sdsearch

Other differences may include:

Upgrades usually have no lifetime language, but applications-from-scratch usually do.

IIRC, the 75k upgrade used to require less spend than the 100k from-scratch application. Double check if that's still correct that if it matters to you.

B3nder

The Aspire already has language about 1 lifetime upgrade specifically with respect to a free initial weekend night cert on upgrade.
"and you are only able to receive this benefit with an upgrade to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card one time"

You're right that it wouldn't be that surprising if they start applying it for the points too. They already have vague language in the terms saying they can deny the bonus points at their sole discretion.

In the past 12 months, I ended up with 100k points+1night (on renewal in a few months) from the surpass late last year that was converted to an ascend. A citi reserve that was converted to an ascend that they gave me a retention of 20k points for 5k spend and I'll get 2 nights for 15k total spend. And 100k points from a new aspire.

I already had more Hilton points than I knew what to do with before the Amex Hilton cards -- but I had been saving for the better redemption values which have since disappeared so I will burn points any vacations now.

It would be awesome if they sent me upgrade offers on the ascend(s), I'd bump them to Aspire for 13 months.

Abidjan

I'm holding out for this, at least for a few more months.

flew-d-coop

Good point, I think the upgrade alone would suffice. Thanks...

sdsearch

Why only for 13 months? Aspire can easily have a lower "effective" annual fee than Ascend. Aspire gives you a free weekend night annually, Ascend doesn't. Aspire gives you up to $250 airline credit (similar rules for what counts as for Amex PRG/Plat cards), Ascend doesn't. Aspire gives you up to $250 resort credit, Ascend doesn't. For example, if you get the $250 airline credit (say, with 2x$100 + 1x$50 AA e-gift cards) and your free weekend hotel cert gets you a hotel over $105 (including taxes), you've paid less than $450-$250-$105=$95, which is the AF on the Ascend. With a hotel night over $305 (including taxes), just the free weekend hotel night cert would do it by itself! Or stay 2 nights (including at least one on a weekend) at a hotel on the Hilton resort list where the room rate (with taxes) is a bit over $250, and you've saved about $500 ($250 resort credit plus free weekend night cert), which is more than the $450 annual fee.

(I've had cards from Chase that give an annual free night cert of some sort for many years, and I've always gotten more value out of those than the AF on those cards, so I'm used to the concept of "net negative" AF being possible on hotel cards.)

So I don't see the point for most travelers in downgrading from Aspire to Ascend.

B3nder

because I'm talking about a 2nd and 3rd aspire. I fully plan to keep the aspire I already have indefinitely, unless they change benefits. 3 cards would be a lot of credits to juggle as well as a lot of fees to risk on changing future card terms. The airline credit, for example is not guaranteed to remain as easy to redeem or to support the current list of airlines (I did $250 all at once no problem.). Even currently, I don't value the airline or hotel credit at 100%. Airline is worth around $220 max to me (10% off gift cards with cashback on purchase are readily available, and I have over $6k worth of chase UR points that I would be using for a long time anyways before actually paying for airfare). If the Hilton credit was straight "any Hilton", then I'd value it at around $225 due to having tons of Hilton points to use. But the limited list makes it worth a bit less, too, and they could shrink that list further or add stipulations in the future. I'd consider the airline and hotel credit basically a wash with the annual fee, but I'd get an extra free weekend night each card. The bigger risk is they mess something up because maybe they didn't program something in the system to handle one or more of those three things for a person having more than one of the aspire cards. Even with nothing getting messed up in the future, I'd end up with 6 different year timelines to track (The Aspire uses cardmember year, calendar year, and upgrade conversion date year for the separate parts) to go with $750 airline and $750 hotel credits with various dates. And I already have Southwest airline credits with Chase and Travel Credit with Chase to use each year as well. At least a minor pain in the @, and a little absurd. Honestly, I'd only value additional airline and hotel credits at most $200 each for my own purposes. The main benefit then on an ongoing basis would be a free weekend night in exchange for the work of managing the dates and charges for all the credits.

