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Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi

Old Jun 12, 2013, 11:05 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: vah4883
Limited-time offers
Hilton HHonors American Express card. 80,000 points for spending $2,000 in 3 months; no annual fee. Ends May 31, 2017
Hilton HHonors American Express Ascend card. 100,000 points for spending $3,000 ; $95 annual fee.
Hilton HHonors American Express card application page. 75,000 points for spending $1,000 in 3 months; no annual fee.
Public offer expired Feb 1, 2017 (this link brings up a page: "This campaign has expired. Thank you for your interest."), but Refer a Friend links still active. This one has the referral ID stripped out.

Citi HH Visa 40K application page (spend $1K/4 mos.)
  • This offer does not contain an explicit 24-month restriction.
    If you apply using this link & are not instantly approved, DO NOT CALL CITI.
    Calling in risks alerting Citi to the offer and having it withdrawn.

Ongoing offers
Amex HH Surpass Card
  • Annual fee: $75, no first-year waiver.
  • Signup bonus: 75K points for spending $3K in the first 3 months.
  • Earning: 12 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 6 points/$ at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets & gas stations; and 3 points/$ on everything else.
  • Elite status: Hilton Gold status for as long as you have the card and Diamond status after $40,000 in annual spend.
  • Booking bonus: 500 bonus points for every stay (including award stays) booked directly with Hilton & guaranteed with the card
  • Important limitation on this offer: "Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product."

FlyerTalk discussion thread: The Hilton HHonors Surpass(SM) Card from American Express
Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card
  • Annual fee: $95, no first-year waiver.
  • Signup bonus: 2 free weekend nights after $2500 in spend within four months. These free nights are valid at all Hilton redemption categories, including Waldorf Astoria properties.
  • Anniversary bonus: 1 free weekend night each year after $10,000 in spend.
  • Earning: 10 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend, 5 points per dollar on air and car rental, and 3 on everything else.
  • Elite status: Hilton Gold status for as long as you have the card and Diamond status after $40,000 in annual spend.
  • No foreign currency transaction fees.
  • Important limitation on this offer: "Weekend Night Certificates offer is not available if you have had a Citi Hilton HHonors Card account that was opened or closed in the past 24 months.."

Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card
Citi HH Visa 60K application page. You can also apply by calling 1-866-615-2274.
  • No annual fee.
  • Signup bonus: 60K points for spending $1K in the first 4 months
  • Earning: 6 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 3 points/$ at U.S. supermarkets, drugstores & gas stations; and 2 points/$ on everything else.
  • Elite status: Hilton Silver status for as long as you have the card.
  • Fast track To Gold status: After four qualifying stays within your first 91 days of cardmembership, receive Gold status through the end of the following calendar year.
  • Important limitation on this offer: "Hilton HHonors Bonus Points offer not available if you have had a Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card account that was opened or closed in the past 24 months."

Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose]
Basic Amex HH Card
Offer for 50K points (spend $750/3mos.) + $50 credit for first purchase: Make a dummy reservation on Hilton site. Offer will appear on page before final booking. (Cannot be linked to directly.)
Offer for 50K points (spend $750/3mos.)
  • No annual fee.
  • Earning: 7 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 5 points/$ at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets & gas stations; and 3 on everything else.
  • Elite status: Hilton Silver status for as long as you have the card and Gold status after $20,000 in annual spend.
  • Booking bonus: 500 bonus points for every stay (including award stays) booked directly with Hilton & guaranteed with the card
FAQ
1. Are these cards churnable?
As of May 1, 2014, Amex will not give a signup bonus to card applicants who have held the card in the past ~7 years, even if the applicant has never earned a previous signup bonus for it. However, it is still possible to upgrade an existing Hilton Amex to the Surpass card to earn a bonus (and reportedly to do this more than once by later downgrading & then upgrading again). The best strategy is to earn a Surpass signup bonus first, and only afterward pursue the upgrade bonus(es).

In August 2016, Citi began inserting language into applications and landing pages requiring a 24-month wait from the date of the opening or closure of any Citi Hilton card. Previously, the Citi Hilton Signature Visa and Reserve cards were on separate clocks for each applicant. Now there is a single 24-month clock reset by open/close of either type of card. For more info, see the wiki at Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose].

2. I have met the spending. When will my bonus post?
For Amex cards, the bonus will post a few days after meeting the spend. The points from the actual spend will post after statement is generated. For Citi products, bonus points post only at statement close.

3. What happened to the Amex drugstore category spending bonus?
Changes to Hilton Amex cards as of May 2013 are explained here:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfr...at-we-thought/

4. What is the link to upgrade from no fee card to Surpass card for 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months?
This link redirects to this landing page. Application page.
You need to be logged into your Amex account first, then click on the link above, then click Upgrade. (This does not work for all people. It is suspected that only people that have had the no-fee card for at least one year are able to upgrade to the Surpass card.) There is generally no hard pull on your credit report for upgrading.

