by Daniel | Last Updated October 24th, 2023
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So American Express has just made some changes to it’s Hilton cards which might make you reconsider if these cards are actually still worth it.
Changes include, increasing the annual fee and removing Priority Pass lounge access from two of its cards.
But with that being said they have introduced a few new perks to try and off set these changes.
So let’s take a deeper look in to what exactly has changed.
New Card Designs
So one of the first and most obvious changes that has been made is the fact that the cards have a new look.
With the Hilton Honors Aspire card now coming in a nice metal finish that also has a new design.
Then with the Hilton Honors Surpass card there is a new design that is similar to the Aspire card, the main difference is that the card is made of 70% reclaimed plastic.
And finally with the entry level Hilton Honors American Express card being offers in a nice white finish.
Benefits That Are Getting Scrapped
So as I mentioned at the start of this video Amex will be removing the complimentary Priority Pass membership that used to come with both the Aspire card and the Surpass card.
This is a bit of a bummer, specifically if you do travel a fair bit and like having access to airport lounges.
With the Aspire card, the Priority Pass the benefit was worth $469 each year as it offered free access to all Priority Then with the Surpass card the Priority Pass benefit was worth $329 each year as if offered 10 free passes to airport lounges each year.
Interestingly enough, Amex has decided to keep its complimentary Priority Pass membership with the Hilton Honors Amex Business card, which allows for 10 free lounges visits each year.
If you are interested in getting Priority Pass Membership, I have a full in-depth review of the program here, and if you would like to save up to 20% off your first year of membership, click this link to receive a discount.
Annual Fees Going Up
So if it’s not annoying enough that Amex has scrapped lounge access from these two cards, Amex has also decided to increase the annual fee for both the Aspire card and the Surpass card.
Previously the Hilton Honors Aspire card had an annual fee of $450, but it is now $550.
This represents a price increase of just over 22% which is a pretty steep and sudden change.
Then the Hilton Honors Surpass card has increased from $95 per year up to $150.
That’s an almost 60% price increase.
Then the Hilton Honors Surpass card has increased from $95 per year up to $150 per year, which is price increase of almost 60%.
That’s a little rich seeing as Amex just reported its third quarter net income of $2.5 billion, up from a net income from the same period last year of $1.9 billion.
Anyway, it is what it is!
What Are The New Perks Of The Amex Hilton Cards?
So with a decent increase in the annual fee of both cards and the removal of the Complimentary Priority Pass membership, what can you expect to receive in place of this?
Well let’s start by first looking at what has changed with the Hilton Honors Aspire card.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card Changes
The first thing that stands out is the increased sign up bonus which currently offers the ability to earn 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points if you can manage to spend $6,000 on the card within the first 6 months of card ownership.
With Hilton honors points being worth 0.6 cents per point, this signup bonus is valued at $1,080, which is pretty decent.
Hilton Resort Credit
The there has been an increase to the Hilton Resort Credit up to $400 each year.
Previously the card only offered a Hilton Resort Credit of $250, so it’s an additional $150 each year.
But just note that it is a Bi annual credit, so you will receive a $200 credit to use between January through June, and then another $200 credit that can be used from July through December.
Flight Credit
Now another new credit that is offered with this card is a $200 Flight Credit, this is actually less than what the card previously offered, which was a $250 Airline Fee Credit.
It’s also worth noting is that this credit is now only offered in $50 allotments each quarter, so you will need to travel more frequently to actually make full use of this benefit.
CLEAR Credit
There is now a $189 credit that can be used to purchase a CLEAR membership.
This is not a bad benefit to have, but at least from my experience it doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to speeding up the process of getting through airport security.
Free Night Reward
Now the card still offers the same free night reward as before which is available the first year of card ownership.
This can be worth over $1,000 depending on when and where you use the benefit so it’s super valuable.
And thankfully they have now made it possible to earn more free night rewards than before.
So previous it was only possible to earn 1 additional free night reward after spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year.
But now it is possible to earn your first Free Night Reward after spending just $30,000 on the card, and then a second free night award if you manage to spend $60,000 on the card within a calendar year.
So if you spend a fair amount on this card each year it is possible to receive a ton of value.
Emerald Club Executive Status
Another new benefit added to this card is complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status.
