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In-flight Entertainment Dud: A Review of American Airlines’ 737-800 from Orange County to Chicago

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I love it when airlines offer seat-back entertainment or IFE screens on long haul routes. But what happens if the the entertainment system doesn’t work? On a recent flight, both Annie and I encountered issues and the end result were 2,500 extra AA miles each, as a gesture of goodwill from American Airlines.

John Wayne Airport

Before I get into the in-flight entertainment issue, I need to talk a little about John Wayne Airport. Living in Chicago, I’m used to flying out of O’Hare which is consistently one of the busiest airports in the world. With that comes long lines, lots of people and stress.

It’s such a breath of fresh air to fly into a smaller airport and the experience at John Wayne was fantastic.

At John Wayne, you return your car at the airport and walk directly across the way into the terminal. You don’t have to deal with off-site car rental locations, riding trams or buses and the extra time that all takes.

Once inside, getting through security took about 5 minutes. Besides short lines, there’s just way less stress at these smaller airports. The government was actually shut down while we were flying but there was absolutely no noticeable problems or delays.

After getting through security, all the gates are close by and there were plenty of seating at each.

The airport recently went through renovations in Terminals A and B and so everything looks new and clean. For more details and pictures, check out the John Wayne termination improvements.

In-flight Entertainment

I was happily surprised that both flights on American’s 737-800 aircraft between Chicago and Orange County had seat-back entertainment. American Airlines, and most other carriers, are slowly transitioning travelers to a system where they stream content to personal devices like phones, laptops, and tablets.

While I’m certainly comfortable using my phone to watch movies or shows, I find it more enjoyable to watch on a bigger screen.

IFE screen on American Airlines 737-800 aircraft

The IFE screen worked great on our route to Orange County. However, on the way back to Chicago, after watching one TV episode, the IFE screen would not play anything else. I could browse and select a TV show or movie, but when I hit play, nothing happened. My wife’s system had the same problem.

Once we landed, I went on the American app and wrote an email to their Customer Relations group. I made sure to be nice and state the facts. I wrote that I was very disappointed that the IFE screens for my wife and I failed to work correctly. I ended my email asking if they would credit us with AA miles to make up for this issue.

Within one day, I received a response from Customer Relations apologizing for the IFE screen issue and offering to credit both my wife’s and my accounts with 2,500 AA miles. I replied and thanked them for the quick reply and bonus mile offer. The very next day, the miles were deposited into our accounts.

How to Contact Customer Relations

To contact American Airlines Customer Relations, click on the Contact American link under Help at the bottom of their website. Then follow these steps:

Under the “Share with us” sub-header, click on Contact Customer Relations.
Choose a Topic, Subject and Reason and click Next.
Fill in your contact information.
Add your AAdvantage number, phone and email.
Input your flight information, if applicable.
Finally, write your message and click Submit.

Bottom Line

When something happens during your travel, you don’t just have to accept it. It never hurts to contact Customer Relations, explain the situation and see if they’ll offer you something to make up for it. Just remember to be nice!

Trip Report Index

  1. Planning our Trip to Newport Beach
  2. Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa
  3. Embassy Suites by Hilton Irvine Orange County Airport
  4. Activities in Orange County
  5. Flight from Orange County to Chicago

Orange County: Planning our Trip to Newport Beach

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It’s always nice to escape Chicago in the middle of the winter. This year we’re going to visit my wife, Annie’s best friend Melissa and her family in Southern California. We haven’t seen Melissa and her husband, Scott since our wedding in 2015. So we’re going out there for 4 nights to visit with them, see their newborn baby and enjoy some nice weather.

In This Post

Airfare

When I started searching for airfare from Chicago to Southern California, I knew that unless the ticket cost was astronomically high, I wasn’t going to use any points or miles. Of course I still wanted to do this as economically as possible. Melissa and her family live closest to Orange County John Wayne (SNA) Airport, but I also searched for flights to Los Angeles International (LAX), Long Beach (LGB) and Hollywood Burbank (BUR) airports.

