Jun 12, 2013, 11:05 am
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.)
Ongoing offersPublic 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Calling in risks alerting Citi to the offer and having it withdrawn.
Amex HH Surpass Card
FlyerTalk discussion thread: The Hilton HHonors® Surpass(SM) Card from American Express Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card Citi HH Visa 60K application page. You can also apply by calling 1-866-615-2274.
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose] Basic Amex HH Card
FAQ- 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
- 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
- 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]
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.)
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
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.
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.
Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi
Mar 27, 2014, 6:39 pm
#301
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 50
A simple way to avoid this problem is to award the bonus 3 months after application, and say in the T/C the bonus will only be awarded if the card is still open at that point, since it's too late to get the AF refunded.
If I was in business, would I want as a customer someone who I had to bribe to buy from me with sales and loss leaders? Grocery stores do that all the time. So do airlines, and shopping portals.
I always thought AMEX was far smarter than Citi, but Citi now has the AA Exec card that requires $10k in spend for the bonus. That's a guaranteed spend right up front. If I was running a cc company, that's the way I would go, rather than discouraging potential customers who may or may not keep the card long term.
When I first heard about the Everyday Preferred card, I was eager to get it, knowing I would put all of my grocery spend on it. But since it now sounds like I won't get the bonus, and I have to pay the AF and meet the minimum spend even to find out if I will get the bonus, I'm putting off applying until I cancel all of my other AMEX cards. So if the goal here is to get customers who keep their cards, it is really backfiring. What they are doing is forcing us to cancel existing cards in order to qualify for the bonus on a new card. They are going to get the exact opposite of what they wanted.
If I was in business, would I want as a customer someone who I had to bribe to buy from me with sales and loss leaders? Grocery stores do that all the time. So do airlines, and shopping portals.
I always thought AMEX was far smarter than Citi, but Citi now has the AA Exec card that requires $10k in spend for the bonus. That's a guaranteed spend right up front. If I was running a cc company, that's the way I would go, rather than discouraging potential customers who may or may not keep the card long term.
When I first heard about the Everyday Preferred card, I was eager to get it, knowing I would put all of my grocery spend on it. But since it now sounds like I won't get the bonus, and I have to pay the AF and meet the minimum spend even to find out if I will get the bonus, I'm putting off applying until I cancel all of my other AMEX cards. So if the goal here is to get customers who keep their cards, it is really backfiring. What they are doing is forcing us to cancel existing cards in order to qualify for the bonus on a new card. They are going to get the exact opposite of what they wanted.
Mar 28, 2014, 2:02 pm
#302
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
You will get the bonus on the Everyday cards, as they are a new product. I've been told this not only by Amex CSR but also from internal employees. If this doesn't give you enough confidence, then I guess you'll just have to wait a few months until other people post their results.
What I find strange, if they fully intend to give it out, why did they put in such strong language in the T/C? While some of the other cards only say you will not get a bonus if you have had the card before, this one very clearly says "If we identify you as having an American Express account"...
But as you said, luckily I have all of F/T to confirm this for me in time, one way or the other. And really, with several $10K AA cards to meet the spend on, along with more spend on my SW card to get the CP, I have enough to keep me busy for a month or two anyway.
Apr 6, 2014, 4:06 pm
#306
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 9
Hi, just wondering how frequently can we churn the no fee citi HH? 2 applications per 65 days so I assume every three or four months?
Apr 7, 2014, 12:54 pm
#307
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
Apr 8, 2014, 5:31 pm
#308
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 9
You can absolutely churn it every three or four months. In theory, due to the 65 day rule, you could get another one every 2 months plus a few days. The real limit here is how many HPs will Citi allow you to have when you apply. For many people it's limited to 6 per 6 months, at any one CB. But people with stellar credit and a long history with Citi have been approved with up to 14 HPs per CB in 6 months. YMMV...
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
April 10: 1st card
May 20: 2nd card
June 20: 3rd card (65 days from the April 10)
July 30: 4th card (65 days from the May 20)
Assuming they are all different cards, can I do that? I hope it would not be too aggressive. FYI, I currently having two citi AA personal cc (both about one year long) and one citi AA Biz cc (less than one year, to be closed soon). Started my history with citi last Feb...if you folks think it's too risky I would probably drop one application or so...
Apr 8, 2014, 5:43 pm
#309
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,760
You can absolutely churn it every three or four months. In theory, due to the 65 day rule, you could get another one every 2 months plus a few days. The real limit here is how many HPs will Citi allow you to have when you apply. For many people it's limited to 6 per 6 months, at any one CB. But people with stellar credit and a long history with Citi have been approved with up to 14 HPs per CB in 6 months. YMMV...
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
Overnight, without any advance notice AA eliminated Explorer award, gateway stopover and UPed the standard award by adding a new tier... right up at the DL alley... and refused to commit that no more changes in the future...
