Hilton Honors American Express Card Review
If Hilton hotels are your second home, you'll extract tons of value from the Hilton Honors American Express® Card. Complete with hotel-oriented optimization and perks.
Oct 29, 2026 2:12 PM
The Bottom Line
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card combines generous Hilton brand optimization, plus additional points on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, and dining. Cardholders also receive exclusive access to hotel status lifts, annual bonus points, and a strong welcome offer.
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Our choice for: Frequent Hilton Hotel Chain Visitors
Welcome Bonus
Earn up to 70,000 Hilton Honors™ Points and a Free Night Reward
Annual Fee
$150
Interest Rates
21.99%* / 21.99%*
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
Rewards
- Earn 6 Points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at participating Hilton brands, plus the Points you already earn as a Hilton Honors Member
- Earn 4 Points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants in Canada
- Earn 2 Points for every $1 in all other Card purchases
Insurance
Coverage
Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance
$500,000
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$500
Baggage Delay
$500Flight Delay
$500
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$500
Purchase Protection
90 days
Extended Warranty
1 year.svg)
Car Rental Damage & Theft
yes
Benefits
Details
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Status lift
Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, then get upgraded to Diamond status after you charge $40,000 in net purchases to your Card each year
Extra points
Get to your next stay faster with an annual 50,000 Points bonus. Spend $12,000 in a calendar year to unlock the 50,000 Hilton Honors Points bonus
American Express® Experiences
Eligibility
Credit Score
GoodAnnual Income
N/A
Welcome Bonus Details
- Earn up to 70,000 Hilton HonorsTM Points and a Free Night Reward
- New Hilton Honors American Express® Cardmembers, can earn 60,000 Points and a Free Night Reward after spending $3,000 on your Card in the first 3 months
- Plus, earn an additional 10,000 Points after you spend $500 on your Card in month 13
- Offer ends January 11, 2027
- Apply with confidence! See if you’ll be approved before you apply – with no impact to your credit score*
- *Instant decisions are only available for Consumer (also known as Personal) Card applications
Card Details
Interest Rates
Purchase APR
21.99%*
Cash Advance APR
21.99%*
Fees
Annual Fee
$150
Additional Cards
$0
Eligibility
Minimum Individual Income
N/A
Minimum Household Income
N/A
Credit Score Estimate
Good
Type
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High hotel optimization
- Hotel-oriented perks
- Generous welcome bonus
- Instant decision. No credit impact.
Cons
- Lower everyday point value
- Limited redemption options
Our Detailed Review
How to Earn Rewards with the Hilton Honors American Express® Card
With the Hilton Honors American Express® Card, cardholders can expect the following:
- 6 Points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at participating Hilton brands, plus the Points you already earn as a Hilton Honors Member
- 4 Points for every $1 in eligible Card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants in Canada
- 2 Points for every $1 in all other Card purchases
Apart from the standard rewards program, guests also pocket 50,000 bonus points annually when they spend $12,000 on their card in a calendar year.
How to Redeem Rewards with the Hilton Honors American Express® Card
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card is a hotel loyalty credit card. As such, cardholders can redeem their hard-earned Hilton Honors points towards future hotel bookings. With this logic, eligible hotel stays, grocery runs, meals on the town, and visits to the pump can fund the accommodation side of your next trip.
For more details on redemptions and the Hilton Honors loyalty program as a whole, check out our credit card points value calculator.
Benefits and Perks
5 Benefits of the Hilton Honors American Express® Card
There are a handful of benefits that make the Hilton Honors American Express® Card worthwhile.
To kickstart card membership, the Hilton Honors American Express® Card offers cardholders plenty of welcome Hilton Honors points when spending milestones are met, plus a Free Night Reward.
With an American Express personal credit card, you can see if you will be approved before you apply, without impacting your credit score. To make this decision, Amex runs a soft credit check instead of a hard credit check.
Most lenders perform a hard credit check when you apply for a new card, which can temporarily impact your credit score. A soft credit check, however, does not affect your credit score.
Instant decisions are only available for personal card applications and the soft credit check process is not available for applications done by phone.
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card dishes out plenty of Hilton Honors points on purchases made at participating Hilton brands. This loyalty optimization is accompanied by everyday rewards on gas, groceries, and dining. As a result, both branded and common purchases can get cardholders steps closer to free hotel stays.
The higher the Hilton Honors membership tier, the better the hotel perks. To help you get your footing in this landscape, the Hilton Honors American Express® Card grants cardholders complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status. To reach the more premium Diamond status, cardholders must charge $40,000 in net purchases annually to their card.
Why limit extra point potential to the first year of membership? With the Hilton Honors American Express® Card, cardholders can expect 50,000 bonus Hilton Honors points when they spend $12,000 on their card each calendar year.
Drawbacks and Considerations
3 Drawbacks to the Hilton Honors American Express® Card
There are a few of downsides to keep in mind, too.
When it comes to everyday spending, Hilton Honors points don't yield a very high cent-per-point value compared to other credit cards in Canada that optimize gas, groceries, and dining. With this in mind, the Hilton Honors American Express® Card might work best as a supplementary credit card to a superior everyday earner.
The Hilton Honors American Express® Card only allows cardholders to redeem their Hilton Honors points towards hotel bookings, there are no additional redemption opportunities. Other travel credit cards in Canada offer redemptions towards hotels, flights, and entertainment. That said, the cent-per-point value towards Hilton stays specifically may not be as high.