The only viable options were LAX and SNA and LAX did have cheaper flights. However, with L.A. traffic the way it is, it was worth a little extra money to fly into SNA and avoid a 1 -2 hour drive to Melissa.

American Airlines 737-800 Aircraft
I saved $250 on airfare thanks to my Hilton Honors Aspire Card!

Flights on American Airlines turned out to be the cheapest and I was able to reduce the total cost by utilizing a perk from my Hilton Honors Aspire Card. The card comes with an annual $250 airline fee credit to use this on things like baggage or flight change fees. But what’s especially great about the perk is that American Airlines will reimburse gift card purchases and those gift cards never expire. So right after I got the Aspire Card last year, I bought $250 worth of gift cards, which were reimbursed, and now applied to the cost of this trip!

Pro Tip: As of early 2019, the gift card reimbursement still works for American Airlines, Delta and Southwest. The maximum gift card amount that will be reimbursed by American and Southwest is $100 and Delta is $50. If you purchase gift cards, make sure you buy in these smaller amounts.

After applying the gift cards, the total cost of airfare dropped from $754.80 to $504.80.

Hotel

Even though Melissa lives in Irvine, we decided to stay in Newport Beach to be closer to the ocean. The Balboa Bay Resort came highly recommended and looks very nice, but it was a little more than we wanted to pay. We finally narrowed it down to a couple Marriott hotels and one by Hyatt.

Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa
Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa (Photo courtesy of Marriott)

We decided on the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa. It looks really nice and got good reviews online. The real decision was how to book. I used Hotels.com to do my original search but often times you can get better rates direct from the hotel. So I went over to Marriott’s website to check the rates and they were essentially the same as what I found on Hotels.com.

I don’t currently have many Marriott points, so earning more from this stay wasn’t a great value. I’m a member of the Hotels.com Rewards program, however, and only need 3 more nights to earn a free night. This worked out perfectly since we’re staying 3 nights in total. So I booked the hotel through Hotels.com for 3 nights at $597.46. Once our stay is complete, we’ll have a free night to use on any future stay booked through Hotels.com.

To further boost my rewards, instead of booking directly at Hotels.com, I first went to MyPoints.com. MyPoints is similar to other shopping portals which give you points or miles if you start your purchase from their website. MyPoints is unique in that they have even more ways to earn points, like doing surveys or watching videos.

When I booked, MyPoints.com was giving 5 points per every $1 spent at Hotels.com. So when we complete our stay, my account will be credited with 2,635 points. Once you have enough points, they can be redeemed for gift cards to many different merchants. From a travel perspective, you can redeem for gift cards from American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hotels.com, and Southwest Airlines. You can also redeem for miles in United’s MileagePlus program. When ready, my plan is to redeem for United miles.

Embassy Suites Irvine Orange County
Embassy Suites Irvine Orange County (Photo courtesy Hilton Hotels)

For the final night of the trip, I booked us at the Embassy Suites Irvine Orange County Airport. I wanted to move to another hotel for the final night for two reasons.

  1. I only need 3 nights at Hotels.com to earn a free future night. With the Hotels.com Rewards program, for every 10 nights you book, you earn a free night (the value of your free night will be the average price of the previous 10 nights you collect). Staying for a 4th night would give me 1 out of 10 nights towards my next free night. Since I don’t plan to use Hotels.com that much in 2019, I didn’t want to start down that path knowing I might not complete 9 more nights in a year.
  2. The other reason is that I’m all about Hilton right now. Annie and I are collecting Hilton Honors points for a 5th wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii in 2020. Plus with my Hilton Honors Aspire Card, I earn 34 points per $1 spent at Hilton Hotels. I didn’t book all 4 nights here because we wanted to be closer to the ocean for the majority of the trip. There weren’t many options under the Hilton brand that were in the right location or budget.