13 months or so would allow 2x (up to 3x if maybe 16-20 months, varies by card) each of the airline and hilton credits and possibly 2x weekend night per card. If they also sent an upgrade points offer, that means I might get $1000 airline credit, $1000 hotel credit, $700+ worth of Hilton points and four weekend nights all for ~$900-$1000. The possible profit would be ~$2500+ for risking $900. And it wouldn't violate the "we can take all your benefits back and close all your other American Express cards if you abuse us, for example if you downgrade or cancel within the first 12 months" that's standard in Amex offer terms.

If I don't end up upgrading either of them I will downgrade them both. No reason to keep ascends around when I have an aspire. They just currently have free weekend nights only at the first account anniversary dates so I can't get rid of them yet.

Edit: I modified your quote where you forgot about the Hilton $250 credit in the effective fee calculation. I'd use basically the same thing for additional cards except value each of the $250s less and the free night more. Yes, the effective annual fee is negative... It's not the only card that is that way now either. Chase now has a Southwest card that gives a $75 southwest credit and $112.50 worth of southwest points with a $149 fee, for an effective annual fee of around negative $30 (again valuing airline credits at 90% of face).

Eduardo Martins

sdsearch

i didn't actually forget. I was trying to point out how someone could get to less AF than on the Ascend even without using the resort credit. And I wanted to point that out,because, as you mentioned, the sparse resort locations make that resort credit not as easy for some people as for others.

B3nder

Yes, but if the effective annual fee adding them all together is still a cost, it wouldn't make sense to keep the ascend *or* upgrade for my additional cards. Agreed on the first card. Although, for future years I can guess the airline credit might be harder to use than the hilton one. But we'll never know.

Surpass, even with an annual fee, I was basically paying solely for the Gold status. So, an Aspire is a no-brainer for me and a big upgrade.

aceman

I'd half decided not to bother with this card (I have the Ascend) because the majority of my charges come from restaurants (about 70%) and groceries & gas (20%), but now thinking about it, Im willing to trade out of the groceries multiplier since restaurants is a little higher and with all the other benefits.

I'm doing the math backwards on this since incrementally the annual fee is an extra $355, so even with just the $250 travel credit I'd be doing ok. I stay in hiltons maybe 3-4 times a year, and only if its convenient, never in the USA. (I dont particularly value PP since I have amex platinum in the uk)

I'm a little unclear as to this:

Can someone tell me if that means you select the one airline for the year or point me to those terms and conditions? I dont particularly have a problem with that, as long as British Airways is on that list?


My final problem comes from the fact that I'm not a US resident. I opened my Ascend via global transfer, and they gave me the basic credit limit of $1000, which meant in essence I turned the card into a prepay card, loading it up upfront. I clicked increase my credit limit online recently and it instantly jumped me up to $3k. I did it again, and it refused saying I had to wait 90 days. Very inconvenient, last month my spend was $16k so I was constantly online prepaying it.

So I guess my questions is, is there a different credit criteria for the Aspire card, or will they just transfer me over to it with the same credit limit?

Finally, I have the free night cert from the ascend, would that complicate things if I got the aspire, or would I then have 2 certs?

jbeckett

Note that the restaurant benefit is limited to U.S. restaurants only.
Yes, you select one airline for a calendar year. This list contains U.S. based airlines only - Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest, United.
No problem, you would have two certificates.

Seabilly

Just got my new Priority Pass card in the mail today. It was for my Hilton AMEX which I cancelled back in February, LOL.

Cledaybuck

B3nder

I'm probably only putting my $250 hilton spend (for the statement credit) on the card. The hilton peso multipliers for the other categories even on the aspire aren't very competitive and most things I put into Chase UR instead. I'd also put other Hilton charges on it, but it will be a while until I burn through my hilton points balance.

Sounds like the ascend works out well for you, though.

kaiotes

I am aiming for diamond via $40k spend. How long would it take to get status to reflected upon meeting $40k spend?