A few years ago, I had the pleasure of spending two nights in New York City for an affiliate conference. The conference was being held at the Waldorf Astoria and, against my better judgement, I spent hundreds of dollars a night to book my room.  Well, the room and the experience was fantastic, but I still hate myself for spending that kind of money when I’m usually the guy comparing TV channels on the motel websites to see if $49 with HBO is better than $47 without.

Hopefully, I’m provided the opportunity to stay at the Waldorf Astoria again, though. I’ve just signed up for the Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express and need to start thinking about where you use my points.

The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express opens up by offering 50,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points after spending $750 in the first three months of card membership.  Hilton HHonors rewards points are earn in the following three tiers:

• Get 7X Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
• Get 5X Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
• Get 3X Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card. Terms and limitations apply.

One of the lesser known perks on the Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express is that new cardmembers are automatically provided Silver status AND after spending $20,000 annually, Gold status is obtained.  There are four levels of rewards program membership in the Hilton HHonors platform: Blue, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Gold status provides amenities like free breakfast, free bottles of water, room upgrades, and a 25% bonus on all points earned.

Just how many hotels are under the Hilton umbrella?  Well, their core brand, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, has just over 570 current locations. Cardmembers can also use and accrue 7x points at the following brands:

• Canopy by Hilton
• Conrad Hotels
• Curio Collections
• DoubleTree
• Embassy Suites
• Hampton by Hilton
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Hilton Grand Vacations
• Home2 Suites
• Homewood Swuites
• True by Hilton
• Waldorf Astoria

There is no annual fee to own the Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express and there is no annual fee for additional cardholders.  The ongoing purchase and balance transfer APR is 15.74% – 19.74% variable.  The cash advance APR is 25.74% and the penalty APR becomes 29.74% (and will be applied for a minimum of six months) if cardholders become delinquent on their accounts.  There is a balance transfer fee of 3% and late payment/returned payment fees of $38 per transactions.

Love to Travel? Learn All About Travel Hacking

For anyone who routinely travels and is in need of hotel stays frequently, the Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express is a terrific fee-free credit card.  Make sure, however, to keep your purchases in the United States, as there is a standard foreign transaction fee charge of 2.7%.

• Get more details on this card and links to apply online at CardRatings.com.

Topics: Credit Cards

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