The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a good card for business owners who frequently travel and prefer staying at Hilton properties. You’ll rack up points quickly on business expenses, thanks to an impressive welcome offer and up to 12X points on eligible purchases. Plus, you’ll get up to $240 in credits (up to $60 quarterly) on direct Hilton purchases with your card to offset the annual fee each year.

This card goes beyond points by providing complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status and National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status (terms apply, enrollment required) to enhance travel experiences. Its travel and purchase protections¹ and useful business tools add more for business owners trying to manage expenses.

However, the $195 annual fee, lack of a free night certificate and lower Hilton point valuation could deter those looking for more flexible or higher-value rewards. Still, for Hilton loyalists and business travelers, the perks can far outweigh the costs.

Annual fee: $195 (see rates & fees)

Regular purchase APR: 20.24% - 29.24% Variable (see rates & fees)

Foreign transaction fee: None (see rates & fees)

Welcome offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership.

Rewards: 3X - 12X points

• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.
• Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
• Terms & Limitations Apply.
  

Other benefits:

• Up $240 annual credit for direct Hilton purchases with your card (up to $60 quarterly)
• Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status
• Complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status (terms apply, enrollment required)
• Purchase protection¹
• Baggage insurance¹
• Car rental insurance²
• Free employee cards

Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

Huge welcome offer

• As a new cardholder, you can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. This is a fairly large offer that, on the surface, seems more impressive than other offers. For example, the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card only lets you earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

  However, Hilton points have a lower value by our estimates: $0.005 per point compared to $0.02 for Chase points*. That means this offer is worth around $750, while the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card‘s offer is worth around $1,800.

  That said, while The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card doesn’t have the best credit card welcome offer, you should be able to use it for at least a few hotel nights. For example, you can get a two-night weekend stay in downtown Chicago.

  American Express credit cards have a “once per lifetime” policy on credit card welcome offers. That means you may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this card or previous versions of this card. However, Amex also offers a handy pop-up tool that will alert you that you aren’t eligible for an offer before you submit your application.

  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology

   

• Generous points on every purchase

  Cardholders of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card can rack up points quickly, thanks to the generous points on every eligible purchase. You can earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases. Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter. Terms & Limitations Apply.

  If you’re a frequent traveler and use your card for Hilton stays, your points will accumulate quickly since you earn 12X points on eligible direct purchases at Hilton properties.

  However, if you’re not loyal to any one hotel chain or have a different go-to for your travels, a general travel rewards card is a better option. Cards like the American Express^® Business Gold Card or the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card have a much better return on general purchases because their points are more valuable and flexible.

• Up to $240 Hilton credit

  This quarterly credit alone easily offsets the card’s annual fee. Cardholders get up to $60 in quarterly statement credits — up to $240 annually — to use on qualifying Hilton purchases, which can include bookings and incidental charges.

  You’ll need to stay at a Hilton property once every three months to take full advantage of it. Also, purchases must be made directly with a Hilton property with your card. If you don’t plan to stay with Hilton this often, you should probably take a pass on this card.

• Hilton Honors™ Gold Status

  Your card gives you complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, which unlocks many valuable benefits, including:

  • No resort fees on rewards stays
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi
  • Late check-out when available
  • Fifth night free on reward stays
  • An 80% points bonus on base points you earn on every stay
  • Space-available upgrades on your room, including Executive Floor rooms
  • A daily food and beverage credit or continental breakfast (depending on the hotel brand and region of your stay)

  After you spend $40,000 in eligible purchases on The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card in a calendar year, you can upgrade to Diamond Status. Even if you earn it late in the year, you can enjoy the elevated status through the end of the next calendar year.

• National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status

  Cardholders also get complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status by enrolling online. This gives you:

  • A fast track to free rentals by earning one rental credit for every qualified car rental. Every seven credits nets you one free rental day
  • A guaranteed free upgrade when you reserve a full-size through luxury vehicle (limited to rentals in the U.S. and Canada)
  • The midsize rate on any full-size vehicle and above (limited to rentals in the U.S. and Canada)

• Useful travel and consumer protections

  In addition to the status perks, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offers purchase and travel protections, including:

  • Purchase protection¹
  • Extended warranty¹
  • Baggage insurance¹
  • Secondary car rental loss and damage insurance²
  • Global Assist® Hotline³
  • Dispute resolution

  While these benefits could come in handy for frequent travelers, the card lacks some protections found on other premium travel cards like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, including trip cancellation protection.

