[ 2023 ] Credit Card: Hilton, Marriott, others?

[Eric B]

I've done fairly well as diamond HH recently with three stays at the Waldorf Astoria DC upgraded from a standard room to a Deluxe King, a Premium King, and One Bedroom Suite. Those were all when Congress wasn't in session, which helps.

 

[brp]

For Hilton and Diamond HH, I often get upgraded at international hotels and access to the executive lounge, if they have one. Domestically, rarely.

Same here. Hilton for international where we've had some fabulous upgrades. Hyatt for domestic. Hyatt we only don't get upgrades when they really have no rooms (and I can tell on the app by trying to book). Always early check-in if we need it.

Cheers.

 

[drucifer]

I've done fairly well as diamond HH recently with three stays at the Waldorf Astoria DC upgraded from a standard room to a Deluxe King, a Premium King, and One Bedroom Suite. Those were all when Congress wasn't in session, which helps.

Congress not being in session always helps. Really, anywhere in the USA. Even when not staying at a hotel.

 

[magmue]

Re: tracking things, I use two programs, one laptop based - awardwallet - and the other a cellphone app called walletflo.

Awardwallet tracks miles and points for multiple cards and loyalty programs. I no longer have to sign into Alaska air to figure out how long I have to use a companion fare, and whether it's mine or DH's that expires next. Looking at it today, I see that DH's HH points expire in a few months, and will need to attend to that soon.

Among other things, Walletflo has a cheatsheet that I can use when I am out and about to decide which card to use to get the most value for the spending category.

 

[ernststarhemberg]

Due to work travel pre-Covid I was HH Diamond for about a decade and it came in clutch frequently with room upgrades, executive lounge access, and booking at sold out hotels. Very helpful when you're spending 1-2 weeks a month in hotel rooms.

HH Gold is probably the best all-around status for the casual traveler - gets the bulk of the bennies without having to meet the Diamond stay/spend requirements. For HH Gold the $95 Amex Hilton Surpass is probably the best bang for the buck in terms of Hilton benefits and rewards points for the Everyman's spend.


Between business travel and HGV we are bought pretty heavily into the Hilton sphere, so we don't switch between various hotel brand cards like a lot of folks do:

We have a Hilton Amex Aspire card used for hotel stays, MFs, restaurants, and resort credits.

We have a Hilton Amex Surpass that is used for things like grocery stores and gasoline.

We have an Amex Platinum that is used for airfare (5x Amex pts per $, then 1:1 conversion for most airlines is among the best out there) and rental cars (National Executive Aisle access saves a ton of money - rented a Toyota Sienna in CO for a week for the same price as a Hyundai sedan), and various subscriptions to take advantage of the monthly e-credits (basically covers Audible and Sirius subscriptions), as well as the Global Entry/Precheck and annual Clear credits (not many cards will pay for both). I've also found myself using the comped Walmart+ subscription for grocery delivery more than expected!

But that's just us, this card combo works well for our lifestyle, ymmv. We've spent a lot with Hilton over the years and it's worked out pretty well up to this point - for instance we've banked so many HHonors points that we haven't paid for a Hilton hotel stay for personal travel in years. Recently stayed at a Hampton Inn in a mountain town we like to visit - six rooms, three nights, all paid with points, would've been a $5k hotel bill had that trip been paid in cash.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Personally unless you travel a bunch or have lot of personal spend I think i would focus my credit cards onto a program I have a relationship with. Since you own with HGVC, I would probably go with one or more of the Hilton cards.

You would need to be able to spend a bunch to get real value out of a different program if they only way you will earn points is via a credit card..

 

[HuskerATL]

Personally unless you travel a bunch or have lot of personal spend I think i would focus my credit cards onto a program I have a relationship with. Since you own with HGVC, I would probably go with one or more of the Hilton cards.

You would need to be able to spend a bunch to get real value out of a different program if they only way you will earn points is via a credit card..

Depending on MFs, that is a nice chunk of HH points from an expense that you have anyway and you get the $250 resort credit. That is why the Aspire card aligns nicely.... Plus Diamond HH and the other perks that you get with it.

 

[Zenichiro]

I like a lot of the Marriott properties but their loyality program is lack luster you have to have a vast spreadsheet to figure out which hotel gives free breakfast or follows any of the loyality program rules. Also only one credit card hit all basic spending tiers gas, dining and grocery and that is only up to the first $6k spend. This would force you to need a few cards and rotate the to max spending categories.

Surpass/Aspire doesn’t require much thinking for player 2. Just spend to $15k for the free night and switch to the next. While I would think that auto Diamond status from aspire would dilute the status, it hasn’t seemed to for us. We have received upgrades about 70% of our stays.

We are flirting with Hyatt as well on the personal card and so far it’s not been bad. I have a corporate status match for Explorist/Globalist and plan on trying Kauai in 2024 since the Maui fire changed our plans a bit.

 

[Eric B]

For me, the Hilton Aspire pencils out to be the best value. For the $450 annual fee, I get $250 resort credit for paying my MFs, $250 towards airfare, and a free night I value at ~$550 since I use it where it would cost me 110,000 points. That gives using it a net value of $600.