This provides the ability for you to earn free rentals, guaranteed upgrades and executive area access.
To receive this benefit it usually requires you to get 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days within a calendar year, so its a pretty decent benefit to have access to.
Cell Phone Protection
The final new perk to be added to the Hilton Honors Aspire card is cell phone protection.
This is in my opinion is a pretty useful benefit to have as it’s not uncommon for people to accidentally damage their phone or even worse, lose it.
As for coverage Amex will provide up to $800 per claim, and a maximum of 2 claims in a 12 month period.
Although they will charge a $50 deductible fee for each claim that you make.
So although its annoying that Amex has decided to remove the Priority Pass Membership from the Aspire card, the $150 increase in the Hilton Resort Credit and the option to earn up to 2 free night rewards if you spend $60,000 in a calendar year can make up for it as long as you spend a fair amount on the card.
Now if you still want access to a decent amount of benefits but don’t want to pay for the increased annual fee, then Hilton Honors Surpass card may well be worth considering.
Hilton Honors Surpass Card Changes
So now let’s take a look at what has changed with the Hilton Honors Surpass card.
And one thing that stands out is its generous signup bonus.
Currently it is possible to earn 170,000 Hilton honors Bonus points after spending just $3,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of card ownership.
This almost as many points as the Aspire card is offering but only requires you to spend half as much to receive it.
Now with Hilton Honors points being valued at 0.6 cents per points, this sign-up bonus is worth $1.020.
This in my option is a very generous offer.
Hilton Credit
A nice new benefit that has bee added to this card is a $200 Hilton credit.
This is provided to you in $50 allotments each quarter.
I think this is a really good benefit to have been added to this card and almost makes up for the loss of the Priority Pass membership it previously offered.
Emerald Club Executive Status
Just like the Aspire card you will also receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive Status.
4x Points
And finally there is now the ability to earn more points from a wider variety of retailers with the introduction of 4x points earnings for US online retail purchases.
So although the annual fee has increased substantially with the Surpass card, the addition of the $200 Hilton credit helps to totally off set this cost and provide you with an additional $50 in credit.
That being said the loss of the Priority Pass membership that provided 10 free lounge visas each year was worth $329.
So if you did rely on this card to get free lounge access the card doesn’t provide quite as much value as it used to.
Hilton Honors Card
Now if you still want to get basic Hilton benefits and earn Hilton points but don’t want to pay for the annual fee of the Aspire card or the Surpass card you might want to consider the entry level Hilton Honors Card.
This card has no annual fee at all still comes with some reasonable perks.
Currently it is possible to earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus points if you spend just $2,000 on the card within a 6 month period.
And with Hilton Points being valued at 0.6 cents per point, this signup bonus is worth $600.
Hilton Honors Silver Status
The card offers complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status
With the ability to get a free upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status if you manage to spend $20,000 on the card within a calendar year.
Decent Points Earning Potential
Along with this, it is also possible to earn a reasonable amount of Hilton points through everyday spending.
This includes:
- 7x points for purchase made at Hilton Properties
- 5x points for purchases made a US restaurants, which includes take out and delivery services.
- 5x points on US grocery purchases
- 5x points at US gas stations
- 3x points for all other purchases.
And seeing that you receive Hilton Honors Silver Status you will receive a 20% bonus on all base points.
So if you don’t mind not having quite as many benefits as the more expensive Aspire card or Surpass card this card is pretty good value in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
Ok so that covers pretty much all of the new updates to the Hilton Honors Amex cards, and although it is annoying that they have decided to discontinue the Priority Pass Membership with the Aspire and Surpass card, at least they have added some reasonably valuable benefits to try and make up for this.
Now it worth noting that it is still possible to receive a complimentary Priory Pass membership that allows for 10 free lounge visits each year with the Hilton Honors Amex Business card.
This is a great card that only costs $95 a year (at least for now).
It offers the ability to earn a ton of Hilton Points from a variety of different categories, complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status and a free night reward after you spend $15,000 on the card within a calendar year.
Now if you don’t want the Business card but still want Priority Pass access you can save up to 20% off your first year off membership through this link here.
And if you would like to learn more about all of the perks that come with a Priority Pass membership make sure to check out my review here.