The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is one of the best hotel business credit cards.
This card offers complimentary Hilton Honors elite status, which gets you free breakfast and room upgrades (based on availability).
Plus, the Hilton Business Amex offers 10 free Priority Pass lounge passes, extra points at Hilton, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations, and the ability to unlock Hilton Diamond elite status and two free nights with spending.
This article will cover everything you need to know about the Hilton Business Card, so let’s dive right in.
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- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status
- 12X Points at Hilton Properties
- 6X Points at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Restaurants
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge Visits
- $95 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
Welcome Bonus
The Hilton Business Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Hilton Honors Points
The Hilton Business Card earns Hilton Honors points at the following rate:
- 12 points per dollar at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio;
- 6 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations;
- 6 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants;
- 6 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel;
- 6 points per dollar on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies;
- 6 points per dollar on U.S. purchases for shipping;
- 6 points per dollar on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers; and
- 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Annual Fee
The Hilton Business Card has a $95 annual fee (rates & fees), which is easily justified by many of the benefits below including, Priority Pass lounge access, Hilton Gold status, and shopping protection.
Hilton Business Card Benefits
Below are the benefits of the Hilton Business Card:
Hilton Gold Elite Status
Hilton Business cardholders receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status just for holding the card.
Hilton Gold status offers nice benefits such as:
- Free breakfast credit and/or executive lounge access;
- Late checkout (subject to availability);
- Preferred rooms (higher floor, better view, and potentially on the executive floor);
- 80% points bonus;
- Fifth night free on award stays.
Path to Diamond Status
You can unlock top-tier Hilton Diamond status by spending $40,000 or more in a calendar year.
Hilton Diamond status offers nice perks such as:
- Room upgrades (when available);
- Late check-out (subject to availability);
- Executive lounge access;
- Free breakfast at hotels without executive lounges typically in the form of a food and beverage credit; and
- 100% points bonus.
Earn Up To Two Free Night Rewards Each Year
With the Hilton Business Amex you can earn up to two free night rewards annually:
- Earn a free night certificate after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year; and
- Earn a second-night certificate after spending a total of $60,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
10 Complimentary Priority Pass Visits Each Year
This card comes with Priority Pass airport lounge access, which gets you access to over 1,300 airport lounges.
Nothing is better than escaping the hustle and bustle of the airport and to escape the crowds to get free food and drinks.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Access to Amex Offers
This card has access to Amex Offers, which are deals that are linked to your card, allowing you to save money or earn extra points on shopping, dining, and travel.
For example, there could be an offer such as spending $200+ at Marriott Hotels and Resorts and receiving $50 cash back as a statement credit.
You can find all of your Amex Offers by signing into your American Express account. You will need to “Add to Card” each offer to be eligible for the special offer.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance*
Secondary rental car insurance covers any damage to a rental car not covered by your primary insurance when you pay for the rental using this card.
Other credit cards offer primary rental car insurance, which pays before your insurance and saves you the hassle of filing multiple insurance claims.
You still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Purchase Protection*
Purchase protection could save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if you accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if the item was purchased within the last 90 days.
Extended Warranty*
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 5 years.
For example, if you bought a TV with a manufacturer’s warranty of three years, this card would extend the warranty for free to the fourth year.
Baggage Insurance Plan*
Lost luggage reimbursement covers the cost to repair or replace your luggage and the contents inside if your bag is lost or damaged during a covered trip.
You must purchase the trip with this card, and it will also cover immediate family members traveling with you.
*(Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Hilton Gold status with a path to Hilton Diamond status.
- Unlock up to two free nights and Diamond Status with spending.
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass visits.
- Several categories offer extra points, including flights, car rentals, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants.
Cons:
- Fewer benefits for lower spenders.
- No elite night credits to help earn Diamond status like many other hotel cards.
Alternatives to the Hilton Business Card
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) is an excellent choice for business owners looking for a card that offers valuable rewards and benefits.
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 3 points per $1 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year).
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases, with no limit on the number of points you can earn.
Beyond the rewards, the Ink Business Preferred provides valuable benefits, including:
- Primary rental car insurance (when renting for business purposes).
- Cell phone protection (up to $600 per claim against theft or damage, with a maximum of three claims per year and a $100 deductible per claim).
- Purchase and extended warranty protection.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
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- 6X Points at Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- 4X Points at Restaurants Worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, U.S. Phone Service Providers, and on U.S. Shipping Purchases.
- Annual Free Night Award (up to 35,000 Points)
- 15 Elite Night Credits and Gold Elite Status
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $125 Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a good option for travelers who stay at least a few times per year in a Marriott.
The card comes with Marriott Bonvoy elite status, a free night award (up to 35,000 points), a 7% room rate discount, and 15 elite night credits.
For rewards, the Marriott Bonvoy Business earns 6x points at Marriott Hotels, 4x points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and U.S. shipping purchases.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is an outstanding choice for business owners who want airport lounge access including the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and more.
The Business Platinum card also offers several statement credits to offset the $695 annual fee:
- $200 Airline Fee: Annual airline fee credit of up to $200 on charges by the airline you select per calendar year.
- $400 Dell: Annual statement credit on all U.S. Dell purchases, up to $200 semiannually.
- $120 Wireless Phone Services: Annual statement credits for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider, up to $10 per month.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Business Platinum Card.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Statement credits for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85) every four years (4.5 years for PreCheck).
You can also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year
The American Express Business Platinum comes with automatic Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold so that you can enjoy perks like room upgrades, late check-out, and a points bonus.
Additionally, the points you earn can be transferred to several Amex transfer partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles, and Marriott Bonvoy. This potentially increases the value of your points depending on how you redeem them.
Is the Hilton Business Amex Worth It?
The Hilton Business Card is a good option for business owners that stay at Hilton Hotels and Resorts at least a few times per year and can take advantage of the Priority Pass airport lounge access.
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- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status
- 12X Points at Hilton Properties
- 6X Points at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Restaurants
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge Visits
- $95 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
