What are your thoughts on Hilton Credit Cards? Let me know down below 👇 💳Hilton Surpass: mattwelter.info/hilton-surpass 💳Hilton Honors: mattwelter.info/hilton-honors
So you don’t think hearing various other people’s thoughts and ideas, can help someone formulate what works for them? And yet somehow you’re here watching this video lol
Totally agree with the first mistake. As someone who only travels for personal reasons, I would almost never stay in a hotel for just 1 night. If I stayed in the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas for a weekend vacation, I’d still end up paying for 1 night even though I get 1 night free, so not exactly “free value”! Great video Matt!
Thank you so much Kevin! Yeah exactly- at the very minimum if let's say it's a weekend trip, you are almost always at the very minimum spending two nights in a hotel, so important to be conscious with where the Free Night Award is utilized.
Do NOT try to use the free night award for the sole purpose of getting highest value possible unless you plan to not eat at the hotel, use spa or any service that cost money because luxurious property means luxurious PRICES.
Thanks for these great tips Matt! Of course, we can’t underestimate the Surpass card, that one is my favorite of the bunch, which balances value vs the annual fee! I know everyone loves the Aspire, but the Surpass works better for me.
The Surpass is the card actually designed for spending. The Aspire is designed more like the Amex Platinum (though much more functional). I always think we will end up with the Surpass (my wife very much likes Hilton), but I just struggle with a $150 AF with no FNC. The credits are decent, but you really have to put 15k spend on the Surpass to make it super valuable. It is a tradeoff with other spending in traditional 3x transfer points categories.
I’m currently on the Hilton trifecta. Got the no annual card on June with the free night offer and currently earning the surpass welcome offer with the free night as well. Once the holidays approach I will apply for the aspire card and earn that welcome offer. I will use those 3 free night certificates next year for a trip to bora bora and French Polynesia. I live in San Diego so it fits within my travel plans!
Let's go!! Awesome that you were able to take advantage of the elevated offers with the Free Night on both the Honors & Surpass. Adding in the Aspire will just take your Hilton Strategy even further to that next level. Bora Bora will be incredible and that is a fantastic use of those Hilton Free Nights! Thanks so much for your support as always!
@@MattWelterOfficial love the content Matt! You are totally right to make sense of the free nights for stays that fall within your travel plans and not to go overboard
Matt another good reason to have BOTH surpass and aspire is because surpass gets 6x on GAS AND GROCERIES, whereas the aspire only get 3x in these categories!!
Very good point! If the Surpass is a spender within your setup, then the additional point multiplier coverage is yet another reason to where the Hilton Trifecta is very justifiable!
Surpass has the best multipliers! In my opinion it is the best hilton card. The aspire seems more of a high spend coupon book that gets great value. The Surpass has the most outsized total value compared to the cost.
I love your take Matt! I am using my Hilton FNC for a stay at the Conrad Nashville 👌🏽 I was about to spend 90,000 points but I figured it made more sense to use that FNC for a free stay on a room that goes for $350. (Hopefully I get upgraded but if I don’t I wont mind haha) Rather keep my 90k points in case I need them for a 5th free night redemption in the future.
I forgot to mention that I have used $150 of the airline credit and the Jan-June $200 resort credit. Going to be up +$150 with the stay at the Conrad. The Aspire card has been amazing my first year.
Thanks so much Eduardo! Absolutely- using a FNC for a room that otherwise was 90k points is great value! Like you said saving the points for a 5th night free opportunity makes sense as well. Appreciate you watching!
Very insightful video Matt! I'm trying to avoid #3 and assuming that family language will come on the Hilton cards. Just got my 2nd Hilton Honors card (offer had no lifetime language) and my next moves are to apply for a Surpass and then upgrade 1 or both of my Hilton Honors.
Totally makes sense Monty! Given Amex's track-record I think FL is only a matter of time for the Hilton Cards, so we want to get ahead of the train and start accumulating bonuses from the bottom-up to make sure we still stay eligible! Appreciate you watching!
