Maintaining Hilton Honors Aspire Card Amidst Rising $550 Yearly Charge
Maximising the Value of the Hilton Aspire Card: A Comprehensive Guide
The Hilton Aspire Card, with a $550 annual fee, offers a host of benefits that can provide significant value to frequent travellers. Here's a breakdown of how to make the most of this premium card.
Annual Hilton Resort Credit
The card provides a total resort credit of $400, with $200 available semi-annually. To maximise this benefit, use it at high-end Hilton properties. By combining it with your free night certificate and Hilton Honors points, you can significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs during your stay. This strategy is particularly effective when booking award stays and dining, using poolside drinks, valet parking, or spa services.
Annual Flight Credit
This credit, worth $200 annually or $50 per quarter, can be utilised for flight purchases directly with airlines or through Amex Travel. Cardholders can also creatively use it for airline award taxes and fees, seat upgrades, or reloading United TravelBank balances. This flexibility ensures you get the full $200 back each year.
Free Night Certificates
The Hilton Aspire Card provides at least one free night certificate annually, valid up to 95,000 Hilton Honors points. To maximise their value, redeem them at high-tier Hilton properties where nightly rates and points costs are very high. This strategy can save hundreds to thousands of dollars compared to paying cash. Combining certificates with points can extend free stays at luxury resorts.
Strategic Spending and Card Upgrades/Downgrades
A sophisticated way to accrue more free night certificates and points is to split your annual spending between the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass cards, leveraging higher multiplier categories on Surpass for category spend and upgrading to Aspire to earn the free night certificates. This method can maximise points and free nights over a two-year cycle by mixing spending and timing card product changes.
Additional Perks
- Enrol to receive National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status for car rental upgrades and perks.
- Use the $100 Property Credit by booking select Waldorf Astoria or Conrad hotels with the Aspire card for extra savings, if applicable.
The Hilton Aspire Card's benefits, including the 2 main statement credits and the Hilton Diamond status and free night certificate, provide a combined value of over $1,000 each year. The author conservatively values the free night certificate at $300 and the Hilton Honors Diamond status at $300. The card's welcome offer of 175,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months is also a valuable addition. The card has no foreign transaction fees and comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.
- To fully utilise the Annual Flight Credit, consider using it for airline award taxes and fees, seat upgrades, or reloading travel wallets, as this allows you to get the full $200 back each year.
- Strategically spending on both the Hilton Aspire and Surpass cards can help accrue more free night certificates and points, which can be used to book food at Hilton properties or travel expenses for luxury stays.
