Hilton Honors American Express Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is the no-annual-fee door into Hilton's ecosystem: 7X points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, 5X at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, and 3X on everything else. The catch sits in two places: the 5X categories only fire at U.S. merchants, and the 7X only applies when you book directly with Hilton — a room bought through Expedia or another agency earns the 3X base.

Do the exchange-rate math before celebrating the big multipliers. Hilton points tend to be worth roughly half a cent apiece, so 5X at the supermarket is about 2.5% back in hotel value, and the 3X base is closer to 1.5% — which a flat 2% cash-back card beats. Treat this as a category card for Hilton loyalists, not an everything card.

What you get for $0 is real, though: the issuer currently advertises 80,000 Hilton Honors points after $2,000 in purchases in your first 6 months, automatic Silver status (a 20% bonus on Base Points from stays), and no foreign transaction fee — handy, since Hilton's footprint is global even if the bonus categories are not.

In a wallet, it plays the free Hilton specialist: if you sleep at Hilton more than a handful of nights a year, the $150 Surpass out-earns it with 12X at Hilton, 6X in the same U.S. categories and up to $200 in annual credits. Keep this card if you want Hilton points at zero cost — hand it the direct Hilton bookings, and let it cover U.S. dining, groceries and gas only when no stronger card sits above them.

The math

Run $400 a month of dining through this card and you're earning about $96 a year at our conservative valuations. There's no annual fee to earn back — everything above the 3x base rate is pure upside.

Store bonuses

• Hilton7x

Key benefits

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with a 20% bonus on Base Points
• No foreign transaction fees
• Amex Offers: extra rewards on qualifying purchases at select brands
• Send & Split powered by Venmo and PayPal (enrollment required)

Common questions

Does Hilton Honors American Express Card have an annual fee?

No — Hilton Honors American Express Card has no annual fee.

What does Hilton Honors American Express Card earn on dining?

5x on dining (u.s. merchants only).

What rewards does Hilton Honors American Express Card earn on everything else?

3x on all other purchases, in Hilton Honors.

Does the Hilton Honors American Express Card have an annual fee?

No — it is the $0-annual-fee tier of Amex's Hilton lineup. The Surpass steps up to $150 for 12X at Hilton and richer categories, but this base card costs nothing to keep.

Do the 5X bonus categories work outside the U.S.?

No. The 5X on dining, groceries and gas applies at U.S. merchants only; purchases abroad earn the 3X base rate, though the card charges no foreign transaction fee.

What is the current welcome offer?

As of August 2026, the issuer page advertises 80,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $2,000 in purchases within your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.