# Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card



## Helios (Nov 1, 2017)

Anyone thinking about getting this premium cc?


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 1, 2017)

Not sure yet.

Waiting to see what happens to my Citi HHonors card when it expires in December and what AMEX and CITI will offer as replacements. Also not sure if I want to transfer my Citi to AMEX card and miss out on once in a lifetime bonus point offer if I re-apply.

Spouse and I have the AMEX Surpass and may downgrade one to no fee and cancel other since we share HGVC account and we have Gold as W 57 owners.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 1, 2017)

Helios said:


> Anyone thinking about getting this premium cc?



I am definitely thinking about it, but need to do a bit more research on it.  It looks like it would offer more value than the Surpass card i have currently..  (i know that card is changing as well).  At the moment i feel like i have two many travel cards.


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 1, 2017)

Here are two articles with the the AMEX Hilton options - 

http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/hilton-amex-cards/

http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.c...40.246772376.1509561257-1027889895.1504226838


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## linsj (Nov 1, 2017)

I'm glad Hilton is finally offering a business card. That's the one I want.


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## Helios (Nov 1, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> I am definitely thinking about it, but need to do a bit more research on it.  It looks like it would offer more value than the Surpass card i have currently..  (i know that card is changing as well).  At the moment i feel like i have two many travel cards.


It seems like a no brainer to me since you would get Diamond right away without spending $40,000 or via stays.

The $250 airline fee is easy.  The $250 resort credit may be a bit harder to use.  The Piority pass would not do anything for me since I get it from 4 other credit cards.  Questions for me - do I want a fourth $450 per year card.  I also have a $550...they all are worth the fees to me.


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 1, 2017)

If earning the airline fee is similar to the Sapphire Reserve where it can be used for airfare, then it might be worth it. If it is for baggage fees only then it would be hard to meet.

Like @1Kflyerguy I have too many travel cards. This gives me a good opportunity to review and prune.


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## Helios (Nov 1, 2017)

CalGalTraveler said:


> If earning the airline fee is similar to the Sapphire Reserve where it can be used for airfare, then it might be worth it. If it is for baggage fees only then it would be hard to meet.
> 
> Like @1Kflyerguy I have too many travel cards. This gives me a good opportunity to review and prune.


It is not.  This will be similar to the Amex Plat airline credit ($200) for those cc.  Only incidental fees count.  And, you will need to select an airline for an entire calendar year.  Only fees from your selected airline will count.


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## hurnik (Nov 1, 2017)

No plans on this.  I'll be cancelling/closing my Citi Hilton card before the transition so as to not muck up the once in a lifetime bonus with Amex.

I'll be cancelling my Amex Surpass card before the next AF hits (sometime in like March or April I think) and then switching to Marriott.  The devaluation for Hhonors was the last bit for me.  Not worth the $95 AF for the 12x points on MF, IMO.

The Aspire *would* have been worth it if the $250 was for airline charges. But incidentals is not enough.  (Read the TOC and you'll see that almost nothing counts--can't count wi-fi as that's not branded through the airline, it's through GoGo, for example).  Mainly baggage fees and if you buy drinks/meals on the airplane.  I get free bags already via other credit cards on all my other airlines.  Diamond status - meh.  From the Flyertalk forums sounds like Diamond doesn't really count for much anymore, and this will further devalue it.

I would've kept the Citi card, as it had travel insurance that covered "pets" as a reason (only other way to get that type of coverage is through a "cancel for any reason" policy and the cheapest I've ever found those for was about $250 or more depending on the cost of your trip).

Since Amex has no record of me having the "regular" Amex Hilton I may apply for it if/when they have some wonderful points bonus to assist me in using up the rest of my Hhonors points.  Marriott/SPG look much better now, IMO.  

But your mileage may vary as some people travel a lot and stay with Hilton branded hotels.  I used to, but now maybe once a year for a night or two in a non HGVC resort.


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 1, 2017)

I agree that HHonors points are pesos.  However, I am attracted to the annual cert in the Aspire card because I could use it at the Waldorf in Beverly Hills ($900/night) or in NYC. Need to calculate the cost vs. the actual AF I would realize after fee reductions as to whether this would pay off.

I would also cancel and wait for a big sign up bonus.  I like the grocery benefit of Surpass card but can use my IHG card in the interim.