In light of the latest development, the churnable HHonors looks better now if you have places to use the HHonors points - 40K for 5 nights at DT Kuala Lumpur or Peking, is great value.
Last edited by Happy; Apr 8, 2014 at 5:52 pm
Apr 8, 2014, 5:51 pm
#310
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 234
Personally I think it is risky to have that many cards with citi so quickly. 4 citi cards from citi in 3 months seems ambitious. Why don't you throw in one of the AMEX cards?
You're also looking at 4 hard inquiries.
You're also looking at 4 hard inquiries.
Apr 10, 2014, 8:48 am
#311
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
I hope those who are flooded with the newly minted AA miles have some idea of the overnight AA devaluation, as well as how scarce the AA award seats have become in past 18 months and would only go much worse here on out.
Overnight, without any advance notice AA eliminated Explorer award, gateway stopover and UPed the standard award by adding a new tier... right up at the DL alley... and refused to commit that no more changes in the future...
In light of the latest development, the churnable HHonors looks better now if you have places to use the HHonors points - 40K for 5 nights at DT Kuala Lumpur or Peking, is great value.
Overnight, without any advance notice AA eliminated Explorer award, gateway stopover and UPed the standard award by adding a new tier... right up at the DL alley... and refused to commit that no more changes in the future...
In light of the latest development, the churnable HHonors looks better now if you have places to use the HHonors points - 40K for 5 nights at DT Kuala Lumpur or Peking, is great value.
Apr 10, 2014, 9:15 am
#312
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Thank you very much for your reply! Speaking of the 65 day rule, I actually feel that I can apply 4 citi cards in 4 months, for instance:
April 10: 1st card
May 20: 2nd card
June 20: 3rd card (65 days from the April 10)
July 30: 4th card (65 days from the May 20)
Assuming they are all different cards, can I do that? I hope it would not be too aggressive. FYI, I currently having two citi AA personal cc (both about one year long) and one citi AA Biz cc (less than one year, to be closed soon). Started my history with citi last Feb...if you folks think it's too risky I would probably drop one application or so...
April 10: 1st card
May 20: 2nd card
June 20: 3rd card (65 days from the April 10)
July 30: 4th card (65 days from the May 20)
Assuming they are all different cards, can I do that? I hope it would not be too aggressive. FYI, I currently having two citi AA personal cc (both about one year long) and one citi AA Biz cc (less than one year, to be closed soon). Started my history with citi last Feb...if you folks think it's too risky I would probably drop one application or so...
Yes you can certainly do apps this soon. The only question is how many hard pulls you have in the past 6 months. And not total hard pulls, but how many hps in whatever Credit Bureau Citi pulls for you. You can easily get approved if you have 5 or less in 6 months. The more history you have with Citi, and the stronger your credit, the more hps you can get away with having.
But as TravelingRabbit points out, all this assumes you are only applying for Citi cards. There are other great ccs out there from other banks, and other than cards from Barclays, they will probably pull from the same CB as Citi. My usual approach is to apply every 100 days, with only one Citi app, but also apps from Chase, and maybe AMEX and B of A.
If you leave at least 92 days between apps, you can apply for 3 ccs per app, and still stay under 6 apps per 6 months. With a longer history with Citi, and stellar credit, you can do 4 or 5 apps from various banks per 100 days.
All depends on what your miles and points goals are, I guess.
Apr 14, 2014, 9:02 am
#313
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
You can absolutely churn it every three or four months. In theory, due to the 65 day rule, you could get another one every 2 months plus a few days. The real limit here is how many HPs will Citi allow you to have when you apply. For many people it's limited to 6 per 6 months, at any one CB. But people with stellar credit and a long history with Citi have been approved with up to 14 HPs per CB in 6 months. YMMV...
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
But of course, that prevents you from applying for other Citi cards.
Personally, I'm not applying for this card again until Citi stops giving out the AA 100K mile cc like candy.
Apr 14, 2014, 9:05 am
#314
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
I've had the Amex hilton no fee for 2 years but want to apply for the amex surpass 75,000 bonus pts. What would be the best strategy? Can I upgrade and try to get them to give the new offer...just apply with the 75k link? Forget the 75k and upgrade with the 50k link and not take a credit inquiry? Would like the 75k!
Apr 14, 2014, 6:49 pm
#315
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,605
You can apply now with the current card open,there is a 50k and $50 statement credit link floating around.
I've had the Amex hilton no fee for 2 years but want to apply for the amex surpass 75,000 bonus pts. What would be the best strategy? Can I upgrade and try to get them to give the new offer...just apply with the 75k link? Forget the 75k and upgrade with the 50k link and not take a credit inquiry? Would like the 75k!
I have 3 HH visas currently open and have had about a dozen of these cards in the past 3 years.