130k Points and Free Night Award

Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is offering 130,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership and a free night reward after spending $10,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership (limited time offer ends 12/21/22).
• This bonus is worth up to 280,000 points if you redeem the free night award at the most expensive Hilton properties, but the offer won’t be around much longer.
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has ongoing benefits that justify its $95 annual fee, even without the bonus.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best hotel credit cards.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is now offering what many will consider its best-ever welcome bonus: You’ll earn 130,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership and a free night reward after spending $10,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership (limited time offer ends 12/21/22). Amex is an Insider partner.

Hilton points are worth 0.5 cents each, on average, according to Insider’s points and miles valuations, That makes the points portion of this bonus worth $650. But you can use the card’s free night certificate for any Hilton in the world (with a few exceptions) — even the ones that cost 150,000 points per night. In other words, it’s possible to get a value of $750 or more from this certificate, which makes this card’s bonus worth potentially $1,400.

Here’s a quick reminder of what you’ll get with the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card — and why it’s worth opening even without this massive welcome bonus.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Hilton Honors Business Credit Card: Earn 130,000 points and a free night award

Among the four Hilton credit cards, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card ($95 annual fee) is second only to the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
($450 annual fee) in terms of yearly potential value. Here are some card highlights:

• Hilton Gold elite status (80% bonus points on stays, room upgrades when available, free breakfast at international Hilton hotels (and varying breakfast credits for domestic hotels)
• Upgrade to Diamond status after you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year (100% bonus points on stays, suite upgrades when available, etc.)
• Free night certificate after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year (up to 150,000 points per night)
• A second free night certificate if you spend a total of $60,000 or more in a calendar year (up to 150,000 points per night)
• Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership** with 10 free visits per year (worth $300+)

As you can see, big spenders are the only ones who can squeeze this card for everything it’s got. If you manage to spend $60,000 in a calendar year, you can quite easily receive $2,000+ in value from this card by using all the above benefits.

If you can’t do that, the card more than pays for itself if you’ll use the 10 free Priority Pass visits each year. And if you’re able to spend $15,000 each year to earn the free night certificate (one of the best deals in travel), the card is a no-brainer for Hilton fans. You can use it for almost any Hilton property on Earth — and for any day of the week. Hilton hotels cost up to 150,000 points per night — so this certificate is conceivably worth $750+, depending on the hotel you book with it.

I recently used my Hilton free night certificate for a night at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, which costs more than $2,000 per night.

This card also earns:

• 12x points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio 
• 6x points on select business purchases: U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S purchases for shipping
• 6x points on select travel purchases: U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, and car rentals booked with select car rental companies
• 3x points on all other eligible purchases

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a small-business card, meaning you can only open it if you operate a business — even a part-time one. Side gigs like Uber driving, DoorDash delivery, petsitting, and freelance writing can all help qualify you for a small-business card. You can read our Hilton Honors Business Card review for more card details.

Bottom line

With The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card’s current bonus (which ends December 21, 2022) and its ongoing benefits, you can quite easily make out like a bandit during your first year of card membership:

• Earn 130,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within three months of account opening ($650 in average value)
• Earn a free night certificate after spending $10,000 on purchases within six months of account opening ($750 in average value)
• Earn a second free night certificate after spending a total of $15,000 on purchases within a year of account opening ($750 in average value)
• 10 Priority Pass visits after enrolling ($300 in value)

That amounts to potentially $2,500 after meeting spending requirements — and significantly more if you know the best ways to redeem Hilton points.