Amex Hilton (Aspire and Surpass Only) CC Changes

[HuskerATL]

Makes sense. Have you seen how expensive everything is?

I don't see how even middle income people can survive. Lord help you if you have kids. I mean, clothes, utilities, food, college*, etc.

*-There are some hacks here, but I still see kids going off at 18 and siging up for max loans just so they can move from home. I did it so I understand, but the costs now are 5x what they were and the wages haven't kept up.

I might be staying at a Mariott in New Port for work and for 2 nights its like $1k. Oh and I'm sure parking will be another $100.

How did things get so crazy?

Probably one reason that you are seeing the trend for young folks to live at home longer. For me, I was out at 18 but now it is much more expensive to buy a house, etc. compared to salaries. Living at home longer is normal in many other countries but becoming more normal here and that isn't a bad thing....Except I thought, at this point, we would just be paying for vacations for my wife and myself but those darn kids want to go on those trips also.... So, 4 plane tickets to Portugal in November instead of 2.

On the flip side, at least our kids like to hang out with us... Or just want free food...

 

[HuskerATL]

I usually do enough travel in Q2-3 to use the surpass credit at a Hilton stay, or pay for the short term stay cleaning fee at W57th. But yes, it’s on a spreadsheet with the planed usage. Everything is on a spreadsheet for me

Me too....

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I usually do enough travel in Q2-3 to use the surpass credit at a Hilton stay, or pay for the short term stay cleaning fee at W57th. But yes, it’s on a spreadsheet with the planed usage. Everything is on a spreadsheet for me

So far its been the same for me, normal Hilton travel or HGV fees to cover the $5o credit. I have not created a spreadsheet yet, but I really should as there are so many credits now....

 

[Huskerpaul]

There have not been any Hilton gift cards available since the first quarter of this year.

Hilton Credit Data Point - I was able to use my credits recently at the restaurant in the Embassy Suites Washington Square in Portland. Split the bill between my Surpass and P2's Hilton Business card and that covered the whole meal with tip. The food was fine and they are only about 10 minutes from our place, so they will be seeing us every three months or so

 

[Zenichiro]

Got a nice tip from the Amex CSR today on the chat....since our card renews in December (Plat), we won't pay the new annual fee. It goes into effect January 1, 2026....so, when I do may math this year on whether to keep it or not, I can use $695 as the number to beat...

Mine is in October. Great deal

 

[1Kflyerguy]

It seems like they are trying to push people into actually visiting a Hilton property every quarter to get the quarterly credit? Are these companies now just playing whack-a-mole? When they eliminate or modify the terms of one benefit, cardholders figure out a work around. Then they move to change or limit that too.

Yes, I assume the original intent was to reward people for actually staying at hotels, not to incentivize people to buy gift cards for a year and then apply a bunch of them to a single stay. But yes, I agree people will keep trying to find workarounds. I work in fraud prevention, and people are very resourceful when it comes to saving money via exploits or system gaps.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

There have not been any Hilton gift cards available since the first quarter of this year.

Hilton Credit Data Point - I was able to use my credits recently at the restaurant in the Embassy Suites Washington Square in Portland. Split the bill between my Surpass and P2's Hilton Business card and that covered the whole meal with tip. The food was fine and they are only about 10 minutes from our place, so they will be seeing us every three months or so

I have never purchased a Hilton gift card, but in general, I have found the process of purchasing other hotel or airline gift cards to be more work than it's worth.

I live and work in San Jose and have found that the hotel bar and restaurant at the Hilton San Jose will trigger the credit. I usually have enough travel or HGV fees to use up the credits, but my backup plan is food and beverage after work.

 

[GT75]

I only want to use the credit on a useful expense(s) such as MFs. I don't want to force a credit for drinks/food that I really don't want to spend it on.

 

[Huskerpaul]

I only want to use the credit on a useful expense(s) such as MFs. I don't want to force a credit for drinks/food that I really don't want to spend it on.

Not everyone with a Hilton AMEX owns a Hilton timeshare. To me wasting the credit is not using it at all

 

[dioxide45]

I only want to use the credit on a useful expense(s) such as MFs. I don't want to force a credit for drinks/food that I really don't want to spend it on.

But that is the whole goal of credit cards. Get you to overspend on a bunch of stuff you don't need because it seems like you aren't really spending cash.

 

[mountainboy]

because it seems like you aren't really spending cash.

*Not the spreadsheet-crunching TUG folks!
We earn & burn and strategize, to make sure the card still makes sense, as we are paying cold, hard cash, for access to the card & it's various coupons/credits, whether we use them or not (& hence many threads like this & CSR etc)..