I was going to California for vacation anyway. Wasn't planning to stay in Santa Monica but not out of my way. Used free night cert at the Oceana which was an $1100 a night room. Got upgraded to a gorgeous suite due to Diamond status that was a $1400 a night room.
Matt is the man! You got me hooked onto Hilton cards so I’m pumped for this video. Also, your audio sounds better now! Good job 😊. Thanks for the shoutout man!!! I started out with the regular no annual fee Hilton Honors credit card, then next up will be the Surpass, then the Aspire as you mentioned. I’m nervous about that family language coming to the Hilton family of cards. Maybe Amex will be nice about this but who knows 🤷🏾♂️.
Absolutely! We know how Amex is so we just got to do our best to align with thinking into the future on what changes could be made, and so keeping the possibility of FL restrictions in the back of our minds is a good idea. Thanks for watching CJ!
Haven't started to get Hilton cards yet, but def will in the future. Great points! I think the organic value on the fnc is a big one. Easy to overlook costs for things on property and can add extra inconvenience to a trip for trying to get the most value just for a 1 night stay.
My Hilton strategy is 100% on point. Avoid Hilton cards like the plague if I have to stay there for work, in which case gold status from the Platty is more than enough. I Xfer 1k Amex points when there's a good bonus to prevent the expiration of the scrappy points from work stays. Team Hyatt FTW. I'll revisit Hilton when there's an extensive stay on my radar two years or more out that would benefit from Hilton points, then I'll start the chain, but I'll avoid it until there's a need. Hawaii - I'm looking at you!!
Totally fair Chad. Obviously, you want to make sure Cards are fitting into your lifestyle so if there's no need for Hilton Cards right now, no reason to push it. Hyatt's value is unmatched especially as a transfer partner!
You guys pushing buying the gift cards for Hilton trying to secure the $50 quarterly credit.. have you ever tried using them on property? Apparently not. For a $50 gift card, the Hilton hotel will charge you a 15% penalty for every $10 on the card used. You’ll end up only using $40 with $6 fees and $4 left on the card. Considering the friction to buy the card (around $2). That drips the value of these cards to around the annual fee of the Surpass. Don’t recommend this option.
Mistake #2 tip with data point. You can use advanced purchases on room rates abroad, and it triggers the credit. ( make sure it is on the resort list) works fine in Asia, but in Europe, some work and some not.
I purchased a $50 Hilton gift card in May 2024 to trigger the statement credit and it didn’t work. I spoke with an AMEX associate who told me the $50 credit doesn’t apply to gift cards. If this worked for you, please let me know how you did it since my attempt was unsuccessful.
The Aspire card has been good to me for several years however, I'm not staying much at Hilton properties this year. Im finding much better price and accommodations outside of hilton. I can stay at LeBua Bangkok for less than a hilton. I stayed at property half a block from the Dbltree Bangkok and the property was better, bkfst very good and less than half the cost of the dbltree. I'm finding hilton properties are charging extra fees. Stupid. Anyway, I'm likely not the only one seeing this. With that, I'll likely keep the Aspire because I'm breaking even.
Thank you for the tips and advice. I do not have any of the hilton cards but plan to in the future have to wait and see if they come back with that FNC on basic hilton card or maybe a better offer who knows? The main reason i missed it this time is me and my wife are working getting that 2nd/final bonus on her chase ink cash card before we apply for the next card
Gotcha- smart to prioritize those Chase Ink Cards first- before ultimately hopping in the Hilton ecosystem. Hopefully those Free Night attached welcome offers come back!
I’m probably going to upgrade both of my Surpass cards to the Aspire after the first year. Thanks to the SUB I got on the Surpass, it’s basically as good as a second Aspire.
Hey Matt, I want to combine combine chase UR points between household members but need some help. I have a CSP and my household member has a FU and a CIU. I know I can call Chase and combine the FU points to my CSP as we share the same address. However most of the points are on the CIU because of the higher earning multiplier and I am not listed on the business. Would my household member be able to move their CIU points to their FU, and then I could combine them from the FU onto my CSP. Or how would I go about getting those points onto my card? Thanks!
