My wife has this card and it is a no brainer. The Diamond status is amazing, and has saved us a ton with included breakfasts, executive lounge access, etc.
The secret is , you actually pay for it upfront then you get it all back ! But thru out the time , you have to challenge and manage it ...If you are at 25 to 45 years old, Noooo problem. But if you are at 55 with family and kids , when do you have time to do all this hah hah ....
i ve done it before !!!! Sometimes the free night stay, when come to certain city , its not in the good location you want to be , its far out and you have to use train or taxi to get there ...Its a bit too much work . FYI, location , location and location.
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My basic premium setup is the Hilton Aspire + Delta Reserve, it gives me all the benefits of the American Express Platinum (that I care about). I also got the Hilton Business recently for shipping costs, which will easily run up to $15K, for another free night. Just had our first stay at a Waldorf Astoria last week, and absolutely loved it. I was under dressed compared to the convention people staying, but I don't care.
That’s fantastic you can hit the 15k spend for extra free night, most ppl aren’t there yet with their business. That’s also a great combo with delta reserve, pairing a premium hotel card with premium airline card. Hoping you’ll get to stay in plenty more Waldorfs and Conrad’s around the world!
You need to use them at Waldorf’s and Conrad’s, especially overseas, to get your money’s worth. Also using them on busy weekends where the cash rate shoots up but points stay the same is where you can get a lot more than .05/pt
The only argument I have is Hilton Hotels are more expensive, so although you are saving money through amenities, you may be spending more in just overall booking compared to a cheap (not so luxury) airbnb
Yes airbnbs can be much cheaper than hotels, I mainly wanted to share how you can stay in some of the most expensive Hilton hotels for “free” using points.
One of the best perks of aspire is you earn the free night award in your first year. A lot of cards you don’t get the free night until year 2 after renewal. I got mine a few months after applying. I believe 2 or 3 months after. No spend requirement needed for the annual free night!
You are right! There are so many benefits to this excellent card, the restaurant 7x one got lost in the shuffle. I admittedly usually use chase sapphires for dining.
Hilton diamond means next to nothing in USA though. There’s rarely any upgrades, many executive lounges never reopened after Covid, even late checkout is not guaranteed. It’s vastly different overseas, where I’m constantly upgraded to suites, 4 pm late checkout, and amazing buffets in the executive lounge.
We’re going to be in Bora Bora in about a month, three nights at the Conrad with certificates and points. Any suggestions on how to get upgraded? My wife has Diamond status, and we booked a suite, but I’m really hoping to get an overwater bungalow.
I'd first send the concierge an email inquiring about an upgrade. Tell them if there's a special occasion that you're going for. You may get an offer for a paid upgrade, but you can pay for only one or two of the nights for OWB. There's a higher chance you'll get upgraded for all three nights that way when you arrive. Not guaranteed and it really depends on how busy they are when you arrive. Hope you guys have fun when you go! We can't wait to go back.
@@GoodDealTraveler Hi Jimmy. I'm going to bother you one more time just to clarify. After emailing the hotel we received an offer to upgrade to a King Pool OWV for about $1000 per night. Today we got an offer to upgrade to a Deluxe OWV (no pool) for about $415 just for the first night. I think this is what you were saying, that if we pay to upgrade the first night, they might upgrade us for all three. If we pay to upgrade to the Deluxe, is there a chance they could upgrade us further? And does this sound like a good deal? I'm still trying to decide if I want to take the chance of getting upgraded once we get there, but I'm not sure if they'll upgrade us all the way to an OWV. Thanks so much for your help!
@@robertdumrauf808 Hi Robert, the upgrade definitely depends on availability. Their high season is May-October when there's less rain but way more tourists. We went in the beginning of May and the resort wasn't too busy. Our experience was we paid for two nights of Deluxe OVW out of 3 nights, and they upgraded us to king OVW for all 3 nights. While the OVW was great, I wouldn't have minded staying in one of their garden rooms for a night either since some of them were pretty high up and had great views of the ocean.
