The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is Hilton’s primary co-branded business credit card, issued by American Express. If eligible, this is a card that’s absolutely worth applying for, thanks to a combination of the huge welcome offer, and the perks, ranging from credits to elite status.
In this post, I’d like to share my in-depth review of the Hilton Business Card, especially as the card is currently offering an elevated limited time welcome offer, making it the ideal time to apply.
Link: Learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Hilton Honors Business Card summary & key details
Let me start by briefly summarizing the key details of the Hilton Honors Business Amex Card:
- Amex Hilton Business Card annual fee: $195 (Rates & Fees)
- Amex Hilton Business Card welcome offer: 150K Hilton Honors points plus a free night award (potentially worth up to 250,000 Hilton Honors points) after spending $8,000 within the first six months (limited time offer for applications through January 13, 2027)
- Amex Hilton Business Card rewards: 12x Hilton Honors points for spending at Hilton properties, 5x Hilton Honors points on other purchases made using the card, on the first $100,000 spent every calendar year (after that, 3x points)
- Amex Hilton Business Card foreign transaction fees: none (Rates & Fees)
- Amex Hilton Business Card elite status: Hilton Honors™ Gold Status for as long as you have the card, Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status if you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year
- Amex Hilton Business Card annual credits: Up to $240 per year in Hilton credits, in the form of a $60 monthly credit for Hilton spending
As I see it, picking up the Hilton Honors Business Amex Card is a no-brainer, as it’s well-rounded. The card has a huge welcome bonus that more than justifies the fee the first year, and if you stay at a Hilton at least once per quarter, the credits alone can more than offset the annual fee. Add in the elite status and the good rewards structure, and this is actually quite a lucrative card.
Hilton Honors Business Card bonus & fees
One of the reasons that you’ll want to consider applying for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is because of the excellent welcome offer. So let’s cover the details of that offer, who is eligible for it, and how much holding onto the card will cost you.
Limited time welcome offer of 150K points & free night award
Through January 13, 2027, the Hilton Business Card has a limited time welcome offer where you can earn 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points plus a free night award after spending $8,000 within the first six months. This is a phenomenal welcome offer, among the best we’ve ever seen on the card. That free night award can be redeemed at a property costing up to 250,000 points, and is valid for 12 months from when it’s issued.
I value Hilton points at 0.5 cents each, so to me, the points are worth $750. This doesn’t include the value of the free night reward, which could easily more than double the value of that welcome offer.
Eligibility for bonus & Amex application restrictions
The welcome offer on the Hilton Business Card is not available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card in the past, in line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule. You are eligible for the bonus if you have had any of the personal Hilton credit cards, though, as those are all considered to be separate products.
I find that Amex cards are fairly easy to be approved for, for those with excellent credit. Just make sure you know Amex’s general application restrictions, including:
- You can be approved for at most two Amex credit cards in a 90-day period
- You can generally have at most five American Express credit cards at any point; this doesn’t include hybrid cards
Also keep in mind that if it’s a concern, opening Amex business cards doesn’t count toward Chase’s 5/24 limit.
Annual fee & authorized user fee
The Hilton Business Credit Card has a $195 annual fee, and you can add authorized users to the card at no extra cost. (Rates & Fees)
Hilton Business Card points earning
The Hilton Business Card offers a lucrative return on Hilton spending, and on top of that, is one of the best hotel credit cards for everyday spending, up to a certain limit. In addition to the points you earn through spending, you can earn Hilton Diamond status if you spend enough on the card. What’s the rewards structure on the card like?
12x Hilton points at Hilton properties
The Hilton Business Card offers 12x points on eligible Hilton purchases. I value Hilton points at ~0.5 cents each, so to me, that’s like a 6% return on hotel spending, which is excellent.
5x Hilton points on other purchases
The Hilton Business Card offers 5x points on other purchases made using the card, on the first $100,000 spent every calendar year. After that, you earn 3x points on everyday spending. Based on my valuation of Hilton points, that’s like a 2.5% return on everyday spending (for the first $100K), which is quite attractive.
No foreign transaction fees
The Hilton Business Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so it’s an excellent card for purchases abroad, especially for stays at Hilton properties.
