The Ultimate Hilton Credit Card Setup for Maximizing Free Night Awards

The Ultimate Hilton Credit Card Setup for Free Night Awards

Timeline
0:00 Start Here
0:20 Amex Hilton Credit Card Landscape
0:58 Hilton Honors Elite Status
3:34 Free Night Awards
8:37 Annual Fees and Credits

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[anujagrawal]

🥥

1. Yes, stacking aspires makes sense to get multiple stays out. Having 2 aspires, can get you 3 2-night stays (2 with FNCs, 2 by splitting 200 credit at resorts). Airline credit a big bonus which I'll use for united.

2. I have an amex blue cash everyday which I use for groceries. I recently got hilton honors and hilton surpass for the SUBs, and planning to upgrade them next year, with the goal having 2 aspires in the end. Also planning to get 2 delta platinum for the companion flights and delta stays and resy credit. These will be my 5.

3. Mariott doesn't seem to be this generous with rewards so will opt for hilton.

Your videos have been very helpful and have been the reason me recently getting a IHG premier, hilton honors and surpass cards!

[doctorcrayons]

🥥
1. Yes stacking hotel cards for a 4-6 night stay at a bucket list location means that the juice would be well worth the squeeze.

2. 4 Aspire cards and a BBP and the same for P2.

3. I don’t yet, just the BBP as I can’t decide. Do you find Marriott or Hilton to be the better program?

[UpsidedownP]

I'm working on my Hilton set-up for my honeymoon next year. I just got the annual fee free Hilton card. I'm applying for all 3 personal cards. My plan is to upgrade the annual fee free Hilton card to the Aspire. We will use the Surpass to pay for our catering. That will give us 4 FNC!

[MichaelPorfido]

I think they changed the Business card for the better. If you spend $15, 000 on the now you receive 75, 000 points which is more than most 1 night exchanges. With their points plus money option, any quarter that you book a hilton you can use the $60, otherwise buy a $50 gift card that never expires. This strategy effectively more than eliminates the annual fee. It also takes the pressure off seeking a high value night before with the fnc certificate within a year of expiring. Additionally you can't get the 5th night free when you use an fnc, so I'd rather have 75, 000 points to use.

[Ljberkow]

In any quarters where you’re not staying at Hilton’s just pick up the $50 gift cards for the Surpass. The $200 is an easy credit. I have the Aspire, Surpass, and Business. The Business is now not a good card. We’ll keep the Aspire and Surpass and we do put spend on the Surpass. Agree on Diamond over Gold. The upgrades can be great, even at US hotels. We did have the $40K spend this year, so will downgrade our Aspire to a second Surpass and then upgrade back the following year.

[rodb.]

Can you buy a Hilton gift cards at the hotel?

[gtrr]

Agree with Sebby, this card is overpowering IF you know what you're doing. P2 and I have 7 aspire total, planning for WA Maldives next year.

[LC-W.I.N.]

🥥 Do you know if I product change into the aspire card, will the free night cert be available each year around the time I product changed or the orignal time I signed up for the surpass?

[balloonpark]

when you stack certificates like this, are you able to keep the same room usually?

[randoth]

Do the welcome bonus count towards 2million points for lifetime diamond? (10 years diamond status also needed)

[georgerommel]

If I book a hotel stay via an airline website, will this trigger the airline credit? I recently booked a hotel stay with Amex Gold on BA website, it was coded as airline fee and gave me 3x back. I wonder if that will work on the Aspire card.

[johnstevens]

Great video Sebby! Have you heard anything about any changes at WA Maldives? Their calendar still isn’t open past March 2025. They can accept reservations for cash rates via email, but not for points. I’m hoping they aren’t about to have some change that takes them out of play for points stays…

[chop]

🥥 hello Sebs. Is there a better way to stack the resort credits? Say I'm heading to one of the resorts later in the year, currently still have the 2024 $200, early next year, and later next year. Is flex rate the key to keep delaying it until ready to use? Thanks

[FreedomFinanceFun]

I don't have any Amex cards. My first I'm looking at the Surpass or Marriot Business. I don't like Coupon cards

[User-dhxj]

🥥 While this setup makes sense and I intend to transfer my Membership Rewards points to Hilton (or at least the bulk of the points) for what I earn through the American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Gold Card, I just got the Platinum Card in the mail today and the Gold Card in May

I am almost done with the minimum spend on Gold Card and will be working towards the $8, 000 for the Platinum Card soon

Since the Platinum Card and Gold Card have recently been added to my wallet, I might consider the Hilton cards next year, since I don’t anticipate renewing either of the charge cards I have (especially with the anticipated changes coming to the Gold Card)

[jsbatra]

Need to figure out hacks for resort credit. Anyone know a good resource?

[spiktakula]

I have a big family trip and was consdering hyatts since I have saved up a bunch of chase points but have a large spend due to my business and considering going the aspire route, the bookings available are preffered nights not standard nights since they are holiday, can you redeem a standard night cert and top off or does the night only count for standard?

[joshknepp]

I know the u tied trick for the airline credit. But what’s the southwest trick

[outrunsynthwave]

🥥

P2 and I both opened the HH and Surpass for the FNC bonus with the long term goal of holding 3 Aspires like a lot to manage but the way I see it is, if I can redeem the FNC's for rooms that would normally cost $550 I've already broken even....every thing else is just icing on the cake.  

Sebby do you play the upgrade/downgrade ladder strategy with your Aspires? I'm tempted to try this but part of me thinks I'd rather have 6 Aspires all year. Thoughts?

[wanderingdoc]

Currently running the Marriott Biz card, Delta Reserve, regular HH, and Aspire x 2