The Hilton Surpass isn't bad. For the $95 annual fee, though, I've got to spend $15K to get a free night that would be worth $550 to me. I don't have much trouble spending that much in a year, but that still makes it's net value only $455. That value would decline a bit taking into account the differential point earning on the spend (2x for Hilton, 1x for restaurants or flights); depending on what category the $15K is spent in, that would be a cost of up to 30,000 points, which would be worth something like another 0 to $150 in lost value. That could be made up for if the spend is in the groceries category, where Surpass gets 6x and Aspire only gets 3x.

The Hilton Business Amex is slightly better - the annual fee and spend for a free night are the same as the Surpass, but the rewards categories work better in combination with Aspire because they are different. It still doesn't seem to add up enough to exceed the overall value of the Aspire.

 

[Zenichiro]

For me, the Hilton Aspire pencils out to be the best value. For the $450 annual fee, I get $250 resort credit for paying my MFs, $250 towards airfare, and a free night I value at ~$550 since I use it where it would cost me 110,000 points. That gives using it a net value of $600.

The Hilton Surpass isn't bad. For the $95 annual fee, though, I've got to spend $15K to get a free night that would be worth $550 to me. I don't have much trouble spending that much in a year, but that still makes it's net value only $455. That value would decline a bit taking into account the differential point earning on the spend (2x for Hilton, 1x for restaurants or flights); depending on what category the $15K is spent in, that would be a cost of up to 30,000 points, which would be worth something like another 0 to $150 in lost value. That could be made up for if the spend is in the groceries category, where Surpass gets 6x and Aspire only gets 3x.

The Hilton Business Amex is slightly better - the annual fee and spend for a free night are the same as the Surpass, but the rewards categories work better in combination with Aspire because they are different. It still doesn't seem to add up enough to exceed the overall value of the Aspire.

I agree the no annual fee Hilton is definatelly better if you are not spending up to $15k. I think if you are, it’s slightly better for the free night. The ease of HH accumulation over Marriott and Hyatt keeps me with Hilton and also the $250 resort and Airline credits.

I’ll also say that transferable points are also nice. I received a few free one way flights for Cancun next Jan. Playa del Carmen is making it a pretty cheap 5 night trip.

 

[brp]

The ease of HH accumulation over Marriott and Hyatt keeps me with Hilton and also the $250 resort and Airline credits.

HH may accumulate more than Hyatt, but the redemption rates are much higher. Also, the Hyatt is only $95 and gets a free night. The is compared with $550+ cards that do have other rebates, but a much higher starting fee. This is why we have cards with all the hotel chains. All have something to offer. But the actual hotel experience is better at Hyatt, I think.

Cheers.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

Like others, I have the Hilton Aspire and love the benefits! They have rebates for many retailers and restaurants, but I don't use them as much, mainly because they would be considered mid-to-high-end in terms of costs. The Diamond status helps at hotels and resorts. The best way to use it for travel is to show where it works:

1. Get your Hilton hotel (or timeshare) and Enterprise/National Rental on the card, it does not have to be on the American Express Travel, it can be on the company's website. You get the 14x for lodging and bonus points for the Enterprise or National rental. Set your preferred airline and then buy airfare. You can then use the "Plan It" to spread out the payments with much lower interest (or just pay it off 100% when the bill comes).
2. Arrive at the airport and pay your baggage fee with the card. You'll get that reimbursed 100%.
3. In the air, if you choose to partake in in-flight "adult drinks", you get a 25% rebate.
4. Enjoy your time, anything not lodging, jet, rental car, is around 3x points.

There is also a loophole if you want to try it: select United as your airline, go online (sign up if you haven't yet) to your Mileage+ account, go into the "Travel Bank" and add $250 from your Aspire. As of now, you'll get that $250 reimbursed, you can use that for either airfare and/or baggage fees.
TS

 

[brp]

1. Get your Hilton hotel (or timeshare) and Enterprise/National Rental on the card, it does not have to be on the American Express Travel, it can be on the company's website. You get the 14x for lodging and bonus points for the Enterprise or National rental. Set your preferred airline and then buy airfare. You can then use the "Plan It" to spread out the payments with much lower interest (or just pay it off 100% when the bill comes).
2. Arrive at the airport and pay your baggage fee with the card. You'll get that reimbursed 100%.
3. In the air, if you choose to partake in in-flight "adult drinks", you get a 25% rebate.
4. Enjoy your time, anything not lodging, jet, rental car, is around 3x points.

There is also a loophole if you want to try it: select United as your airline, go online (sign up if you haven't yet) to your Mileage+ account, go into the "Travel Bank" and add $250 from your Aspire. As of now, you'll get that $250 reimbursed, you can use that for either airfare and/or baggage fees.
TS

Since we are elite on airlines we fly, there is no charge for checked bags (and we never check anyway), and drinks are free in lounges or on the flight. So we can't spend that way. And we don't fly United.

There is also a trick with Southwest for tickets of a certain value, but we don't fly them much, either. This year, I combined the $250 from Aspire and $200 from Platinum to get an AS lounge membership for only $50 out of pocket. Marginal value as we usually fly transcon F with them and get lounge or airports without AS lounges. So, only a few uses a year.