Of course it’s not free, but if you travel somewhat regularly you’re able to get up to 10x the value of the yearly membership fee. Definitely not the card for someone who doesn’t travel or stay with Hilton a few times per year.
Do you happen to know what is the minimum credit score what fico they check and what was your credit condition when u got approved? Please and thanks I know this info will also help other people’s watching this video rn thanks for the video ❤️
Good question. In general all premium credit cards like this one require scores over 700. However they also look at your credit history, income, debts, how many cards you have, your history with AMEX, etc. In my experience though AMEX is more lenient in acceptance compared to Chase and Citi.
@@alikaalex I would apply from a new application for the aspire. Upgrading a current card often excludes you from a signup promotion. However you can always call and ask!
Priority pass and delta lounges aren’t partners, thus you can’t enter delta sky club with priority pass. However priority pass does allow you to bring up to 2 guests, while the delta reserve card only gives you two guest passes per year.
I don’t use it at AMEX travel but there’s a landing page for $100 property credit at Waldorf and Conrads if you book 2 nights or more. The best use of this card is the 14x for Hilton stays.
For the $250 Hilton Resort credit, I actually called Amex and an agent said that the room rate does not count and only incidentals at an eligible Hilton "resort," so I was very disappointed. 😟 Did anyone else experience this?
That shouldn’t be the case. I’ve used it every year towards the room rate, as long as it’s at a Hilton resort. You can find the list if you just google Hilton resort locations. If the cost of the room is less than $250 charge a meal or drink to your room bill. That will for sure count towards the annual resort credit. It would be new to me if the room rate doesn’t count anymore.
The coding behind prices are always off, this year it counted my whole bill from the waldorf paris towards the resort credit... it makes no sense but I didnt have to pay a single dime for that stay because of it.
You’re right! Forgot about that one. I am Wyndham diamond too and it hasn’t provided anywhere close to the benefits of Hilton diamond. Their properties are also quite mediocre.
Good question, the free night is every cardmember anniversary year, including your first year. $250 resort credit is also cardmember year. The $250 airline credit is every calendar year.
@@JJ-xv3gs they can extend the expiration of the free night by up to a week or a few days, depending on how nice is the agent you get on the phone. However it’ll expire after that, can’t roll it over to following year.
Great question. The AMEX portal tells you how much of the $250 airline incidentals you've used, but it doesn't tell you how much of the $250 resort credits are left. I'd call Hilton diamond desk to find out and write down the number separately. Or you can go through your statements and check when it was used.
My wife has this card and it is a no brainer. The Diamond status is amazing, and has saved us a ton with included breakfasts, executive lounge access, etc.
Definitely a keeper year after year as long as these benefits remain.
The secret is , you actually pay for it upfront then you get it all back ! But thru out the time , you have to challenge and manage it ...If you are at 25 to 45 years old, Noooo problem.
But if you are at 55 with family and kids , when do you have time to do all this hah hah ....
i ve done it before !!!! Sometimes the free night stay, when come to certain city , its not in the good location you want to be , its far out and you have to use train or taxi to get there ...Its a bit
too much work . FYI, location , location and location.
No down votes!!! This is incredible! You know your stuff!!!!!!!
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I know i’m writing a comment on the old video not that anyone cares but Aspire card has 7x restaurant maybe it was added few months ago?
Can u be up grades to the Hilton. Aspire card from the Honor card
I’ve stayed a some of the Hilton resort properties in nice one bedroom suite
My basic premium setup is the Hilton Aspire + Delta Reserve, it gives me all the benefits of the American Express Platinum (that I care about). I also got the Hilton Business recently for shipping costs, which will easily run up to $15K, for another free night. Just had our first stay at a Waldorf Astoria last week, and absolutely loved it. I was under dressed compared to the convention people staying, but I don't care.