Compared to competing travel credit cards, the Hilton Honors American Express® Card doesn't offer extensive coverage. That said, some of its competitors are more premium contenders with higher annual fees. If comprehensive insurance is important to you, you may want to explore your options.
Compare to Similar Cards
Comparison to Other Hotel Compatible Credit Cards in Canada
In this section, we're going to compare the Hilton Honors American Express® Card against other credit cards in Canada that offer hotel perks or redemption opportunities.
American Express
4.5
Frequent Hilton Hotel Chain Visitors
American Express
4.9
Best travel points earning credit card in Canada
American Express
4.6
Travel Perks, Luxurious Travel, and Unlimited Lounge Access
American Express
4.3
Frequent Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Chain Visitors
Scotiabank
4.5
Best Travel Value with Extremely High Travel Insurance
Limited offer
Annual Fee
$150
$191.88
$799
$120
$599
Interest Rates
Purchase
21.99%*
Cash advance
21.99%*
Rate details
Purchase
21.99%*
Cash advance
21.99%*
Rate details
Purchase
21.99% - 30%*
Cash advance
N/A*
Rate details
Purchase
21.99%*
Cash advance
21.99%*
Rate details
Purchase
20.99%
Cash advance
22.99%
Balance transfer
22.99%
Welcome Bonus
Earn up to 70,000 Hilton Honors™ Points and a Free Night Reward
Up to 15,000 Membership Rewards® points
Earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® points
Earn up to 70,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy® points
Earn up to 80,000 bonus Scene+ points
Rewards
$578.71
First year rewards
$1,072.15
First year rewards
1x - 2x
Points
$778.98
First year rewards
1x - 6x
Points
on American Express' website
Apply with Confidence: won't impact your credit score
on American Express' website
Apply with Confidence: won't impact your credit score
on American Express' website
Apply with Confidence: won't impact your credit score
on American Express' website
Apply with Confidence: won't impact your credit score
on Scotiabank's website
Welcome Bonus Details
Earn Rates
Insurance Coverage
Extra Benefits
Requirements
Hilton Honors American Express® Card vs American Express Cobalt Card
If you're looking for a travel credit card that offers valuable points on everyday purchases, plus the opportunity to redeem those points towards transfers to hotel partners, check out the American Express Cobalt Card. The Cobalt Card earns more Membership Rewards points on dining, including groceries, plus points on streaming, gas, and transit. You can transfer these points to hotel partners for a high cent-per-point value, including Hilton Honors at a 1:1 ratio. That said, the Cobalt Card comes with a higher annual fee and lacks added hotel benefits.
Verdict: The American Express Cobalt Card offers higher value American Express Membership Rewards points that are transferrable to hotel partners (like Hilton at a 1:1 ratio), plus plenty of other redemption categories.
Hilton Honors American Express® Card vs American Express Platinum Card
The Platinum Card is the most premium perks credit card in Canada. Alongside decent travel and dining optimization, this card offers hotel-oriented perks like upgrades to Hilton Honors Gold Status or Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, and complimentary hotel benefits at over 1,600 properties worldwide when you book Fine Hotels + Resorts. The points you earn on dining and travel are also transferrable at a high cent-per-point value towards hotel partners, like Hilton. To account for all of its perks, however, the Platinum Card sports one of the heftiest annual fees.
Verdict: For those who can afford the annual fee, the Platinum Card offers higher value American Express Membership Rewards points that are transferrable to hotel partners, plus hotel-oriented perks like status lifts and complimentary upgrades.
Hilton Honors American Express® Card vs Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
Perhaps you prefer Marriott Bonvoy properties over Hilton Honors hotels. If so, consider the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. While this contender earns fewer Marriott Bonvoy points on brand purchases and everyday expenses, the cent-per-point value on hotel partner transfers is higher. Cardholders can also redeem their points at a lower value towards other redemption categories like travel, transfers to airline partners, and charity, offering more flexibility. Hotel-oriented perks include status lifts to both Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite and Gold Elite Status, and a free extra night annually. The card also comes with a lower annual fee.
Verdict: The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card offers higher hotel transfer redemptions and more redemption opportunities for a lower annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express® Card vs Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card earns solid Scene+ points on travel purchases, plus additional points on hotel bookings made through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia. Scene+ points can later be redeemed towards travel, including hotels, for a higher cent-per-point value. You can even book Hilton stays using Scene+ points through Scene+ Travel. While this card doesn't offer explicit hotel perks, it provides an annual travel credit applied as an automatic statement credit on your first Expedia‑powered booking each membership year, which could be a hotel stay. Keep in mind, however, that this contender comes with a high annual fee and income requirements.
Verdict: For those who qualify, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card offers a more flexible and valuable rewards program that can be geared towards hotel bookings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Currently, Hilton Honors points are worth 0.6 cents-per-point.
You can redeem your Hilton Honors points towards eligible hotel bookings.
It depends. If you want a credit card that focusing solely on Hilton brand optimization, redemption, and perks, then the Hilton Honors American Express® Card could be your top pick. However, there are other hotel-compatible credit cards in Canada that offer better cent-per-point value and redemption flexibility.
About the author
Sara Skodak
Lead Writer
Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario, Sara has built a diverse writing portfolio, covering topics in the travel, business, and wellness sectors. As a self-started freelance content ...
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Abid Salahi
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Hilton Honors American Express® Card
4.5
FinlyWealth Rating
Apply with Confidence: won't impact your credit score
on American Express' website
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