130,000 Points and a Free Night

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Review: Is the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card the best credit card for you?

There are only a handful of hotel credit cards on the market that are geared toward small-business owners, but if you’re looking to earn Hilton points, you’re in luck.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is an excellent choice — and it comes with a record-high welcome bonus: 130,000 points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card in the first 3 months of card membership. Cardholders also receive automatic Hilton Gold elite status, and compelling benefits like airport lounge access.

Read more: The best small-business credit cards of 2022

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is one of four co-branded Hilton credit cards issued by Amex, and the other three — Hilton Honors American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
, and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
— are also solid picks.

But if you can qualify for a small-business credit card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offers a hard-to-beat combo of a moderate $95 annual fee (See Rates) and top-notch earning and perks.

In fact, it’s got the broadest range of bonus spending categories of any Hilton card, and comes with up to two additional free weekend night certificates each year if you meet spending thresholds.

Keep in mind you don’t necessarily need a Hilton-branded credit card to earn Hilton points. Hilton Honors is an American Express Membership Rewards partner, which means you can transfer Amex points to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio from cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express
, American Express® Gold Card
, or The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.

Read more: I just opened the Hilton Honors American Express Business card, and it will single-handedly give me a luxury $8,000 Maldives resort stay

Comparison: Amex Hilton Business vs other Hilton cards

American Express Hilton Business vs other small-business hotel credit cards

*the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card offers an annual free night award each year after your account anniversary for hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy™ program that cost up to 35,000 points

How to earn points with the Hilton Business credit card

 The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a heavy hitter when it comes to earning points, offering bonus rewards in a broad range of categories — not just at Hilton hotels.

Cardholders earn points at the following rates:

• 12x points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio 
• 6x points on select business purchases: U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S purchases for shipping
• 6x points on select travel purchases: U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, and car rentals booked with select car rental companies

Keep in mind the 12x points at eligible Hilton hotels are in addition to the points you’d normally earn from staying with Hilton (10x points at most Hilton brands except Home2Suites and Tru by Hilton, which earn 5x). And because the card comes with automatic Hilton Gold elite status, you’ll earn 80% bonus points on paid stays (18 points per dollar at most Hilton properties).

Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Hilton Honors points

All told, between the points you’ll earn from the card, regular points earning at Hilton hotels, and the Hilton Gold elite bonus, you’ll earn 30 points per dollar when you use the card to pay for most Hilton hotel stays.

How to use Hilton points

You’ve got a number of options for redeeming Hilton points, but you’ll usually get the most value by using points for award nights at Hilton hotels. 

Hilton doesn’t have an official award chart, and the number of points required varies at individual hotels based on demand and season. The cheapest Hilton hotels start at 5,000 points per night and (with a few exceptions) top out at 95,000 points per night.

You can stretch your points for more nights by combining points and money for award stays, or by taking advantage of Hilton’s fifth-night free benefit for elite members. This perk allows you to book five consecutive standard award nights and effectively get a 20% discount on the points required.

Because The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (and all other Hilton co-brand cards) offer automatic elite status, you won’t have to worry about meeting stay requirements to earn elite status to unlock the fifth-night free benefit.

Read more: The best Hilton credit cards of 2022

Other ways to use Hilton points include cashing them in for Amazon purchases, redeeming them for experiences, or trading them in for airline miles, Lyft rides, merchandise, and charity donations. You’ll typically receive a lower value for your points when you redeem this way.

Hilton Business card benefits and features

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with a wide range of perks that can make your travels more comfortable and help you save money.

Free night award certificates

The welcome bonus on  The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card currently includes a free night award certificate, valid for use at most Hilton hotels — even luxury resorts. This certificate is valid any night of the week.

When you spend $15,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year with the card, you can receive another free weekend night certificate, and another if you spend a total of $60,000 with your card in a calendar year.

Read more: 7 luxurious ways to redeem Amex Hilton free weekend night certificates

Hilton free nights awarded for meeting spending thresholds are usually only valid on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights, but due to the pandemic, unexpired certificates issued through 2022 can be used on any night of the week.

Automatic Hilton Gold elite status

Cardholders receive Hilton Gold status as long as their card is open and in good standing. Hilton’s mid-level elite tier comes with surprisingly good benefits, including:

• Free continental breakfast (currently awarded as a food and beverage credit at US hotels)
• Room upgrades when available
• Fifth night free on award stays of five nights or more
• 80% points bonus on paid stays
• Free bottled water 
• Elite rollover nights

Read more: 11 credit cards that get you hotel elite status just by having them in your wallet

If you spend $40,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year with The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you’ll get upgraded to Hilton Diamond elite status through the end of the following calendar year. Hilton Diamond status is even more valuable — it comes with all the benefits of Hilton Gold status, plus a 100% points bonus on paid stays, better upgrades, executive lounge access, and premium Wi-Fi.