That’s fantastic you can hit the 15k spend for extra free night, most ppl aren’t there yet with their business. That’s also a great combo with delta reserve, pairing a premium hotel card with premium airline card. Hoping you’ll get to stay in plenty more Waldorfs and Conrad’s around the world!
AmEx cards can be great but Hilton points suck. Lucky to get .05/pt.
You need to use them at Waldorf’s and Conrad’s, especially overseas, to get your money’s worth. Also using them on busy weekends where the cash rate shoots up but points stay the same is where you can get a lot more than .05/pt
The only argument I have is Hilton Hotels are more expensive, so although you are saving money through amenities, you may be spending more in just overall booking compared to a cheap (not so luxury) airbnb
Yes airbnbs can be much cheaper than hotels, I mainly wanted to share how you can stay in some of the most expensive Hilton hotels for “free” using points.
Great video 👍
I’m thinking of applying for the Aspire. When did you receive your free annual night reward? After the spend requirements?
One of the best perks of aspire is you earn the free night award in your first year. A lot of cards you don’t get the free night until year 2 after renewal. I got mine a few months after applying. I believe 2 or 3 months after. No spend requirement needed for the annual free night!
I thought the aspire got you 7x on restaurants?
You are right! There are so many benefits to this excellent card, the restaurant 7x one got lost in the shuffle. I admittedly usually use chase sapphires for dining.
This card is cheat code for american 😅 instant diamond status. Us from asia have to earn the status organically
Hilton diamond means next to nothing in USA though. There’s rarely any upgrades, many executive lounges never reopened after Covid, even late checkout is not guaranteed. It’s vastly different overseas, where I’m constantly upgraded to suites, 4 pm late checkout, and amazing buffets in the executive lounge.
We’re going to be in Bora Bora in about a month, three nights at the Conrad with certificates and points. Any suggestions on how to get upgraded? My wife has Diamond status, and we booked a suite, but I’m really hoping to get an overwater bungalow.
I'd first send the concierge an email inquiring about an upgrade. Tell them if there's a special occasion that you're going for. You may get an offer for a paid upgrade, but you can pay for only one or two of the nights for OWB. There's a higher chance you'll get upgraded for all three nights that way when you arrive. Not guaranteed and it really depends on how busy they are when you arrive. Hope you guys have fun when you go! We can't wait to go back.
@@GoodDealTraveler Hi Jimmy. I'm going to bother you one more time just to clarify. After emailing the hotel we received an offer to upgrade to a King Pool OWV for about $1000 per night. Today we got an offer to upgrade to a Deluxe OWV (no pool) for about $415 just for the first night. I think this is what you were saying, that if we pay to upgrade the first night, they might upgrade us for all three. If we pay to upgrade to the Deluxe, is there a chance they could upgrade us further? And does this sound like a good deal? I'm still trying to decide if I want to take the chance of getting upgraded once we get there, but I'm not sure if they'll upgrade us all the way to an OWV. Thanks so much for your help!
@@robertdumrauf808 Hi Robert, the upgrade definitely depends on availability. Their high season is May-October when there's less rain but way more tourists. We went in the beginning of May and the resort wasn't too busy. Our experience was we paid for two nights of Deluxe OVW out of 3 nights, and they upgraded us to king OVW for all 3 nights. While the OVW was great, I wouldn't have minded staying in one of their garden rooms for a night either since some of them were pretty high up and had great views of the ocean.
You dont get anything free, you pay for it by the annual fee
Of course it’s not free, but if you travel somewhat regularly you’re able to get up to 10x the value of the yearly membership fee. Definitely not the card for someone who doesn’t travel or stay with Hilton a few times per year.
Do you happen to know what is the minimum credit score what fico they check and what was your credit condition when u got approved? Please and thanks I know this info will also help other people’s watching this video rn thanks for the video ❤️
Good question. In general all premium credit cards like this one require scores over 700. However they also look at your credit history, income, debts, how many cards you have, your history with AMEX, etc. In my experience though AMEX is more lenient in acceptance compared to Chase and Citi.
