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[ARCHIVE to 2018] American Express Announces Two New Hilton Credit Cards

[ARCHIVE to 2018] American Express Announces Two New Hilton Credit Cards

Old Dec 23, 2018, 8:15 pm
  #1576  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH diamond
Posts: 2,646
Anybody not getting the full points from hotel stays? Just got my Aspire statement with my 2 stays on it. I am missing over 5000 points. When I called the CSR, she said the points from the hotel stays would appear on the next statement. When I asked what the points listed as from Hilton family hotels for this month were coming form, she said it was from the previous month's hotel stays. However I had no stays the previous month. She refused to look into it further and told me to wait until the next month. She said she sees the proper # of points next to the hotel stays.

Are ppl getting their points from hotel stays on the same statement the hotel stay charges appear or in the next month's?
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Old Dec 28, 2018, 6:49 am
  #1577  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,111
Here is a data point in case anyone else has issues. My wife recently 12/4 applied for the Hilton Aspire card & fulfilled the sign up bonus with a single tax transaction. Her Amex online account does not show her Hilton number added. She has called multiple times with no success. Upon filing a complaint, it turns out that her account is under rewards abuse team review.

Last edited by michaelr; Dec 28, 2018 at 6:59 am
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Old Dec 28, 2018, 8:39 am
  #1578  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,037
Originally Posted by travelinfoo
Anybody not getting the full points from hotel stays? Just got my Aspire statement with my 2 stays on it. I am missing over 5000 points. When I called the CSR, she said the points from the hotel stays would appear on the next statement. When I asked what the points listed as from Hilton family hotels for this month were coming form, she said it was from the previous month's hotel stays. However I had no stays the previous month. She refused to look into it further and told me to wait until the next month. She said she sees the proper # of points next to the hotel stays.

Are ppl getting their points from hotel stays on the same statement the hotel stay charges appear or in the next month's?
Hi,

I am not sure how their system works, but I have had points for the same stay post on more than one statement. My Hilton account also shows 2 separate transactions.

These seems to happen more often when Hilton is running bonus offers like 2x or 3x points.
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Old Dec 28, 2018, 9:11 am
  #1579  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,727
Originally Posted by Adelphos
Next year, look forward to either applying for an Aspire or upgrading my Ascend to Aspire for another 150,000 signup bonus. With the cards, elite bonuses, double points bonus, Hilton/Amex are pretty rewarding....
Reminds me of the Citi Prestige, where the benefits were so good, there will eventually have to be some kind devaluation, if only because it's unsustainable. Basically, it's getting paid for having Diamond status.
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Old Dec 28, 2018, 12:24 pm
  #1580  
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Originally Posted by travelinfoo
Anybody not getting the full points from hotel stays? Just got my Aspire statement with my 2 stays on it. I am missing over 5000 points. When I called the CSR, she said the points from the hotel stays would appear on the next statement. When I asked what the points listed as from Hilton family hotels for this month were coming form, she said it was from the previous month's hotel stays. However I had no stays the previous month. She refused to look into it further and told me to wait until the next month. She said she sees the proper # of points next to the hotel stays.

Are ppl getting their points from hotel stays on the same statement the hotel stay charges appear or in the next month's?
I just got off chat with Amex because I received straight 3X on my Dec 19 statement, which included a Hilton stay for around $800 (14X on my Aspire). They fed me the same story -- they can see the points as pending and claim the process is that they will post with the next statement. (first she actually said they post 24-48 hrs after the statement closing, then when I pointed out it had been 10 days, it turned into "next statement"). That's news to me and certainly the Nov statement posted the bonus Hilton stay credit as a separate line item, but at the same time as the 3X points.

Put a to-do item in my list to contact them again after the Jan statement closes, assuming those points don't magically appear in the meantime.

They were also not willing or able to post $250 Aspire resort credit after 6 weeks. Wait 8-12 weeks, she said. Another to-do item.
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Old Dec 29, 2018, 1:29 pm
  #1581  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
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I think I'm now ready to get the Aspire. I felt I didn't need it in 2018 because we were Diamond, and our airline status was high enough that we didn't pay for any changes or cancellations. And we got a free night from our Ascend spend. But we're dropping down in status for 2019.

But I'm running into a problem. I have the regular no-fee Hilton, and my husband has the Ascend. For BOTH of us it is saying that if we want the Aspire, it is an upgrade with no bonus points. Not acceptable.

