Why I’m Keeping My Hilton Honors Aspire Card Despite the Increased $550 Annual Fee

Last summer, I was finally approved for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*. I had wanted the Hilton Aspire card for quite a while, as it’s the most premium Hilton Honors card available.

However, late last year, American Express increased the card’s annual fee from $450 to $550. With the card’s new annual fee approaching on my renewal date, I considered whether it was worth keeping for another year.

I have been narrowing down my cards since I currently pay well over $2,000 per year on annual fees on over 30 credit cards. While I take advantage of nearly every credit and benefit a card offers, that is still a lot of money.

However, some cards provide me with a ton of value, and the Hilton Honors Aspire card may top that list. Ultimately, I have decided to keep paying the annual fee on this card. Here’s a look at the Hilton Aspire card, the 4 main reasons I am keeping it open, and how much value the card’s main benefits provide me despite its higher annual fee.

*The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Hilton Aspire Card Overview

The Hilton Aspire card currently has a fantastic welcome offer: 

• Earn 175,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within first 6 months.

We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, making this welcome bonus offer worth $875. However, how you choose to redeem the points ultimately determines how much value you get. There are many ways to redeem these points, but the best way to redeem Hilton Honors points is to stay at Hilton’s luxury hotels.

Aside from the incredible welcome offer, here’s a look at the earning structure and benefits of the Hilton Aspire card:

• 14x points at participating Hilton hotels and resorts
• 7x points on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
• 3x points on all other purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status
• Up to $400 in Hilton Resort Credits (up to $200 semi-annually)
• Up to $200 on eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter)
• 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary
• Up to $100 credit on 2-night stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties
• Up to $199 fee credit for a CLEAR Plus membership
• No foreign transaction fees
• $550 annual fee

Why I Am Keeping the Hilton Aspire Card

The Hilton Aspire card may not be the best card for everyday spending, but it does offer decent returns on airfare, certain car rental companies, and U.S. restaurants. Of course, it can also provide a ton of value to those who frequently stay at Hilton hotels.

Despite the high annual fee, the card has fantastic credits and perks that help justify its relatively high annual fee. These perks and credits also add a lot of value to my travels.

For each benefit and/or credit, I will assign a numerical value based on how much value it provides me. Often, the benefits provide value far greater than what we expect.

Up to $400 Annual Hilton Resort Credit ($400)

Regarding cards with higher annual fees, I immediately look for statement credits to help offset the annual fee. Fortunately, the Hilton Aspire card comes with 2 main credits that, if used effectively, can cover the card’s entire annual fee.

The annual Hilton resort credit is the first (and most important) credit on the Hilton Aspire card. Cardholders can get up to $400 in statement credits for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts, up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually (January through June and July through December).

While the credit was originally intended for incidental charges, such as charges made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the hotel property, it is worth much more. You can use the resort statement credit for room rates — as long as they aren’t prepaid rates.

The resort credit is easy to use — all you need to do is pay with your Hilton Aspire card at an eligible hotel, and the credit will be automatically applied as a statement credit. 

It is important to remember that the Hilton Aspire card resort credit only applies to hotels participating in the Hilton Resorts program. The full list of participating hotels is on Hilton’s website.

Although the $400 Hilton Resort credit is a bit restrictive in that it can only be used at Hilton Resort properties, I still value it at $400. I can use the credit to cover a night at a nicer hotel twice a year.

For example, here are the nightly rates for the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton – Niagara Falls, which is part of the Hilton Resorts program, for the month of September 2024. The semi-annual $200 credit will cover the entire stay.

Up to $200 Annual Flight Credit ($200)

Another excellent credit on the Hilton Aspire card is the up to $200 annual flight credit (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter). The flight credit is valid on eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com.

With the updated annual flight credit, cardholders can now make quarterly purchases of flight tickets. So, as long as you spend at least $50 on an eligible flight each quarter, you receive a statement credit for that amount.

Although you can use the flight credit on airline tickets, I often use it for United TravelBank purchases, which I can use to purchase United Airlines tickets later on. This way, I can take advantage of the credit without purchasing a ticket.

In fact, I used the $50 quarterly credit a few weeks ago, and the statement credit posted a few days later.

