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Last fall, Amex US implemented significant changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. At the time, the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card were spared from any amendments.
However, Amex US has now made some major changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, including a large increase to the annual fee, and the addition of new benefits and the removal of others.
Major Changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Amex US has implemented some major changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card in its latest overhaul of a credit card.
The annual fee has more than doubled, rising from $95 (all figures in USD) to $195. The increased annual fee comes into effect as of March 28, 2024, for new cardholders, and for existing cardholders who renew on or after July 1, 2024.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has a few new benefits added as part of the revamp, which can help to offset the increased annual fee.
As of March 28, 2024, cardholders will earn 5 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on the first $100,000 spent each year.† After that threshold is reached, the earning rate drops to 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent.†
This is in addition to the unchanged earning rate of 12 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on eligible Hilton purchases.†
Each quarter, cardholders can also earn a $60 statement credit for purchases made at eligible Hilton properties worldwide, which adds up to $240 each year.†
Cardholders also now enjoy National Emerald Club Executive status, which requires enrollment.†
Unfortunately, many of the card’s mainstay features are being removed as part of the overhaul.
Previously, cardholders enjoyed a Priority Pass membership with 10 complimentary lounge visits; however, this benefit will be removed.
If you activated your Priority Pass membership from the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card on or before June 30, 2023, it will expire as of July 1, 2024, whereas if you activated your membership on or after July 1, 2023, it will expire as of April 1, 2025.
Cardholders will also no longer be able to earn a Free Night Reward upon spending $15,000 and $60,000 each year. Purchases made on the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card through to June 30, 2024, will still count, but after that, you won’t be able to earn Free Night Rewards with this card anymore.
Lastly, the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card will no longer earn 6 points per dollar spent in select categories, such as US restaurants, gas stations, shipping services, and wireless phone services, as well as on airfare booked through Amex Travel and rental cars.
Existing cardholders will continue to earn 6x points in these categories through to June 30, 2024, after which they’ll revert to the card’s new 5x earning rate on up to $100,000 spent each calendar year.†
It’s worth noting that you’ll still get Hilton Honors Gold status for simply being a cardholder,† and you can still earn Diamond status upon spending $40,000 in a calendar year.†
Welcome Offer of Up To 175,000 Hilton Honors Points
American Express has also released a new increased welcome bonus for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
Until January 8, 2025, new applicants are eligible to earn 175,000 Hilton Honors points, which are awarded upon spending $8,000 in the first six months.†
This is a jump up from the previous offer for 130,000 points, but lower than the all-time-high offers for 180,000 points or 150,000 points plus a Free Night Reward.
Positive for Some, Negative for Others
As is typically the case with major overhauls to credit cards, there’s a mixture of positive and negative changes. Hilton loyalists might find that the new benefits outweigh the increased fees, while others might be looking elsewhere for a business card.
The $100 increase to the annual fee is significant, and the removal of 10 Priority Pass lounge visits reduces the card’s overall appeal.
Plus, there aren’t many avenues through which you can earn Free Night Rewards to begin with, and going forward, you’ll be limited to earning them through occasional welcome bonuses and promotions, or with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Given how powerful Hilton’s Free Night Rewards are, it’s unfortunate to see one of the ways to earn them get removed.
For what it’s worth, if you spend the same $60,000 that previously would have earned you two Free Night Rewards, you’ll earn 300,000 points with the card’s new 5x baseline earning rate, which is equivalent to the maximum value you could get from two Free Night Rewards.†
If you stay at Hilton properties at least once per quarter, you stand to benefit from the new $60 quarterly statement credit.† If you make full use of them, you’ll have more than offset the annual fee, and even if you only stay a couple of times a year, you’ll still have reduced the effective cost of having the card.
Otherwise, the new 5x baseline earning rate on up to $100,000 spent each year is strong. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, and using this value, we’d estimate a return of 2.5% on uncategorized spending, which is quite good.
If you put a lot of spend on the previous 6x categories, you’ll earn 1 fewer point per dollar spent, whereas if you didn’t benefit from the 6x categories before, you’ll now earn an extra 2 points per dollar spent (up from the previous baseline earning rate of 3 points per dollar spent) on the first $100,000 spent each year.
Overall, the changes are certainly a mixed bag, and whether or not they’re net positive will entirely depend on how you engage with the program.
Conclusion
Amex US has given the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card a significant overhaul, including a huge increase to the annual fee, the addition of new benefits, and the removal of others.
To mark the changes, there’s also a new welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors points available through to January 8, 2025.
Depending on your travel and spending patterns, the changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card could be beneficial, or the overall appeal of the card could be significantly reduced.
†Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Having wasted two hours holding for Hilton Central Reservations to change my departure date I went back to the Hilton and the reservation check out time was changed in 5 minutes. The Desk told me Hilton Central Reservations service is appalling. I will not use Hilton again. I only used it as I had a Conference to attend and the organizers chose the Hilton due to its proximity. I’ll stick with IHG thanks.
Props to you for seeing some positives in what’s overwhelmingly a severe devaluation for the card.