Hilton Hotels is one of the largest hotel brands in world. The company also has an exclusive partnership with American Express, offering 3 different tiers of personal co-branded credit cards. In addition, Hilton also offers a mid-tier business credit card which will be the main focus of this post. The Hilton Honors Business credit card has provided Jen and I considerable value in the last few years so here’s my full review.
Sign Up Bonus
The American Express Hilton business credit card currently has a sign up bonus of 130,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. There is also a second bonus of a free night certificate after spending $10,000 in the first 6 months. I signed up for the card several years ago when it was offering 150,000 points for the same spend, without the additional big spender bonus. If you are able to meet high spend requirements, hitting $15,000 in spend would net you the following: 2 FREE night certificates and 130,000 points. The Hilton business card awards a free night certificate for annual after spending 1$5,000 and $60,000
Pros
Complimentary Hilton Gold Status
Hilton elite status is nothing noteworthy and their complimentary breakfast policy pales in comparison to Hyatt. On the bright side, complimentary breakfast or breakfast credit is given to both gold and diamond elites. It’s refreshing to see complimentary continental breakfast offered to mid-tier elites.
Gold status also comes with 1pm late checkout when available and room upgrades. As a gold member, I had no issue getting a late checkout. I’ve never had my room upgrade to a suite as a Hilton diamond and never had much luck in getting room upgrades as a gold member.
Does not count towards 5/24
Opening this card doesn’t take up one of the 5/24 slots thus limiting my ability to open another chase card. This card also does not show up on your personal credit since it is a business card, but as always remember to pay off the card in full.
Hilton Diamond Status after $40,000 spend
The ability to have the option to earn top tier diamond status with credit card spend is nice. You can also just open the Hilton Aspire Card( Hilton’s premium credit card with a $450 annual fee).
Cons
Complimentary Breakfast has plenty of limitations even at top tier properties
One of the biggest gripes against Hilton’s loyalty program is the limitations and conditions surrounding complimentary breakfast, especially for top tier elites. As a Hilton diamond member, Jen and I were only given continental breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabo Pedregal and charged an additional $10 per person to upgrade to the buffet. While $10 isn’t much, it would be nice to see full complimentary breakfast similar to that of Hyatt’s program for top tier elites.
Hilton Redemptions can be hard to find
At the end of the day, Hilton points earned are meant to be spent. Since Hilton uses a dynamic award chart, award prices can fluctuate tremendously based on hotel space. You will want to always look for standard award availability as this follows typical redemption rates. For example on nights with standard award space, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabo Pedregal will cost you a cool 120,000 points. On nights without standard award space, the same room can run you upwards of 400,000 points.
Standard awards at top tier Hilton properties can be extremely challenging, whereas I don’t find myself consistently running into this issue with Hyatt.
Final Thoughts
Although we have seen better welcome bonuses in the past, the Hilton Honors Business credit card currently has a solid offer if you can spend $15,000 in a short period of time. Combined with another Hilton credit card such as the no-fee card and you could have enough free night certificates and points for 4 nights at some of the worlds most luxurious hotels.
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