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The Hilton Honors American Express Card comes with an annual fee, a welcome offer of up to 70,000 points, a Free Night Reward, and more.
American Express Canada and Hilton introduced the all-new Hilton Honors American Express Card on Thursday, Oct. 29. It is the first Hilton Honors co-branded credit card in Canada.
MoneySense will fill you in on the fees and the perks to help you decide if you should consider it.
“As our Hilton Honors member base in Canada has grown by more than 40% since 2023, we’re focused on delivering even more value for Canadian travellers,” said Heather Laverne, Vice President, Head of International Co-Brand at Hilton, in a statement sent to MoneySense.
“With the Hilton Honors American Express Card, we’re showing up for our members where and when it matters most, offering more ways to earn Hilton Honors Points, unlock elite member benefits, enjoy memorable stays and have access to curated experiences that can only be purchased with Hilton Honors Points.”
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has an annual fee of $150, and supplementary cards are free.
Cardmembers get Hilton Honors Gold status automatically, which includes bonus points on eligible stays, a daily food and beverage credit or continental breakfast (depending on the brand and region), space-available room upgrades, digital check-in and free Wi-Fi.
Here’s how the card earns Hilton Honors points on eligible purchases:
Plus, if you spend $12,000 in a calendar year, you earn 50,000 bonus points, and that bonus is available every year. Spend $40,000 and you’re upgraded to Diamond status, which adds executive lounge access, a 48-hour room guarantee and 100% more points on eligible Hilton stays.
New cardmembers can earn up to 70,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward, according to Amex’s offer details.
You get 60,000 points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in the first three months, plus another 10,000 points after you spend $500 in your 13th month as a cardmember. The welcome offer ends Jan. 11, 2027.
The first target is about $1,000 a month for three months. At the base 2-points-per-dollar base rate, that spending would earn only about 6,000 points on its own, so most of the offer’s value comes from the bonus. You’ll want to check the card page for the Free Night Reward’s terms, including how much it’s worth, when it expires and which hotels qualify.
Let’s say you put $12,000 on the card in a year, averaging $1,000 a month. If all of it landed in the 4-points-per-dollar categories (gas, groceries and dining), you’d earn 48,000 points as well as the 50,000 bonus points. That totals to 98,000 points.
If all of it earned the 2-points-per-dollar base rate, you’d get 24,000 points and the bonus, totalling 74,000.
The welcome offer adds another 70,000 points over your first 13 months, plus the free night. Because the 50,000-point bonus is tied to a calendar year, when you sign up affects how soon you can reach it.
What those points are truly worth depends on how and where you redeem them. Award nights are priced in points, and the price can vary by hotel and date, so the best way to size up the card is to look up a hotel you’d really book on Hilton’s website and see how many points a night costs.
Under Hilton’s current tiers, Gold status otherwise takes 25 nights, 15 stays or US$6,000 in eligible annual spending, and it comes with 80% more points on stays.
Getting it from a $150 card is a money-saving shortcut if you stay at Hilton hotels a few times a year. You can also get Gold from the Amex Platinum Card, but its annual fee is $799 and it earns flexible Membership Rewards points instead of Hilton points.
Cardholders also get the program’s signature benefits. According to the product launch press release, that means no blackout dates on reward stays, no resort fees on stays booked entirely with points, and the option to combine points and money. Hilton’s fact sheet also lists Fifth Night Free, where every fifth night is free when you book a standard room reward entirely with points. The card taps into Hilton’s portfolio of 28 brands and more than 9,600 properties in 144 countries and territories.
On the Amex side, the announcement lists Front Of The Line presale access, travel insurance coverage, 24/7 Global Assist and Member Benefits.
| Rate or fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Interest rate (purchases and funds advances) | 21.99% |
| Annual fee, basic card | $150 |
| Annual fee, supplementary cards | $0 |
| Funds advance fee | $0 |
| Dishonoured payment ($0 in Quebec) | $15 |
| Statement reprint | $3 |
| Points reinstatement (plus taxes) | $20 online, $30 other |
| Overlimit ($0 in Quebec) | $29 |
| Balance transfer or Amex cheque | Up to 3% |
| Installment program | Up to 1.2% a month |
Source: American Express Canada, as of Oct. 29, 2026. Rates and fees subject to change.
We advise once again that you thoroughly check the card page before you apply.
If you already stay at Hilton hotels a few times a year, the Gold status and the 6X earn rate at Hilton properties could go a long way toward covering the fee.
The welcome offer’s free night and points are tempting rewards, but you’ll need to hit the $3,000 spending target to get them. If you don’t, the card’s everyday 4X categories are generous, but the points only go as far as the Hilton rooms you’d redeem them for. Travel that’s spread across different hotel brands, or a preference for flexible points, may point you toward a different card.
To see how it stacks up, check out MoneySense’s picks for the best American Express cards and the best travel credit cards in Canada.
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
American Express Cobalt Card
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
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