After copious research I decided to apply for Hilton Aspire today. This is my first luxury card ($450 af, wowsers!). But, for me it is worth it. I value Hilton points at .624 cents each. I have had 6 redemptions over the past 2 years and this was the result. Others value at .6 which also makes perfect sense based on my experience.

Reasons:
1. Diamond status: Gives me a chance at suite upgrades and exec lounge access. When I was Diamond previously I did receive suite upgrades sometimes, so it's not a gimmick benefit, although it is surely not guaranteed.
2. Hotel spend (14x) means 8.74 cents per $ for in-hotel stays/incidentals. That is the top rate of any card, anywhere (across air/hotel/UR). Plus I'll get another 2 points as a Hilton Diamond member (over Gold).
3. Statement credits/free nights
a) 1 free weekend night. Not 100% sure value here... figure $200-$250. An add'l free weekend night at $60k annual spend.
b) $250 statement credit at Hilton Resorts. This is a subset of Hilton properties (~201 participating resorts).
c) $250 airline fee credit.
Between a, b, & c, I'll be able to recoup the $450 annual fee. I only need to achieve 2 of the 3 and that shouldn't be much of a stretch.
4. Air/Car/Restaurant Spend (7x) means 4.37 per $ for these locales. This is better than the 2.7 cents per I value Starwood at. And of course the impetus of this application is the upcoming devaluation of Starwood which will bring it down no less than 33%, resulting in 1.8 cents per $ (perhaps more based on the award chart changes). The only card I could find that exceeds this earning level is Chase Sapphire Reserve. That nets you 5.4 cents per $ spent on Air/Car/Restaurant. If you prefer Hyatt over Hilton (or redeem UR for airfare) and do NOT value Hilton Diamond status then you should get that card instead.
5. Everyday Spend (3x) means 1.87 cents per $ earned. Nothing special at this level. Most cards are ~1.8 to 2 cents per everyday spend and it all depends on what you value highest for this category. For example, you could earn 1 UA mile on the United card and if you redeem for a flight that gets you 1.87 cpm you'd equal the Hilton Aspire here. For me I value Hotel points higher than airfare so it wasn't a negative. But if you value airfare higher... another card may make more sense for you.
6. Premium roadside assistance (includes 4 tows of up to 10 miles FREE, winching, flat tire change and up to 2 gallons of fuel). This is a $50-$60 value (as one can cancel AAA if this is their primary reason for having it).
7. Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits for me and 2 guests.
8. And last, but surely not least, 100,000 Hilton points when I spend $4k in 3 months ($624 in value).

So for me, I'm excited to have this new card. For year one the promo easily wipes out the annual fee - and if I can get any of those statement credits (highly likely) I'll even wipe out next years annual fee, this year.

As for other cards... it is clear through my analysis that Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 af) is the other fantastic choice out there. Unlike having just one redemption partner with Aspire you can redeem for Hyatt and Airlines. Yes, they have other redemption partners (e.g., IHG and Marriott), but those redemptions are not optimal and would result in one earning less than the Hilton Aspire card. If you stick to Hyatt and/or Airlines and redeem at no less than 1.8 cents per - then you will equal or better the earning/redemption of Aspire. There is also a travel portal powered by Connexions where one in theory can garner some good deals. But after perusing that thread on FT I saw too many complaints and issues to trust it (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...ds-points.html). If you go with this card - do it for the transfers to Hyatt or Airlines (and if you do find better redemptions via that portal, consider it gravy).

However for me I prefer to earn Hilton points as Hyatt's footprint is just too small for me to earn/burn miles with them. It limits locales where I can use those points. That leaves Chase Sapphire Reserve as a "souped up" airfare card of United or the foreign airlines (because SWA wouldn't result in the optimal redemption being valued at 1.4 cents per). While possibly an excellent benefit if one values redeeming for biz/first - I find myself desiring many more hotel redemption opptys when I travel and desiring less airline awards. Still - Chase Sapphire Reserve is an excellent card and one that still may make it into my wallet on Aug 1 alongside my new Hilton Aspire. What is surely leaving my wallet is my trusty Starwood Amex which has been there since 2002. 16 years. We had a great run!