Amex Hilton Changes

[Monkeyboy]

?

One time cost

 

[JoeAdkins]

@JoeAdkins What season is this unit? That's an unusually low price for a summer week

Week 52. I bought for points and didn't care about season.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@JoeAdkins That makes more sense because summer weeks go for more $$. How many points are connected with your week?

 

[JoeAdkins]

@JoeAdkins That makes more sense because summer weeks go for more $$. How many points are connected with your week?

11,200... Platinum week.

 

[dazzlingheart]

I just discovered you now have to spend $20,000 in a year to get gold status with AMEX Hilton Honors. Before, it was $15,000. This sets me back a couple of months

 

[Sandy VDH]

I just discovered you now have to spend $20,000 in a year to get gold status with AMEX Hilton Honors. Before, it was $15,000. This sets me back a couple of months

Get the AMEX aspire and the $550 fee will give you DIamond status. Much lower spend.

 

[linsj]

Get the AMEX aspire and the $550 fee will give you DIamond status. Much lower spend.

Plus you can get back more than the fee in resort and flight credits and a free night.

 

[90_Min_Sales_Pitch]

I have the Hilton Surpass and Hilton Business. The quarterly hotel credits are too much of a hassle, especially when we normally pay with points. I have the Aspire card too, and am thinking of converting it into a pseudo business card.

Business Hilton: $60K X 5 X $.006 = $1,800
Aspire Card: $60K X 3 X $.006 = $1,080 + 2 free nights
If my additional 2 free night certificates are worth $720 or more, the Aspire comes out ahead.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I have the Hilton Surpass and Hilton Business. The quarterly hotel credits are too much of a hassle, especially when we normally pay with points. I have the Aspire card too, and am thinking of converting it into a pseudo business card.

Business Hilton: $60K X 5 X $.006 = $1,800
Aspire Card: $60K X 3 X $.006 = $1,080 + 2 free nights
If my additional 2 free night certificates are worth $720 or more, the Aspire comes out ahead.

I have the Aspire, but have recently been thinking of adding a Surpass card. I agree quarterly credit are a bit of a hassle, but i usually stay at enough hotels to make these work. Its seems pretty easy to use the Q1 and Q4 credits by making MF payments. That just leaves Q2 and Q3. Even with points stays i often have some type of hotel expense, food, drink or parking etc.. If i only use the card for groceries, i should be able to earn the Free Night Cert.

 

[Reddart]

I have the Aspire, but have recently been thinking of adding a Surpass card. I agree quarterly credit are a bit of a hassle, but i usually stay at enough hotels to make these work. Its seems pretty easy to use the Q1 and Q4 credits by making MF payments. That just leaves Q2 and Q3. Even with points stays i often have some type of hotel expense, food, drink or parking etc.. If i only use the card for groceries, i should be able to earn the Free Night Cert.

The surpass works well for me…gas, groceries, and an extra HH point for online purchases (Amazon, etc). Fairly complimentary to the Aspire in spending categories for HH point generation.

 

[90_Min_Sales_Pitch]

I have the Aspire, but have recently been thinking of adding a Surpass card. I agree quarterly credit are a bit of a hassle, but i usually stay at enough hotels to make these work. Its seems pretty easy to use the Q1 and Q4 credits by making MF payments. That just leaves Q2 and Q3. Even with points stays i often have some type of hotel expense, food, drink or parking etc.. If i only use the card for groceries, i should be able to earn the Free Night Cert.

Yeah we like the Surpass for grocery and gas, and I'll top it off with online retail for $15K per year in spending. I'm only going to cancel the Business Hilton. One $50 credit per quarter is a lot easier than worrying about another $60 credit too. I didn't even think of MF, I could stack that on top of our $200 Aspire credit for club dues.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

The loss of the $15k free night killed the Bus Amex for me too.

