checked baggage.
This benefit also covers the contents inside your bag, but electronics and cameras are limited to $250 in coverage.
Return Protection
This benefit compensates you if a merchant fails to accept a return of an eligible item within 90 days from the date of purchase up to $300 per item up to $1,000 per calendar year.
Purchase Protection
This coverage covers the replacement costs of items bought with the card that were stolen or accidentally damaged within the first 90 days up to $1,000 per item.
Extended Warranty
This benefit extends an original manufacturer’s warranty by one year on warranties of 5 years or less.
Amex Offers
This card, like all American Express cards, have access to Amex Offers, which are discounts at hundreds of merchants.
Most discounts are in the form of spend $X and get $Y back, but sometimes you can earn extra Hilton Honors points instead of cash back.
ShopRunner
American Express cards enjoy free two day shipping and free returns at 100+ online retailers with ShopRunner.
The Verdict
The Hilton Aspire Card comes with a lot of benefits to justify its $450 annual fee.
The card is worth it if you can utilize the Hilton Diamond elite status, the free night, $250 resort credit, and most of the $250 airline credit.