Yes you should still be able to combine them and transfer them up to the CSP as long as you call Chase and confirm that the person with the CIU is in your same household. Thank you for watching!
Of course appreciate your kind question Melissa! Basically- that Flight Credit can be liquidating by using the United Travel Bank to activate the Credit. Basically, you are getting a $50 United Card per quarter to activate the Credit by going that route. Of course you can do other things such as upgrade yourself on a flight to activate the credit as well. Appreciate you watching!
Great info! I have the regular card and the Surpass. I plan to get the Asipre this comming October and begin working benefits for a November resort stay. Would it be worth it to try and upgrade the no fee card so i have two (2) Surpass cards and an Aspire card do you think?
Let's go & thank you David! I think having (2) Surpass Cards would be most beneficial in a situation to where you can easily utilize the Quarterly Hilton Credit and/or spend toward the FNC at least once maybe even twice per year. You could always try it out and then downgrade back to the Honors as well.
I got the aspire first, then the surpass with the free night and upgraded a year later, then the hilton business with the free night and canceled after a year, and now the no fee card with the free night and plan on upgrading in a year. That was my strategy. 3 aspires with no annual fee’s
Love this! Love how you were able to patiently wait for the elevated offers with Free Night Awards attached as well. The upgrade offers are really strong for Hilton Cards as well. Appreciate you watching!
United Travel Bank credits expire, as I'm finding out. Looks like in about 6 months*. Do you have any alternatives with other airlines that do not expire? (* a $25 credit banked on 7/5/24 is scheduled to expire on 1/15/25)
Oh interesting- that changes the game so thanks for pointing that out Roger. I don't have any that come to mind, but you can always go the straight Hilton Gift Card route. Thanks for watching!
@@MattWelterOfficial caveat... mine is a single data point that did not involve Amex - but was instead connected to IHG... so maybe it was a special case. ...but it made me hesitate. Thanks!
What are your thoughts on Hilton Credit Cards? Let me know down below 👇
💳Hilton Surpass: mattwelter.info/hilton-surpass
💳Hilton Honors: mattwelter.info/hilton-honors
Mistake #7: following cc RUclips strategies because they sound good instead of tailoring your own strategies based on your life
:)
100% AGREE ❗️
@@kingnippanderica :)
Roger!
So you don’t think hearing various other people’s thoughts and ideas, can help someone formulate what works for them? And yet somehow you’re here watching this video lol
Totally agree with the first mistake. As someone who only travels for personal reasons, I would almost never stay in a hotel for just 1 night. If I stayed in the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas for a weekend vacation, I’d still end up paying for 1 night even though I get 1 night free, so not exactly “free value”! Great video Matt!
Thank you so much Kevin! Yeah exactly- at the very minimum if let's say it's a weekend trip, you are almost always at the very minimum spending two nights in a hotel, so important to be conscious with where the Free Night Award is utilized.
Do NOT try to use the free night award for the sole purpose of getting highest value possible unless you plan to not eat at the hotel, use spa or any service that cost money because luxurious property means luxurious PRICES.
Completely agree!
*unless you’re using the Aspire’s resort credit
Thanks for these great tips Matt! Of course, we can’t underestimate the Surpass card, that one is my favorite of the bunch, which balances value vs the annual fee! I know everyone loves the Aspire, but the Surpass works better for me.
The Surpass is the card actually designed for spending. The Aspire is designed more like the Amex Platinum (though much more functional). I always think we will end up with the Surpass (my wife very much likes Hilton), but I just struggle with a $150 AF with no FNC. The credits are decent, but you really have to put 15k spend on the Surpass to make it super valuable. It is a tradeoff with other spending in traditional 3x transfer points categories.
The Surpass is still one of the best Mid-Tier Hotel Cards around and Gold Status is underrated especially internationally! Thanks for watching Sledge!
Great takes Matt. You can’t stop me from taking my one day impromptu Maldives trip though. 😂
😂😂thank you Ritchie!