Car Rental

For a car, I found a great rate through Hertz. I wanted to use Hertz because I’m planning to use them for a free rental during the Hawaii 2020 trip. And every reservation gets me points towards that goal.

At first Hertz was much higher than some others and so I had a reservation held for me through Costco Travel. A few days ago I checked Hertz again and the rates had dropped to the point where it was actually cheaper the Costco reservation.

Same as with the hotel, instead of booking directly at Hertz, I first went to the MyPoints.com shopping portal. MyPoints.com was giving 3 points per every $1 spent at Hertz when I booked. So when the reservation is complete, my account will be credited with 339 points.

Bottom Line

I didn’t use points or miles for this trip, but I did save a little money. The airfare credits from my Hilton Honors Aspire Card saved me $250 on the airfare.

Mostly, this trip will set me up for future points and miles redemptions. After this trip, I’ll have earned a free night through Hotels.com, a few thousand points to my Hilton account and some points to Hertz as well.

Trip Report Index

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card Review

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The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® card is great for those who fly on American Airlines, even infrequently. The benefits offered can really help you save time and money! On top of earning 75,000 American Airlines miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements, you also get perks such as free checked bags, 25% back on in-flight purchases and priority boarding.

Who is this card for?

Quite simply, if you fly American Airlines at least once a year, then you should consider owning this card. With just one round-trip flight for you and three family members, you’ll have saved $240!

Besides saving money, owning this card will also make your life easier. With priority boarding, you will board earlier than those without an American Airlines branded credit card and that will help you secure overhead bin space for your carry on.

American Airlines 737-800 Aircraft
Free checked bags for you and three companions can save you $240 round-trip

You can apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card here.

Card Features

Bonus Offer

You’ll earn 75,000 miles after you spend $3,500 on purchases in the first four months.

Annual Fee

The card comes with a $99 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year.

Earning Rates

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card earns:

  • 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases from American Airlines
  • 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants and gas stations
  • 1 mile per $1 on all other spending

The earning rates are nothing special, but they are in line with other similarly priced airline cards. If you’re looking to build up your American AAdvantage® miles balance, this is a decent way to do it.

Redeeming Miles

American Airlines makes it very easy to redeem miles on their website. Plus, you can use them to book travel on OneWorld partners, like British Airways, Air Berlin, Iberia, Japan Airlines and more.


Redeem American AAdvantage® miles for award travel on any oneworld Alliance airline

The sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles is enough for a Main Cabin round-trip ticket to Hawaii, which costs 45,000 miles at the MileSAAVer rate. You could also travel one-way to Europe for 30,000 miles, Asia for 35,000 miles or the South Pacific for 40,000 miles.

Card Benefits

This Card has some nice benefits and those that fly American Airlines even once a year will get good value.

Free First Checked Bag

Cardholders will get the first checked bag for you and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation for free. The value here depends on how many people are traveling, but at $30 per checked bag, a family of four can save up to $240 per roundtrip! And because this benefit is linked to your AAdvantage® account, you can still pay for tickets using any credit card you want.

Priority Boarding

As a Cardholder, you and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation will receive boarding Group 5 access for your flights. American Airlines has 9 boarding groups now, so this puts you right in the middle. In my experience, this will give you more than enough access to overhead bin space that could be difficult to come by if you board in the later groups.

Overhead Bin
Boarding the aircraft early can help increase your chances of securing overhead bin space!

25% back on In-flight Purchases

When you use your card to pay for food and beverages onboard American-operated flights, you’ll get 25% back as a statement credit. This doesn’t include Wi-Fi.

$125 American Airlines Flight Discount

You can earn a $125 American Airlines flight discount after spending $20,000 or more on purchases during your cardmembership year and renew your card.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Purchase Protection

This benefit covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account per calendar year. You’ll sleep easy knowing your new, big purchases are covered.

