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Calling in risks alerting Citi to the offer and having it withdrawn.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
May 11, 2014, 11:33 am
#361
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Omaha
Programs: AA Life Plat 4mm, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,459
Really fast posting of the Citi Reserve certs; got the card 10 days ago, hit the spend the next day, statement closed 3 days later - 2 certs emailed yesterday. I decided to use them for a March stay at the new Hilton that opens this summer in Miami Beach, saved 80k per night.
May 11, 2014, 2:56 pm
#362
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: United 1K, Hilton Diamond, Starwood Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 180
I have plenty of United and UR points for flights (about 800k combined). Im leaning toward the Surpass since it offers 12pp for the hotel and 6pp for dining, gas, and groceries which are essentially all my heavy hitters. The Citi Reserve doesnt do the bonus for dining and with the amount of stays and points I do as a Diamond, I think thats the better option.
I have the Costco card and the FIA cards but 12HHpp is higher redemption than 2cpp on those.
I have the Costco card and the FIA cards but 12HHpp is higher redemption than 2cpp on those.
May 14, 2014, 10:23 am
#363
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
The real question here is not which card to get, get them both. The relevant question is when/where to put additional spend beyond the min spnd. Which of course is answered by do you need more miles or hotel points.
Start with a regular AMEX HH card if you don't already have one, since AMEX will give you a bonus in 12 months to upgrade to the Surpass, but no bonus to downgrade to the regular. Don't use it out of the country though, since it has foreign currency conversion fees. Even for HH out of the country, I'd still use the CSP to avoid the fees.
If you don't already have a CSP, there is no AF the first year, so get one of those for the sign up bonus. 40K sign up, and 5K more for adding an AU. With $5K spend that turns into 50K points.
Use the CSP for International travel, since it doesn't impose those fees, and gives you 2X points on travel and dining.
Edit: I keep conflating the CSP and the SPG, so edited for accuracy.
Last edited by Brugge; May 14, 2014 at 10:37 am
May 14, 2014, 11:04 am
#364
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SAN
Programs: HH (Dia), Bonvoy (Plat), IHG (Plat)
Posts: 244
Has anyone tried purchasing a HHonors gift card with the Res or the Citi Visa for the credit? It looks to me like the gift cards are sold through Amex and would therefore not register as a "Hilton" purchase, but I wondered if anyone had tried it.
May 14, 2014, 1:13 pm
#365
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 775
BEST CHANCE WOULD BE -- BUY G.C. IN A HILTON "HOTEL"--IF THEY SELL THEM --sorry abt caps
May 14, 2014, 3:04 pm
#366
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 41
I tried three time but can't proceed my app. Only thing I got is being redirect to a page of citi on which it said "If you would like instructions on how to enable JavaScript, you can find them here: How to enable JavaScript
If you prefer to use the website without JavaScript enabled, you can reach specific site sections by using our site map: Contact Citi Cards "
So what happened here... the chrome setting is fine....
If you prefer to use the website without JavaScript enabled, you can reach specific site sections by using our site map: Contact Citi Cards "
So what happened here... the chrome setting is fine....
May 19, 2014, 6:22 pm
#367
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: United, SPG
Posts: 294
Applied for 50k The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express (no annual fee) using link in Wiki. Was instantly approved and they give you the account number online if you want, so you can start using it instantly for purchases on Hilton.com!
May 20, 2014, 10:34 am
#368
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
I tried three time but can't proceed my app. Only thing I got is being redirect to a page of citi on which it said "If you would like instructions on how to enable JavaScript, you can find them here: How to enable JavaScript
If you prefer to use the website without JavaScript enabled, you can reach specific site sections by using our site map: Contact Citi Cards "
So what happened here... the chrome setting is fine....
If you prefer to use the website without JavaScript enabled, you can reach specific site sections by using our site map: Contact Citi Cards "
So what happened here... the chrome setting is fine....
May 22, 2014, 9:41 am
#369
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: Whatever you have, I have too.
Posts: 377
A few weeks ago I received a letter from Citi informing me that my Citi Hilton cc, which has been unused for a long time, was being closed. Ouch. I'd moved on to Surpass and filed the Citi cc away. As I was clearing off my desk yesterday I came across the Citi letter and decided to apply again. Easiest app and approval I've come across in a long time. So I have to do the 1K spend in four months, which is easy, and 50K Hhonors pts will be deposited. No AF. So, even though the longevity average of my credit lines will be impacted by Citi closing my former account, it's hardly a blip, really, compared to the new upcoming easy points. As FTG always says, let your credit work for you.
May 22, 2014, 10:30 am
#370
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
May 22, 2014, 5:15 pm
#371
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: Whatever you have, I have too.
Posts: 377
What...you've only had ONE of these up to now? Until I got distracted recently by multiple Citi 100K AA miles card apps, I was getting another one of these every 100 days. Along with the HH Res, and the Surpass, etc, as well. We are staying in Hiltons in Europe 17 days this summer. And just did 4 days at Hilton properties in the wine country last week. All award stays, of course.
May 22, 2014, 5:43 pm
#372
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 299
What...you've only had ONE of these up to now? Until I got distracted recently by multiple Citi 100K AA miles card apps, I was getting another one of these every 100 days. Along with the HH Res, and the Surpass, etc, as well. We are staying in Hiltons in Europe 17 days this summer. And just did 4 days at Hilton properties in the wine country last week. All award stays, of course.
May 23, 2014, 12:13 pm
#373
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
In most cases, (other than the AA 50K mile cards) Citi will issue you a new cc even though you have an identical one still open. Strangely enough, they will even let you move some of the CL from an existing card to a new app for the exact same card during Recon. The first time the Recon CSR asked "do you want to move some of the CL from your HH card ending in XXXX to your new HH card?" I nearly fell out of my chair. Now I realize Citi finds this normal.
So yeah, I typically have 2 or 3 HH ccs open at any given time. Post devaluation, you need to really ramp up the points.
May 26, 2014, 7:29 am
#374
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: SF, CA
Programs: A3 Gold, WN CP, etc.
Posts: 65
Citi statement credit for restaurant charges if not staying at hotel?
Hi All,
I've seen people saying their restaurant charges have been valid for Citi's statement credits when charged to a hotel room, but I have a question remaining...
Can the Reserve card's $100 statement credit be applied to restaurant charges if I'm not staying at the hotel? Specifically, I'm thinking of dining at the Pompadour at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, but don't know if there is any way to have it show up as a Hilton charge to get the credit...
Any help/tips would be greatly appreciated; thanks in advance!
I've seen people saying their restaurant charges have been valid for Citi's statement credits when charged to a hotel room, but I have a question remaining...
Can the Reserve card's $100 statement credit be applied to restaurant charges if I'm not staying at the hotel? Specifically, I'm thinking of dining at the Pompadour at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, but don't know if there is any way to have it show up as a Hilton charge to get the credit...
Any help/tips would be greatly appreciated; thanks in advance!
May 26, 2014, 9:58 am
#375
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Hi All,
I've seen people saying their restaurant charges have been valid for Citi's statement credits when charged to a hotel room, but I have a question remaining...
Can the Reserve card's $100 statement credit be applied to restaurant charges if I'm not staying at the hotel?
I've seen people saying their restaurant charges have been valid for Citi's statement credits when charged to a hotel room, but I have a question remaining...
Can the Reserve card's $100 statement credit be applied to restaurant charges if I'm not staying at the hotel?
All I can say for sure is that if it doesn't work, you can't complain to Citi about that, since it was against the T/C in the first place.