5. Does having one of these Hilton cards preclude me from successfully earning the signup bonus on a different one?
No. All four cards are separate products. Having (or having previously had) one of them has no effect on your bonus eligibility for the others--but note, as discussed in FAQ #1, that opening or closing any Citi Hilton card will affect your eligibility for any new Citi Hilton card bonus.

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Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi

Old Feb 19, 2013, 4:02 pm
  #46  
Formerly known as hcampana
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AMS
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 463
If I get the regular Hilton Amex, can is still use the AXON? I don't see anything about it in the benefits. Thanks.
myeurocrush is offline  
Old Feb 19, 2013, 4:23 pm
  #47  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by hcampana
If I get the regular Hilton Amex, can is still use the AXON? I don't see anything about it in the benefits. Thanks.
As of today, yes. However Hilton just announced a major devaluation today and the future of AXON is uncertain. It is very likely that these will go away completely after March 28. The new announcement only refers to get 5th night free on award stays for all elite members and makes no mention of AXON.
msc75 is offline  
Old Feb 19, 2013, 4:40 pm
  #48  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: AA Plat, UA Gold, AS MVP Gold, HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Club Carlson Gold, US
Posts: 956
Earn and Burn... Glad i saw the post today..
iqbalt80 is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 11:27 am
  #49  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 9,980
Originally Posted by raghu455
I would wait a while before applying for any HH card now that the hilton devaluation has just occurred. Added 3 new categories which means you will need 100K points a night for Conrad Koh samui or the rangali island property. I am sure that Amex or citi will offer bigger Credit card signups due to this massive devaluation! Awards just went up 50% @@#$#$
Some went up 100%!
josephstern is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 12:17 pm
  #50  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Born and raised in South Carolina, now in New York City.
Posts: 534
The way Hilton is going we might get to see a 1,000,000 point credit card down the road. Ha!
saranyc is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 12:39 pm
  #51  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Feeder Band Land (South FL)
Programs: seeking best cc sign-up & spend bonus offers
Posts: 863
Want to make Hilton my primary hotel churn. Only Hilton card I've had (current) is citi HHonors Visa. My stays cat. 4 or less so new redemption rate a plus.

Can one apply for this Hilton AmEx:

https://www262.americanexpress.com/apisites/microsite/apply/hilton-hhonors-card/71-1000-205?


& Surpass AmEx card same time & get bonus points offered by both? Was going to follow churn strategies advised here, but now outdated?:

http://www.theman1000.com/2012/02/06/custom-strategy-hilton-hhonors/


Any advice or links for hotel churn newbie appreciated! Thanks!
TravelPhotographer is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 1:51 pm
  #52  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Born and raised in South Carolina, now in New York City.
Posts: 534
Originally Posted by TravelPhotographer
Any advice or links for hotel churn newbie appreciated! Thanks!
What about the Bank of Hawaii and Bank of America Hawaiian Airline cards? You can get a total of 140k Hilton point BUT there is a $79 fee (that they don't waive) for each card.
saranyc is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 2:20 pm
  #53  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YYZ
Posts: 622
Quick question - does the spend requirement start from the date of application, approval, card mailing, or activation?
slaman is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 2:38 pm
  #54  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AA Citi Visa and Amex, Citi AA Biz, SPG, Amex Green, Zync, Discover It (Starbucks Gold) HHonors Gold
Posts: 268
I just wanted to chime in and report that I've only been a HH Amex (free) cardholder since January of 2013 and today I saw the option to upgrade and earn 50K from inside of my account. Perhaps I was targeted or perhaps it varies. Just wanted to to mention that not everyone has to wait a least a year.

With the recent news with the award category changes, I guess I'll probably need more miles if I'm going to ever get to Bora Bora or Maldives. Haven't decided if I want to pull the trigger quite as yet.

4. What is the link to upgrade from no fee card to Surpass card for 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months?
http://www304.americanexpress.com/ge...Honors-Surpass
(thanks stupidzbu!)
You need to be logged into your Amex account first, then click on the link above, then click Upgrade.
This does not work for all people. It is suspected that only people that have had the no-fee card for at least one year are able to upgrade to the Surpass card.
There is generally no hard pull on your credit report for upgrading.[/QUOTE]

Last edited by texasguy77; Feb 20, 2013 at 2:39 pm Reason: bolded quotes
texasguy77 is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 2:42 pm
  #55  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AA Citi Visa and Amex, Citi AA Biz, SPG, Amex Green, Zync, Discover It (Starbucks Gold) HHonors Gold
Posts: 268
Originally Posted by TravelPhotographer
Want to make Hilton my primary hotel churn. Only Hilton card I've had (current) is citi HHonors Visa. My stays cat. 4 or less so new redemption rate a plus.

Can one apply for this Hilton AmEx:

https://www262.americanexpress.com/apisites/microsite/apply/hilton-hhonors-card/71-1000-205?


