About the card

The Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card is issued by American Express.  It is a reward card that allows you to earn Hilton HHonors points that can be redeemed for stays at any Hilton Family Hotel.

The basics

• Variable APR of 14.99% for purchases, 2.9% introductory purchase APR for first 6 months
• 19.99% for cash advances
• When initiated within 30 days of opening the account, 2.9% APR on balance transfers for 6 months
• No annual fee
• 20 day grace period on purchases
• Late fee:  $19 for balances under $400, $38 for balances of $400 or more
• $35 over the limit fee
• 3% fees on cash advances ($5 minimum and no maximum)

The perks

• Earn 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points with your first purchase
• Earn 2,500 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each of your first four stays at any Hilton Family Hotel
• Get 30,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points  when you spend $5,000 in the first 5 months of opening the account - that’s in additional to the regular points you earn
• Get 5 HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar you charge at Hilton HHonors hotels worldwide
• Get 5 HHonors bonus points for select everyday spend categories (supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, restaurants, the U.S. Postal Service, and wireless phone services)
• Get 3 HHonors bonus points for every dollar you spend on any other purchases
• Automatic enrollment in Hilton HHonors at the Silver VIP elite level
• 15% bonus on all HHonors points earned at participating HHonors hotels
• Includes travel insurance of up to $100,000 accidental death or dismemberment
• Account management tools include online account access year end summary that allows you to sort charges by merchant, category, and date.
• Comes with emergency services such as card replacement and Global Assist.  Global Assist will help with medical, legal, financial, lost luggage, and more when you travel more than 100 miles from home

You will like this card if like spending time at Hilton family hotels… Hilton, ConradTM, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Walford-Astoria Collection hotels.

You won’t like this card if you are unable to pay the entire balance of the card at the end of each month.  At 14.99%, interest charges can add up quickly.

Credit card review

The Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card from American Express allows you to earn points that are redeemable for free stays at Hilton family hotels every time you make a purchase.  It takes between 7,500 and 10,000 point to earn a one night stay.  And when you take advantage of the easy to earn bonus points, you can rack up 50,000 points in no time… that is enough for at least a five night stay.

One thing that I like about this card is that you can always earn triple points.  With most point reward cards, you only earn one point per dollar spent, but with the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card by American Express you earn 3 points per dollar spent… and 5 points for most everyday purchase like gas and groceries.

Another great thing about the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card is that there is no annual fee to be a card member.  Most American Express issued cards charge an annual fee of between $50 and $100.

All in all, I think it is a good card.  Its only limitation is that you can only redeem the points for stays at Hilton family hotels.  But with more than 3,000 participating locations nationwide and beyond, there is likely to be one at your next travel destination.

Overall rating

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Apply for the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card from American Express here.