Extended Warranty Protection

With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional two years. In the event of a covered failure from the manufacturer’s warranty, Citi’s extended warranty coverage will either repair the item, replace the item or reimburse you up to the amount charged on your credit card or $10,000 — whichever is less.

Who should look for another card?

If you don’t live near an American Airlines hub or typically fly other airlines, then this card doesn’t make sense to own. I would encourage owning at least one airline card, however, so that you can take advantage of perks for your preferred airline. The free checked bag perk on these airline cards pays for the annual fee after just one round-trip flight. 

If you don’t have a preferred airline, stick with a credit card that earns flexible points like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Points in those ecosystems are transferable to various airline partners and gives you virtually unlimited options.

Some good transferable points cards to consider with similar annual fees are:

Bottom Line

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® card comes with 75,000 bonus miles once you complete the minimum spending requirements. That’s enough to travel round-trip in coach within the continental United States or one-way to Europe, Asia or South America.

This card comes with many perks and a few are quite unique for a card at this price point. You’ll save money with free checked bags and 25% back on in-flight purchases, and time with priority boarding.

While the card’s everyday spending rate aren’t the best, if you fly American Airlines at least a little bit, you can find great value.

Apply here for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card.

United℠ Explorer Card Review

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The United℠ Explorer card can save you time and money even if you only fly occasionally! On top of earning 60,000 United Airlines miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements, you also get perks such as airport lounge access, free checked bags and increased flight award availability.

Who is this card for?

Quite simply, if you fly United Airlines at least once a year, then you should consider owning this card. With just one round-trip flight for you and a companion, you’ll have paid for the annual fee and then some.

Free checked bags for you and a companion can save you $120 round-trip (Photo courtesy United Airlines)

You can apply for the United Explorer Card here.

Card Features

Bonus Offer

You’ll earn 60,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.

Annual Fee

The card comes with a $95 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year.

Earning Rates

The United Explorer Card earns:

  • 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases from United Airlines
  • 2 miles per $1 spent on dining and hotels booked directly
  • 1 mile per $1 on all other spending

The earning rates are nothing special, but they are in line with other similarly priced airline cards. If you’re looking to build up your United MileagePlus miles balance, this is a decent way to do it.

However, you can earn the same 2x rates on dining and hotels with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but you’ll also earn 2x points on all air travel purchases. On top of the better earnings rate, United is a transfer partner in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, so you can always move those points to your United account.

Redeeming Miles

United makes it very easy to redeem miles on their website. Plus, you can use them to book travel on Star Alliance partners, like Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and more.

Redeem United MileagePlus miles for award travel on any Star Alliance Airline with no fuel surcharges

What’s unique about United Airlines is they don’t add fuel surcharges to award flights. This can save you several hundred dollars per ticket when compared to some other airlines!

Card Benefits

This card has some really excellent benefits and a few are very unique ones you don’t get with other airline cards at this price point.

Free First Checked Bag

You and one companion receive a free first checked bag on United®-operated flights when you purchase your tickets or pay taxes on award flights with your Card. At $35 per checked bag, you can save up to $140 per roundtrip! This perks easily pays for the annual fee and then some.

Two United Club One-time Passes 

Take some time to relax before your flight with two United Club one-time passes, which will be deposited into your account after account opening and each year for your Cardmember anniversary. Enjoy complimentary beverages, snacks, and amenities like workspaces, free Wi-Fi and more. One-day passes typically cost $59 so this perk also covers the annual fee.

United Club Hong Kong
United Club Hong Kong (Photo courtesy United Airlines)

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit

Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card. Remember that Global Entry includes PreCheck®, so going with Global Entry is the smarter choice.

Priority Boarding

The primary Cardmember and companions on the same reservation will be invited to board United-operated flights after First Class and prior to general boarding.

25% back on In-flight Purchases

When you use your card to pay for food, beverages and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights, you’ll get 25% back as a statement credit.