I value the annual flight credit at the full $200 face value. Although I have to remember to use the flight credit every quarter, I have yet to miss it.

To get the full $200 flight credit on the Hilton Aspire card, ensure that you make a qualifying flight purchase each quarter of the calendar year. Although this requires more work on the cardholder’s part, it is still an incredibly valuable card perk that you should use.

It is worth noting that American Express has a flight credit tracker on your account homepage. This makes it easy to see if you’ve used your $50 quarterly flight credit.

Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond Status ($300)

The Hilton Aspire card also provides cardholders with Hilton Honors Diamond status, Hilton’s top-tier elite status, as long as you hold the card. 

To achieve Hilton Diamond status organically, Hilton Honors members must stay at least 60 nights, have at least 30 stays, or earn at least 120,000 base points. It is a major win that Hilton Honors members can bypass these requirements just by carrying the Hilton Aspire card.

Hilton Diamond status is 1 of the most valuable hotel statuses of any program available, and benefits include:

• Complimentary continental breakfast or daily food and beverage credit
• 100% bonus points on stays
• Room upgrades when available (including standard suites)
• 4 p.m. late checkout (when available)
• Executive Lounge access (when available)

I value Hilton Honors Diamond status at a conservative $300. This year, I have spent 15 nights at Hilton hotels. Breakfast at $20 per night would get me $300 value alone. And that doesn’t even account for the second person in the room with me for some or all nights, who is also entitled to complimentary breakfast. Most years, I will not spend more than 15 nights at Hilton hotels.

In addition to the complimentary continental breakfast or daily food and beverage credit, I also took full advantage of Executive Lounge access when it was available (where I had a full dinner at times). However, many of the hotels I stayed at did not have a lounge, so I will not give an arbitrary value for this.

Anniversary Free Night Certificate ($300)

Quite possibly the best perk that helps offset the Hilton Aspire card’s fee is the annual free night certificate. You get this certificate every card anniversary, which is typically deposited a few weeks after the cardmember anniversary date. Then, you can redeem the certificate at almost any Hilton Honors property worldwide when a standard room is available.

It is worth noting that you cannot redeem the free night at certain properties. The list of excluded hotels is on Hilton’s website. Since the list of excluded hotels is relatively small, you can use the free night certificate at many different properties. This includes some of the most expensive Hilton hotels around the world.

Although I can use the free night certificate at nearly any hotel worldwide, I conservatively value it at $300. Some may consider this to be relatively low; however, I use this number for one main reason: I almost never spend $300 on a hotel night, no matter where I am. That number is where I typically draw the line and begin looking for other accommodation options.

I plan to use my free night certificate at the Conrad Tokyo next month as part of my honeymoon, where cash rates for standard rooms are routinely over $350 per night.

The 1-night stay I am considering for next month will cost more than ¥82,000, or over $530, plus taxes and fees. This alone will more than cover the annual fee for the entire year, without factoring in all the other perks and benefits the Hilton Aspire card provides.

I have over 10 hotel credit cards that give me a free night each anniversary year (across many different hotel chains, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG). I keep these cards because I can consistently redeem my free nights at hotels that are priced higher than the annual fee.

Hot Tip:

Since the free night certificate from the Hilton Aspire card can be used at almost any Hilton property worldwide, you may be stuck with too many options. For some inspiration, check out our guide to the best Hilton luxury hotels to book with points for maximum value.

Final Thoughts

The Hilton Aspire card is quite lucrative and has given me a ton of value, albeit at the cost of a relatively high annual fee. However, the card is definitely worth keeping if you stay at Hilton hotels frequently.

The 2 main statement credits (up to $400 Hilton resort and up to $200 flight credits) more than cover the card’s annual fee, assuming you can take full advantage of both, which is not difficult. Plus, the Hilton Aspire card provides incredibly valuable Hilton Diamond status and a free night certificate, which gives me a ton of value, since I typically redeem free nights effectively.

Although it’s becoming harder to justify paying so many different annual fees, I will keep the Hilton Aspire card in my wallet unless American Express plans to increase it — or change the benefits significantly. The card is just too valuable and provides me over $1,000 of value each year.