If I cancel my no-fee Hilton, and therefore have no Hilton Amex or any Amex cards, will I be able to apply "fresh" and get the bonus? It's 150K right now...was it higher before or is that pretty good? Is there a certain amount of time I need to wait between cancelling one and applying for the other?

And just a question (although I'm sure I know the answer) - does anyone regret getting the Aspire?
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Old Dec 29, 2018, 1:44 pm
  #1582  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,727
Originally Posted by Eujeanie
I think I'm now ready to get the Aspire. I felt I didn't need it in 2018 because we were Diamond, and our airline status was high enough that we didn't pay for any changes or cancellations. And we got a free night from our Ascend spend. But we're dropping down in status for 2019.

But I'm running into a problem. I have the regular no-fee Hilton, and my husband has the Ascend. For BOTH of us it is saying that if we want the Aspire, it is an upgrade with no bonus points. Not acceptable.

If I cancel my no-fee Hilton, and therefore have no Hilton Amex or any Amex cards, will I be able to apply "fresh" and get the bonus? It's 150K right now...was it higher before or is that pretty good? Is there a certain amount of time I need to wait between cancelling one and applying for the other?

And just a question (although I'm sure I know the answer) - does anyone regret getting the Aspire?
1. Correct. Absent the bonus, DO NOT upgrade, under any circumstances.

2. For most cardmembers, if you have under 4 revolvers (not charge cards), you can apply, and likely will be instantly approved for the Aspire with the bonus. If for some reason you're not eligible for the bonus, you'll see a pop-up. If you have 4 revolvers already, it will be declined for having "maximum" number of cards allowed. In this case, call memberships services, and they'll simultaneously close a card of your choice, and approve the Aspire. No need to wait first, or even cancel a card, since Amex will likely allow you shift CLs around to meet your needs.

3. 150K is pretty good, but with one bonus per lifetime, it may go up to 200K. But, given the terms of the Aspire currently, I'd take it.

4. No regrets! Actually, before this offer, I've stayed in Hiltons several nights my entire life, and my even have had complimentary Diamond status in the past. I just didn't care (never bothered with them, and was more focused on SPG), until the bonuses, free nights, airline credit, resort fee thing, etc...made staying at a Hilton, at least a few times, too compelling to ignore.

As I've told friends and colleagues, best card in the market today. I'll bet anything in a couple of years, Amex's is gonna water this down, much like the 50% MR bonus on the Bus Plat card airfare redemptions.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 9:28 am
  #1583  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,037
Originally Posted by Visconti
As I've told friends and colleagues, best card in the market today. I'll bet anything in a couple of years, Amex's is gonna water this down, much like the 50% MR bonus on the Bus Plat card airfare redemptions.
You could be right. However, I think it will depend on who is shouldering the majority of the expense associated with the various credits and free nights. Being that it is a co-branded card, Hilton could be assuming much of the financial burden, vs. the Business Platinum that is an Amex-only card.

I always thought the target for the Aspire card were leisure travelers that may not normally be Hilton loyalists if not for the status or benefits. Since getting the Aspire, Hilton has become my chain of choice when price and location allow it. Hopefully Hilton is pleased with whatever benefits they are getting and will keep things as is.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 9:34 am
  #1584  
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Originally Posted by diesteldorf
I always thought the target for the Aspire card were leisure travelers that may not normally be Hilton loyalists if not for the status or benefits. Since getting the Aspire, Hilton has become my chain of choice when price and location allow it. Hopefully Hilton is pleased with whatever benefits they are getting and will keep things as is.
Same here. In a way, the perfect storm with Marriotts problems and removing meaningful benefits from Gold status and Hyatt not having a viable program for travelers like me.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 9:42 am
  #1585  
 
Join Date: May 2011
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Originally Posted by Visconti
As I've told friends and colleagues, best card in the market today. I'll bet anything in a couple of years, Amex's is gonna water this down, much like the 50% MR bonus on the Bus Plat card airfare redemptions.
1) I think the new collection of cards has been a success for Hilton and Amex - people seem to be shifting stays to Hilton given the rewarding cards, promotions and any perceived Marriott/Starwood issues

2) I bet AMEX is happy that it is not dependent on only one hotel relationship

3) The benefits of the Aspire card dont seem to be that expensive. So what if there are a few more Diamonds in the program?