Expanded Award Availability

This is one of the really unique perks that United offers to primary Cardmembers. You will enjoy expanded award availability when you use miles to book any United-operated flight, any time, at the applicable Everyday Award level – with no restrictions or blackout dates.

You’ll see a note showing you award flights that are available to you as a Cardmember

This gives you much more flexibility as you’ll be able to find award flights for less miles! Compare the two calendar views below (the first is a non-cardholder and the latter for a cardholder). Looking at one-way fares from ORD to SFO, you can see that for the non-cardholder it would cost 15k, 16k or 18k miles to fly on December 16, 17 or 18 respectively. However, for the cardholder it would cost 12,500 miles each of those dates.

Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)

This is another unique perk that isn’t found on any other airline credit cards except United Airlines.

The vast majority of credit cards offer some type of coverage when it comes to auto rentals. However, there are two different coverage categories (primary and secondary) and knowing the difference is key. Secondary coverage is what most credit cards offer and it applies after your own personal auto insurance policy. Typically it means that your auto insurer pays the claim, but the card will reimburse your deductible and potentially other costs not covered by your personal policy.

Primary coverage, however, applies before your own personal auto insurance policy and will cover full damages due to collision or theft of most rental cars. That means you can avoid paying a deductible and potentially seeing your premiums rise.

There are only six consumer credit cards that offer primary auto rental CDW coverage:

There are also five business credit cards that offer this as well. You’ll only be covered by primary insurance while renting for business purposes, renting outside your country of residence for personal reasons or if you do not have automobile insurance:

The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection is a hotel and hospitality management company that owns a suite of luxury hotels. Card-members will receive the following benefits when booking a room at one of the eligible hotels on the LRH website:

  • Daily complimentary breakfast for two people
  • A special benefit unique to each property, such as a dining or spa credit
  • Complimentary WiFi
  • Complimentary room upgrades (when available)
  • Early check-in and late checkout (when available)

No Foreign Transaction Fees

For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance

If your trip can’t start, is cut short or interrupted by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses up to $6,000 per covered trip.

This perk can provide peace of mind if your trip is interrupted or cancelled.

Baggage Delay Insurance

If you experience baggage delays over 6 hours by passenger carrier, you can be reimbursed for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing, up to $100 a day for 3 days.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for non-reimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.

Lost Luggage Reimbursement

If you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.

Purchase Protection

This benefit covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account per calendar year.

Extended Warranty Protection

With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year. This applies to eligible warranties of three years or less.

Who should look for another card?

If you don’t live near a United Airlines hub and typically fly other airlines, then this card doesn’t make sense to own. I would encourage owning at least one airline card, however, so that you can take advantage of perks for your preferred airline. The free checked bag perk on these airline cards pays for the annual fee after just one round-trip flight. 

If you don’t have a preferred airline, stick with a credit card that earns flexible points like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. Points in those ecosystems are transferable to various airline partners and gives you virtually unlimited options.

Some good transferable points cards to consider with similar annual fees are:

Bottom Line

The United℠ Explorer card comes with 60,000 miles once you complete the minimum spending requirements. That’s enough to travel round-trip in coach within the continental United States or one-way to Europe, Asia or South America.

This card comes with many perks and a few are quite unique for a card at this price point. You’ll save money with free checked bags, lounge passes and 25% off snacks and Wi-Fi in-flight.

The really unique perks for this card are the Global Entry credit ($120 credit for your application every 4 years), lounge access, the expanded award availability and primary car rental insurance. These perks are typically found on cards with a higher annual fee.

While the card’s earnings rate aren’t the best, if you fly United Airlines at least a little bit, you can find great value.

Apply here for the United Explorer Card.

Hilton Honors Aspire® Card Review

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On October 19, 2023, American Express announced a refreshed version of the Hilton Honors Aspire® Card. The card used to be an absolute no-brainer for almost everyone. Now it comes with an increased annual fee and resort and airline credits that are tougher to use. Additionally, Priority Pass will no longer be a benefit as of February 1, 2024. On the positive side, Amex has added a few new and potentially exciting perks like an annual $189 CLEAR reimbursement and cell phone protection.

