All information about the American Express Hilton Surpass and Business Cards has been collected independently by Miles to Memories.
Amex Hilton Statement Credit
I’m probably more loyal to Hilton Honors than any other hotel loyalty program, and Amex is my favorite card issuer, by far. Not surprisingly, my wife and I are substantially involved with the bank’s Hilton cobranded credit cards. We “only” have three right now, but I’m confident that number will increase soon. The refreshed, higher annual fee Surpass and Business versions offer statement credits for quarterly Hilton charges, up to $50 and $60, respectively. We recently changed how we use the Amex Hilton statement credit. Today, I’m getting into how and why.
Before
When the Amex Hilton statement credit benefit first appeared on the Surpass and Business cards, we opted to simply buy gift cards online to use the credit. While this was easy, we tired of dealing with/risking the drawbacks, including the following.
Shipping Costs
Hilton gift card shipping costs vary from cheap to substantially higher. Regardless, they’re annoying. Who wants to use up some of the credit for something so empty? Shipping via USPS standard starts at $1.95, but such shipments are non-trackable. The next option is trackable – USPS certified, which jumps to $8.95 and requires a signature. Finally, trackable FedEx ground shipment is $15.95.
Of course, the cheapest option is the pick for those who want to maximize the Amex Hilton statement credit this way. But such a choice can lead to other problems.
Shipping Issues
In our half-dozen or so gift card purchases, we picked the $1.95 USPS standard option. The timeline for receiving the cards has been unpredictable, at best. On a couple occasions, we received the cards about two weeks after order. All others took about a month or so to get to us. Another order was returned to sender before it reached us; a rep emailed us mentioning this and resent the card. I’ve also heard where individuals’ ordered cards were never delivered. Picking a more expensive shipment option would naturally lead to a better experience but immediately devalues the benefit.
Incompatible Denominations
Hilton gift card values start at $25 and $50, but $100 is the next option. The $50 option works okay for the Surpass, meaning cardholders are out a minimum $1.95 for shipping. But the Hilton Business card’s $60 statement credit benefit doesn’t play well with these values. The other two options to fully use the Business credit, remembering to use the rest of it at a property or losing it, aren’t attractive to us.
Unpredictable Ease of Use
Taking a stack of $50 Hilton gift cards to a property and applying them to a folio is not my preferred version of fun. We haven’t had any issues yet, but I’d rather not mess with Hilton gift cards long-term. I figure I’ll eventually run into a front desk agent who doesn’t know how to work with them, or the cards won’t have funds them. I know the latter has already happened to some.
Now
Instead of the gift card nuisance, we’ve changed to liquidating Amex Hilton statement credit via what Hilton calls “Points & Money” bookings.
Buying Points
By opting for such bookings, we’ve essentially decided to buy points with the credit. Here’s a recent example.
On a second stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Williamsburg, I had the following options. I could pay 27k points for the one-night stay, or 15k points and $52.94. This was the selectable dollar amount which most closely aligned with the remaining credit on my Hilton Business card. By choosing the latter, I paid ~.044 cents per point for those 12k points.
I’m not a big points buyer traditionally, but how does that compare to purchasing points with Hilton Honors? Buying 1k to 4k points costs one cent per point. Then, at 5k and above, incorporating a 100% bonus, points cost a half cent each.
Immediately Maximizing Earn
By opting for a points and cash stay instead of buying Hilton gift cards, I can more-quickly squeeze out the most points from these credits. Buying Hilton gift cards earns the expected amount of points on cobranded cards in my experience with the Business and Surpass versions (12x). But I don’t earn any points associated with using the gift cards at Hilton properties until I actually consume them. This may seem trivial, but I’d rather earn the extra points now from the points and cash stay, including elite and quarterly promos, than defer to the future unknown.
Hoarding
I’ve previously described why I hoard points and miles in certain instances. I use more Hilton Honors points than any other hotel currency, and I like knowing I’ll never run out of it. With this statement credit choice, does this mean I’m possibly absorbing a bit of devaluation along the way? Perhaps, but the flexibility I gain is worth way more to me than that eventual devaluation.
Simplicity
Importantly, I can easily accomplish using up credits by buying points via points and cash bookings. I’m unconcerned with using up remaining credits on food and beverages I may not want or need, anyway. I’d rather have the simpicity and flexibility of more points, instead.
Our modest travel habits usually involve at least one quarterly stay at a Hilton property, anyway, so we won’t have any issues continuing to use our Amex Hilton statement credits. Points and cash bookings incorporating the credit are the best fit for us now.
The increased annual fees of the Hilton Amex Business and Surpass cards make maximizing the benefits even more important.Amex Hilton Statement Credit – Conclusion
Of course, I know some individuals have thought of more creative options for fully consuming the Amex Hilton statement credit, and kudos to them! They perhaps obtain more value than I do, but I particularly enjoy the simplicity of buying points and how it naturally meshes into our current Hilton habits. Do I see our strategy changing? Not any time soon. But I’d be intrigued for Hilton (or maybe Amex) to give me reason to consider other options.
What about you? How do you prefer to use your Amex Hilton statement credit?
The post Things Change, Including My Amex Hilton Statement Credit Strategy appeared first on Miles to Memories.