This card has a good chance of staying very rewarding (though obviously all programs or cards can be devalued)
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 2:15 pm
  #1586  
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
I think I'm now ready to get the Aspire. I felt I didn't need it in 2018 because we were Diamond, and our airline status was high enough that we didn't pay for any changes or cancellations. And we got a free night from our Ascend spend. But we're dropping down in status for 2019.

But I'm running into a problem. I have the regular no-fee Hilton, and my husband has the Ascend. For BOTH of us it is saying that if we want the Aspire, it is an upgrade with no bonus points. Not acceptable.

If I cancel my no-fee Hilton, and therefore have no Hilton Amex or any Amex cards, will I be able to apply "fresh" and get the bonus? It's 150K right now...was it higher before or is that pretty good? Is there a certain amount of time I need to wait between cancelling one and applying for the other?

And just a question (although I'm sure I know the answer) - does anyone regret getting the Aspire?
I never got a points upgrade offer direct from no-fee to Aspire. First I got a 150k points upgrade offer to Ascend (though I had to wait or month or two for that to appear after the Ascend name debuted), and then about 6 months later they gave me a 150k points upgrade offer from Ascend to Aspire. I don't know whether anyone has ever gotten points upgrade offers straight from no-fee to Aspire.

These upgrade offers are not there all the time. Did your husband check back in early November (when my account and several others on FT were showing 150K Ascend->Aspire upgrade offers), or only now? If only now, perhaps the points upgrade offer has been temporarily withdrawn?

Meanwhile, you don't need to cancel an existing Hilton card if you want to get Aspire. People have been approved for multiple types of Hilton cards at the same time. In fact, cancelling a card can put you at greater risk of not getting a signup bonus on a new card application (as can having other Amex cards "sock drawered"). The only case in which I would recommend cancelling an existing Hilton card would be if the Aspire would put you over 5 (non-charge) Amex credit cards, but even then only cancel when they say they can't approve you because you're over the limit of cards, and cancel it then only if they say they'll approve you if you do that.

Meanwhile, I would say the turn of the calendar year is the worst time to get an Aspire, because then you can't get 2x$250 airline credits the first card year. So I'd say since you haven't done it yet in 2018, wait a while into 2019 to de-sync your card year from the calendar year, and maybe you'll see points upgrades reappear by then (at least for a person who has an Ascend card)? Plus if you have "sock drawered" Amex cards, it'll give you time to start using them and have statements close.

Finally, you can use the airline credit for much more than "true" incidental fees, on some airlines. Specifically, if you can make use of AA as your selecting airline, with AA you can buy a single $250 e-e-gift-card on aa.com and get the $250 airline "incidental" credit that way. And AA allows up to 8 gift cards per purchase. (You do it with a couple other ailrines too, but the particulars vary a lot: For example, with DL you cannot get the credit unless you buy separate $50 e-gift-cards, and DL only allows 3 gift cards per purchase, so you'd need at least 2 DL purchases a year to use up 5x$50 e-gift-cards. But since I see you're AA MM, I presume AA will work for you fine.)

Last edited by sdsearch; Dec 30, 2018 at 2:24 pm
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 2:36 pm
  #1587  
 
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Thanks for the info. I got a little trigger happy and did apply for the Aspire today - and supposedly will get the 150,000 pt bonus. What astonished me was that almost immediately (and I mean within 5 minutes) I went and made a Hilton reservation, and my account showed me already Diamond.

I am a little confused about the airline credit...our 99% airline use is on Alaska, so will have to see what we can do with them. I'm actually ok with saving and using it for changes, we've been Gold with them for so long that I do make lots of changes, and since we're dropping down in status this year I might make use of it simply for change fees if necessary. But did I screw up in getting the card now, on Dec. 30? Isn't it a calendar year, so I'll have my $250 airline credit to use during all of 2019? If not oh well, live and learn. But not sure when I'll get the directions to pick an airline - when I get the actual card?

And we really don't sock-drawer any cards. We use them all (we don't have that many). I've got my little cheat sheets to remind me who gives better points in which category. I think we will cancel my husband's current Ascend once we get a current promo credited, and we'll each be left with our own Hilton Amex no-fees, plus my new Aspire. Cancelling his Ascend will give us $95 back so the Aspire AF will be virtually $350, not $450. And keeping the no-fees will give us a higher point earn on restaurants and supermarkets, which we use more than anything, and will be better than the 3x the Aspire gives. (looks like restaurants are better with aspire, so will use our no-fees for supermarkets and anything else that will fall into the 3x category).

