By : Mr Credit Card

Which Hilton HHonors Credit Card?

Question : Mr Credit Card, I noticed that there are two credit cards for Hilton HHonors members, one from amex and the other is a visa from Citibank. I would prefer a Visa rather than an American Express card. Which is the better card?.........Regards, Cindy from NJ

Answer - Actually, both cards are equally good and they do have slight differences. I have compiled the key features of these two cards in a table below. Let us take a closer look.

Comparison of the two Hilton HHonors Credit Cards

Criteria	American Express	Citi
Bonus Points	10,000 bonus points after first purchase Earn 2,500 bonus points for each of the first 4 stays at Hilton ie Earn up to 20,000 bonus points	40,000 bonus points after $1,000 purchase within 4 months
Point Formula	5 points for every dollar you spend at Hilton Hotels, standalone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, selected dining establishments, US Post Office and Wireless Phone Bills Earn 3 points for every dollar you spend on other purchases	6 points for every dollar you spend at Hilton Hotels 3 Points for every dollar spent at supermarkets, gas stations and drug stores 2 points for every dollar you spend on other purchases
Annual Fee	No annual fee	No annual fee

Observations - As you can see from the above table, the American Express version allows you to earn more points - 5 points at Hilton Hotels versus 6 points for the Citi Hilton HHonors card. However, with the American Express Card, you earn 3 points for every dollar you spend on "other purchases" versus only 2 points for the Visa card.

The American Express version is also one of the rare credit card that allows you to earn 5 Hilton HHonors points for every dollar you spend on standalone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, selected dining establishments, US Post Office and Wireless Phone Bills. With the Citi version, you earn 3 points for every dollar you spend at supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores.

The fees and rates for both cards are similar. The only other minor differences is the introductory bonus.

Conclusion - Based on the reward formulas, our conclusion is that both are great cards to have and both have their strengths and weaknesses. For example the Citi version lets you earn more points when you use the card at Hilton Hotels and chains. However, the Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card from American Express lets you earn more points on supermarket, gas station, drugstore and other non-Hilton purchases versus the Citicard. So I guess the best choice for you will depend on how much you spend on the card within these categories.

For business owners who want to earn Hilton Honors points, we suggest using either of the two personal cards instead as there are no business cards that let you earn or transfer points at the rate of these 2 personal cards.