I’m currently on the Hilton trifecta. Got the no annual card on June with the free night offer and currently earning the surpass welcome offer with the free night as well. Once the holidays approach I will apply for the aspire card and earn that welcome offer. I will use those 3 free night certificates next year for a trip to bora bora and French Polynesia. I live in San Diego so it fits within my travel plans!
Let's go!! Awesome that you were able to take advantage of the elevated offers with the Free Night on both the Honors & Surpass. Adding in the Aspire will just take your Hilton Strategy even further to that next level. Bora Bora will be incredible and that is a fantastic use of those Hilton Free Nights! Thanks so much for your support as always!
Wow, I hope you have a wonderful time in Bora Bora, Great Hilton strategy
@@MattWelterOfficial love the content Matt! You are totally right to make sense of the free nights for stays that fall within your travel plans and not to go overboard
@@runforrestrun2428 Thank you so much!
I have the Hilton Business and the Aspire but ive had the Hilton Honors and the Surpass.
Ultimately, ill end up with just the Aspire.
The aspire is still the KING! Thanks Sledge!
Matt another good reason to have BOTH surpass and aspire is because surpass gets 6x on GAS AND GROCERIES, whereas the aspire only get 3x in these categories!!
Very good point! If the Surpass is a spender within your setup, then the additional point multiplier coverage is yet another reason to where the Hilton Trifecta is very justifiable!
Surpass has the best multipliers! In my opinion it is the best hilton card. The aspire seems more of a high spend coupon book that gets great value. The Surpass has the most outsized total value compared to the cost.
@@ThriftyCHNRyou’re 100% correct! Welcome to the matrix, the multiverse is open.
One of my favorite videos from you as a lot of these were original ideas. Great work Matt!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words!
I love your take Matt!
I am using my Hilton FNC for a stay at the Conrad Nashville 👌🏽 I was about to spend 90,000 points but I figured it made more sense to use that FNC for a free stay on a room that goes for $350. (Hopefully I get upgraded but if I don’t I wont mind haha)
Rather keep my 90k points in case I need them for a 5th free night redemption in the future.
I forgot to mention that I have used $150 of the airline credit and the Jan-June $200 resort credit. Going to be up +$150 with the stay at the Conrad. The Aspire card has been amazing my first year.
Let's go!! Love it Eduardo!
Thanks so much Eduardo! Absolutely- using a FNC for a room that otherwise was 90k points is great value! Like you said saving the points for a 5th night free opportunity makes sense as well. Appreciate you watching!
Good info Matt! 🎉
Very insightful video Matt! I'm trying to avoid #3 and assuming that family language will come on the Hilton cards. Just got my 2nd Hilton Honors card (offer had no lifetime language) and my next moves are to apply for a Surpass and then upgrade 1 or both of my Hilton Honors.
Totally makes sense Monty! Given Amex's track-record I think FL is only a matter of time for the Hilton Cards, so we want to get ahead of the train and start accumulating bonuses from the bottom-up to make sure we still stay eligible! Appreciate you watching!
Awesome entry Matt and thanks for the tip on triggering the resort credit!
Absolutely! Appreciate you Chad!
so true. seems like you are one of the few youtubers who are not being paid by Hilton to promote their brand.
Appreciate you watching Ted!
I was going to California for vacation anyway. Wasn't planning to stay in Santa Monica but not out of my way. Used free night cert at the Oceana which was an $1100 a night room. Got upgraded to a gorgeous suite due to Diamond status that was a $1400 a night room.
That is awesome!! $1400/night is incredible value for the Free Night Award.
Matt is the man! You got me hooked onto Hilton cards so I’m pumped for this video. Also, your audio sounds better now! Good job 😊.
Thanks for the shoutout man!!! I started out with the regular no annual fee Hilton Honors credit card, then next up will be the Surpass, then the Aspire as you mentioned. I’m nervous about that family language coming to the Hilton family of cards. Maybe Amex will be nice about this but who knows 🤷🏾♂️.