Priority Pass airport lounge access

When you have The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you can enroll in a complimentary Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership**, with 10 free visits included per year. While other, more premium credit cards offer a membership with unlimited visits, you’ll usually have to pay a much higher annual fee — so this is a good option if you only travel a few times a year.

Car rental insurance

When you pay for your car rental with The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you can get secondary coverage for damage to or theft of the vehicle. Some countries and vehicle types are excluded, so be sure to read the terms and conditions before you rent and note that liability insurance isn’t included.

Baggage insurance plan

If you pay for a covered trip with The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you can be covered for baggage loss or damage, up to $500 per person for checked bags, and $1,250 per person for carry-on luggage.

Read more: Amex cards from the Platinum to the EveryDay Preferred now offer coverage for trip cancellation and more — here’s everything you need to know

There are exclusions for high-risk items and some states have different limits, so check the terms and conditions for specific details.

Purchase protection

When you pay for an eligible item with The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, purchase protection can cover theft or damage that occurs within 90 days of purchase, up to a maximum of $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per account per calendar year.

Extended warranty

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card comes with up to one additional year of extended warranty coverage for eligible new purchases in the US or its territories, on manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less. 

Global Assist Hotline

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card also offers access Amex’s Global Assist Hotline to cardholders when they’re traveling 100 or more miles from home.

Read more: 6 lesser-known credit card travel benefits that can save you thousands of dollars if things go wrong on a trip

This service can provide help with issues like translation services, missing luggage, and emergency legal and medical referrals, and lost passports, but you’ll be responsible for any third-party costs.

Fees and costs

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has an annual fee of $95, but you can easily make up for it (and then some) by making the most of the card’s benefits. 

Read more: The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

It’s a good choice to take with you if you’re traveling internationally because it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. However, like most cards, there are fees for late payments, returned payments, and cash advances.

Hilton Business credit card — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the Hilton Honors Business card worth it?

Even if you don’t stay with Hilton often, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is worth it for the benefits it offers, which can more than offset the annual fee — especially considering the huge welcome bonus in the first year. Other perks like Hilton Gold status and Priority Pass airport lounge access can translate into significant savings as well.

Read more: How to decide if a credit card annual fee is worth it

However, if you absolutely don’t want to pay an annual fee, there’s another option. The no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card also offers a substantial welcome bonus. Although it isn’t packed with benefits, it’s still a good pick if you’re an infrequent traveler.

What credit score do you need for the Amex Hilton Business card?

Usually, folks who are approved for The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card have a good to excellent credit score, which means a FICO score of at least 670, or a VantageScore of at least 700.

Read more: What is a good credit score? It depends whether you’re asking VantageScore or FICO

If your credit isn’t quite there yet, read our guides on increasing your credit score and how using credit cards can help boost your score.

Can you add authorized users to the Hilton Honors Business card? 

You can add up to 99 authorized user cards to your account, and you can even set spending limits for your employees if you wish. Any points earned from their spending will be credited to the primary cardholder’s Hilton account and count toward meeting spending thresholds for higher elite status and free night certificates.

Read more: The best credit cards for adding someone as an authorized user — so they can build credit and get benefits like airport lounge access

Keep in mind you’ll be responsible for any purchases made by your authorized users. Authorized users/employee cards do not receive additional benefits like Hilton Gold status or Priority Pass Select membership.

Who is eligible for the Amex Hilton Honors Business card?

 The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a small-business card, which means you’ll need to have a for-profit venture to qualify. That said, you aren’t required to have a formal business structure or LLC — if you do freelance work or have a side gig, you could be eligible for a small-business card. You don’t need an EIN, either — it’s possible to apply as a sole proprietor using your Social Security Number.

If you already have The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you won’t be able to open another one. Amex also has a one bonus, per person, per lifetime rule, so if you’ve already received the bonus on The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card in the past, you aren’t eligible to receive it again.

Read more: Banks like American Express and Capital One have restrictions on how many cards you open — knowing the rules is key for anyone looking to earn rewards

It is possible to have more than one type of Hilton card open at a time. So, for example, if you already have the Hilton Honors American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, or Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you’re still eligible for The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.