American Express Hilton Honors Aspire
American Express, American Express, $550 annual fee. Earns Hilton Honors, valued at 0.40¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-09. Foreign transaction fee: none.
The short version
- Best at: nothing in particular — no category puts it in the top three of the catalogue.
- A year's rewards: about $394, or −$156 after the fee.
- Weighing it up against: Hilton Honors Surpass.
Is the annual fee worth it?
It earns about $394 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is −$156 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $1,214 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.
Price its credits, perks and sign-up bonus your way — tick what you would use and say what it is worth to you.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels | 14x | Hilton only. Hilton portfolio properties only |
| Flights | 7x | Booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel |
| Car Rental | 7x | Booked directly with select car rental companies |
| Restaurants & Bars | 7x | US restaurants only |
| Everything else | 3x |
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Restaurants & Bars | $101 |
| Groceries | $72 |
| Everything Else | $72 |
| Flights | $34 |
| Gas Stations | $22 |
| Online Shopping | $22 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
Protections and travel benefits
From the issuer's own benefit summary as of 2026-09. These are read from summaries rather than the full guide to benefits, which has the exclusions — check it before relying on one.
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- Up to $400 in Hilton resort statement credits each year
- Up to $200 in airline fee credits each year
- Up to $100 on-property credit at qualifying Hilton hotels and resorts
- Automatic Hilton Diamond status
- A free night reward each anniversary
Similar cards
- American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant — annual fee $650 a year
- American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy — annual fee $250 a year
- Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful — annual fee $250 a year
- Chase IHG One Rewards Business — annual fee $200 a year
- Every hotel card, ranked
- When an annual fee pays for itself
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.