There are a number of hotel credits cards offering some kind of quarterly “coupon book” credit — such as a yearly credit of $200 or $240 broken down across the year. If you are like my wife and me and have a bunch of these cards, it can be a challenge to use them all or even remember to use them all. Like what cards?
Let’s focus on some Hilton Honors statement credits that part of certain American Express cards. (Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Earn up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $50 per quarter) on eligible Hilton purchases when you enroll in the Amex Business Platinum’s $200 Hilton Statement Credit Benefit
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- Earn up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $50 per quarter) on eligible Hilton purchases made directly with Hilton portfolio properties
- Remember the current limited-time offer! Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and a Free Night after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within the first six (6) months of being approved for card membership. This offer expires on April 29, 2025. Learn here how to apply. (Terms apply.)
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- Earn up to $240 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $60 per quarter) on eligible Hilton purchases made directly with Hilton portfolio properties
- Remember the current limited-time offer! Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on the card within the first six (6) months being approved. This offer expires on April 29, 2025. (Terms apply.) Learn here how to apply.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card ‘s statement credit benefit is semi-annual: earn up to $400 each year ($200 from January through June and $200 from July through December) for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts. That card also features a great offer expiring soon: 175,000 bonus Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases within three (3) months of being approved for the card. This offer expires on April 29, 2025. (Terms apply.) Learn here how to apply. (All information about the Hiltoin Aspire Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided nor reviewed by the card issuer.)
For a long time, the simplest solution was to buy a Hilton $50 gift card to harvest the credit. You could quickly order 1x per card and get all our cards knocked out in minutes and not forget about these coupons.
But the Hilton gift cards have not been a perfect solution (and not just because they have been out of stock for most of 2025) because they are REALLY hit and miss if you can use them or not at Hilton properties. Because of this, they don’t hold a great value for people trying to resell them.
A number of bloggers write about how they use these credits by booking Hilton stays. That works if you are on the go all the time — but it is still a pain to pay with different cards (some maybe not in your name) for each stay until you use up all your credits. Is there a simpler option? Here is what my wife and I are doing.
One of the Hilton-affiliated properties near my home has a nice restaurant attached to the hotel. I was reasonably confident that any charges in this location would code correctly as a hotel charge because I have, when traveling, paid for drinks and such at Hilton hotel bars/restaurants in the past, and they triggered the credits correctly. How about locally when not checked in as a guest?
No problem whatsoever! A day or so after my dinner visit to the Hilton property — and I paid with my Amex Business Platinum Card — I received an e-mail from Amex that I had used my quarterly Hilton coupon perk and would soon receive the promised credit for the bill. Nice!
Keep in mind that you will have to enroll to get these credits with some cards, like the Amex Business Platinum card, while with others, like the Hilton cards, it is automatically active just by holding the card(s).
For me a dinner out with my wife is a nice way to “clip the coupon” for these quarterly Amex offers and until Hilton gift cards return for order and fix their issues this will be a savory and simple way to cash in on one of the many card perks they offer. – René
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please visit this link.
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How about purchasing some products like wine/beer at their shop in nearby hilton property. WIll that trigger the credit?
@Praveen – As mentioned in post, I got drinks recently in a Hilton bar and that did work.
If you’re talking about an onsite gift shop that sells alcohol and want to be our guinea pig, go for it!
If a charge is done today, last day of the month, will it count for quarter 1 or quarter 2? It will pend today, but when it changes to a charge……will it be for Q1 or Q2? It is a $50 question.
@Peggy – It should go by charge date so it “should” code for Q1 but you will not know for sure till Q2 to see if that one too works for you.
Very nice advice. Thanks!
It’s a good idea but not ALL Hilton hotel restaurants code as “Hilton” spending so it would be worth testing this if you have a local option like this.
@DaninMCI – In this FF and points game it is all about testing and learning for the win!
Brilliant Rene, thank you! Can’t wait to try this trick out on my Amex Business Platinum.