The offer mentioned below for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is no longer available.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Following changes to the consumer American Express Hilton cards, the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is also being overhauled. Starting today, new and existing cardholders gain access to statement credits, revamped reward rates and rental car status.
Some other changes include the annual fee increasing from $95 to $195 (see rates and fees) and the sunsetting of several valuable benefits, including the card's airport lounge access, the ability to earn free night awards and its 6X bonus-point categories.
Below, CNBC Select has the details on the changes and what they mean for you.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card changes
Annual fee
The Amex Hilton Business Card's annual fee is increasing by $100, from $95 to $195 (see rates and fees). The increased fee goes into effect today for new applicants, however, it won't apply to existing cardholders until their first anniversary date that's on or after July 1, 2024.
Increased welcome bonus
Now through June 5, 2024, new card members can earn 175,000 Hilton points (an increase of 45,000 points over the previous welcome bonus) after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on the card during the first six months after opening the account. Experts generally value Hilton points at 0.6 cents per point, which makes this bonus worth more than $1,000 in Hilton stays.
With 175,000 Hilton points, you can book a variety of push hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which typically costs 120,000 Hilton points or $1,000 a night.
New benefits
Hilton Business Card members will receive a handful of new features. Starting today, you'll have access to:
- 5X Hilton points on the first $100,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 3X points) outside of the card's other bonus categories
- The ability to earn up to $240 back each year for eligible Hilton purchases (up to $60 back per quarter)
- Free National Emerald Club Executive status, which gives you benefits such as free rental days and priority service (enrollment required)
Benefits that are ending or changing
With these changes, the Hilton Business Card will lose its Priority Pass airport lounge benefit 6X bonus earning categories. Cardholders will also no longer earn Free Night Rewards with the card.
Lounge access end dates
Here's how the 10 free Priority Pass lounge visits benefit will be phased out for existing cardholders:
- If you enrolled in Priority Pass on or before June 30, 2023, your membership will expire on July 1, 2024.
- If you enrolled in Priority Pass between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, your membership will expire on April 1, 2025.
These dates allow current cardmembers to make the most of their airport lounge access before that feature disappears.
Free night awards end date
Before these changes, you could earn up to two Free Night Rewards each year with the Hilton Business card, but it took a lot of annual spending. You had to drop $15,000 in a calendar year to earn the first free night and $60,000 in total in the same year to earn the second free night.
After June 30, 2024, this option is going away. But any eligible purchases you make with your Hilton Business Card before that date will qualify toward earning the Free Night Rewards. If you spend $15,000 on your card on or before June 30, 2024, you'll earn a free night and if you spend an additional $45,000 on the card ($60,000 in total) before the same date, you'll receive a second free night.
6X bonus categories end date
Previously, the Hilton Business Card earned 6X points on purchases at:
- U.S restaurants
- Airfare booked directly with an airline or through American Express Travel
- Rental cars booked directly from select car rental companies
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. shipping services
- U.S. wireless telephone services
New cardholders will not earn 6X points in these categories, but existing cardholders will continue to earn at that rate through June 30, 2024. After that date, these purchases will earn 5X points on the first $100,000 (then 3X points) in purchases per calendar year.
Benefits that will stay the same
Hilton Business Card holders will continue to receive these benefits and perks:
- Complimentary Hilton Gold status
- Hilton Diamond status after spending $40,000 on your card in a calendar year
- 12X points on purchases directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
- Extended warranty coverage*
- Purchase protection*
- Baggage insurance*
- Rental car loss and damage insurance (secondary)*
- No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)
*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.
What this means for you
The Hilton Business Card's overhaul is significant, some cardholders will see this as a small win and for others it's a big loss.
Who benefits the most
Travelers who stay at Hilton properties multiple times a year might find that the new $240 in Hilton statement credits more than offsets the increased $195 annual fee (see rates and fees). But that's only if they time their trips in a certain way — you can only earn $60 per financial quarter, so you'd need to stay with Hilton at least four times a year (with each booking spread out to once every three months) to get the full $240 statement credit.
If you book two stays a year (with at least 3 months between each trip), you'd earn $120 in statement credits, effectively lowering the card's annual fee to $75 (which is less expensive than the pre-overhaul $95 fee).
Cardholders who didn't spend much in the card's 6X bonus categories might also earn more rewards now that all spending (outside of those made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio) will earn 5X on the first $100,000 of purchases each calendar year (then 3X). Before the overhaul, cardholders would only earn 3X points on popular categories such as groceries.
Who might lose some value
If you have this card for airport lounge access, you'll likely want to consider an alternative since the Priority Pass benefit is vanishing.
In addition, anyone who spent heavily on this card will miss the opportunity to earn Free Night Rewards. Before the overhaul, you had to spend $60,000 each year on the card to earn two free night awards but with those awards you could book nearly any Hilton hotel or resort, even if it cost $500 or $1,000 a night. By taking away the ability to earn Free Night Rewards, Amex is also removing one incentive to rack up a lot of spending on the Hilton Business Card.
Alternative cards to consider
If you're heartbroken over the removal of the Hilton Business Card's airport lounge access, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can ease your pain. This card gives you access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges and more. Access is limited to eligible Card Members.
The Amex Business Platinum Card earns American Express Membership Rewards® points, which can be transferred to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio. It also comes with complimentary Hilton Gold status (enrollment required), so it can make sense for small business owners who are Hilton loyalists.
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a premium business card loaded with statement credit offers for business services and travel that help justify its steep annual fee.
- Access to 1,550 airport lounges, including Priority Pass (Enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Hotel and rental car elite status perks
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty programs (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned; Benefits may be subject to auto-renewal)
- High annual fee
- Limited bonus spending categories
- Some statement credit offers are earned in small increments or only apply to purchases from a single brand
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- As High As 300,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Learn more.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card company on the market as of 01/2026.
- See how you can unlock over $4,000 in business and travel value annually after meeting qualifying spend thresholds on the Business Platinum Card. Terms apply.
- Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually for up to a total of $600 in statement credits per calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using the Business Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- No Preset Spending Limit: The spending limit on the Business Platinum Card is flexible, so unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.
- Make the Business Platinum Card® work even harder for you. Hilton for Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Gift cards are not an eligible purchase. Benefit enrollment required.
- Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
- Use the Business Platinum Card and get up to $219 back per calendar year on your CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal).
- Maximize your time away with Fine Hotels + Resorts through Amex Travel™.
- Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year.
- Enroll and get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year on U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business* on the Business Platinum Card. *Subject to auto-renewal.
- Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card.
- Get up to $90 in statement credits quarterly for purchases with Indeed on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $360 back per year. Enrollment required.
- Get up to $10 in statement credits per month for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $120 back per year. Enrollment required.
- 2X points on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
- 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
- 1X points on other eligible purchases
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) doesn't have any Hilton perks, but it can still work for business owners who want to book hotels with points. You can use the Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you earn with the Ink Business Preferred to book travel through the Chase travel portal. With the card's bonus, you could book Hilton stays. Plus, you can transfer those points at a 1:1 ratio to Marriott, IHG and Hyatt.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is an excellent business card with useful benefits, valuable rewards and a generous welcome bonus.
- Earns flexible travel rewards you can transfer to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Valuable welcome bonus worth $1,125 in travel when redeemed through Chase Travel
- Strong travel and shopping protections
- No intro APR offer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Go further when you book with Chase TravelSM. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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Read more
For rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.