Absolutely! We know how Amex is so we just got to do our best to align with thinking into the future on what changes could be made, and so keeping the possibility of FL restrictions in the back of our minds is a good idea. Thanks for watching CJ!
Haven't started to get Hilton cards yet, but def will in the future. Great points! I think the organic value on the fnc is a big one. Easy to overlook costs for things on property and can add extra inconvenience to a trip for trying to get the most value just for a 1 night stay.
Completely agree, organic value on the FNC is huge. Thanks so much for watching Darius!
Great points, especially enjoy the organic use and gift card tips
Thanks so much Buck! Yeah really important to make sure the Hilton Cards are used organically based on your lifestyle.
Great thoughts on various ways to best utilize the credits on the surpass and aspire card.
Thank you so much for watching!
super informative appreciate you
Appreciate you watching!
Man the 5th night free. I’ve messed up a few times on this one.
Lovely video
Thank you so much Key :)
My Hilton strategy is 100% on point. Avoid Hilton cards like the plague if I have to stay there for work, in which case gold status from the Platty is more than enough. I Xfer 1k Amex points when there's a good bonus to prevent the expiration of the scrappy points from work stays. Team Hyatt FTW. I'll revisit Hilton when there's an extensive stay on my radar two years or more out that would benefit from Hilton points, then I'll start the chain, but I'll avoid it until there's a need. Hawaii - I'm looking at you!!
Totally fair Chad. Obviously, you want to make sure Cards are fitting into your lifestyle so if there's no need for Hilton Cards right now, no reason to push it. Hyatt's value is unmatched especially as a transfer partner!
You guys pushing buying the gift cards for Hilton trying to secure the $50 quarterly credit.. have you ever tried using them on property? Apparently not. For a $50 gift card, the Hilton hotel will charge you a 15% penalty for every $10 on the card used. You’ll end up only using $40 with $6 fees and $4 left on the card. Considering the friction to buy the card (around $2). That drips the value of these cards to around the annual fee of the Surpass. Don’t recommend this option.
Mistake #2 tip with data point. You can use advanced purchases on room rates abroad, and it triggers the credit. ( make sure it is on the resort list) works fine in Asia, but in Europe, some work and some not.
Great tip thank you for sharing!
well it turns out my Hilton strategy is not wrong!
Great job on RUclips ♥️
Thank you Vicki :)
I purchased a $50 Hilton gift card in May 2024 to trigger the statement credit and it didn’t work. I spoke with an AMEX associate who told me the $50 credit doesn’t apply to gift cards. If this worked for you, please let me know how you did it since my attempt was unsuccessful.
The Aspire card has been good to me for several years however, I'm not staying much at Hilton properties this year. Im finding much better price and accommodations outside of hilton. I can stay at LeBua Bangkok for less than a hilton. I stayed at property half a block from the Dbltree Bangkok and the property was better, bkfst very good and less than half the cost of the dbltree. I'm finding hilton properties are charging extra fees. Stupid. Anyway, I'm likely not the only one seeing this. With that, I'll likely keep the Aspire because I'm breaking even.
I didn't know about Hilton gift cards. Thanks!
Appreciate you watching Mason!
Are people excited about/organically staying at Hilton resorts twice a year? Or is there an easy way to liquidate the Aspire credit?
Thank you for the tips and advice. I do not have any of the hilton cards but plan to in the future have to wait and see if they come back with that FNC on basic hilton card or maybe a better offer who knows? The main reason i missed it this time is me and my wife are working getting that 2nd/final bonus on her chase ink cash card before we apply for the next card
Gotcha- smart to prioritize those Chase Ink Cards first- before ultimately hopping in the Hilton ecosystem. Hopefully those Free Night attached welcome offers come back!
I’m probably going to upgrade both of my Surpass cards to the Aspire after the first year. Thanks to the SUB I got on the Surpass, it’s basically as good as a second Aspire.
Nice! There’s a lot of people who rock multiple Aspires so if it makes sense, there’s a lot of value that can be found. Appreciate you watching!