& Surpass AmEx card same time & get bonus points offered by both? Was going to follow churn strategies advised here, but now outdated?:

http://www.theman1000.com/2012/02/06/custom-strategy-hilton-hhonors/


Any advice or links for hotel churn newbie appreciated! Thanks!
I'm going to say nope, you cant have both at the same time. What you can do is apply for the free hilton card and earn your bonus points and wait a few months and you could have the option from within your account to upgrade to Surpass and earn an additional 50K. I just received this ofter, however YMMV.
texasguy77 is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 2:47 pm
  #56  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 9,980
Originally Posted by texasguy77
I just wanted to chime in and report that I've only been a HH Amex (free) cardholder since January of 2013 and today I saw the option to upgrade and earn 50K from inside of my account. Perhaps I was targeted or perhaps it varies. Just wanted to to mention that not everyone has to wait a least a year.

With the recent news with the award category changes, I guess I'll probably need more miles if I'm going to ever get to Bora Bora or Maldives. Haven't decided if I want to pull the trigger quite as yet.

4. What is the link to upgrade from no fee card to Surpass card for 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months?
http://www304.americanexpress.com/ge...Honors-Surpass
(thanks stupidzbu!)
You need to be logged into your Amex account first, then click on the link above, then click Upgrade.
This does not work for all people. It is suspected that only people that have had the no-fee card for at least one year are able to upgrade to the Surpass card.
There is generally no hard pull on your credit report for upgrading.


I'm not sure that you're really eligible. Plenty of us have seen the upgrade offer and tried to take it, only to be told we don't qualify yet. Post back if you accept it and tell us which way it goes.
josephstern is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 3:32 pm
  #57  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AA Citi Visa and Amex, Citi AA Biz, SPG, Amex Green, Zync, Discover It (Starbucks Gold) HHonors Gold
Posts: 268
Originally Posted by josephstern
[/B]

I'm not sure that you're really eligible. Plenty of us have seen the upgrade offer and tried to take it, only to be told we don't qualify yet. Post back if you accept it and tell us which way it goes.
Really?? Boo!!! I guess I'll read the T&C's.
texasguy77 is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 4:37 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Feeder Band Land (South FL)
Programs: seeking best cc sign-up & spend bonus offers
Posts: 863
"What you can do is apply for the free hilton card and earn your bonus points and wait a few months and you could have the option from within your account to upgrade to Surpass and earn an additional 50K."

Is it a few months or a full year?

"What about the Bank of Hawaii and Bank of America Hawaiian Airline cards? You can get a total of 140k Hilton point BUT there is a $79 fee (that they don't waive) for each card."

Will consider! Read elsewhere HHonors pt = 0.7 cents; am I correct in figuring then that 2x$79/0.007 = 22,572 pts of the 140K bonus pts covers the fees?

Also, if I do all the above twice (me+spouse), but am only one using all pts., is there way, knowing this in advance, to avoid pt transfer fees?

Last edited by TravelPhotographer; Feb 20, 2013 at 5:57 pm
TravelPhotographer is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 6:48 pm
  #59  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 783
BofA trick to avoid a fee:

Get your spend in your first month, as the fee does not show up till your 2nd card bill. You can call and ask them to waive the fee during that second month (it has worked for BofA cards for me), or cancel it during that 2nd month and they will refund the fee. Just a suggestion, in case you want to avoid that fee and do not plan to hold on to that card. Of course, BofA cards and BofH cards are churnable.

As to HH points being valued at .007, I think it would be a hard case to make after devaluation they announced yesterday, .005 at best at this point. Of course, there are exceptions, but they did devalue by a significant amount.



Enjoy,

PedroNY

Originally Posted by TravelPhotographer
"What you can do is apply for the free hilton card and earn your bonus points and wait a few months and you could have the option from within your account to upgrade to Surpass and earn an additional 50K."

Is it a few months or a full year?

"What about the Bank of Hawaii and Bank of America Hawaiian Airline cards? You can get a total of 140k Hilton point BUT there is a $79 fee (that they don't waive) for each card."

Will consider! Read elsewhere HHonors pt = 0.7 cents; am I correct in figuring then that 2x$79/0.007 = 22,572 pts of the 140K bonus pts covers the fees?

Also, if I do all the above twice (me+spouse), but am only one using all pts., is there way, knowing this in advance, to avoid pt transfer fees?
PedroNY is offline  
Old Feb 20, 2013, 6:58 pm
  #60  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: AA Plat, UA Gold, AS MVP Gold, HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Club Carlson Gold, US
Posts: 956
Originally Posted by josephstern
[/B]

I'm not sure that you're really eligible. Plenty of us have seen the upgrade offer and tried to take it, only to be told we don't qualify yet. Post back if you accept it and tell us which way it goes.
As per the new credit card rules, you cannot upgrade a card until and unless you have the account open for more than a year. It doesn't matter if you see the upgrade option or not.
iqbalt80 is offline  

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