AMEX and Citi must be getting accustomed to the customer transition game:

Costco AMEX to Costco Citi
Citi HHonors to Amex HHonors


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## Helios (Nov 1, 2017)

The weekend night cert would more than cover the AF.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 1, 2017)

Helios said:


> The weekend night cert would more than cover the AF.


  I agree,  i won't have to work to hard to find a room that meets that, assuming they don't load it up with restrictions...  

I can probably use the resort credit pretty easily..  I think charging meals or spa services to the card at one of the resorts would trigger that.  Not sure, but in the past the Hilton amex promo credits worked for anything i charged back to my HGVC folio... but i am less certain that would work.

I need more details on the $100 credit on property credit at Waldorf Astoria / Conrad.  I see they mention using special package when booking, so that will depend on how competitive that package is.     

Also i like the idea of automatic Diamond status for me, but less enthusiastic about the idea of boatloads of new Diamond in the system...

Lastly i see the Aspire card won't earn 6X points on Grocery / Gas purchases, so that is a loss in earning ability.


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## hurnik (Nov 1, 2017)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I agree that HHonors points are pesos.  However, I am attracted to the annual cert in the Aspire card because I could use it at the Waldorf in Beverly Hills ($900/night) or in NYC. Need to calculate the cost vs. the actual AF I would realize after fee reductions as to whether this would pay off.
> 
> I would also cancel and wait for a big sign up bonus.  I like the grocery benefit of Surpass card but can use my IHG card in the interim.
> 
> ...



I'd be careful about that.  Hilton has been known to be strict about the wording of the TOC.  It says specifically "Hilton branded Hotels".  There's been many stories on flyertalk that Waldorf Astoria is not a "hilton branded" hotel, nor is Conrad, etc., and Hilton has refused to honor those in the past with certain certificates.

And they usually have capacity controls on those as well.  But it does vary on which certificate they use.


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 1, 2017)

hurnik said:


> I'd be careful about that.  Hilton has been known to be strict about the wording of the TOC.  It says specifically "Hilton branded Hotels".  There's been many stories on flyertalk that Waldorf Astoria is not a "hilton branded" hotel, nor is Conrad, etc., and Hilton has refused to honor those in the past with certain certificates.
> 
> And they usually have capacity controls on those as well.  But it does vary on which certificate they use.



Good point. My point of reference has been the annual free night certs from the HHonors Citi card (not Amex) which I know works at Waldorf and only requires that the hotel have a "standard" reward available.  If this card makes me work too hard to use the cert and get the fee AF reimbursements, I could easily pass.


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## brp (Nov 1, 2017)

Helios said:


> It is not.  This will be similar to the Amex Plat airline credit ($200) for those cc.  Only incidental fees count.  And, you will need to select an airline for an entire calendar year.  Only fees from your selected airline will count.



Sort of. What you said above is what the rules say. In fact, Gift Cards (which are supposed to be excluded) do work- at least for some (maybe all?) airlines. So, in effect, "airfare" is included. We have no fees so, absent the Gift Cards, I would be hard-pressed to spend my $200 for Amex Plt.

The biggest deal for me is that I will have to have a different Citi card as many concert presale promotions (like the upcoming U2 concert, for example) are tied to Citi.

Cheers.


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## Bill4728 (Nov 2, 2017)

I'm not looking at this card because of the foreign transaction fees.   2.8% for any charges in foreign counties is way too much since almost all my other cards now have no fee. 

Am I wrong?


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 2, 2017)

Bill4728 said:


> I'm not looking at this card because of the foreign transaction fees.   2.8% for any charges in foreign counties is way too much since almost all my other cards now have no fee.
> 
> Am I wrong?



The new cards don't have a foreign transaction fee.  That has been an issue with the current cards, but will be solved next year when the new cards are available.


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## hurnik (Nov 2, 2017)

brp said:


> Sort of. What you said above is what the rules say. In fact, Gift Cards (which are supposed to be excluded) do work- at least for some (maybe all?) airlines. So, in effect, "airfare" is included. We have no fees so, absent the Gift Cards, I would be hard-pressed to spend my $200 for Amex Plt.
> 
> The biggest deal for me is that I will have to have a different Citi card as many concert presale promotions (like the upcoming U2 concert, for example) are tied to Citi.
> 
> Cheers.



The Hilton rep has answered some of the questions over on the Flyertalk Forum.