 

[BradV]

I'm a new HGVC owner. I purchased three deeds on the resale market. If I get the AMEX Hilton credit card, will the $200 semi-annual statement credit cover my $69 booking fees? Is that an "eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts"?

 

[ljmiii]

I'm a new HGVC owner. I purchased three deeds on the resale market. If I get the AMEX Hilton credit card, will the $200 semi-annual statement credit cover my $69 booking fees? Is that an "eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts"?

No....booking fees are shown as HGVC corporate. It is only resort MFs (and only some resort MFs) that show as charges that qualify as AMEX Aspire resorts.

 

[BradV]

No....booking fees are shown as HGVC corporate. It is only resort MFs (and only some resort MFs) that show as charges that qualify as AMEX Aspire resorts.

Thank you. Do you know if there is a list anywhere that I can see if The Boulevard and Elara MFs are covered under the "eligible purchases"?

 

[Heron]

I think the 50 dollar quarterly credit on Surpass card will still work for that.

 

[mcdanielpj]

Thank you. Do you know if there is a list anywhere that I can see if The Boulevard and Elara MFs are covered under the "eligible purchases"?

Boulevard MFs are covered -- not sure about Elara.

 

[BradV]

Boulevard MFs are covered -- not sure about Elara.

Perfect! Thank you.

 

[Wgk101]

Make sure you pay half of the me before Jan 1 and jhang after Jann 1 to recieve the entire $400 credit

 

[fishwithwater]

Thank you. Do you know if there is a list anywhere that I can see if The Boulevard and Elara MFs are covered under the "eligible purchases"?

Last year there were reports that Elara MF did not trigger the credit. The activation fee from my recent Elara purchase also didn’t trigger the credit, so I guess the answer is no for Elara although it’s on the resort list.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

This one seems overly complex and I worry about backlash from AMEX but if someone could simplify...

How to maximize your Hilton cards (with upgrades and downgrades)

In this post, we'll map out how (and why) to use product changes to squeeze every drop of potential goodness out of your Hilton cards.

frequentmiler.com

 

[letsgobobby]

i've only been loosely following along but wife is going to drop her CSR this fall when the AF hits due to the devaluation of Priority Pass. I'll keep my CSR but she'll need a daily cc.

Her current options for daily spend are getting an AU card on my CSR ($75) or using her existing Aspire. On my CSR non bonus category spend is 1.5% back if used for travel.

We are thinking of getting her a Surpass. As I see it with the Aspire vs a Surpass she'd earn slightly less in points per $ spent with the promise of a FNA sooner. If she were going to spend $45k per year she could get a FNA on both Aspire and Surpass but that will be a stretch.

Compared to being an AU with my CSR for standard (non bonus category spending) it seems clear Aspire or Surpass is better if she earns the FNA. Is that right?

 

[Reddart]

i've only been loosely following along but wife is going to drop her CSR this fall when the AF hits due to the devaluation of Priority Pass. I'll keep my CSR but she'll need a daily cc.

Her current options for daily spend are getting an AU card on my CSR ($75) or using her existing Aspire. On my CSR non bonus category spend is 1.5% back if used for travel.

We are thinking of getting her a Surpass. As I see it with the Aspire vs a Surpass she'd earn slightly less in points per $ spent with the promise of a FNA sooner. If she were going to spend $45k per year she could get a FNA on both Aspire and Surpass but that will be a stretch.

Compared to being an AU with my CSR for standard (non bonus category spending) it seems clear Aspire or Surpass is better if she earns the FNA. Is that right?

Remember, it is 1 FNC at the start (and anniversary) and a 2nd FNC @$30K spend for Aspire, only one FNC @$15K for Surpass (not counting any one time FNC SUB).

 

[letsgobobby]

Remember, it is 1 FNC at the start (and anniversary) and a 2nd FNC @$30K spend for Aspire, only one FNC @$15K for Surpass (not counting any one time FNC SUB).

yes we already have the Aspires

 

[Reddart]

yes we already have the Aspires

Ah ok, I missed that.