sdsearch

I think you got the new cards confused. It's Ascend which is an upgrade to Surpass, both giving Gold. Aspire is the totally new card that gives Diamond.

So I would say Aspire will be separate, but we don't know yet how they'll consider Ascend relative to Surpass.

We don't know, for example, if they'll "force" Surpass cardholders to Ascend (ie, telling them their AF is going up and the name of the card is changing and they're new getting new benefits, sort of like happened with the Amex SPG card a few years back where the AF did go up, there were new benefits, except the name didn't change in that case), or if they'll keep Surpass holders alive indefinitely but stop taking new applications for it, or what.

And datapoints on how it works might come too late (ie, they may come only after the last time to cancel before auto-conversion, if any, has gone by). So you may have to just guess (cancel Surpass now in case Ascend counts as a separate product later) if you really care.

StangGT909

Lauren, Thanks for all the information on this.
Can you clarify the timing on how the certificates would work.

My Citi Reserve Anv. Month is August, and I will meet the spending requirement before the Amex Switch in January.

If I upgrade to the Aspire Card in January and get the extra Cert as you mentioned,

1. When will the Cert from the Citi card be issued? ~ January or not until August 2018?

2. When will the Amex Aspire Cert be issued? At time of Upgrade to the card (~ Late Jan) or my previous Citi Anv. Month (August)

3. Moving forward, for every year in the future will the Cert. issue date be the new Amex Date or my original Citi Anv. Date

ChinaShrek

I am unclear about much I have to spend on the Amex Ascend card in order to receive the Free Night Certificate. On the Citi Hilton Reserve card, it is $10,000 a year based on the card holder's yearly membership date. The Amex Ascend card states that it is $15,000 a calendar year. My "year" with Citi ended last month. I paid my annual fee. Should I use my card in November and December? Will those purchases count toward my Free Night Certificate? How?

sdsearch

It sounds like you haven't look at the list of Hilton resorts (for which there as a link in one of these threads) yet. Some of them are not all that real a resort, just classified as such. The DoubleTree in Anaheim that is technically a resort can be treated like just any other Anaheim hotel, can't it?

kb9522

$450 for Diamond? This tier will be saturated by those who have paid for this shortcut, in turn making benefits less accessible to those who actually earned it through stays. I will be moving all of my business to Marriott/SPG and using IHG as a backup.

Hilton deserves some backlash for this.

Points Scrounger

Unless, as has been predicted by some, they follow IHG's lead for a higher level making HH Diamond via credit card similar to IHG Platinum ($49/year).

travelinfoo

I got an email that says that Surpass holders will be transitioned to Ascend and new cards will be sent out in Jan. So Surpass holders are being forced to Ascend. I imagine that the new fee won't be assessed until the 2018 renewal. Amex has to send out change of T&C info. You can decide at that time to accept and keep the new Ascend card or decline and cancel.

Eujeanie

We do go to a real resort every year, and I can spend $250 in my sleep. Ridiculous that that DT is a resort. You just have to be aware of what you're reserving, and what your incremental spend might be.

pokeable

Unless Amex modifies things for 2018, WN gift cards are reimbursed for both the Platinum and Preferred Gold travel 'incidental' program.

$250 in WN gifcard, free weekend night cert. for the Aspire would more than make up the $450 annual fee IMHO, regardless of the free Diamond and $200 in resort fees.

travelinfoo

Has this been verified? In AMex's T&C for the airline reimbursement:

This benefit doesn't offer credit toward airline tickets, mileage points purchases or mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, upgrades, duty–free purchases, or award tickets. (bolding my emphasis)

Gift cards are specifically excluded from the benefit.

Eujeanie

You know, I have had a lightbulb moment about this whole Aspire thing.

I think Hilton (and it is rather brilliant if you think about it)...is pitching it more to the leisure traveler (like me).

Hate to generalize, but many of the travelers who earn their Diamond status with BIS points are business travelers...many with their companies paying for all their travel, all their earned status.

Leisure travelers, like us (100% leisure since we are retired) will NEVER make Diamond on our own (unless we are super wealthy and then we wouldn't be staying at Hiltons, would we? )

But this is a way to give US a piece of the pie.

Business travelers don't stay at resorts...we do

Business travelers don't need airline perks since they get them expensed...we do

Business travelers don't travel on the weekends...we do

Sure, business travelers take their families on vacation during their off time, but they have usually accumulated so many miles/points that getting these "freebies" thrown their way is irrelevant. They already have their free flights, free rooms, top airline and hotel status...

Now, that being (maybe erroneously) thrown out there, I DO, ABSOLUTELY think that those who have to spend so much time on the road do deserve a special level above Diamond, but for us 100% leisure travelers it is a brilliant move on Hilton's part - garner loyalty from a new group, us leisure travelers. We're often all over the lot with where we stay since we are usually seeking out the best deal (since it's coming out of our own pockets all the time) - this way they steer us to Hilton stays.

Hey, why not? I'm happy to take part in the game.

broadwayboy

Very well put. Agree completely. I am on the same boat and I am tempted.

PaulInTheSky

Well put. When people only have to pay less than $450USD to get status, or heck many cards offer HH GLD that grant similar benefits except a few from HH Diamond, I really don't see how good it is to stay with Hilton. I may stay with them occasionally, but I really cannot fathom staying too often to just shoot for HH Diamond especially when this card is in place.

pokeable

It (gift cards) are specifically excluded from the Amex Plat and PRG card's airline reimbursement, but for whatever reason, work on WN.

Caveat emptor, but if the Aspire travel credit works like the other Amex travel credits, WN gift cards SHOULD work (for now). There is a wiki thread for WN reimbursements in the Amex forum https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...west-only.html

Cathay Dragon 666

Easier said than done. When I'm mostly traveling in domestic USA, I found the cities I go to have Hilton properties or independent ones (some IHG). I'm a SPG first guy and I find it hard to find SPG properties in most cities I go to, or the location of the properties are not as desirable as Hilton ones.

And I think Hilton understands this. Most people are Hilton Diamond because Hilton properties are everywhere in domestic USA. You can't say the same for SPG (and definitely not Hyatt).