#5 is solid…
Thanks for watching!
Hey Matt,
I want to combine combine chase UR points between household members but need some help. I have a CSP and my household member has a FU and a CIU. I know I can call Chase and combine the FU points to my CSP as we share the same address. However most of the points are on the CIU because of the higher earning multiplier and I am not listed on the business. Would my household member be able to move their CIU points to their FU, and then I could combine them from the FU onto my CSP. Or how would I go about getting those points onto my card? Thanks!
Yes you should still be able to combine them and transfer them up to the CSP as long as you call Chase and confirm that the person with the CIU is in your same household. Thank you for watching!
I didn’t quite catch what you said about the flight credit? Can you explain it briefly please? Thanks!!! Great video btw😊
Of course appreciate your kind question Melissa! Basically- that Flight Credit can be liquidating by using the United Travel Bank to activate the Credit. Basically, you are getting a $50 United Card per quarter to activate the Credit by going that route. Of course you can do other things such as upgrade yourself on a flight to activate the credit as well. Appreciate you watching!
@@MattWelterOfficial ok thanks for replying! very helpful:)
Correct that resort credit can be triggered by gift cards? Do not need stay at Hilton resort, if I understand correctly.
Yes that is correct!
Great info! I have the regular card and the Surpass. I plan to get the Asipre this comming October and begin working benefits for a November resort stay.
Would it be worth it to try and upgrade the no fee card so i have two (2) Surpass cards and an Aspire card do you think?
Let's go & thank you David! I think having (2) Surpass Cards would be most beneficial in a situation to where you can easily utilize the Quarterly Hilton Credit and/or spend toward the FNC at least once maybe even twice per year. You could always try it out and then downgrade back to the Honors as well.
@@MattWelterOfficial Hmmm.....ok...it may be worth a try. I'd still come out ahead with the 200 credit...vs....the AF. I hope.
for the 5 nights discount, can you use free night certificates with your points or do i have to book 4 nights with points to get the 5tg night free??
You have to use all points unfortunately. Thanks for watching Manny!
All inclusive in the Caribbean. Skip the Maldives lol 😂
Been with American Express for a year and not even joking in the first 2 weeks I was put in pop up jail
Pop-up Jail is rough :(
I got the aspire first, then the surpass with the free night and upgraded a year later, then the hilton business with the free night and canceled after a year, and now the no fee card with the free night and plan on upgrading in a year. That was my strategy.
3 aspires with no annual fee’s
Love this! Love how you were able to patiently wait for the elevated offers with Free Night Awards attached as well. The upgrade offers are really strong for Hilton Cards as well. Appreciate you watching!
@@MattWelterOfficial sadly i haven’t got a actual upgrade offer yet but the automatic free night from the aspire is the prize
@@DCGEMINI202 Got it. Yeah can't really be beat!
United Travel Bank credits expire, as I'm finding out. Looks like in about 6 months*. Do you have any alternatives with other airlines that do not expire? (* a $25 credit banked on 7/5/24 is scheduled to expire on 1/15/25)
Oh interesting- that changes the game so thanks for pointing that out Roger. I don't have any that come to mind, but you can always go the straight Hilton Gift Card route. Thanks for watching!
@@MattWelterOfficial caveat... mine is a single data point that did not involve Amex - but was instead connected to IHG... so maybe it was a special case. ...but it made me hesitate. Thanks!
Hilton just emailed me and wants to product change my Surpass to the Aspire, no thanks Id rather get that sub bonus....
Haha yeah definitely go for the bonuses first and the upgrades after
Hi Matt- excellent video. The Hilton Trifecta = the infinity stones.
Welcome to the matrix, the multiverse is open.
Thank you so much!
First? Never been in this position before
2 folks above you beg to differ.
@@micahgreene4573 hahaha curse you poor internet🤣
@@JakeVanderPloeg LOL!!! It seems you are right!!
Haha yessir Jake! 🥇
Ooooh
🥉
👍🏻
🥈
👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for your support as always Xavier!