Great content. Thanks
Hi. R the points on this card considered regular Membership Rewards points?
You earn Hilton points only with this card, no AMEX membership reward points
@@GoodDealTraveler Noted and understood. Thank You.
Spending the $250 x 2 kinda sucks and I already have PP with my CSR. I may still get this card for status and the free annual night
I think this card is much better than CSR, no reason to have both. The free night alone can be worth more than the annual fee already.
Great video. I have Diamond Status with my Surpass Card.
I'm working my way to this card, started at the lowest card first to qet all the bonuses.
Great idea, I also have the Hilton business and regular Hilton credit cards to fully utilize all the benefits of Aspire
If upgrading to this card from the Surpass, where would one look for possible upgrade bonus point opportunities?
@@alikaalex I would apply from a new application for the aspire. Upgrading a current card often excludes you from a signup promotion. However you can always call and ask!
Nice video sir, I just got approved for the surpass with a 130,000 bonus.
Great! Any idea what you want to spend the points on?
I am a delta reserve card member so I get free sky club access. How do I use this card (if I get it) for my husband to get skyclub lounge access?
Priority pass and delta lounges aren’t partners, thus you can’t enter delta sky club with priority pass. However priority pass does allow you to bring up to 2 guests, while the delta reserve card only gives you two guest passes per year.
So are you using hilton card on amextravel or direct on travel/hotel sites? Amex = flights vs Hilton = hotel/dinners during the year?
I don’t use it at AMEX travel but there’s a landing page for $100 property credit at Waldorf and Conrads if you book 2 nights or more. The best use of this card is the 14x for Hilton stays.
For the $250 Hilton Resort credit, I actually called Amex and an agent said that the room rate does not count and only incidentals at an eligible Hilton "resort," so I was very disappointed. 😟 Did anyone else experience this?
That shouldn’t be the case. I’ve used it every year towards the room rate, as long as it’s at a Hilton resort. You can find the list if you just google Hilton resort locations. If the cost of the room is less than $250 charge a meal or drink to your room bill. That will for sure count towards the annual resort credit. It would be new to me if the room rate doesn’t count anymore.
The coding behind prices are always off, this year it counted my whole bill from the waldorf paris towards the resort credit... it makes no sense but I didnt have to pay a single dime for that stay because of it.
9:29 well, technically there is another card that offers top tier status. The Wyndham Rewards Earner Business card
You’re right! Forgot about that one. I am Wyndham diamond too and it hasn’t provided anywhere close to the benefits of Hilton diamond. Their properties are also quite mediocre.
@@GoodDealTraveler yeah the main use of Wyndham diamond imo is the status matching
Niiiiiice Video
Subbed #85!
Thanks! Subscribed to you as well
Great video, Is the annual free night based on fiscal or calendar year?
Good question, the free night is every cardmember anniversary year, including your first year. $250 resort credit is also cardmember year. The $250 airline credit is every calendar year.
@@GoodDealTraveler Also, can you rollover the free nights? If not, is the expiration dated based on your anniversary date?
@@JJ-xv3gs they can extend the expiration of the free night by up to a week or a few days, depending on how nice is the agent you get on the phone. However it’ll expire after that, can’t roll it over to following year.
Mmm ugly eggs 😂
Budget hotels will use egg powder or some sort of cheap egg mix to make these chewy, rubbery, ugly looking eggs for their continental breakfast.
Good review! Thank you
Does this card portal track for you how much of those Airline and Resort credits you've used for the year?
Great question. The AMEX portal tells you how much of the $250 airline incidentals you've used, but it doesn't tell you how much of the $250 resort credits are left. I'd call Hilton diamond desk to find out and write down the number separately. Or you can go through your statements and check when it was used.