beachfan

In general, the resorts I've looked at don't charge the first night, just a credit card guarantee. At those hotels, it would only work with prepaid rates.

If I understand things, I can use my $250 between now and year end and still get the $400 in 2024?

I wish there was a way to figure out which resorts charge one night (on a refundable stay) at booking other than one by one.

flyerwanabe1

Had two Aspire. Will be converting to only one once it is up for renewal. I hate the whole couponing and will try to reduce it as much as possible. Life is too short to keep on thinking about these quarterly, semiannual and annual credits.

diesteldorf

Unless I am reading incorrectly, the airline quarterly credits don't go into affect until January 1, 2024.
Any purchase you make now would come out of the annual calendar-based $250 airline credit, under the current terms.

If I am incorrect, that means I have $50 x 3 ASPIRES to use in the 4th quarter of 2023.

rrgg

Yes. Some answers in the closed thread wikipost. Also some details in a Hilton email with subject, "Updates to your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card."

ezak

My understanding is that you'd have the $250 credit, but only until 12/31/2023. Use it or lose it.

italdesign

Indeed, given the trend that every card and its brother is giving away PP, it's surprising that a premium card is cutting it. I wonder if it's starting a new trend. The only PP value I get in the US is restaurants, which no Amex card offers. In Asia, PP lounges are wonderful.

Agree that they aren't worth much any more to me. When I first got hotel status, I reveled in "exclusive" benefits like free breakfast, room upgrade, and lounge access. Today, breakfast means almost nothing to me; I skip it in daily life, and I actually rather enjoy HH's dining credit instead of free breakfast in the US; I can use it on another meal than the breakfast I don't want, such as the wonderful lobster burger on the rooftop of WA LA. I do still get some upgrades with the various programs, even in the US, but it's usually just a better view, which is still nice, but perhaps not critical for the <5 nights a year I stay with Hilton (mostly at aspirational properties to burn the FNC). In terms of lounge, I almost forgot they existed (maybe they don't); in the old days, most of my stays had a lounge; these days, I think just 2 out of my last ~20 hotels even had a lounge - but I wasn't eligible for both as 1 was IHG and the other was using a FNC from another family member, so exactly 0 lounges in 50 nights despite having Marriott Platinum and Hilton Diamond.

In Asia, the benefits are still nice, but I also no longer care for the free breakfast that once enchanted me. There's just much better food on the streets of KL, Singapore, Jakarta, HK, etc for a few bucks, than the solid but ultimately boring fares in most hotel breakfasts. Only at extremely exclusive properties like Conrad Bora Bora and Maldives properties does the breakfast benefit shine, but it's no longer practical for me to go there annually.

It's a long way of saying yep, program benefits don't do much for me nowadays. Still, the card's principle value proposition for me remains the FNC and the 2 credits, and that's what I will be evaluating on whether to keep what for several years was my favorite card. These days, my favorite card is the Ritz.

boingyman

Talk about bad timing on me getting this card a few weeks ago...Personally losing priority pass is a pretty big loss for international traveling since I was most likely going to cancel my Amex Plat card. I know this change is brand new, but it says the $250 airline fee credit is still effective until 12/31/23. What if I haven't chosen my airline yet? Doesn't seem like I can any longer on the app. That's what I get for debating between Southwest vs UA.

Also anyone have a list of eligible hotels where the $400 resort credit would apply?

Cledaybuck

I mean, if you can use the credits, it is still a +$50 card. That's actually better than I was expecting.

aww3583

https://www.hilton.com/en/locations/resorts/

Zolor23

From what I can see, the CLEAR credit comes into effect immediately for existing cardholders and the promotion for new CLEAR members to get a $75 Uber voucher should be expiring tomorrow. That means for anyone who doesn't already have CLEAR but can now get it for free with the Aspire could get a free $75 Uber voucher if signing up today. Anyone see any issues with this?

IIDXias

Unless they changed it with this update (doubt it), you can’t use the prepaid rates for this credit since you get charged by Hilton corporate instead of the individual resort. I don’t know if there’s any way to tell who charges a whole first night as a deposit and who doesn’t besides trial-and-error; the location I’ve used this resort credit at for the last two years is the Conrad at Resorts World Vegas, and they definitely do. So I’ll probably just do that again next year to be honest

italdesign

On the contrary, Marriott has been my primary program for the last 2 years and I'm quite happy with it (with Platinum Elite conferred by Brilliant while paying the old AF this year). I just think the Brilliant card paled greatly and continues to pale compared to Aspire.

My mistake. I thought they switched to the dining credit before the CC refresh. In any case, it's still $300 Marriott with higher fee vs $600 Hilton with lower fee.

Because I have to remember to take it out of the sock drawer and put it in my wallet then put it back into the sock drawer every month. I like to keep my wallet thin so it doesn't make my front pocket bulge. A lot of places I eat at don't take Amex (Asian restaurants, for example). And if one purchase doesn't use up all $25 then I have to make another purchase later, but not more than necessary. You get the point. FWIW it's been taking up space in my wallet for about 15 days this month and I've yet to use it.

The easiest to use for me would be something you do once a year and be done.

I don't disagree, but you used Brilliant as an example of a card that got a lot more value with increased AF, which I also don't disagree with but wanted to point out that card simply sucked before (I only got it for the SUB), and even after the refresh is still weaker than Aspire (to me anyway).

boingyman

That's interesting how some double tree hotels show up.

TravelinSperry

Been researching whether I'll keep the card and came across the Hilton Surpass card which offers 6x points at supermarkets and 4x points for online purchases. Would've been nice to see these categories on the Aspire.

I may switch to Surpass as I'm struggling to find value in Diamond vs Gold these days (exec lounge access seems to be about it). And with me booking via OTAs at Hilton more and more - it doesn't appear I'll be enjoying either status level. May just cancel when next AF hits mid-year and then re-apply for Surpass if the OTA pricing doesn't remain lower (to re-gain Gold status). It's nice to be able to recoup the $550 via quarterly air and semi annual resort hotel bookings - but there are times when one doesn't and then it becomes a frustration. I will miss the free night cert though, has come in handy in prior years.

scubadu

Honestly, it almost feels like you just want to make this hard. I mean put it in a digital wallet (e.g. Apple/Google Pay) on your phone. (yes, yes, I know "the places you go don't take digital wallet payments..." )

Sure, obviously a "one and done" is easier, but that is the trend for these cards (see changes to the very card you are claiming is superior, which we are currently discussing), but the Bonvoy Dining credit is drop dead simple to use, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

Regards