How To Maximize the Hilton Aspire Card Resort Credit on Stays

Key Takeaways

• The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $400 annual resort credit — split into 2 $200 statement credits — that can be used at eligible Hilton resorts.
• You can use the resort credit for room rates (when not prepaid), dining, spa treatments, excursions, or any other charges billed to your room.
• Stretch your credit by booking affordable resorts or using points, then use the credit for incidentals.

The Hilton Aspire card delivers built-in value that can more than make up for its hefty annual fee. It offers an exceptional list of benefits, including top-tier Hilton Diamond status, annual free-night awards, airline and CLEAR credits, and a $400 annual credit usable at any of Hilton’s resorts.

Cardholders can use the resort credit to cover room rates, meals, spa treatments, excursions, parking, and more at participating Hilton resorts worldwide. Used strategically, this credit can help you score deeply discounted stays or offset indulgences at high-end resorts.

See how this benefit can save you hundreds each year, including how to use it and the best places to use your Hilton Aspire card’s annual resort credit.

Hilton Aspire Card Benefits

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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

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Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

Welcome Offer

Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.

150,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $750

Annual Fee

$550

APR

19.49%-28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

Paying hundreds of dollars for an annual fee on a co-branded hotel card might seem ridiculous, but you should know that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is much more than your run-of-the-mill hotel credit card.

The Hilton Aspire card is not only a phenomenal card for Hilton Honors loyalists, but even those who visit Hilton hotels just a few times a year can still get excellent value out of all the benefits that are packed into this card.

So let’s have a look at what makes the card so valuable to travelers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 14x points per $1 on Hilton purchases
• 7x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
• 3x points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Cons

• High annual fee of $550 (rates & fees)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal.
• Card Members can earn 14X Points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Card Members can earn 7X Points on purchases of Flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through American Express Travel, Car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies, and purchases at U.S. Restaurants.
• Card Members can earn 3X Points on all other eligible purchases.
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit: 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.
• $200 Flight Credit: 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 airlines or via AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• $209 CLEAR+ Credit: You can receive up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you sign up and pay for a CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your eligible Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend an additional $30,000 (for a total of $60,000) in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
• $100 Property Credit: Receive up to a $100 credit for qualifying charges at Waldorf Astoria^® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad^® Hotels & Resorts properties when you book a 2 night minimum stay with your Card at HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com and select the Aspire Card Benefit rate option on the booking page, or call Hilton Honors at 855-292-5757 with the proper booking reference.
• 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. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
• Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, Global Assist^® Hotline is available for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services, including medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. Other terms and conditions apply.
• Points don’t expire while your Hilton Honors American Express Card is active and in good standing.
• $550 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.49%-28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Before diving into the resort credit, let’s explore the broader benefits of the Hilton Aspire card. Many of the card’s benefits, including top-tier Hilton Diamond status, directly enhance your stay. As a Diamond member, you can get valuable on-property benefits, including a daily food and beverage credit, executive lounge access at select hotels, room upgrades when available, and late checkout.

Here are all the perks that the Hilton Aspire card offers:

• Up to $400 in annual statement credits for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts — distributed in up to $200 in statement credits semiannually
• Up to $200 back annually on eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com — distributed up to $50 in statement credits each quarter
• Up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you enroll and pay for an annual CLEAR+ membership
• Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive elite status
• Cell phone protection
• 14x points on Hilton purchases, 7x points on select travel and at U.S. restaurants, and 3x points on all other purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Diamond status
• $100 credit at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties with a 2-night minimum stay
• 1 Free Night Reward every cardmember anniversary
• Additional Free Night Rewards after spending $30,000 and $60,000 on purchases in a calendar year

The card currently features a welcome bonus offer: Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 within your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Not all of these benefits are directly related to Hilton hotels, like the annual airline credit, CLEAR credit, and rental car status. Still, they can make getting to resorts easier and more comfortable.

Bottom Line: Though the Hilton Aspire card has a $550 fee (rates & fees), its valuable benefits can make it well worth it.

What Is the Hilton Aspire Card Resort Credit?

The resort credit is a statement credit of $400 per year that’s distributed semiannually in $200 increments. It renews on your cardmember anniversary. You can use the credit at credit-eligible hotels only.

An obvious way to use the resort credit is for incidentals, such as food and beverages or parking fees. However, you can also use it to get a statement credit for room rates, as long as they aren’t prepaid. That typically excludes special rates, such as discounts for extended stays or AAA membership discounts. Though these can offer better deals than Hilton’s best available rate, prepaid rates don’t qualify for the resort credit.

If a qualifying resort doesn’t charge you for your entire stay upfront, it should work for the Hilton resort credit.

How To Use the Hilton Aspire Card Resort Credit

Using the resort credit is simple. Pay with your Hilton Aspire card at an eligible hotel and get up to $200 back as a statement credit. The credit applies twice per year, the first from January to June and the second from July to December. You can’t use the entire $400 annual credit in a single stay, but you can use up to $200 at a time.