Sounds like the "airline incidentals" uses the same engine as the Amex Platinum (whatever that means), and someone (not the Hilton rep) chimed in and said airline gift cards purchased from the airline website were able to be counted towards this.

I posted and have inquired about the "reward stay" (that's how it's worded on the info from Hilton).  There used to be (AFAIK) two certificates.  There was a "be our guest" type which was specific to Hilton-branded hotels (I believe) and another type that seemed to have more flexibility.  If it's a "reward" stay, I've inquired as to any capacity and other restrictions (ie, a "standard" room, but some Hilton hotels have capacity controlled these, even though they're not supposed to do this.  If a standard room is available, they're supposed to allow for a standard reward redemption).

I'd say that IF the $250 incidentals can be used for airline gift cards, that works better.

Oh, and the "resort" stays (I think Lauren @ Hilton answered this too) applies to the "resort" listing on Hilton's website, but it also seems to only apply to room charges (ie, things charged to the room) and NOT the actual nightly stays (which rules out HGVC stuff, although if you charge drinks or something to the room that would count).


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 2, 2017)

hurnik said:


> The Hilton rep has answered some of the questions over on the Flyertalk Forum.
> 
> Sounds like the "airline incidentals" uses the same engine as the Amex Platinum (whatever that means), and someone (not the Hilton rep) chimed in and said airline gift cards purchased from the airline website were able to be counted towards this.
> 
> ...



That aligns with what i found on the Amex website.  They already have the T&C posted:  

https://www.hiltonhonorscard.com/

From what i can tell, the airline credit will be of very limited value to me, as i don't pay that many extra fees.  The fees i do pay all seem to be excluded.  The Resort credit does look to be limited to things charged back to your room.  Some of the info implies this may be further limited to hotels / locations that are classified as a resort by Hilton.  I do stay at some of those,  but not every year.

Also i noticed some inconsistency about the free weekend night.  Its mentioned on the press release, but not included in the T&C for the Aspire card....  Hopefully that is just an oversight and is included.


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## DazedandConfused (Nov 2, 2017)

There is a new offer at The Points Guy website

125,000 HHonors points for signup now

Hilton and American Express just announced updates to its existing products as well as some new cards that will become available on January 18, 2018. However, that’s not all. *From today until January 17, 2018,* if you sign up for the Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express, you can earn up to 125,000 Hilton Honors points.

This sign-up offer is only available through _The Points Guy_, and it’s a large jump from the previously available bonus of 75,000 Hilton points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. With the elevated offer, you’ll earn *100,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of cardmembership*, plus an *additional 25,000 when you spend another $1,000 in your first six months*.


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## Helios (Nov 2, 2017)

This is nice signup bonus.  I got 100k when I got the Surpass two years ago.  Too bad this is a once per person per product bonus.


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## brp (Nov 2, 2017)

hurnik said:


> The Hilton rep has answered some of the questions over on the Flyertalk Forum.
> 
> Sounds like the "airline incidentals" uses the same engine as the Amex Platinum (whatever that means), and someone (not the Hilton rep) chimed in and said airline gift cards purchased from the airline website were able to be counted towards this.



Exactly. As I mentioned above, airline Gift Cards, i.e. airfare, do seem to count. Been doing this on the Amex Plat for maybe 5 years now, nary a hitch.

Cheers.


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## hurnik (Nov 3, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> That aligns with what i found on the Amex website.  They already have the T&C posted:
> 
> https://www.hiltonhonorscard.com/
> 
> ...



From Lauren over at Flyertalk (she's the Hilton Honors rep) in answer to my questions below:

_In regards to the Aspire One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio with your new Card and each year of Card Membership:
Is that a particular certificate (I think there was a "be our guest" or some other certificate)?
Or is that a *reward* stay (standard room)?
Also, are there any other restrictions on that? Like some of the certificates could only be used at an actual Hilton (not Conrad, or Waldorf Astoria, etc.) hotel.
I'm assuming if it's a *reward* stay then it'll be capacity-controlled and other restrictions ?_
*You will receive a weekend night reward after 60 days of Aspire card membership and then one every card anniversary year of membership. It is a reward stay for a standard room and a code is delivered via email from Hilton Honors so be sure to have your preferred email address on your Hilton Honors account. You will need to call Hilton Honors with the code received in the email and the stay must be completed within 12 months of issuance. Valid nights are Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are some hotels that are excluded: hiltonhonors.com/weekendreward*


