The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card review

Featuring many of the same perks and features as the personal version of the card as well as good business benefits, the the Hilton Honors Business card is a standout option for business travelers thanks to its high rewards rate, solid welcome bonus for new cardholders and travel perks.

High earnings rate on travel

The Hilton Honors Business card offers the greatest rewards to cardholders who spend a lot of money on hotels and travel. You get 12 points per dollar directly with stays at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio and 6 points per dollar on select travel purchases, including directly booked flights and car rentals, and purchases at U.S. restaurants.

On top of that, the Hilton Honors Business card offers a 6-point per dollar bonus for select common business expenses, including purchases at U.S. gas stations, and wireless phone and shipping services in the U.S. The remainder of your eligible purchases earn 3 points per dollar.

Altogether, it amounts to a high rewards rate, though you’ll need to take a close look at your travel and business spending to decide whether the business version of the card is right for you.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – which features many of the same benefits for a $95 annual fee – offers a 6-point per dollar bonus on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets. Groceries constitute one of the largest spending categories for many cardholders. If you find that you spend more on groceries than on select business and travel purchases, the Surpass card may be the better way to go.

New introductory bonus

The Hilton Honors Business card recently switched up its introductory bonus: You can now earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of membership. This is a decent drop in value compared to the card’s previous limited-time offer of 150,000 points and a Free Night Reward after a $4,000 spend in the same timeframe, but it still hold solid value.

In assessing the value of the bonus, it’s worth keeping in mind that based on Bankrate’s latest hotel point valuations,  we estimate Hilton points are worth about 0.6 cents or half that of the average rewards program point. This gives the bonus an estimated value of around $780 in Hilton stays.

Additional free nights each year

Cardholders get a Free Night Reward each year they spend $15,000 and a second Free Night Reward when they spend a total of $60,000 in a year. Also, cardmembers are automatically promoted to Gold elite status in the Hilton Honors card which entitles them to a fifth night free on every rewards stay.

This fifth night free benefit is extremely valuable – if you book all your rewards nights in five night increments or longer, you can really stretch your points. If you combine a free fifth night with your regular rewards earnings and the free night certificates, you can feasibly score a free week at a Hilton hotel on a yearly basis.

Flexible redemption options

The Hilton Honors program is by far one of the most flexible hotel rewards programs, guaranteeing that you can use your rewards at any Hilton location where a standard room is available. Your points don’t expire as long as your card is active, there’s no limit to how many points you can earn and – if you don’t have enough points to cover a rewards stay — you can pay for rewards with a combination of points and cash without losing value on your points.

The program even gives you additional ways to redeem points, including for car rentals, merchandise and gift cards or as a transfer to a large number of airline partners. However, most of these options give you a very poor return on your points, so it’s best to stick to redeeming them for hotel stays.

Good travel perks

The card comes with an impressive array of additional perks for a $95 annual fee, including 10 free Priority Pass lounge visits each year, car rental insurance and many other travel and purchase protections. Your Gold status in the Hilton Honors program also entitles you to a plethora of hotel privileges, such as a 25 percent bonus on your base points, late checkout, free room upgrades and more.

Furthermore, the card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee, which means you can use it freely while traveling outside the U.S.

Benefits for business owners

The Hilton Honors Business card comes with business perks and features to help manage your expenses. The American Express® Business App is a mobile app that lets you – or an account manager – manage your account on the go, uploading receipts, labeling transactions and adding them to Quickbooks. You can also track employee spending from the app and create individual spending limits for each employee card.

Why get the Hilton Honors Business card?

• You or your employees stay frequently at Hilton hotels and resorts.
• You spend a lot on travel and dining for your business.
• You’re looking for a card with a large introductory bonus.

How to use the Hilton Honors Business card:

• Spend at least $15,000 in a year to earn a free hotel night.
• Book your rewards stays for at least five nights to earn the fifth night free.
• Consider booking with Hilton’s “Points & Money” option – you can stretch your points further at a good value.
• Look for rewards bookings within the 5,000- to 20,000-point range – these offer the best value.
• Stay away from redemption options that aren’t hotel stays since the value per point is low.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.