In return for the $450 annual fee, the Aspire offers a ton of different credits and perks to choose from:
- $250 airline fee credit
- $250 Hilton credit
- Diamond status with Hilton
- Up to two weekend reward nights; one weekend night at almost any Hilton property worldwide after opening your account and on your cardmember anniversary each year, plus a second weekend night when you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year
- Priority Pass membership that includes access to over 1,400 airport lounges
- $100 property credits when you book at least a two night stay at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad properties using hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com
- 34 total points per dollar for Hilton hotels (14 from the Aspire card + 20 points/dollar from Hilton Diamond status, which offers 100% bonus on the usual 10 points/dollar), 7 points/dollar on flights, rental cars, and US restaurants, 3 points everywhere else
Diamond Benefits
The Diamond status with Hilton also offer serious benefits like 34 points/dollar spent at Hilton when you use the Aspire card (which is worth roughly 17% based on a conservative .5¢ valuation), room upgrades up to a one-bedroom suite, executive lounge access for you and another guest, late checkout, free breakfast, and 5th night free when you book a stay using entirely rewards points.
If you stay in a Hilton hotel at least once a year and use both the Hilton credit and the airline fee credit, you can potentially recoup the annual fee from that alone, and then you get Diamond status for free, plus a free night certificate.
The airline fee credit can be tricky because you have to choose the airline that you want to use it for each year, so you are tied to one airline if you want to use the full credit. However, if you are traveling with a group or check bags frequently, you can get the most out of that credit fairly easily. If you fly Delta, you can also use the credit towards tickets if you pay for part of the ticket with a gift card or points, and if you fly United, you can often get the credit to cover Travel Bank purchases. Other ways that you can use the credit include:
- Checked baggage fees (including overweight/oversize)
- Itinerary change fees
- Phone reservation fees
- FareLock
- Pet flight fees
- Seat assignment fees (E+)
- In-flight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows/blankets, headphones)
- In-flight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet unless it is billed by the airline, which it often is not.)
- Airport lounge day passes & annual memberships
The Priority Pass lounges offer things like complimentary food and beverages, comfortable seating, and showers. If you are flying through airports that offer these lounges, they can offer huge benefits. (click here to see if your airport offers lounge access).
The Conrad/Waldorf Astoria credit should be taken with a grain of salt because some of the time, booking through the Aspire portal raises the rate, so you’ll have to check it on a case-by-case basis. Conrad and Waldorf Astoria stays are also on the pricier side, so it may not be very applicable to you if you prefer cheaper hotels.
Overall, the Hilton Aspire offers a great value if you stay in a Hilton at least once a year. The Hilton and airline fee credits cover the annual fee relatively easily and without many hoops to jump through, and the free night certificate and Diamond status add some serious bang for your buck. If you aren’t as tied to Hilton, you can get similar perks from the Amex Platinum (gold status with Hilton, a $200 airline voucher, airport lounge access, 5 Amex points, which equals 10 Hilton points if you transfer from Amex to Hilton). However, because of how much value you can get from the Aspire card, I personally have both cards and plan to do so for the foreseeable future.
*As a bonus, earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to make $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
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