Just be sure that you’re using your card at a resort-eligible property listed on the Hilton website. The credit doesn’t apply if the property isn’t on the list.

Bottom Line: The Hilton Resort credit is automatically applied when you pay your room charges with your Hilton Aspire card. 

What You Can Use the Hilton Aspire Resort Credit For

You can use the Hilton Aspire card resort credit for:

• Room rates (as long as they aren’t prepaid)
• Room upgrades
• Food and beverages, including room service
• Excursions
• Spa charges

To trigger the credit, you have to make a purchase at an eligible resort that’s charged to your room and then pay for the charges with your Hilton Aspire card. That makes using the credit fairly flexible. For example, if you’re covering the room rate with points, you can use the credit for dining and activities.

Cultural activities such as Hawaiian luaus or city tours, fine dining, and spa treatments are great ways to use the resort credit. Alternatively, you can use it to treat yourself to room service or a room upgrade.

Bottom Line: Your Hilton resort credit applies to purchases as long as you charge the cost to your room and pay for it with your Hilton Aspire card.

Maximizing the Hilton Aspire Card Resort Credit

You can maximize the Hilton resort credit by booking inexpensive properties or using Hilton Honors points and a free night to stay for free. Then treat yourself to a property credit for dining or spa treatments.

Another way to maximize the credit is to earn Hilton Honors points on your purchase. Hilton Aspire cardholders earn 14x Hilton Honors points on all Hilton purchases. Plus, you earn 20 points per $1 as a Diamond member. That’s 6,800 points for spending $200, which you get credited back to you. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so that’s like getting $34 in free bonus points. If you use the credit twice and earn the full $400 credit, you get $68 in points value back.

Hot Tip: You can book a standard room award with Hilton for as little as 5,000 points, so you can earn enough for a free night once you redeem $200 of your annual credit.

Where To Use the Hilton Aspire Card Resort Credit

Let’s look at some of the best Hilton properties to use your Hilton resort credit.

1. Zemi Beach House in Anguilla

Anguilla may not be as easy to reach as the Bahamas or Jamaica, but that’s part of its charm. Zemi Beach House, a boutique oceanfront resort with just 76 rooms and suites, is on the island’s northeastern tip. It’s ultraluxurious and one of the properties in Hilton’s LXR Hotels & Resorts collection.

Though rates can top $1,000 nightly, the Hilton Aspire card resort credit can soften the blow, especially if you can use a free night certificate and points for a free stay, then use your resort credit for the spa or beachfront dining.

2. DoubleTree by Hilton Tokyo Ariake

Many travelers consider Tokyo a dream destination, and DoubleTree by Hilton Tokyo Ariake offers a convenient location on the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is within walking distance of Odaiba attractions, teamLab Planets, and easy train connections into the city.

The hotel is a solid value for Hilton Aspire cardholders, with cash rates starting around $160 per night or 40,000 Hilton Honors points. You can use your resort credit to cover much of a night’s stay or offset dining charges onsite.

3. Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas

The Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas offers the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip without the noise of a casino. Once the Mandarin Oriental, this luxury property is a refined oasis with a nongaming, smoke-free experience in the heart of Las Vegas action.

You can expect nightly rates around $300 at this property, but you can soften the blow using the Hilton Aspire card credit or apply your credit toward on-property dining.

4. DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton – Niagara Falls

Just a 10-minute walk from Niagara Falls on the Canadian side, the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton – Niagara Falls offers comfortable rooms, a large indoor pool, and an on-site Aveda spa.

Nightly rates are often under $200, so Hilton Aspire cardholders can cover a night with the semiannual credit. Though this isn’t the most luxurious Hilton property, it’s a great place to maximize your credit at one of the world’s most famous natural wonders.

High-End Properties

Though the Hilton Aspire card’s resort credit is great to use on budget-friendly stays where the resort can cover much of the room rate, it can also lower the cost at some of Hilton’s most luxurious resorts.

Often, high-end Hilton properties have rates of 80,000 to 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night (though some now top 250,000). The Hilton Aspire card typically has a generous welcome offer, more than enough for an award night at select properties. You can pair those points with the card’s annual free night award. Together, you should have enough for a free 2-night stay at a luxury Hilton resort.

With your room rate covered by points and a free night award, you can use $200 of your $400 annual credit to pay for incidentals on the property, such as poolside drinks, parking, or spa treatments. Resort fees are waived on award stays, so you don’t have to use your credit to pay for that. And with Diamond status from the Hilton Aspire card, you get a daily food and beverage credit to stretch your resort credit further.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to overlook how flexible the Hilton Aspire card resort credit is, whether you’re taking a budget-friendly trip or a luxury getaway. As long as you charge purchases to your room and use the Hilton Aspire card to pay for them, you can cover poolside margaritas, under-$200 rooms in Tokyo, or splurge-worthy spa treatments.

Combined with Hilton’s waived resort fees on award nights, Diamond elite benefits, and an annual free night award, you can use the Hilton Aspire card’s resort credit to stretch the value of your Hilton resort stay. It’s a great tool to make Hilton stays more rewarding and less expensive.