Redeeming Hilton Honors points for best value
Hilton Honors of course has an absolutely massive global footprint, with thousands of hotels across dozens of brands. Personally I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, though there are definitely ways to get more value from points than that by maximizing your Hilton Honors points.
Hilton Honors doesn’t publish an award chart, though generally you’ll find that free night redemptions cost anywhere from 5,000 points to 250,000 points per night (with a vast majority of properties costing somewhere between those amounts). The Hilton Points Explorer tool can be used to check real time award price ranges over the next 30 days, so that’s quite useful.
You can get the most value from your points by redeeming for hotels with standard rooms available, since that gets you the best pricing. Furthermore, Hilton Honors elite members get a fifth night free on award redemptions, which can stretch your points further. Fortunately the Hilton Business Card offers Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as you have the card, which unlocks that benefit.
Beyond Hilton’s managed and franchised properties, I really love how Hilton Honors has a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), which opens up redemptions at hundreds of boutique, independent properties, at which you couldn’t otherwise efficiently redeem points. That’s super useful.
Note that while Hilton Honors points can be converted into airline miles, it’s really not a good value. For example, you can convert 10,000 Hilton Honors points into 1,000 airline miles with a variety of partners, but that’s a really inefficient use of points. So if you’re looking to earn airline miles for your credit card spending, you’ll want to consider a different card.
Hilton Business Card benefits & credits
The Hilton Business Card offers a few benefits that potentially more than justify the annual fee. Under what circumstances are these perks worth taking advantage of?
Up to $240 in Hilton credits per year
The Hilton Business Card offers a benefit that will more than justify the annual fee for those who stay at Hiltons regularly. The card offers up to $240 back each year on eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio.
The way this works, you get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio. So as long as you spend at least $60 per quarter on a Hilton stay — whether it’s on room rates or incidentals when redeeming points — this card will net you $240 per year in statement credits.
Hilton Gold elite status for being a cardmember
Just for having the Hilton Business Amex you receive complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold elite status. For someone who occasionally stays at Hiltons, Gold status is useful, as it offers the following benefits:
- Free breakfast and/or executive lounge access (you get a food & beverage credit in lieu of this at properties in the United States)
- Late check-out, subject to availability
- Preferred rooms
- 80% points bonus
- Fifth night free on award stays
Hilton Diamond elite status with spending
You can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond status for spending on the Hilton Business Card. If you make $40,000 in eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year, you’ll earn Hilton Diamond elite status, which comes with the following perks:
- Guaranteed executive lounge access for eligible properties with lounges
- Free breakfast at properties without lounges (you get a food & beverage credit in lieu of this at properties in the United States)
- Room upgrades, including up to suites, at the hotel’s discretion
- Late check-out, subject to availability
- 100% points bonus
National Emerald Club Executive status
The Hilton Business Card offers National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status for as long as you have the card, as long as you enroll. National is my favorite major rental car company, and this status gets you Executive Area Access in the United States and Canada, letting you pick your car from the lot. You can register for this through your online account using the card. (Enrollment required)
Amex Offers
One of my favorite features of Amex cards is access to Amex Offers, which offers savings on purchases with all kinds of retailers. There’s huge value to be had in getting as many Amex cards as possible, so that you can get these offers on multiple cards.
Amex Offers could save you hundreds of dollars per year. You can access these offers by logging into your account and scrolling down to the bottom of your account summary page.
Purchase & travel protection, business tools
The Hilton Business Card also offers a variety of purchase and travel protection, some of which are included, and some of which can be purchased at an extra cost, including a baggage insurance plan and car rental loss and damage insurance. You’ll want to consult the cardmember agreement for those full details.
When it comes to expense management, the card offers benefits like being able to connect to QuickBooks (to manage employee business expenses), an account manager feature, a year-end summary, and more.
Is the Hilton Business Amex worth it?
Given Hilton’s huge global footprint, I think it’s absolutely worth having a Hilton credit card. The Hilton Business Card is the only business card in the portfolio, so if you’re looking for a Hilton card for your business spending, this is the best bet.
Ultimately I think this is a card that’s pretty easy to justify. For one, if you stay at Hiltons at least once per quarter, then the up to $240 in Hilton credits should more than cover the annual fee, and make this card a no-brainer.
