{"id":5035,"date":"2023-10-24T15:45:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T15:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mer.tours\/hilton-amex-aspire-vs-marriott-bonvoy-brilliant-battle-of-the-top-tier-hotel-cards\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T15:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T15:45:34","slug":"hilton-amex-aspire-vs-marriott-bonvoy-brilliant-battle-of-the-top-tier-hotel-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelaffiliatewebsite.com\/mer\/hilton-amex-aspire-vs-marriott-bonvoy-brilliant-battle-of-the-top-tier-hotel-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Hilton Amex Aspire vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: Battle of the top-tier hotel cards"},"content":{"rendered":"

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American Express offers two premium cobranded hotel credit cards: The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express<\/a> and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant\u00ae American Express\u00ae Card<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Both cards carry pricey annual fees \u2014 $550 and $650, respectively (see rates and fees<\/a> and rates and fees<\/a>, respectively) and come with similar benefits, such as automatic elite status and annual free-night certificates.<\/p>\n

Is one card better than the other? Let’s look side-by-side to see which should earn a place in your wallet.<\/p>\n

The information for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hilton Amex Aspire vs. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant comparison<\/h2>\n

Here are the basics of each of these two cards in the major categories:<\/p>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Perk\/benefit<\/strong><\/th>\nHilton Amex Aspire<\/strong><\/th>\nMarriott Bonvoy Brilliant<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Annual fee<\/strong><\/td>\n$550 (see rates and fees<\/a>)<\/td>\n$450 (see rates and fees<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Welcome bonus<\/strong><\/td>\n180,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. Offer ends Jan. 17, 2024.<\/td>\nTwo 85,000-point free night awards after you spend $6,000 in your first six months of card membership. Offer ends Nov. 1.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Earning rates<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • 14 points per dollar at Hilton hotels<\/li>\n
  • 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<\/li>\n
  • 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\n
  • Terms apply<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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    \n
  • 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels<\/li>\n
  • 3 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines<\/li>\n
  • 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\n
  • Terms apply<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Credits<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • $200 statement credit (up to $50 a quarter) on eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com<\/li>\n
  • Up to $400 (up to $200 biannually) in statement credits for eligible purchases at participating Hilton resorts<\/li>\n
  • $100 on-property credit for incidentals for eligible, paid two-night stays at Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria locations<\/li>\n
  • Up to $189 in statement credits per year when you sign up for a Clear Plus membership<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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    \n
  • Up to $300 in statement credits for restaurants worldwide (up to $25 in statement credits each month)<\/li>\n
  • $100 on-property credit for eligible paid, two-night stays at St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton locations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elite status<\/strong><\/td>\nAutomatic Hilton Honors Diamond status<\/p>\n

Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status after enrollment in the Emerald Club program<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status (enrollment required for select benefits).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Free-night certificates<\/strong><\/td>\nAnnual free night certificate at almost any Hilton property worldwide<\/a>\u00a0after opening your account and on your card-opening anniversary each year.<\/p>\n

Earn a second weekend night after spending $30,000 in a calendar year<\/p>\n

Earn a third weekend night after spending $60,000 in a calendar year<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Annual free night (up to 85,000 points) after card renewal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Other benefits<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Travel and shopping protections<\/li>\n
  • No foreign transaction fees<\/li>\n
  • Access to Amex Offers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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