 

[mountainboy]

I have found the process of purchasing other hotel or airline gift cards to be more work than it's worth.

AA GC via BoA PRE easy peasy; credit soon thereafter. no expiry of GC. so far, so good.
Until the Empire Strikes back...

 

[brp]

I only want to use the credit on a useful expense(s) such as MFs. I don't want to force a credit for drinks/food that I really don't want to spend it on.

One time I ended up using a good bit of the credit for food and drinks (ok, basically drinks ) when staying in Waikoloa one time before I was ready to pay MFs. These were expenses that I would have incurred anyway, so spending the credit there, or on MFs, was an equivalent use. But yes, if one has to find excuses, then it may not be worth it.

To me the latter is akin to the discussions about "best use" of the Aspire FNA. If one would not have spent the $957.63 for the room, then using the FNA really isn't worth that much. I estimate mine based on what I would really pay. Or I use the points cost of the room that I would get on points. For example, I used one recently for a 80K room that I estimate at $400 in points cost. Even though I would not have spent the $400 (likely) I would have used the points and can now use them for a $400 room elsewhere.

Cheers.

 

[JohnnyO]

I only want to use the credit on a useful expense(s) such as MFs. I don't want to force a credit for drinks/food that I really don't want to spend it on.

I'll drink to that ... and of course get credits.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

One time I ended up using a good bit of the credit for food and drinks (ok, basically drinks ) when staying in Waikoloa one time before I was ready to pay MFs. These were expenses that I would have incurred anyway, so spending the credit there, or on MFs, was an equivalent use. But yes, if one has to find excuses, then it may not be worth it.

To me the latter is akin to the discussions about "best use" of the Aspire FNA. If one would not have spent the $957.63 for the room, then using the FNA really isn't worth that much. I estimate mine based on what I would really pay. Or I use the points cost of the room that I would get on points. For example, I used one recently for a 80K room that I estimate at $400 in points cost. Even though I would not have spent the $400 (likely) I would have used the points and can now use them for a $400 room elsewhere.

Cheers.

We just returned from the Grand Waikikian, and that used up our Aspire resort credit for the second half. I have already paid the club dues with the Surpass to collect the $50 credit on that. Won't pay any of my HGV MF until January, unless I come across some other spend bonus that interests me.

As for FNA, we usually do spend time in upscale resorts each year, either using cash or points, so if I can leverage a FNA from Hilton or Marriott, then I consider it a win. My main goal is to avoid feeling like I need to invent some travel just to use up a FNA or credit.

 

[GT75]

My main goal is to avoid feeling like I need to invent some travel just to use up a FNA or credit.

I agree with this. I have only gotten a few good uses (high end places or expensive) with my FNCs in the past. Now, I am trying to up my game, planning to use some future ones at WA-Pedregal.

 

[brp]

My main goal is to avoid feeling like I need to invent some travel just to use up a FNA or credit.

I sort of did this once. Used a high-value Marriott FNA for Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. $1000 kinda place. Still cost more than $100 for parking and resort fee

I had wanted to stay there, and it was a birthday thing. But somewhat manufactured.

Cheers.

 

[Eric B]

IMHO, there really isn’t an absolute need to travel anywhere. Instead, I view having FNCs as opportunity rather than obligation, and seek to maximize the value of my opportunity. At this point it isn’t $400 in points but instead more like $2,500 for me at Pedregal as I usually get about a penny a point for award bookings with points. I would rather save the FNCs to go to aspirational places instead of pedestrian ones; we wind up with 5 or 6 annually with Hilton and a few with Marriott and IHG.

 

[brp]

I would rather save the FNCs to go to aspirational places instead of pedestrian ones; we wind up with 5 or 6 annually with Hilton and a few with Marriott and IHG.

We just don't go to these sorts of aspirational places as a rule, so we'd have to manufacture something like this to get outsized value like $2500. But we do go to the $400 places anyway, so that's $400 in savings. I'm good with that.

We get 2 Hilton FNCs, 2 from Marriott and a bunch from Hyatt. And we use it where we want to go. We don't make plans to go places just to get additional value. Looking at one of my detailed tracking sheets, we will spend 116 nights in 2025 away from home. Plenty of places to use the FNCs without manufacturing outsized value. Different strokes.

As one example of larger value, we are staying at a Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires early next year. But we were already planning to be there as part of an Antarctica trip, so it was a natural fit.

Cheers.