Last edited by Eujeanie; Dec 30, 2018 at 3:39 pm Reason: correction
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 5:23 pm
  #1588  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,727
Originally Posted by diesteldorf
I always thought the target for the Aspire card were leisure travelers that may not normally be Hilton loyalists if not for the status or benefits. Since getting the Aspire, Hilton has become my chain of choice when price and location allow it. Hopefully Hilton is pleased with whatever benefits they are getting and will keep things as is.
Agreed. In my view, it's presently not only the best overall offer value-wise, but also likely the best card for anyone without current top tier hotel status. The timing is excellent, given the potential volatility of the MAR/SPG integration. I'd imagine, both Hilton and Amex should pick up some market share here.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff

Same here. In a way, the perfect storm with Marriott’s problems and removing meaningful benefits from Gold status and Hyatt not having a viable program for travelers like me.

Aside from my general principle of taking advantage of a tremendous offer, from my perspective, while I knew I'd qualify for Hyatt Glob this year, it was a hedge for the following year. What if WOH terms were to change, or I simply didn't feel like making an effort? There's always the Hilton program to fall back on, and will have a year to basically try it, along with tons of HHonors points from their various cards. Without a doubt, some stays the following year will go to Hilton, whereas without this offer, it would likely have gone to Hyatt.

Originally Posted by Adelphos

1) I think the new collection of cards has been a success for Hilton and Amex - people seem to be shifting stays to Hilton given the rewarding cards, promotions and any perceived Marriott/Starwood issues

2) I bet AMEX is happy that it is not dependent on only one hotel relationship

3) The benefits of the Aspire card don’t seem to be that expensive. So what if there are a few more Diamonds in the program?

This card has a good chance of staying very rewarding (though obviously all programs or cards can be devalued)




I don't think the number of Diamonds will pose an issue for Hilton, and, if indeed, Hilton is bearing most of the costs for recurring rewards, then Amex, I suspect, would have no reason for devaluation. Post sign-up bonus and $500 airline credit (for the one time churners), the annual recurring benefit would be: $250 Airline + $250 resort credit + $100 Waldorf/Conrad property credit + free weekend night, which would roughly be equivalent to about $800 - $900? So, less the $450, the recurrent net benefit would be around $300 - $400, assuming one were to spend money on travel. Considerable cost hurdle, if most cardmembers maximized these benefits.

Last edited by Visconti; Dec 30, 2018 at 5:40 pm Reason: To add quote.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 6:04 pm
  #1589  
 
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Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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In determining the benefit of something, it is important to keep in mind not just the "list value" value of that benefit, but also the "net value". Take, for example, the resort credit. For that, the list value equals the net value only if a cardholder would have spent the money at the resort anyway even if no rebate offer existed. So if a person got a spa service SOLELY because it was "free" then there is no net value. This is because, to that person the spa service was not really free -- because of the card's annual fee.

OTOH, if that person would have puchased the exact same spa service at the exact same resort even if the credit card provided no rebate, then and only then can the full amount of the rebate be subtracted from the card annual fee for the purpose of determining "benefit".
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 7:46 pm
  #1590  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 231
Originally Posted by amanuensis
In determining the benefit of something, it is important to keep in mind not just the "list value" value of that benefit, but also the "net value". Take, for example, the resort credit. For that, the list value equals the net value only if a cardholder would have spent the money at the resort anyway even if no rebate offer existed. So if a person got a spa service SOLELY because it was "free" then there is no net value. This is because, to that person the spa service was not really free -- because of the card's annual fee.
Resort credit is good on room rate and taxes, not just overpriced services. However, the qualifying list of resorts is limited. And many of them track on"resort fees" that you must pay if you book the room paying cash (credit card) that you would not pay if you paid with points. For this reason, I would find it hard to value the $250 resort credit at more than $200.

Similarly airline credits, even if converted to gift cards, are at most worth about 85 cents on the dollar to me. Airline gift cards are regularly available from other channels at 10% off of face value. Additionally, you lose the insurance components you would get if you paid for the tickets on a card like the sapphire reserve (which would also give 4.5% rebate) and have to juggle gift card codes. Or on some airlines (Southwest) there are other benefits you lose by paying with gift cards vs with transferred points.
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