Hilton Honors Amex Business Card
I’m an Amex fanboy, but that’s nothing new or particularly unique. Beyond updates on other cards, I (and many others) feel Amex won the latest battle of the premium card wars with its Platinum refresh. But the Hilton Honors Amex Business card sticks out for other reasons. This card’s changes were the most significant negative out of all recent refreshes, in my view. Remember that backdrop as we consider the no-lifetime-language (NLL) Hilton Amex card offers currently available.
Why to Avoid the Hilton Honors Amex Business Card
An Actually-Meh Signup Bonus
DDG recently described some attractive welcome offers across the entire Hilton Amex card portfolio. The Aspire offers a mild bump with 175k points, slightly up from the usual 150k offer. But the other three look even more interesting – the no-fee, Surpass, and Business cards each come with an additional free night certificate on top of Hilton Honors bonus points. In my view, these are the best offer versions on the other three Hilton cards, as Hilton free night certs are arguably the best of their kind. These FNCs are still redeemable at the vast majority of Hilton Honors-participating properties (with just a few exceptions). An individual can easily get equal or more value from a single cert as the bonus points from a standard (or even elevated) offer.
Other than the cert, the Hilton Honors Amex Business card offer at 175k bests 130k for the Surpass and 70k for the no-fee card. But the quite-significant catch is those 175k bonus points requires $8k spend in the first six months. Compared to the Surpass, that’s $5k additional spend for only 45k more bonus points. Sizing it up against the no-fee card, that’s $6k more spend for 105k more bonus points. Regardless, that extra $5k or $6k can more efficiently earn sizable rewards on new card offers within and beyond Amex. But there’s another reason to opt for personal Hilton cards.
Flexibility
By choosing a personal version of a Hilton card, individuals maintain the ability to product change amongst three products at the end of cardmember year one. Cardmembers can opt for more benefits with an Aspire, or they could pursue annual fee decreases with the Surpass or no-fee cards. The Hilton American Express Business card doesn’t provide such an option, beyond requesting a retention offer – which may or may not be available.
No More Free Night Certificates
With the last refresh, Amex killed what I considered the most attractive feature of the Hilton Honors Amex Business card – additional FNCs via big spend bonuses. Cardholders could previously earn certs at the $15k and $60k calendar year spend levels. But Amex took away both and replaced it with complimentary Diamond status after $40k spend. I consider doing that malpractice, since you can buy that status instead via the Aspire annual fee.
Meanwhile, the Surpass has maintained the FNC bonus at $15k spend. (A Surpass cardholder can also reach Diamond via $40k spend, but I discourage that here, as well.) The cheaper Surpass offers a superior big spend bonus aspect than the more-expensive Business version.
Why Pay More?
The Surpass comes with a $150 annual fee compared to the Business version at $195. The latter comes with an extra $10 quarterly in Hilton credits. But for many, that’s even more hassle to trigger these credits so actively. National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status ain’t anything special since individuals can easily pick that up elsewhere, including through other Amex cards. It’s more work for questionable value. That’s not a unique statement to this business card, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
The Case For Pursuing It
I haven’t returned to the Hilton Honors Amex Business card since the changes, but I won’t say never. More accurately, I’ve chosen to pursue more Surpass and no-fee cards first, and the Business version is a “maybe later.” But given my Amex activity with Hilton and other credit cards, that time hasn’t yet come.
Others may place a higher priority on the business card, though. I found the addition of the 5x-everywhere earning on the first $100k spend odd, but individuals with diverse spending needs may find this feature attractive. Some without spending restrictions might be unphased by the significantly-higher welcome offer MSR than the personal cards, as well.
Conclusion
For many of us, though, the heightened Surpass offer is the way to go, followed by the no-fee bonus. The business card offer comes in third. I could also see some swapping the business card to that second slot. Personally, I highly value the flexibility on the personal side, relegating the business to last. I also know some really care about getting more Chase cards (not us), and the business card is unsurprisingly attractive.
How do you feel about the Hilton Honors Amex Business card?
