We can all agree that redemption on credit card points isn’t as great as it used to be. However, choosing the right moment to hop on the wagon is as important as ever. And this might be a good chance if you’ve been eyeing Hilton Honours co-branded American Express credit cards.
In this post:
- AMEX Increases Hilton Honors Signup Bonus Limited Time Offer
- The Everyday Multipliers
- Hilton Honors Surpass Card = The Sweet Spot?
- Sign up to my newsletter
AMEX Increases Hilton Honors Signup Bonus – Limited Time Offer
| Card Name | Limited-Time Signup Bonus | Spend Requirement (First 6 Months) | Annual Fee (Year 1 / Ongoing) |
| Hilton Honors Card | 100,000 Points + $100 Credit | $2,000 | $0 / $0 |
| Hilton Honors Surpass Card | 130,000 Points | $3,000 | $0 / $150 |
| Hilton Honors Aspire Card | 175,000 Points | $6,000 | $550 / $550 |
| Hilton Honors Business Card | 130,000 Points | $8,000 | $0 / $195 |
First things first, this is a special limited-time offer, available starting May 20th, 2026, and ending July 29th, 2026.
Hilton Honors and American Express are increasing the signup bonuses across the board on all of their four co-branded credit cards. That’s three personal credit cards:
- Basic Hilton Honors card
- Hilton Honors Aspire card
- Hilton Honors Surpass card
The increased signup bonus also applies to the Hilton Honors business card, which is available to business owners.
As is always the case with American Express cards, you will have to spend a certain amount (an increasing amount depending on the card that you go for) in a six-month period of time in order to unlock the signup bonus.
Now, one thing to be rather careful about is the yearly fee that each card costs you. While the basic card has no annual fee, the Surpass card will cost you $150 (which is waived in the first year), and the Aspire card $550.
You can check out the lineup for yourself following this link:
https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/credit-cards
The Hilton Honors American Express Everyday Multipliers
| Card Name | Hilton Spend Multiplier | Everyday Category Multipliers | Core Elite Status & Credits |
| Hilton Honors Card | 7X | 5X U.S. Restaurants, Gas, Supermarkets | Silver Status – No Foreign Transaction Fees |
| Hilton Honors Surpass Card | 12X | 6X U.S. Restaurants, Gas, Supermarkets; 4X U.S. Online Retail | Gold Status – Up to $200 Hilton Credit ($50/Quarter) |
| Hilton Honors Aspire Card | 14X | 7X Flights, Car Rentals, U.S. Restaurants | Diamond Status – $400 Resort, $200 Flight, $209 CLEAR+ Credits |
| Hilton Honors Business Card | 12X | 5X on first $100,000 in Annual Purchases | Gold Status – Up to $240 Hilton Credit ($60/Quarter) |
As is standard with most credit cards that allow miles and point accrual in the United States, there are additional incentives to spending money in the form of point multipliers on everyday expenses.
As you can see in the table above, they vary depending on the card type.
Hilton Honors Surpass Card = The Sweet Spot?
Looking at the cards and what they offer, this Surpass seems to be the sweet spot for most consumers.
You don’t have to go all out on expenses to unlock the 130,000 points bonus, and the yearly fee will not burn through the entire value of the bonus that you will be unlocking. Considering that 130,000 points equates approximately to $650 in real money value.
The multiplying factors on Hilton spend and on everyday spend are fairly reasonable, meaning that you’re not missing out on much if you choose to be one step below the highest-level Aspire card.
American Express states that you get a 200 Hilton credit with the card; however, that is a little bit misleading, considering that you get $50 per quarter. That is a way of inducing you to repeat spend with the hotel chain in order to unlock the full $200 credit in the calendar year.
The Business Card the Worst of the Lot?
Unless you have any specific business need, the business card seems to come with a heavy spend penalty. In order to unlock exactly the same 130,000-point bonus that you would get with a consumer surpass card, you have to spend $8,000, compared to the $3,000 of the surpass card.
However, that is the only option if you do need to charge costs and expenses to your business and want to apply for a Hilton Honors American Express cobranded card.