We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias.
But we may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.
Frequent and casual travelers alike could find a new favorite travel companion.
American Express hotel cards offer two loyalty programs for cardholders to choose from.
One is Hilton Honors, which has a suite of three cards. The other is the combined Starwood Preferred Guest/Marriott Rewards program, which gives you a choice of two cards.
Our pick for Amex hotel rewards: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Card after you use your new card to make $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands.
Earn 5x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
Earn 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Card after you use your new card to make $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands.
Earn 5x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
Earn 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
The no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn’t have many perks, but you can earn good rewards for everyday purchases. The card may be a great choice if you want to save your points for an occasional stay at a Hilton property.
No annual fee.
Hilton Honors American Express Card can help you keep costs low while you accumulate rewards.
Welcome offer: 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points.
To earn them, make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of your account opening.
Rewards: Up to 7x points.
When you make eligible purchases at participating properties in the Hilton Portfolio, you’ll earn 7x points. Earn 5x points on purchases at US restaurants, US supermarkets and gas purchases in the US, and 3x points on all other eligible purchases.
Complimentary Silver status in the Hilton Honors program.
You’ll receive your fifth night free when you book a stay of five nights or more with all points.
Hilton Honors Silver isn’t a huge step up from basic membership.
Gold status offers more valuable benefits, such as complimentary breakfast and room upgrades.
Watch the APR.
With poorer credit, you may receive a purchase and balance transfer APR as high as 26.74% variable. You’ll also want to be careful of the penalty APR for late or returned payments.
Earn 125,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card after you use your new card to make $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year.
Earn 12x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
Earn 6x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations.
Earn 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
There are three cards in Amex’s Hilton collection, and the mid-tier option brings the most bang for your buck. It costs $95 a year, but you’ll earn strong rewards on Hilton stays and eligible dining, groceries and gas.
Gold status in the Hilton Honors program sweetens the deal. It includes valuable perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades, and you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to earn it.
To earn them, make $2,000 in purchases on the card within the first 3 months of card membership.
Rewards: Up to 12x points.
Earn 12x Hilton Honors Bonus Points when you spend at a participating property in the Hilton Portfolio. Earn 6x points at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, and 3x points on all other eligible purchases.
Complimentary Gold status in the Hilton Honors program.
This is the second-highest tier. It offers perks beyond Silver status, like room upgrades upon availability and complimentary breakfast.
10 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges every year.
The no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn’t offer Priority Pass access.
Annual fee: $95.
This is a common price for a mid-tier travel card.
Must spend $15,000 in purchases on your card each calendar year to earn the Weekend Night Reward.
That’s a high spending threshold to meet for a complimentary night on the weekend.
Be careful of the APR.
You may receive a purchase and balance transfer APR as high as 26.74% variable. Also, the card has a penalty APR for late or returned payments.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
Earn 75,000 Bonus Points after you use your new card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Earn 6 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG® and Marriott Rewards® hotels and 2 points on all other eligible purchases.
No foreign transaction fees on international purchases.
Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 points) at a participating hotel. Select hotels have resort fees.
Enjoy complimentary, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi on up to four devices at more than 1,000,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide. Enrollment required.
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
If you’re a regular at SPG or Marriott Rewards properties and don’t want to pay a steep annual fee, this is the card for you. Key features are the highly accelerated points on eligible stays and a Free Night Award every card year.
Intro annual fee: $0 for the first year.
After that, you’ll pay $95 a year.
Welcome offer: 75,000 points.
To earn them, make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
Rewards: Up to 6x points.
When you make eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels, you’ll earn 6x points. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 2x points.
Free Night Award.
Every card year, you’ll receive a Free Night Award. You can use it for a night that costs 35,000 points or less at a participating property.
Complimentary Silver Elite status in the combined SPG/Marriott Rewards program.
It comes with perks like priority late checkout based on availability and a 10% points bonus.
Annual fee: $95 starting the second year.
This is a standard annual fee for a mid-tier travel card.
Look out for the APR.
You may receive a purchase and balance transfer APR as high as 26.74% variable. If you make a late or returned payment, American Express may assess a 29.99% variable APR on all of your balances.
The annual statement credit offsets a large portion of its yearly fee, and the card’s other flagship perks are worth a lot. One of its best features is the 3x-point tier, which will help you earn points faster on eligible flights and dining.
Welcome offer: 75,000 bonus points.
To earn them, make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of your account opening. You can use the points to book up to a Category 7 room at Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Marriott Rewards hotels.
You can also transfer 60,000 or more of those points to a partnered airline and Marriott Rewards will throw in an extra 15,000.
Rewards: Earn up to 6x points.
On eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels, you’ll earn 6x points. Earn 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2x points on other eligible purchases.
$300 in SPG or Marriott Rewards statement credit.
You can use this for eligible purchases at participating SPG or Marriott Rewards properties. It’s a fantastic perk that offsets a significant portion of the card’s annual fee.
Annual Free Night Award.
Each card year, you’ll receive a Free Night Award. It’s good for one night worth 50,000 points or less at a participating SPG or Marriott Rewards hotel.
Complimentary Gold Elite status in the combined SPG/Marriott Rewards program.
This status tier comes with perks like 2 p.m. late checkout based on availability, an in-hotel welcome gift and enhanced room upgrades based on availability.
Travel perks.
Enjoy benefits like a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, complimentary access to Priority Pass Select lounges, no foreign transaction fees and more.
Annual fee: $450.
The card comes with a steep price. However, the $300 statement credit largely offsets the fee.
Potentially high APR.
You may receive a purchase and balance transfer APR as high as 26.74% variable.
Penalty APR.
If you make a late or returned payment, American Express may apply a 29.99% variable APR to all of your balances.
How to compare American Express hotel credit cards
American Express offers more than one card for its partner hotel chains, and it might be difficult to make the right pick. Here are a few factors to consider while comparing products.
Annual fee. Amex sticks to standard annual fees: $0, $95 and $450. Figuring out what you’re willing to pay can be a great starting point.
Rewards. Think about your annual spending and see if it fits with a card’s bonus categories.
Welcome offer. A healthy haul of bonus points can tip the scales if you’re facing a close decision. The welcome offers from all of Amex’s hotel cards are enough to earn you a free night at eligible properties
Hotel loyalty program status. All of Amex’s hotel cards come with complimentary status upgrades in their respective loyalty programs. Check out the differences between Silver and Gold status in the Hilton Honors and SPG/Marriott Rewards programs and see which perks you want.
Airport lounge access. Consider whether you want airport lounge access. You might not mind forgoing it if you rarely travel. When choosing between the mid-tier and premium cards, consider whether you’re OK with limited lounge access.
Bottom line
Amex’s hotel cards are similar in many ways. However, closely looking at key differences between them can help you make your final decision. Go through the list of comparison factors we’ve discussed, and you’ll be well on your way to picking the winner.
If you’re not convinced an American Express hotel card is right for you, consider a travel card.
Frequently asked questions
A penalty APR applies for at least six months. For it to be lifted, you must not have made any late or returned payments during that period.
Kevin Chen is a world-travelin', copy-writin', Game of Thrones-watchin' credit cards writer for finder.com. When he's not crunching the numbers on bonus points and comparing APRs, you can find him flying around the world in search of the perfect beer.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
