Which credit card should you use when staying at the Hilton?

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There are many cobranded credit cards from Hilton Honors, and we often hear people asking which one is best for their situation. After comparing the available Hilton credit cards, you may be ready to take out one of these cards to pay for your next Hilton hotel stay.

Let’s take a look at some popular cards you can use to pay for your next Hilton Honors hotel stay and what these cards can offer you in terms of cashback and benefits during your stay.

Comparing credit cards for Hilton hotel stays

Besides using a Hilton cobranded credit card, you might also consider using a great travel rewards card that earns points that can be transferred toward travel purchases, such as hotel stays. Let’s take a look at some common options and what you can get when you use these cards.

Card name	Earnings rate at Hilton hotels	Number of prizes won*	Hilton-related benefits from the card	Annual fee
Hilton honors the American Express Aspire Card	14 points per dollar	8.4 cents	Automatic premium diamond status for cardholders, offering room upgrades when available (including suites), lounge access and late check-out and early check-in when available. Earn 100% bonus points on paid stays, which means paying with your card will also earn you an additional 20 points per dollar (12 cents in value per dollar spent) Up to $400 per calendar year in Hilton resort statement credits Up to $200 in annual airline statements (up to $50 per quarter) There are three award nights every year (one for the cardmember’s anniversary and two for eligible spends) Up to $100 in property credit when you book a two-night premium stay at select hotels using an exclusive link for card members Registration is required in advance to receive selected benefits.	$550 (see rates and fees)
Hilton honors the American Express Surpass® Card	12 points per dollar	7.2 cents	Automatic gold status with Hilton Honors, which offers benefits such as room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out when available, and free breakfast credit or food and beverage, depending on location. Upgrade to Diamond Status using an eligible credit card Free night reward after eligible spend Up to $200 per cardmember year in Hilton resort statement credits Registration is required in advance to receive selected benefits.	$150 (see rates and fees)
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card	12 points per dollar	7.2 cents	Automatic gold status with Hilton Honors, which offers benefits such as room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout when available, and credit for breakfast or food and beverage, depending on location. Earn 80% bonus points on paid stays, meaning paying with your card will also earn you an additional 18 points per dollar (10.8 cents in value per dollar spent) Registration is required in advance to receive selected benefits.	$195 (see prices and fees)
Hilton honors the American Express Card	7 points per dollar	4.2 cents	The automatic silver state, which offers free bottled water in many places Earn 20% bonus points for paid stays, which means paying with your card will also earn you an additional 12 points per dollar (7.2 cents in value per dollar spent)	$0 (see rates and fees).
American Express® Green Card	3 points per dollar	6 cents	Nothing	$150 (see rates and fees)
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	3 points per dollar (or 10 points per dollar when booked with Chase Travel℠)	6.1 cents (or 20 cents)	Nothing	$550
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees)	3 points per dollar (or 10 points per dollar when booked through CitiTravel.com)	5.4 cents	Nothing	$95 (see prices and fees)

* The bonus amount is an approximate amount calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.

Information for the Hilton Aspire and American Express Green cards has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Which credit card earns the most points for Hilton stays?

Which card should you use?

When choosing a credit card for your next stay at a Hilton property, consider two factors: the benefits you enjoy during your stay and the points you earn on the card when you pay for your stay.

The first part is easy. Your advanced status benefits will apply regardless of whether you use a particular card where you live. For example, you don’t necessarily need to pay with the Amex Hilton Aspire card to enjoy your Diamond status benefits during your next Hilton stay.

(Another exception is booking a premium stay at a Hilton hotel using Sapphire Reserve through Chase Travel℠ or Citi Strata Premier through CitiTravel.com. This will usually count as a third-party booking, so while you’ll earn 10 points per dollar spent (In purchasing, you will likely give up any benefits of Hilton elite status.)

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When it comes to earning points for spending at hotels that participate in Hilton Honors, using your Hilton credit card is actually a great option. This offers a better rate of return than using a Marriott credit card at a Marriott hotel, and with statement credits on several cobranded Hilton cards, the cost of your stay can be reduced.

However, the value to be found here is subjective in some ways: Do you prefer to earn a statistically significant amount of our monthly points? Are you okay with that even if it means earning points that are stuck in one program and can only be used with Hilton (or transferred to airlines so you lose a lot of value)?

Or do you prefer to earn transferable points because you know how to maximize these for first and business class flight awards, get more value out of your points? In this case, using a card that earns American Express membership rewards points may be your best bet since you have access to a full range of transfer partners and still have the option to transfer to Hilton Honors if you have a few points next. to be redeemed.

Related: From Newbie to Pro: 6 Ways to Up Your Mileage Savings Game

Bottom line

Deciding which credit card to use for any given purchase can sometimes require a trade-off. Maybe you get more points but give up some benefits. Or maybe you’re willing to earn fewer points but access a valuable insurance benefit by using a certain card.

Fortunately, choosing which credit card to use when staying at a Hilton hotel is pretty easy. With the high earning rates on Hilton credit cards, you should be able to get the most value in rewards while enjoying their benefits — without the trade-offs required by making this decision at other hotel chains.

Related links:

For rates and fees for the Amex Hilton Aspire card, click here.
For prices and fees for the Amex Hilton Surpass card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Amex Hilton card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Amex Hilton business card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Amex Green card, click here.

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