  → Find the best cards for travel insurance.

• Business tools

  The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with a useful set of business tools that help keep your business and personal expenses separate. You can:

  • Get up to 99 free employee cards
  • Integrate the card with QuickBooks® (enrollment required)
  • Assign an account manager from your organization to help manage your account
  • Create a year-end summary
  • Use Vendor Pay by Bill.com (terms apply, enrollment required)
  • Access the American Express® mobile app to see your account on the go
  • Download online statements

• Foreign transaction fees: None

  The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, which means you won’t rack up a list of fees on a trip outside the U.S. But note that American Express is less commonly accepted outside of the United States. If you travel outside of the U.S., make sure that you have a backup credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.

  → See more credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

• High annual fee

  The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card‘s $195 annual fee is a drawback, especially if you aren’t a huge Hilton fan. For Hilton loyalists who travel at least quarterly, the statement credit easily covers this fee. If you stay with Hilton less frequently, though, you’re likely better off with a more flexible business travel card.

  → Check out the Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card, which is our pick for the best business card with no annual fee.

• Cap on elevated rewards

  There’s a $100,000 annual cap on rewards earned at the 5X rate. Once your purchases exceed that, you will still receive 3X points on your purchases. However, this cap is pretty generous — you’ll have to spend more than $8,333 per month on average to reach it.

• No free anniversary night

  Unlike many hotel credit cards, including the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express (terms apply), The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card does not offer an annual free night reward as part of card membership.

• Limited flexibility on rewards

  We estimate the value of Hilton Honors Reward points to be $0.005, so 10,000 points is approximately $50. Other rewards programs have a higher reward value, especially when used strategically. However, thanks to the card’s 3X - 12X points earning rate, the rewards are still generous even with the lower point value included in the calculation. If Hilton is your preferred hotel brand, this drawback can be easily overlooked.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. American Express^® Business Gold Card

While not a Hilton Honors card, the American Express^® Business Gold Card earns Membership Rewards® points that can be transferred to Hilton or other hotel and airline partners, giving you much more flexibility. There’s a generous welcome offer that lets you earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* You’ll also earn 4X points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month (on up to $150,000 per year, then 1X thereafter, terms apply).

The $375 annual fee (see rates & fees) is almost double, but the benefits can exceed it. That includes up to $240 in flexible business credits (up to $20 monthly) after you use your card for eligible U.S. purchases (enrollment required) and monthly statement credits for a Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal and applicable taxes).

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. Capital One Venture X Business

The Capital One Venture X Business offers a solid rewards rate and more flexible luxury travel perks. You can transfer your rewards to more than 15 airline and hotel loyalty programs. Additionally, the card comes with an annual travel credit up to $300 for booking through Capital One’s travel booking site and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® reimbursement.

The card has a hefty $395 annual fee, but the perks and rewards easily outmatch it. The sign-up bonus is generous: You can earn 150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. However, some smaller businesses may have a hard time reaching the high spending threshold.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card vs. Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card ranks as our top pick for business credit card, because it offers a ton of value for a more modest $95 annual fee. It lets you earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. These points can be transferred to a variety of Chase Ultimate Rewards^® transfer partners for a value of around 2 cents each.

You’ll also get a bevy of points on business purchases: Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases-with no limit to the amount you can earn.

As a Chase credit card, it offers some of the best travel and purchase protections, including primary car rental protection (terms apply). Unlike premium travel credit cards, this one does not include lounge access or statement credits. However, for a low annual fee, it’s a good choice if you don’t travel much but have other business expenses.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is tailored to small business owners who frequently stay at Hilton hotels. It offers solid value to those who can easily use the benefits it provides.

However, if you travel less frequently or don’t want to stick with Hilton, you should consider a card that isn’t tied to a particular hotel or airline brand, like the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Business.

We use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
• Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.