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## DazedandConfused (Nov 3, 2017)

hurnik said:


> * There are some hotels that are excluded: hiltonhonors.com/weekendreward*




Recipients of Reward Certificate may be required to sign a release of liability and a statement permitting the use of their name and/or photo for promotional purposes without additional compensation.
There are eight classifications of Hotel Rewards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and The Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. Participating Hilton hotels and Reward classifications may change at any time without notice.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 3, 2017)

hurnik said:


> From Lauren over at Flyertalk (she's the Hilton Honors rep) in answer to my questions below:
> 
> _In regards to the Aspire One Weekend Night Reward at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio with your new Card and each year of Card Membership:
> Is that a particular certificate (I think there was a "be our guest" or some other certificate)?
> ...



Thanks for confirming.  I thought it was odd to be in press release, but not listed in the T&C...


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## Nomad420 (Nov 7, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> I agree,  i won't have to work to hard to find a room that meets that, assuming they don't load it up with restrictions...
> 
> I can probably use the resort credit pretty easily..  I think charging meals or spa services to the card at one of the resorts would trigger that.  Not sure, but in the past the Hilton amex promo credits worked for anything i charged back to my HGVC folio... but i am less certain that would work.
> 
> ...



I am also LT Gold status as owner of NYHC but also like the "automatic Diamond status" feature.  To think I tried for years to hit that and never could through biz trav.  But I have found only limited use of Gold now and am not sure "Diamond" is all that much better.  I did see some of the negative comments on FT about Gold/Diamond and would be interested in hearing how others here think about that benefit.  Clearly that seems to be one of the big bonuses they are pushing on this card.   Agree, with a potential massive influx of now new Diamond members I suspect benefits will indeed get "diluted".


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## "Roger" (Nov 7, 2017)

Nomad420 said:


> I am also LT Gold status as owner of NYHC but also like the "automatic Diamond status" feature.  To think I tried for years to hit that and never could through biz trav.  But I have found only limited use of Gold now and am not sure "Diamond" is all that much better.  I did see some of the negative comments on FT about Gold/Diamond and would be interested in hearing how others here think about that benefit.  Clearly that seems to be one of the big bonuses they are pushing on this card.   Agree, with a potential massive influx of now new Diamond members I suspect benefits will indeed get "diluted".


I am not sure that I am speaking to your questions (probably not), but here is my experience with the CitiBank reserve card (equivalent to the AmEx $95 fee card - the two names for the AmEx cards are so easy to get confused, I will refer to them as the $95 and $450 cards).

To begin, I started with the CitiBank Hilton Honors card about five or six years ago because it was one of the first to have a chip (useful in Europe even though it is chip and signature) and had no foreign transaction fees. The last two or three years, I have reached Diamond status by making this my go-to card including for trips to Europe.

Looking at the two AmEx cards, in my own case,I see no reason to pay the extra money for the $450 card since I have had Diamond status anyway. As for the other benefits, apparently the lesser cost AmEx card will include 10 priority passes. Given that neither of the two airports that I fly out of are covered by the Priority Pass, 10 passes is enough. With regard to the other benefits, I have little use for the coverage of airline fees and don't stay a Hilton resorts (as opposed to hotels).

As far as the cards available, the $95 card has given me a free room on a weekend night every year. I haven't made any special trips to use it, but used it where I was going anyway. So right there, I have made up for the $95 fee. In addition, the free breakfast has been a nice benefit, particularly given the price of breakfasts at Hilton's and DoubleTrees.

Diamond status does not add that much. (I have seen complaints that it was diluted several years ago.) The two benefits that I have gotten is that the multiplier for expenditures is greater so I rack up points toward a free room faster. The other benefit is that I am first in line toward room upgrades and think that I have gotten some that I would not have gotten otherwise. Room upgrades are not a sure thing, however, in that they are not always available. One other benefit, although one that I have never had the occasion to take advantage of, is that at times they will book you into a hotel that is officially listed as fully booked up.

In total, that has been my experience with the CitiBank Reserve card which looks identical to the AmEx $95 card with the exception that AmEx has added some priority pass certificates.


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## hurnik (Nov 7, 2017)

Per Lauren (Hilton Honors Rep) on Flyertalk:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29027525-post401.html

The $250 resort credit DOES apply toward room rate.


