American Express offers two premium cobranded hotel credit cards: The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. Both cards come with pricey annual fees of $550 and $650, respectively, but offer similar benefits such as automatic elite status and annual free-night certificates. In this article, we will compare these two cards side-by-side to determine which one is better.
Let’s start by looking at the basics of each card in major categories:
Perk/benefit:
Hilton Amex Aspire:
– Annual fee: $550
– Welcome bonus: 180,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months.
– Earning rates: 14 points per dollar at Hilton hotels, 7 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies.
– Credits: $200 statement credit (up to $50 a quarter) for eligible flight purchases, up to $400 in statement credits for eligible purchases at participating Hilton resorts, $100 on-property credit for incidentals for eligible two-night stays at Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria locations, and up to $189 in statement credits per year for Clear Plus membership.
– Elite status: Automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status.
– Free-night certificates: Annual free night certificate at almost any Hilton property worldwide after opening your account and on your card-opening anniversary each year, with the ability to earn a second and third weekend night by spending $30,000 and $60,000 in a calendar year, respectively.
– Other benefits: Travel and shopping protections, no foreign transaction fees, access to Amex Offers, 25 elite-night credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and Priority Pass Select membership.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant:
– Annual fee: $650
– Welcome bonus: Two 85,000-point free night awards after spending $6,000 in the first six months.
– Earning rates: 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels, 3 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
– Credits: Up to $300 in statement credits for restaurants worldwide (up to $25 per month), $100 on-property credit for eligible paid, two-night stays at St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton locations.
– Elite status: Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
– Free-night certificates: Annual free night (up to 85,000 points) after card renewal.
– Other benefits: Travel and shopping protections, no foreign transaction fees, access to Amex Offers.
Based on these categories, let’s compare the two cards:
Welcome offer: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers two 85,000-point free night awards, which are valued at $1,428 according to TPG’s valuation. The Hilton Amex Aspire offers 180,000 points, valued at $1,080. Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.
Benefits: Both cards offer extensive perks. The Hilton Amex Aspire provides statement credits for flight purchases, Hilton resort purchases, incidentals at Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria locations, and Clear Plus membership. It also offers automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, which is valued at about $2,000 annually. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers statement credits for restaurants, on-property credits at St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton locations, automatic Platinum Elite status, and a Priority Pass membership. Winner: Tie.
Earning points: The Hilton Amex Aspire earns 14 points per dollar at Hilton hotels and offers a total of 34 points per dollar on most Hilton stays with the complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant earns 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels and offers 4.8% return on Marriott purchases, 2.4% on restaurants and flights, and 1.6% on everyday spending. Winner: Hilton Amex Aspire.
Redeeming points: Hilton points can be redeemed for gift cards, transferred to airlines, or used for hotel stays. Marriott points can be redeemed for free stays at over 6,900 properties worldwide. Both programs have their own sweet spots for redemptions. Winner: Tie.
Transferring points: Marriott points can be transferred to over 40 frequent flyer programs at a solid 2.4:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred. Winner: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.
In conclusion, both the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card offer valuable benefits and perks. The Hilton Amex Aspire is better for earning points at Hilton hotels and offers automatic Diamond status, while the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers a higher welcome bonus and better options for transferring points to airlines. Ultimately, the better card for you will depend on your travel preferences and loyalty to Hilton or Marriott properties.