Points · American Express · $550 annual fee
Last verified 2026-09-09. Review issuer source

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire is a $550-a-year points card from American Express. Its best everyday rates are 7x on airfare, 7x on car rentals, and 7x on dining; everything else earns 3x. There is also 14x on Hilton Hotels & Resorts, a single-merchant rate. Rewards are Hilton Honors points that only spend inside that program, so we value them at roughly a third of a cent each.
On our reference budget of $24,600 a year its rewards come to $334, $216 short of the annual fee. That is normal at this price; the card only works if the perks replace spending you already do, or your bonus-category spending is far above a typical household's. The welcome bonus, 150,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months, is the strongest reason to open it in a given year.
Get it if you already fly or stay with Hilton Honors often enough to use the free night. A general travel card earns points that go more places.
7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com
7X points on car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies
7X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
14X points for eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
With your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, book a 2 night minimum stay at hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com and get up to $100 in credits for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts.
CLEAR® uses unique attributes, such as eyes or fingerprints, to digitally verify identity to help its members move faster through security at select airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership (Excluding any applicable taxes and fees and subject to auto-renewal) with up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That's up to $400 back annually.
Travel more comfortably knowing you can be covered for lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage when you purchase the Entire Fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) on an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, which includes up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to $1,000 for any High Risk Items such as jewelry and electronics, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Please read important exclusions and restrictions.
Getting into your Rental Vehicle can be the start of a great vacation. When you use your Eligible Card to reserve and pay for the Entire Rental and decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) at the Rental Company counter, you can be covered for Damage to or Theft of a Rental Vehicle in a Covered Territory.Please read important exclusions and restrictions. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage.
Fixing a cracked screen can be expensive. With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your cost to repair or replace your damaged cell phone, including a cracked screen, for a maximum of $800 per claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim.
Enjoy even more perks as a Hilton Honors Diamond member, like a 100% Bonus on Base Points earned on stays, free Premium Wi-Fi and space-available room upgrades at select properties, executive lounge access, and more.
Concierge is a complimentary service, for eligible Card Members. Our Lifestyle concierges provide expertise on what matters to you and can assist you with finding the best restaurants or buying tickets to upcoming events.
Why is it that as soon as a Manufacturer's Warranty runs out, something always seems to happen? Use your Eligible Card for Covered Purchases and you can have warranty protection for longer. Extended Warranty matches the Original Manufacturer's Warranty for up to one additional year when you use your Eligible Card. Applies to warranties of 5 years or less on Covered Purchases in the United States or its territories or possessions.
Earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after making $30,000 in purchases and another after making $60,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to your Resy profile.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada.
You have access to 24/7 medical, legal, financial, and other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles from home. Premium Global Assist® Hotline can direct you to medical and legal professionals and help with prescription replacement coordination, emergency hotel check-ins and cash wires, missing luggage, and more. Emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost only if approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline. Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
Sometimes your favorite new purchase gets stolen, accidentally damaged, or lost. But when you use your Eligible Card for Covered Purchases, your Membership can help protect them for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date.
If you try to return an eligible Item within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won't take it back, American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories.
Despite our best efforts, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. If you purchase a round trip entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason cancels or interrupts your trip, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance can help reimburse your non-refundable expenses purchased with the same Eligible Card, up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
Booking the trip is easy. Avoiding delays is next to impossible. If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased with your same Eligible Card, up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
Benefit descriptions are the issuer’s and network’s own wording, trimmed for length. Limits and exclusions are in the guide to benefits.
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards earned | Net after fee | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors American Express AspireThis card · 7x on airfare | $550 | $334 | −$216 | 1271st of 1,291 |
| American Express® GoldAmerican Express's most-held other card · 4x on dining | $325 | $594 | +$269 | 547th of 1,291 |
| Savor RewardsThe strongest no-fee card on this budget · 3% on dining | None | $642 | +$642 | 4th of 1,291 |
| Robinhood Gold CardHighest net return on this budget · 3% on everything | $50 | $798 | +$748 | 1st of 1,291 |
Reference budget: groceries $6,000, dining and restaurants $3,600, gas and ev charging $2,400, travel and transit $3,000, online shopping $2,400, entertainment and streaming $1,200, everything else $6,000. Points are valued at 1¢ unless the program is worth less; statement credits, welcome bonuses, and perks are left out. Run it with your own spending.