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Hilton Aspire Card: Is Automatic Diamond Status Worth the $550 Fee?
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card gives you Diamond Status with no spending required, and here is how it compares with other premium cards.
What the Aspire card gives you
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $550 annual fee and offers Hilton Honors Diamond Status just for being a cardmember, with no spending required. [1] If you stay at Hilton hotels, that status comes with the card itself. [1]
The card also offers an uncapped anniversary free night award for standard room redemptions at a vast majority of properties, which could be worth up to 250,000 points. [1] This piece compares the Aspire with other hotel and travel cards so you can see where it fits.
How other hotel cards compare
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card has a $650 annual fee and offers Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status just for being a cardmember, with no spending required. [1] Its anniversary free night award is worth up to 85,000 points, which can be topped off with up to 25,000 points. [1]
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers an anniversary free night award worth up to 50,000 points, which can be topped off with an unlimited number of points. [1] The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers an anniversary free night award redeemable at a Category 1-4 property. [1]
Lounge access and authorized users
Premium credit cards often include a high annual fee and some form of airport lounge access as part of their value proposition. [1] The Citi Strata Elite card has a $75 annual fee per authorized user, and each authorized user receives a Priority Pass membership. [1]
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a $195 annual fee per authorized user, and authorized users receive a Priority Pass membership, Chase Sapphire Lounge access, and Air Canada Lounge access. [1] The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard has a $175 annual fee for a total of up to three authorized users, who receive Admirals Club access. [1]
The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card lets cardholders enroll for a Priority Pass membership with four complimentary lounge visits per year. [2] Its SmartDelay benefit gives the cardholder and up to three travel companions lounge passes for flight delays of two hours or more, after flights are registered. [2]
The Amex Platinum at $895
The American Express Platinum Card has a $895 annual fee. [3] It may offer a welcome bonus of as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after $12,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership. [3]
The card provides access to over 1,550 airport lounges, including Priority Pass lounges and Amex Centurion lounges. [3] Its $600 Hotel Credit provides up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel. [3]
Effective January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will require a minimum two-night stay to be eligible for the $600 Hotel Credit. [3] The card also offers up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental airline fees after selecting one qualifying airline. [3]
Lower-fee options
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a limited-time $300 Capital One Travel stays credit and 75,000 bonus miles. [2] The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers a 20,000 bonus points welcome offer after $1,000 in purchases in the first three months. [2]
It earns unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. [2] It lacks key travel protections such as trip delay reimbursement and trip cancellation/interruption coverage. [2]
The Citi Double Cash card earns up to 2% cash back, as Citi ThankYou Points, on every purchase. [2] It has a welcome bonus of $200 cash back. [2]
What this means for you
If you want hotel status without a spending requirement, the Aspire gives you Hilton Diamond Status for a $550 annual fee. [1] The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant gives Platinum Elite Status the same way for a $650 annual fee. [1]
Check the free night award too. The Aspire's award is uncapped for standard room redemptions at a vast majority of properties and could be worth up to 250,000 points, while the Marriott card's is worth up to 85,000 points. [1]
Travel protection perks can include trip delay coverage, lost or delayed baggage coverage, or rental car coverage, and are typically needed only when travel disruptions occur. [1] If you compare cards, look at which of those perks each one includes. [1][2]
Sources
- My 6 Favorite Credit Card Benefits & Perks, From Status To Lounge Access — One Mile at a Time
- Travel credit cards that offer lounge access, insurance and other perks with no annual fee — CNBC
- Amex Platinum Card review: A premium travel card with luxury perks like lounge access and hotel status — CNBC
Written from the sources above and checked twice before publishing. How we work · Report an error
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