Regardless that I solely keep at Hilton Honors properties a couple of occasions annually, I am a fan of the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card. Even for those who’re an rare Hilton visitor, the cardboard gives way more worth than its $550 annual payment (see charges and costs).
I take pleasure in getting complimentary Hilton Diamond standing as a cardmember and have redeemed the annual free night time certificates I get annually after renewing my card at spectacular properties. However one perk I need to rigorously plan my journeys to make the most of is the Hilton Aspire resort credit score.
So, here is what it’s best to know in regards to the Hilton Aspire resort credit score, together with how one can decide which properties are eligible.
Hilton Aspire resort credit score fundamentals
You probably have the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card, you may stand up to $200 in assertion credit twice a yr whenever you make eligible purchases immediately with collaborating Hilton resort properties. Particularly, you may obtain one credit score of as much as $200 from January by means of June and one other between July and December, totaling $400 again yearly.
Contemplating the Hilton Aspire has a $550 annual payment, absolutely utilizing these assertion credit at collaborating Hilton resorts annually can successfully cowl a good portion of your card’s annual payment. As such, you may need to strategize the easiest way to make use of the Hilton Aspire resort credit score throughout every qualifying interval.
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Learn how to use the Hilton Aspire resort credit score
To make use of the Hilton Aspire resort credit score, you or a licensed person in your account ought to keep at an eligible Hilton resort and use your Hilton Aspire card to pay for eligible fees.
Superior and nonrefundable buy charges don’t depend towards the Hilton Aspire resort credit score. Nonetheless, room charges and different incidental fees to a room needs to be eligible whenever you pay on the property along with your Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card.
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Previously, some customers have had success utilizing their Hilton Aspire resort credit score when making spa or restaurant purchases at collaborating properties, even with out staying.
Nonetheless, the phrases of the Hilton Aspire resort credit score state that “Incidental fees (together with fees made at eating places, spas, and different institutions inside the resort property) at a collaborating Hilton Resort have to be charged to your room and paid for with a Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card to be eligible for assertion credit by means of this profit.”
The phrases go on to state that “your buy is not going to be eligible if it isn’t recognized as being made immediately with a Hilton Resort (e.g., if a purchase order is made at a restaurant or comfort retailer inside a Hilton Resort).”
Some vacationers have additionally had luck getting the Hilton Aspire resort credit score to cowl superior deposits and present playing cards bought immediately with an eligible resort. For instance, TPG’s Carly Helfand bought present playing cards within the first half of the yr with a resort she was staying at within the second half of the yr, and Matt Moffitt referred to as a resort to make a deposit on a 2025 keep close to the top of 2024.
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The phrases of the Hilton Aspire resort credit score say you “might not obtain the assertion credit score if we obtain inaccurate info or are in any other case unable to establish your buy as eligible, if a transaction is made with an digital pockets or by means of a 3rd social gathering (comparable to an app retailer), or if the service provider makes use of a cell or wi-fi card reader to course of it.”
So, make sure you have your bodily Hilton Aspire card with you when testing of an eligible resort to make sure the cost is utilized towards your Hilton Aspire resort credit score.
As with many assertion credit, the credit score relies on the transaction date, which can differ from the date you made the acquisition. I extremely advocate that you do not wait till the previous few days of June or December to make an eligible buy at a Hilton resort. In any other case, the cost may submit after your present credit score expires.
It could take as much as twelve weeks for the assertion credit score(s) to submit to your account after your buy. If Amex hasn’t posted the assertion credit after 12 weeks have elapsed, name the quantity on the again of your card to talk with a customer support consultant.
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Hilton Aspire resort credit score record
The Hilton Aspire’s phrases direct you to view a record sorted by model or area on the Hilton web site. I like to recommend utilizing the kind by area perform, as this lets you assessment the at the moment eligible properties that you simply could possibly embody in an upcoming journey.
Do not use the search bar on the high of this web page, although, as doing so may also show properties that are not eligible for the Hilton Aspire resort credit score.
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How I exploit the Hilton Aspire resort credit score
My husband and I every have a Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card, which implies we’ve two units of Hilton Aspire resort credit to make use of every January by means of June and July by means of December.
So, we discover two Hilton resorts to go to annually — one from January by means of June and one other between July and December — and cut up the invoice between our playing cards at checkout.
In 2024, we used the January by means of June credit on the Hilton Alexandria Corniche in Egypt. Our five-night keep price simply $433, so we used our credit to cowl all however $33. In the meantime, we used our July by means of December credit score for incidentals on the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, the place we used two free night time certificates and 150,000 Hilton factors for our room.
In 2025, we used the January by means of June credit on the Hilton Cartagena Resort. Our three-night keep price $536, so we lined all however $136 with our Hilton Aspire resort credit. Then, we used the July by means of December credit on the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton Niagara Falls. Our three-night keep plus parking price $457, so we used our credit to cowl all however $57.
I have not determined the place we’ll use our Hilton Aspire resort credit in 2026. Nonetheless, I would like to return to Jordan’s Useless Sea resort space, Fiji or Surfers Paradise in Australia. A number of the properties in Thailand additionally look interesting, particularly since I’ve but to go to Hua Hin or Pattaya.
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Use a number of credit on one Hilton keep
TPG contributor Matt Moffitt wrote about stacking advantages from two Amex playing cards to pay simply $35 per night time for a Hilton keep in Portugal.
In his case, he stacked his Hilton resort credit score with the as much as $300 in assertion credit he will get biannually (as much as $600 complete annually) on pay as you go Advantageous Resorts + Resorts or The Resort Assortment (minimal two-night keep required) bookings by means of American Specific Journey® as a advantage of American Specific Platinum Card®
Nonetheless, there are different credit you could additionally doubtlessly use on a single keep.
For instance, The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Specific offers me as much as $200 in assertion credit per calendar yr (as much as $50 per quarter; enrollment within the Hilton for Enterprise program required) once I use my Amex Enterprise Platinum card to make purchases immediately with a property within the Hilton portfolio.
Likewise, it is price checking whether or not any Chase Gives or Amex Gives apply to your keep. Then, take into account the way you need to cut up your cost to greatest use all of your credit and gives earlier than you attain the check-in desk. I’ve by no means had a problem asking the entrance desk to separate cost for a keep throughout a number of playing cards.
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Backside line
The Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card is without doubt one of the most useful resort bank cards available on the market. The cardboard’s complimentary Hilton Diamond standing and 14 factors per greenback earnings on eligible purchases made immediately with motels or resorts inside the Hilton portfolio are simple to maximise.
Maximizing Hilton Aspire resort credit and the annual free night time certificates requires extra planning. Nonetheless, even for those who do not absolutely maximize these perks, you may seemingly discover that the cardboard gives greater than sufficient worth to justify its annual payment.
When you do not have already got the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card, know that it at the moment has a welcome supply new cardmembers can earn of 175,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
To be taught extra, learn our full assessment of the Hilton Aspire.
Apply right here: Hilton Aspire
For charges and costs of the Hilton Honors Aspire card, click on right here.
