Even though I only stay at Hilton Honors properties a few times each year, I’m a fan of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Even if you’re an infrequent Hilton guest, the card offers far more value than its $550 annual fee (see rates and fees).
I enjoy getting complimentary Hilton Diamond status as a cardmember and have redeemed the annual free night certificate I get each year after renewing my card at spectacular properties. But one perk I must carefully plan my trips to utilize is the Hilton Aspire resort credit.
So, here’s what you should know about the Hilton Aspire resort credit, including how to determine which properties are eligible.
Hilton Aspire resort credit basics
If you have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you can get up to $200 in statement credits twice a year when you make eligible purchases directly with participating Hilton resort properties. Specifically, you’ll receive one credit of up to $200 from January through June and another between July and December, totaling $400 back annually.
Pool at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Considering the Hilton Aspire has a $550 annual fee, fully using these statement credits at participating Hilton resorts each year can effectively cover a significant portion of your card’s annual fee. As such, you’ll want to strategize the best way to use the Hilton Aspire resort credit during each qualifying period.
Related: Is the Hilton Aspire Amex card worth the annual fee?
How to use the Hilton Aspire resort credit
To use the Hilton Aspire resort credit, you or an authorized user on your account should stay at an eligible Hilton resort and use your Hilton Aspire card to pay for eligible charges.
Advanced and nonrefundable purchase rates do not count toward the Hilton Aspire resort credit. Still, room rates and other incidental charges to a room should be eligible when you pay at the property with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Related: Hilton confirms new Diamond Reserve tier and Confirmable Upgrade Rewards for 2026
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Beach villa at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
In the past, some consumers have had success using their Hilton Aspire resort credit when making spa or restaurant purchases at participating properties, even without staying.
However, the terms of the Hilton Aspire resort credit state that “Incidental charges (including charges made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the hotel property) at a participating Hilton Resort must be charged to your room and paid for with a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to be eligible for statement credits through this benefit.”
The terms go on to state that “your purchase will not be eligible if it is not identified as being made directly with a Hilton Resort (e.g., if a purchase is made at a restaurant or convenience store within a Hilton Resort).”
Some travelers have also had luck getting the Hilton Aspire resort credit to cover advanced deposits and gift cards purchased directly with an eligible resort. For example, TPG’s Carly Helfand purchased gift cards in the first half of the year with a resort she was staying at in the second half of the year, and Matt Moffitt called a hotel to make a deposit on a 2025 stay near the end of 2024.
Related: Problems using your Hilton gift cards? Try this trick that worked for me
Conrad Bora Bora Nui in French Polynesia. CAMERON SPEARANCE/THE POINTS GUY
The terms of the Hilton Aspire resort credit say you “may not receive the statement credit if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible, if a transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party (such as an app store), or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process it.”
So, be sure to have your physical Hilton Aspire card with you when checking out of an eligible resort to ensure the charge is applied toward your Hilton Aspire resort credit.
As with many statement credits, the credit is based on the transaction date, which may differ from the date you made the purchase. I highly recommend that you don’t wait until the last few days of June or December to make an eligible purchase at a Hilton resort. Otherwise, the charge could post after your current credit expires.
It may take up to twelve weeks for the statement credit(s) to post to your account after your purchase. If Amex hasn’t posted the statement credits after 12 weeks have elapsed, call the number on the back of your card to speak with a customer service representative.
Related: 7 reasons to get the Hilton Amex Aspire Card
Hilton Aspire resort credit list
The Hilton Aspire’s terms direct you to view a list sorted by brand or region on the Hilton website. I recommend using the sort by region function, as this allows you to review the currently eligible properties that you may be able to include in an upcoming trip.
HILTON
Don’t use the search bar at the top of this page, though, as doing so will also display properties that aren’t eligible for the Hilton Aspire resort credit.
Related: 11 best Hilton all-inclusive resorts
How I use the Hilton Aspire resort credit
My husband and I each have a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which means we have two sets of Hilton Aspire resort credits to use each January through June and July through December.
So, we find two Hilton resorts to visit each year — one from January through June and another between July and December — and split the bill between our cards at checkout.
In 2024, we used the January through June credits at the Hilton Alexandria Corniche in Egypt. Our five-night stay cost just $433, so we used our credits to cover all but $33. Meanwhile, we used our July through December credit for incidentals at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, where we used two free night certificates and 150,000 Hilton points for our room.
WALDORF ASTORIA MALDIVES ITHAAFUSHI/FACEBOOK
In 2025, we used the January through June credits at the Hilton Cartagena Hotel. Our three-night stay cost $536, so we covered all but $136 with our Hilton Aspire resort credits. Then, we used the July through December credits at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton Niagara Falls. Our three-night stay plus parking cost $457, so we used our credits to cover all but $57.
I haven’t decided where we’ll use our Hilton Aspire resort credits in 2026. However, I’d love to return to Jordan’s Dead Sea resort area, Fiji or Surfers Paradise in Australia. Some of the properties in Thailand also look appealing, especially since I’ve yet to visit Hua Hin or Pattaya.
Related: The 21 best Hilton hotels in the world
Use multiple credits on one Hilton stay
TPG contributor Matt Moffitt wrote about stacking benefits from two Amex cards to pay just $35 per night for a Hilton stay in Portugal.
In his case, he stacked his Hilton resort credit with the up to $300 in statement credits he gets biannually (up to $600 total each year) on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection (minimum two-night stay required) bookings through American Express Travel® as a benefit of American Express Platinum Card®
Boeira Garden Hotel Porto Gaia, Curio Collection by Hilton, in Portugal. MATT MOFFITT/THE POINTS GUY
However, there are other credits that you can also potentially use on a single stay.
For example, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express gives me up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $50 per quarter; enrollment in the Hilton for Business program required) when I use my Amex Business Platinum card to make purchases directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio.
Likewise, it’s worth checking whether any Chase Offers or Amex Offers apply to your stay. Then, consider how you want to split your payment to best use all your credits and offers before you reach the check-in desk. I’ve never had an issue asking the front desk to split payment for a stay across several cards.
Related: How to maximize the statement credits on Hilton’s cobranded credit cards
Bottom line
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is one of the most valuable hotel credit cards on the market. The card’s complimentary Hilton Diamond status and 14 points per dollar earnings on eligible purchases made directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio are straightforward to maximize.
Maximizing Hilton Aspire resort credits and the annual free night certificate requires more planning. However, even if you don’t fully maximize these perks, you’ll likely find that the card offers more than enough value to justify its annual fee.
If you don’t already have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, know that it currently has a welcome offer new cardmembers can earn of 175,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
To learn more, read our full review of the Hilton Aspire.
Apply here: Hilton Aspire
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire card, click here.
