Credit Card News
Hilton, Amex Introduce Revamped Hilton Honors Business Card
Recently, American Express and Hilton announced some major changes to the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card — including a hiked annual fee.
About the changes:
First, the card has made adjustments to its rewards earning rates. Now, cardholders can earn 5x Hilton Honors points on purchases made using the card. However, this is capped at the first $100,000 in spending per calendar year. Cardholders will earn 3x points on purchases beyond that threshold. Previously, this category was set at 3x. However, a category that earned customers 6x points on “select business and travel expenses” has now been removed. Meanwhile, the card will continue to earn 12x points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
Next, the Hilton Honors Amex Business has added a new statement credit opportunity. Customers can now earn up to $240 in statement credits on eligible Hilton purchases made with the card. This credit is split into quarters, meaning that cardholders can earn up to $60 per calendar quarter.
Another new perk is complimentary National Car Rental status. As a Hilton Honors Business card customer, members can now enroll to earn Emerald Club Executive status. Speaking of status, the card continues to include complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn Diamond status when they spend at least $40,000 in eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year.
As for what perks are being removed from the card, the first is a Priority Pass benefit. Previously, cardholders could enjoy up to 10 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges per year. Also gone is the ability to earn a free night reward for spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
With these changes, the annual fee for the card is also increasing. Now, the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card will carry a $195 annual fee — up from $95 previously.
My thoughts:
Like many card revamps, this Hilton Honors American Express Business Card update has plenty of pros and cons. The most obvious downside is the increased annual fee, which has now more than doubled. That fee is offset by the new $240 per year Hilton statement credit — although the quarterly aspect of this credit does heavily impact its usefulness. As for some of the other perk updates, I’m not sure how many cardholders will miss the Priority Pass benefit (since many other premium cards offer it) but I’ve already seen outrage over the free night award removal. Elsewhere, the adjustment to the rewards rates is also a mixed bag, with results varying on how cardholders spent/will spend on the card.
On that note, while controversial, this update could be good for the right type of cardholder. For those who aren’t pleased with the updates, now’s a good time to point out that cardholders may be able to score a retention bonus if they call Amex and say they’d like to cancel.
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