This site is part of an affiliate sales network and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Zachary Abel is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Amex to Hilton transfer bonus
Usually I’m not a fan transferring American Express Membership Rewards to any hotel program, but transfer bonuses, at the very minimum, warrant a discussion. Currently, there is a 25% transfer bonus given when you turn an American Express Membership Reward into a Hilton Honor point. This isn’t necessarily a bad deal, but the best ever is 50%. Unless you’re desperate to redeem your Amex points at an uber high end Hilton property, this deal probably doesn’t make sense. Remember, throughout the year Hilton will sell their points for 1/2 a penny.
In order to dissect the deal and determine I’m going to break down the underlying valuation of each currency.
Amex to Hilton 25% transfer bonus runs until 09/23/25
What is a Hilton Honor point worth?
Hilton Honors are given a fixed price if you redeem them on anything other than standard rooms. That is pegged at roughly $0.004 per point.
However…I don’t advise you redeem if you can’t land a room at a higher valuation than that. For instance, many hotels will release standard rooms for a point redemption when the points needed for the redemption give you a valuation in excess of $0.004. I did this a couple years ago for a New Year’s at the Waldorf Hilton in London. I redeemed 320k points (80k/night with a 5th night free ) when rates average $600 a night. We got $3000 in value for 320k points ( which we purchased for $1600 – read below ).
Throughout the year, Hilton will sell their points for roughly 1/2 cent. If you can buy it for that much during a sale then I’d say that’s a good benchmark. You can also combine Hilton Honors points from multiple accounts so you can almost always purchase enough points for a redemption you have in mind.
What is an American Express Membership Reward point worth?
If you carry any American Express card that earns Membership Rewards you have the option of redeeming for a cent per point. That’s on hotels, flights, etc.
If you carry an American Express Business Platinum card then you have the option to redeem those points within Amex Travel on your selected airline or premium flight with a 35% refund ( that’s roughly 1.55 cents per point ). I think that’s a fair valuation, although for my intents and purposes I throw a higher valuation on it at 2 cents. Why?
I tend to transfer points into programs and redeem for last minute flights at a valuation in excess of 2 cents.
When does it make sense to transfer points?
If Hilton points are typically worth 1/2 cent then you could extract 1.34c in value via this transfer, can potentially much more if you’re strategic.
Let’s take an extreme example and you can apply the principle to a redemption you may have in mind.
Waldorf Astoria Osaka
This is one of the most expensive properties in Hilton’s portfolio and goes for a 100k points per night. With this current transfer bonus, 40k Amex. Remember…If you carry an Amex Platinum then you are Hilton Gold, and if you are Hilton Gold, you get a 5th night free on point redemptions.
Here’s a look at rates…sky high and make sure you factor In taxes and fees – $1500/night base room
That means that you could stay for 5 nights with 184k Amex points which would be 480k Hilton honors.
- 40k Amex = 100k Hilton
- 5 x 150k = 500k
- 5th night free ( 100k )
- Total = 400k
160k for at least $7500 of value is almost 5 cents per point!
Is that valuation really fair?
Well…you could also buy 480k Hilton points for $2400. That’s a big if, and if you did…then you’re getting $2400 of value for your points or roughly 1.5c. That’s less than I’d peg an Amex point to be worth.
Stacking with an Amex Hilton Aspire
If you carry Amex’s premium Hilton card the Aspire, you are given top tier Hilton status…diamond + a free night + $400 annual Hilton Resort credit ( divided into 2 semi annual credits of $200 ). Diamonds get free breakfast which I would imagine is roughly $35-40 per person per day.
If you found the availability…you could book a free weekend night via your Aspire, then use the points accrued from your other Amex card to transfer to Hilton and stay 6 nights for 160k Amex Points. 6 x$70 in breakfast credits and another $200 in resort credit means an additional $620 in Hilton credits for a whopping ( 6 x $1300 + $670 ) $8500 in value. Of course you’d need the Aspire.
- hilton Diamond status
Reader Refer-a-friend
Information about this card has been collected independently by Monkey Miles. Card issuer is not responsible for the information or accuracy.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hilton Honors Diamond status, annual night anywhere in the world, $400 Hilton resort credit, $200 airline credit, Priority Pass select… this is one bad mamma jamma of a card
Welcome Offer
Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/29/26
Annual Fee
Points Earned
Hilton Honors
This is hands down the best hotel card available.
Not only do you get top tier Hilton Honors Diamond status, but you get an free night certificate that you can use anywhere in the world, $200 Hilton Resort credit Jan through June and another July through Dec, $200 airline credit broken into $50 quarterly credits, and the list goes on.
If you’re at all thinking of staying at International Hilton properties, get this card ahead of time to enjoy the executive lounge access and free breakfast that comes along with Diamond Status.
This is a card we’ve had since it debuted and we get a lot from the annual night cert and top tier status to recoup the $550 annual fee.
- Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal.
- Card Members can earn 14X Points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Card Members can earn 7X Points on purchases of Flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through American Express Travel, Car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies, and purchases at U.S. Restaurants.
- Card Members can earn 3X Points on all other eligible purchases.
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That’s up to $400 back annually.
- $200 Flight Credit: Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with airlines or via AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
- CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $209 per calendar year in statement credits, when you pay for a CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend an additional $30,000 (for a total of $60,000) in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
- $100 Property Credit: Receive up to a $100 credit for qualifying charges at Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts properties when you book a 2 night minimum stay with your Card at HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com and select the Aspire Card Benefit rate option on the booking page, or call Hilton Honors at 855-292-5757 with the proper booking reference.
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
- Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, Premium Global Assist® Hotline is available for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services, including medical, legal, and financial referrals. Emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost only if approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline. Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
- Points don’t expire while your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is active and in good standing.
- $550 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
Recap
Is it worth it? It very well could be if you’re looking to redeem at some fantastic resorts that ordinarily cost a fortune. The example I used is taking it to the extreme – although maybe not as extreme as Bora Bora or the Maldives because Cabo is very easy to get to and requires none of the crazy resort transportation costs.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.