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The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review) is Hilton’s most premium co-branded credit card, and there are all kinds of reasons to consider picking it up.
While the card has a steep $550 annual fee, I find that to be easy to justify, thanks to benefits like an annual free night award, up to $400 in annual Hilton resort credits, up to $200 in annual flight credits, and more.
Arguably the biggest selling point of this card is how it can help you earn elite status, as having this card gives you top tier Diamond status in the Hilton Honors program. In this post, I want to take a closer look at how that works.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card Diamond status basics
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers Diamond elite status for as long as you have the card:
- This is only available to the basic cardmember, and not to any authorized users
- There’s nothing you need to do to register, but rather the status automatically posts to the Hilton Honors account provided at the time of application
- Officially, it can take 8-12 weeks for Diamond status to post to an eligible account, though in reality, most people report the status posting within a few days of account approval, around the same time the card arrives in the mail
- The status is valid year-after-year, for as long as you maintain the card, and there’s nothing you need to do to re-register
- Officially, the Diamond status is cancelled immediately if you cancel the card, though anecdotally many report the status remains valid for 90 days after closing the account
- Diamond status ordinarily requires 60 nights, 30 stays, or 120,000 base points, per year; if you earn status through the card then you receive Diamond status, but you don’t receive the corresponding nights, stays, or base points
- Lifetime Diamond status requires 10 years of Diamond plus either 1,000 elite nights or two million base points (equivalent of $200,000 of spending); while having a credit card can help you toward the requirement of having status for 10 years, it doesn’t help toward the requirement for elite nights or base points
Hilton Diamond elite status benefits basics
Diamond elite is Hilton Honors’ top tier elite status. It’s pretty great to get that just for having a credit card, though also manage your expectations when it comes to the execution of perks. Here are the most significant Hilton Diamond elite perks, as I see them:
As is the case with virtually any hotel loyalty program, you’ll find that elite recognition differs greatly around the globe. In the United States, I basically just expect the food & beverage credit, and little more. Meanwhile in the Middle East, Asia, etc., I’ve generally had awesome experiences, with amazing breakfasts, nice club lounges, and generous suite upgrades.
My take on the value of Hilton Aspire Card Diamond status
I’ve had the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card for years, and find that it represents a great value. Quite honestly, I easily recoup the card’s annual fee on the annual free night award alone, as I’m consistently able to redeem it at a property costing well over $550 (the card’s annual fee). The up to $400 in Hilton resort credits and up to $200 in flight credits only add even more incremental value.
Then there’s Hilton Diamond elite status. With my hotel elite status strategy, Hilton isn’t my primary hotel group. It’s not even my backup hotel group, but instead, it’s typically my third pick (after World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy).
To be perfectly honest, I largely avoid Hilton Honors properties in the United States, since elite recognition just generally isn’t good in the US (there’s no full breakfast, late check-out isn’t guaranteed, etc.). So a vast majority of my Hilton Honors stays are in the Middle East and Asia, where I find elite recognition to be excellent.
Not only do you typically receive an amazing breakfast, but I also get suite upgrades more often than not. So while I could ultimately live without Hilton Diamond elite status, I find it to be worthwhile, especially since it’s costing me virtually nothing, based on how I account for the cost of the annual fee on the card.
If you stay at Hiltons with any frequency, particularly outside the United States, you should find Diamond to be pretty valuable.
Bottom line
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is a lucrative credit card. The card offers a variety of perks, from an annual free night award, to up to $400 in annual Hilton resort credits, to up to $200 in annual flight credits. On top of that, the card offers the program’s top tier Diamond status, which is a pretty awesome benefit just for being a cardmember. If you stay at Hiltons with any frequency, then I think this is a card that’s worth having.
What’s your take on the Diamond status perks offered by the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card?