This can still be a valuable card to keep if you can utilize the credits and take advantage of the new benefits. However, I don’t think it’s still a no-brainer card for everyone. As has been the case for some time, American Express offers three personal Hilton Honors credit cards to choose from.

Which Hilton card is right for you? See a side by side comparison of all three cards.

The Aspire Card is a premium product, as evidenced by the annual fee. However, if you you stay at Hilton Hotels at least a few times a year and can use the available credits, this card can provide a terrific value that outweighs the cost. On top of earning 180,000 Hilton Honors points after meeting the minimum spending requirements, you also get perks such as $400 in Hilton resort credits, $200 in flight credits and the ability to spend your way to earn up to two free night certificates annually.

Who is this card for?

Quite simply, if stay at Hilton Hotels at least a few times a year and can make use of the available credits, then you should own this card. Even with a $550 annual fee, the benefits can certainly go further than the annual fee. The highlights are a $200 annual (calendar year) flight credit and a $400 annual (card anniversary year) Hilton resort statement credit. You also get a free night certificate each year of card membership (with the ability to earn an additional night after spending $30,000, and another one after spending $60,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year).

You can apply for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express here.

Card Features

Bonus Offer

You’ll earn 180,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. That’s good enough for a free night at a top-tier property or several nights at a lower-tier property.

You can redeem 160,000 points for two free night at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai and still have some of your welcome bonus left. (Photo courtesy Hilton Hotels)

Annual Fee

The card comes with a $550 annual fee (up from $450). At first, the fee seems steep, but there are lots of benefits available to help offset it. In fact, some people will be able to get much more than $550 in value from the card.

Earning Rates

The earnings rate on stays at Hilton properties are pretty incredible, so frequent stays at Hilton properties can quickly supercharge your points balance. You’ll earn:

  • 14 points per $1 spent at Hilton properties
  • 7 points per $1 spent on dining, airfare booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com and select car rental companies
  • 3 points per $1 on all other spending

This card also comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status, which further enhances the earnings rate on Hilton stays. Diamond status earns a 100% bonus over Member status, which is 20 points per $1 spent. So when you combine the earnings rates from the card and status, you’ll earn 34 points for every dollar spent at Hilton properties.

Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort Spa
High earning rates can make a stay at the Hilton Seychelles Luxury Hotel & Spa a reality. (Photo courtesy Hilton Hotels)

If you have a Hilton points goal you are striving to achieve, then using this card to pay for dining, travel and car rentals can help you reach that goal pretty quickly.

However, if you have no goal in mind, you may want to think twice about using the card for anything other than Hilton stays. Dining, travel and car rental purchases should really be made with cards that earn transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou points. Those points are much more valuable than Hilton points and can be used in many different ways.

Redeeming Points

Hilton allows you to redeem points for gift cards, merchandise, and premium rooms. You can also transfer points to airlines at a rate of 10:1. None of these options are very enticing, in my opinion, so I would always look to redeem Hilton points for standard award nights.

Hilton now uses a variable award chart, so you can never be totally sure how much an award night is going to cost. However, you can get a pretty good idea by looking into some of your desired properties.

When searching a property, check the “Use Flexible Dates” box to see how much an award night will cost over several weeks. For example, the Hilton Austin will cost 70,000 per night anytime on dates in March 2024. Below is an example search of standard award night costs for the Hilton Austin.

You can also consider using Hilton’s Points & Money option which allows you to book a night using both points and cash. The tool has a convenient slider that shows you how much cash would be needed if you spend less points.

Hilton Points & Money
The slider tool allows you to play around with different points/cash options.

Card Benefits

Hilton Honors Diamond Status

As long as your account is open and in good standing, you’ll receive complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond Status. The perks of this status are the increased earnings rate on Hilton stays, lounge access, room upgrades and free breakfast.