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## sjuhawk_jd (Nov 7, 2017)

For earning HHonors, does "14X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide" be available if we pay our HGVC maintenance fee on this card and other HGVC fees (booking fee, guest fee, etc.)?

Thanks


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## PigsDad (Nov 7, 2017)

sjuhawk_jd said:


> For earning HHonors, does "14X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide" be available if we pay our HGVC maintenance fee on this card and other HGVC fees (booking fee, guest fee, etc.)?


I don't think you will find anything in writing, but my experience with the current Hilton Surpass Amex is that I have always received the 12X Honors points when paying my maintenance fees.  I assume the new card will work the same.

Kurt


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## Helios (Nov 7, 2017)

Nomad420 said:


> Agree, with a potential massive influx of now new Diamond members I suspect benefits will indeed get "diluted".


That could be a problem, when everybody wins nobody wins.


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## Helios (Nov 7, 2017)

PigsDad said:


> I don't think you will find anything in writing, but my experience with the current Hilton Surpass Amex is that I have always received the 12X Honors points when paying my maintenance fees.  I assume the new card will work the same.
> 
> Kurt


I agree, this has been my experience for the last couple of years since I started using the Amex Surpass.


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## Helios (Nov 7, 2017)

hurnik said:


> Per Lauren (Hilton Honors Rep) on Flyertalk:
> 
> https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29027525-post401.html
> 
> The $250 resort credit DOES apply toward room rate.


This is great news.  $250 in airline credits and $250 in resort credits including room rate makes the $450 CC free (actually $50 in my pocket plus a weekend night cert) and I get Diamond.  Forget about putting $40K in the Surpass to each year to get Diamond.  Those $40K can yield a better return via other credit cards...


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## hurnik (Nov 7, 2017)

Helios said:


> This is great news.  $250 in airline credits and $250 in resort credits including room rate makes the $450 CC free (actually $50 in my pocket plus a weekend night cert) and I get Diamond.  Forget about putting $40K in the Surpass to each year to get Diamond.  Those $40K can yield a better return via other credit cards...



Keep in mind the $250 in airline credits is for incidentals (including baggage fees).
The TOC explicitly state that gift cards are excluded.

There's hot debate over on the FT forums about the gift cards.  Some people say only Southwest cards work.  Others say only Delta, IF and ONLY IF you purchase $50 cards (and remember with Delta, you can only redeem THREE gift cards per ticket, so you'd only be able to redeem $150 worth per ticket with Delta).


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 7, 2017)

hurnik said:


> Keep in mind the $250 in airline credits is for incidentals (including baggage fees).
> The TOC explicitly state that gift cards are excluded.
> 
> There's hot debate over on the FT forums about the gift cards.  Some people say only Southwest cards work.  Others say only Delta, IF and ONLY IF you purchase $50 cards (and remember with Delta, you can only redeem THREE gift cards per ticket, so you'd only be able to redeem $150 worth per ticket with Delta).



Sounds like this will really be determined how each airline had their system setup to code the charges.  Ever merchant has to setup their system to code the charges as a particular category.  I remember some years back one of my credits cards was running a promo for extra points for tuition payments.  I incurred an extra fee to pay my son's University of Ca tuition via the card only to find they coded it as "mail order".  Fortunately it was only one quarter, I quickly abandoned that strategy and went back to payment via check. 

At the moment I think i will go for this card, but will have to see how things go over the first year to see if i keep it.


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## hurnik (Nov 7, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> Sounds like this will really be determined how each airline had their system setup to code the charges.  Ever merchant has to setup their system to code the charges as a particular category.  I remember some years back one of my credits cards was running a promo for extra points for tuition payments.  I incurred an extra fee to pay my son's University of Ca tuition via the card only to find they coded it as "mail order".  Fortunately it was only one quarter, I quickly abandoned that strategy and went back to payment via check.
> 
> At the moment I think i will go for this card, but will have to see how things go over the first year to see if i keep it.