Beyond that, the card offers Gold status, which comes with perks like free breakfast and more. Even if you just stay at Hilton properties occasionally, that should more than make up for the annual fee. The card could also be worth spending money on, given the 5x points that you can earn, plus the ability to spend your way toward Diamond status.
Card showdown: Hilton Surpass vs. Hilton Business
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (learn more) is essentially the personal version of the Hilton Business Card, so which is more lucrative? Both cards offer Hilton Gold elite status, 12x points on Hilton spending, and National Emerald Club Executive status, but beyond that, there isn’t too much overlap.
What are the key differences between the Hilton Business and Hilton Surpass?
- The Hilton Surpass Card has a $150 annual fee (Rates & Fees), while the Hilton Business Card has a $195 annual fee
- The Hilton Surpass Card offers up to $200 in Hilton credits per year (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio), while the Hilton Business Card offers up to $240 in Hilton credits per year
- The Hilton Surpass Card lets you earn up to one free night award per year (for spending $15,000), while the Hilton Business Card has no such benefit
- The cards have different rewards structures — the Hilton Surpass Card offers 6x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, 4x points on U.S. online retail purchases, and 3x points on other purchases, while the Hilton Business Card offers 5x points on purchases of up to $100,000 each calendar year, and 3x points thereafter
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer as to which card is more lucrative. I’d say one big deciding factor is what your spending profile looks like, as the rewards structures are different.
Feature | Hilton Honors American Express Business Card | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card |
|---|---|---|
Card type | Business | Personal |
Annual fee | $195 | $150 |
Hilton status included | Gold | Gold |
Hilton Diamond status | Earn with $40,000 per year in spending | Earn with $40,000 per year in spending |
Hilton points earning | 12x Hilton points | 12x Hilton points |
Hilton credits | Up to $240 per year, up to $60 per quarter | Up to $200 per year, up to $50 per quarter |
Free night reward from spending | No | Yes, after spending $15,000 per year |
Other bonus categories | 5x points on other purchases up to $100,000 per year, 3x points thereafter | 6x points at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, 4x points on U.S. online retail, and 3x points on other purchases |
National Emerald Club Executive status | Yes | Yes |
Foreign transaction fees | None | None |
Consider the Hilton Aspire for Diamond elite status
While the Hilton Surpass Card is the most direct personal replacement for the Hilton Business Card, it’s worth mentioning that many people may also want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (learn more), given its incredible value. The Hilton Aspire Card has a $550 annual fee (Rates & Fees), but offers several perks that could offset it. These perks include:
- Hilton Diamond status for as long as you have the card
- Up to $400 in Hilton resort credits annually; get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts
- Up to $200 in flight credits annually; get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com
- A free night reward on your account anniversary annually, and additional free night awards for passing $30,000 and $60,000 in annual spending
- Up to $219 in CLEAR+ credits annually
If you ask me, the annual free night award alone justifies the annual fee on the card. Then add in perks like Hilton Diamond status, up to $400 in Hilton resort credits annually, etc., and the math on this card checks out very nicely.
Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott credit cards to consider
If you’re not a Hilton Honors loyalist but are looking for a hotel credit card, there are cards to consider with the other major hotel brands as well:
- If you’re an IHG One Rewards loyalist, consider the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (learn more)
- If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (learn more)
- If you’re a World of Hyatt loyalist, consider the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (learn more)
In general there’s lots of merits to having hotel credit cards, given the strong perks they offer, ranging from free night certificates to elite status.
Hilton Honors Business Card FAQs
Bottom line
The Hilton Business Card is the only co-brand business card offered by Amex and Hilton, and it offers some valuable perks. On the most basic level, if you stay at Hiltons with any frequency, you could earn up to $240 in Hilton credits per year. On top of that, the card offers Hilton Gold elite status, National Emerald Club Executive Status, and a great return on spending.
If you’ve been considering this card but haven’t yet applied, this is the ideal time to do so, as the card is currently offering a phenomenal welcome bonus, which is hard to turn down.
If you want to learn more about the Hilton Business Card, follow this link.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees).
Worth noting that you don't have to stay at the Hilton property to get the credit as it triggers at most bars and restaurants if you pay with the card. If you spend time in almost any major city there's bound to be a Hilton branded property with a decent bar that you can get drinks on your way to dinner.