Perks include complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status. (Photo courtesy Hilton Hotels)

Annual Free Nights

You’ll receive one free night reward, valid at almost any property in the Hilton portfolio, after opening your account and on your card-opening anniversary each year. Additionally, if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year, you can earn a second free night and if you spend $60,000 in a calendar year, you can earn a third free night.

You can redeem your annual free night reward at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. (Photo courtesy Hilton Hotels)

Fifth Night Free

When redeeming points for a standard room award, every fifth night is free.

Priority Pass (Valid before February 1, 2024)

You and two guests can enjoy unlimited access to 1,200+ VIP airport lounges worldwide with Priority Pass™ Select. Additional guests will be charged $27 per lounge visit.

$400 Hilton Resort Credit

Each calendar year, you can receive up to $200 in semi-annual statement credits for eligible purchases at participating Hilton resorts. If you’re able to use this twice a year, that’s $400 back in statement credits. Credits will apply automatically when using your card to pay for your resort stay.

$200 Airline Flight Credit

Each calendar year, you can get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back on eligible flight purchases.

$100 Property Credit at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Hotels

When you book at least a 2 night stay with your card through HiltonHonors.com/AspireCard (or over the phone using code ZZAAP.), you’ll receive up to $100 in credit for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Hotels & Resorts. 

$189 CLEAR® Plus Credit

You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership (excluding any applicable taxes and fees and subject to auto-renewal) with up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year.

National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® Status

Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada. You must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through your American Express online account. 

Cell Phone Protection

When you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card, you can get up to $800 per claim if your cell phone is damaged or stolen. Coverage is limited to 2 claims in a 12 month period and each claim has a $50 deductible.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance

If your trip can’t start, is cut short or interrupted by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your eligible card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 6 hours, you and your family are covered for non-reimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket. There’s a maximum of two claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period.

Other Travel Benefits

The card carries secondary collision damage waiver, lost baggage insurance and travel accident insurance. If you’re renting a car, you should always try to use a card that provides primary collision damage waiver like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Amex Offers

Amex Offers is a free program that saves you money or earns you points on shopping, dining and more. You choose offers from brands you love and get discounts in the form of statement credits or as extra points.

To redeem an offer, simply select the offer you want to add to your card. Then use your card to pay and see the savings or points add up on your statement.

Purchase Protection

This benefit covers your new purchases for 90 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per account per calendar year. As always, make sure you read the fine print for benefit terms and conditions. But you’ll sleep easy knowing your new, big purchases are covered.

Extended Warranty Protection

With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by one additional year. This applies to eligible warranties of five years or less. Coverage is limited to the actual amount charged on the card for the item, up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per calendar year.

Who should look for another card?

While many people can find great value from this card, the $550 annual fee can feel quite steep to some. Those whose spending doesn’t justify the annual fee may want to focus on either the mid-tier Hilton Honors Surpass® Card or a flexible points card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead.

If the annual fee doesn’t bother you, but you don’t stay at Hilton properties much, the $695 per year Platinum Card® from American Express also has great benefits. It earns flexible American Express Membership Rewards points and if you needed to top off your Hilton points, you can transfer those to your Hilton account, as well as many other hotel chains and airlines.

There’s also the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, which has an identical $550 annual fee, great benefits and earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points. People who would rather collect flexible points like Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards, may prefer cards in those ecosystems.

Bottom Line

This premium card carries a high annual fee but also provides great value to those who travel frequently and stay at Hilton properties. If you’re able to use the Hilton resort credits, the flight credits and the annual free reward night, you can more than pay for the card’s annual fee each year.

When I applied for this card, it was for a specific short-term goal. However, the annual benefits have kept me as a cardholder. For my situation, I feel that the recent changes are more negative than positive, so I’ll need to consider whether I want to keep this card for the long-term.

Apply here for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express.