Yeah, I'd probably take the card as well, but I'll wait until a good signup bonus comes along first.
Plus I think I have to wait until May for my 5/24 to get low enough for Chase.  Need some UR/United miles.  LOL


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## Helios (Nov 7, 2017)

hurnik said:


> Keep in mind the $250 in airline credits is for incidentals (including baggage fees).
> The TOC explicitly state that gift cards are excluded.
> 
> There's hot debate over on the FT forums about the gift cards.  Some people say only Southwest cards work.  Others say only Delta, IF and ONLY IF you purchase $50 cards (and remember with Delta, you can only redeem THREE gift cards per ticket, so you'd only be able to redeem $150 worth per ticket with Delta).


I know how the credit card works very well.  I have the Amex Plat and Amex Plat Biz.  My wife has the Amex Plat Biz. These cards offer the same benefit but it is capped at $200.  The credit to me means automatic reduction in AF.


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## Helios (Nov 7, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> At the moment I think i will go for this card, but will have to see how things go over the first year to see if i keep it.



This is exactly my approach, let’s test the waters one year and see how it goes.  Preliminarily, at least on paper, it is looking like a no brained for my usage patterns.


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## CalGalTraveler (Nov 9, 2017)

With the HGVC separation from Hilton, has anyone tested whether maintenance fee payments from the following cards still code to add Hilton Honors bonus points?

1) Amex Surpass Card
2) Citi Hilton Reserve

If Citi is the only card that codes to get Hilton bonus, I may opt to pay with this card before Dec 31 expiration to get bonus points. Alternatively may be worth paying with Surpass and then cancelling before the transition. So I may be eligible for the Ascend sign up bonus in the future.

Of course there is also the Chase Sapphire Reserve that would get bonus for sure, and we are eligible for $300 annual travel fee credits on Jan 1.

May split payments across multiple credit cards. e.g. $300 on my CSR; $300 on DH CSR (for annual travel credits). Then remainder on Surpass or Citi if they code to include HHonors bonus.


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## PigsDad (Nov 9, 2017)

I haven't tested this year (I don't pay my MFs until mid-Jan), but Amex Surpass has always given me the 12X Honors points in the past.

Kurt


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## marinskas (Nov 9, 2017)

I have used AMEX Hhonors for HGVC reservation fees, transfer fees and account registration fees and in every case I received bonus points.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 9, 2017)

CalGalTraveler said:


> With the HGVC separation from Hilton, has anyone tested whether maintenance fee payments from the following cards still code to add Hilton Honors bonus points?
> 
> 1) Amex Surpass Card
> 2) Citi Hilton Reserve
> ...



While not 100% certain, my bet is they don't consider that a new product, just a reconfig of benefits, so existing card holder won't get the sign-up bonus.


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## Helios (Nov 9, 2017)

1Kflyerguy said:


> While not 100% certain, my bet is they don't consider that a new product, just a reconfig of benefits, so existing card holder won't get the sign-up bonus.


I think they will consider the new $450 a new product.  I think the other two cards won't be eligible for sign up bonuses if you had the current two cards, respectively.


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## 1Kflyerguy (Nov 9, 2017)

Helios said:


> I think they will consider the new $450 a new product.  I think the other two cards won't be eligible for sign up bonuses if you had the current two cards, respectively.



That is very possible, kind of hard to know until we try....  This whole care got me thinking about my Diamond status, think i am go call and see how far i am from Lifetime status based on actual travel.  I had some really big travel years in the past, but slowed down now...


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## Helios (Nov 9, 2017)

I think this card could be a game changer for Diamond people.  Assuming benefits are not changed.  Unfortunately, Diamond could get diluted if many people get it.


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## brp (Nov 9, 2017)

hurnik said:


> There's hot debate over on the FT forums about the gift cards.  Some people say only Southwest cards work.  Others say only Delta, IF and ONLY IF you purchase $50 cards (and remember with Delta, you can only redeem THREE gift cards per ticket, so you'd only be able to redeem $150 worth per ticket with Delta).



AA is purported to still work. It certainly did earlier this year when I bought an AA GC.

Cheers.


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## Arimaas (Nov 10, 2017)

CalGalTraveler said:


> With the HGVC separation from Hilton, has anyone tested whether maintenance fee payments from the following cards still code to add Hilton Honors bonus points?
> 
> 1) Amex Surpass Card
> 2) Citi Hilton Reserve
> ...



FYI - not sure if the Citi Hilton Reserve is the same code the Citi Premier Pass, but the Premier Pass did not show the maintenance fees as a Hilton for triple bonus. It coded it as: REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND MANAGERS RENTALS.

-Ari


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