Earn up to 180,000 Points

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Travel is slowly starting to make a comeback, and banks are responding with increased credit card welcome bonuses to get customers excited about earning travel rewards again.

That’s the case with new offers on two Amex Hilton credit cards. The Hilton Honors American Express Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
have launched big welcome bonuses, and they’re the highest we’ve ever seen.

Even if you don’t have immediate travel plans, it’s a good time to stock up on points for when you’re ready to hit the road again. While Hilton points do expire after 15 months of account inactivity, having and using a Hilton card makes it easy to keep your points from expiring. 

Here’s what to know to help you decide if you want to apply.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is now offering a bonus of 130,000 points after you spend at least $2,000 on eligible purchases in your first 3 months of card membership, plus an additional 50,000 points after you spend a total of $10,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. While the minimum spending needed to unlock the full bonus is significant, you’ve got six months to reach the requirement — so, on average, you’d have to spend $1,667 per month.

Between the bonus and the points you’ll earn from meeting the minimum spending requirement, you’ll earn at least 210,000 Hilton points from this offer (180,000-point bonus plus at least 30,000 points from spending $10,000). That’s enough for a whopping 42 nights at the lowest category Hiltons (although those are few and far between).

More realistically, you could redeem your points for a week-long stay at a mid-tier Hilton property (30,000 points per night), or splurge on a shorter getaway at a luxury Conrad or Waldorf Astoria hotel.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has a $95 annual fee (see review), but it’s well worth paying if you stay at Hilton hotels, even occasionally.

Along with earning lots of Hilton points, the card comes with automatic Hilton Gold elite status, which comes with perks like room upgrades, bonus earning on stays, and complimentary breakfast. You’ll also receive a free weekend night (valid at almost any Hilton hotel) if you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

The no-annual-fee (See Rates) Hilton Honors American Express Card is now offering 80,000 points after you spend at least $1,000 on eligible purchases in your first 3 months of card membership, plus an additional 50,000 points after you spend a total of $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. You don’t normally see six-figure bonuses on entry-level cards like this, so this is a great deal if you prefer a credit card with no annual fee.

Cardholders receive perks including automatic Hilton Silver elite status, 7 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels, 5 points per dollar at eligible U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and 3 points per eligible dollar everywhere else. The Hilton Honors American Express Card is one of only a handful of no-annual-fee travel cards without foreign transaction fees (See Rates), so it’s a good pick for international purchases.

Plus, if you spend $20,000 or more on eligible purchases with the card in a calendar year, you’ll get an upgrade to Hilton Gold status, which gets you a better chance at upgrades and more benefits, like free breakfast.

Jasmin Baron is an associate editor at Personal Finance Insider, where she helps readers maximize rewards and find the best credit cards to fit their lifestyles. She has covered credit cards, points and miles, and loyalty programs for over seven years, and she’s a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).

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