We do use the Aspire credit for mrs. brp's card for Southwest, but mine are quite hard to use effectively.

Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $300 travel rebate for anything travel-related. I max that our in January. I do wish Amex would go that route, but not holding my breath.

Cheers.

 

[frank808]

Like others, I have
[*]In the air, if you choose to partake in in-flight "adult drinks", you get a 25% rebate.

Have a few Aspires for a few years now. Have never seen the 25% off for onboard airline purchase. Is this a new feature or something I have missed?

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

From UpgradedPoints website about the Aspire, I thought it was 25%, but I mistook it for another card. Anyway this is the credits you get when you select an airline:

$250 Airline Incidental Fees Credit​

No worries about baggage fees, purchasing onboard food or beverages, or other airline incidentals charged separately from the actual flight expense. Designate a specific airline and receive the $250 airline incidentals statement credit each calendar year.

 

[dazzlingheart]

My husband and I use our AMEX Hilton Honors cards for everything. The goal is to get free 7-night hotel stays using just points every two years or so which will offset and help us stretch our 8000 biennial points with The Club with HGV Max. We haven't had the cards for long. Maybe it will be a year before we start getting offers to upgrade to Surpass, but we will when/if we get the chance.

 

[jp10558]

My husband and I use our AMEX Hilton Honors cards for everything. The goal is to get free 7-night hotel stays using just points every two years or so which will offset and help us stretch our 8000 biennial points with The Club with HGV Max. We haven't had the cards for long. Maybe it will be a year before we start getting offers to upgrade to Surpass, but we will when/if we get the chance.

If you're considering Surpass, and have HGVC, you should see if you can get the Aspire and use the card to pay MFs in the split and get the 2 $200 credits so the effective annual fee is the same but you get additional opportunities for free nights, and more points etc.

 

[HuskerATL]

The Aspire is the best between it and Surpass but we have both. It is easy to use the credits plus with Aspire you get the FNC, Diamond HH, etc. The nice part about the Surpass is that you can earn a FNC at $15k compared to an extra FNC at $30k on the Aspire. We are using two FNCs coming up at the Cabo Waldorf that are between $1k and $2k per night.

 

[Monkeyboy]

The Aspire is the best between it and Surpass but we have both. It is easy to use the credits plus with Aspire you get the FNC, Diamond HH, etc. The nice part about the Surpass is that you can earn a FNC at $15k compared to an extra FNC at $30k on the Aspire. We are using two FNCs coming up at the Cabo Waldorf that are between $1k and $2k per night.

I have the Aspire and have been debating on getting a second card. Is there a benefit with paring the surpass with the aspire other than getting the free night at 15K?

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I have the Aspire and have been debating on getting a second card. Is there a benefit with paring the surpass with the aspire other than getting the free night at 15K?

I don't have a Surpass, but am also considering adding one.

To me the main benefits are the FNC at 15K in spend, $50 credit at Hilton Hotels every quarter, and the higher earning rate at Grocery stores.

The attractiveness of the last one will depend on what other cards you have and their earning rates for groceries. I know some people like the Amex Gold card for groceries, as that's a transferable currency.

 

[elaine]

Any new updates for good CC?
•We have enough FF miles.
•We have a variety of cc, such as Bonvoy for $99 fee/free 35K certificate (more than offsets $99 fee). I use it mainly for M stays.
•We need a card to put expenses-either cash generator or a free hotel night with low (<$150) fee.

 

[brp]

Any new updates for good CC?
•We have enough FF miles.
•We have a variety of cc, such as Bonvoy for $99 fee/free 35K certificate (more than offsets $99 fee). I use it mainly for M stays.
•We need a card to put expenses-either cash generator or a free hotel night with low (<$150) fee.

Our main focus is on Hyatt as they have, far and away, the best top-tier benefits. The Hyatt card awards qualifying night credits for spend, so this aids getting status. And it's one free night (in a limited range of hotel categories) for having the card, another at 15K spend and yet another after 30 night stay credits.

We put the bulk of mrs. brp's spend on her Hyatt card for status. I split between my Hyatt card (to get $15K and a free night) and Chase Sapphire Reserve for higher category earnings and the ability to transfer to Hyatt points.

Cheers.

 

[HuskerATL]

I have the Aspire and have been debating on getting a second card. Is there a benefit with paring the surpass with the aspire other than getting the free night at 15K?

You get the $50 per quarter Hilton credit and the lower FNC. It also has some better spending than the Aspire. You can get you money back out of it. Between our two Aspire and two Surpass, we received $1k in credits this year for MFs plus the HH points. We actually use the Amex preferred blue for our daily spender which is better but not HH... It is cash back.

 

[Reddart]

If I knew I could get the resort credit with my MF, I’d get an Aspire in addition to the surpass I’m using now.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

If I knew I could get the resort credit with my MF, I’d get an Aspire in addition to the surpass I’m using now.

The Aspire "resort credit" only works at select locations. It does work at Elara, which your profile says you own.

Now that resort credit is bi-annual, i pay half my MF in December, and the other half in the following year.