How I scored a $35 per night Hilton stay in Portugal with two Amex cards

This summer was my third trip to Portugal, but the first time I turned a stay at an aspirational property into one of my cheapest hotel bills ever.

Luxury hotels in Europe can add up quickly, but two American Express cards brought the cost of four nights at a Hilton property in Porto from almost $1,100 to under $400. And by factoring in some other benefits, I actually only paid $137 out of pocket — or under $35 per night. That's less than what many hostels charge for a dorm bed.

Here is exactly how I stacked the cards' benefits, and how you can do it, too.

Put the Amex Platinum hotel credit to work

The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with up to $600 in statement credits each year for prepaid bookings through The Hotel Collection with Amex Travel (or through Fine Hotels + Resorts, if you choose).

I booked two nights (the minimum stay requirement to trigger the credit for The Hotel Collection) at the Boeira Garden Hotel Porto Gaia (a Curio Collection property) for $535 through Amex Travel.

Because the booking was prepaid, I saw a $200 credit (the terms for this credit were different when I used it) on my statement within two weeks of booking. No calls, no extra steps.

I also received a $100 on-property credit through The Hotel Collection, which I put toward a room service lunch and two dinners (one at the restaurant and one more back in my room).

Savings: $300 ($200 The Hotel Collection credit and $100 on-property credit)

Double up on the Hilton Aspire resort credit

I chose this hotel because it's part of Amex's The Hotel Collection and an eligible Hilton resort. That's so I could take advantage of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card's up to $200 in statement credits for eligible Hilton resort charges every six months.

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So, I booked an extra two nights following my initial stay directly through Hilton for $421.

Plus, I found a hack to use two biannual credits on one stay.

I emailed the property in December last year and asked if I could place a deposit on my June trip. They were happy to process $200 on my Aspire card in December, which triggered the second half of 2024's resort credit. And when I checked out in June, I paid the remaining balance, which triggered the first half of 2025's credit.

That simple timing trick cut $400 off my bill. Both credits posted automatically within 10 days of the charges.

And thanks to the complimentary breakfast that comes with Hilton Diamond status from the Aspire card, I didn't pay a cent for four buffet breakfasts (which I would value at $20 each).

Savings: $480 (two $200 Hilton resort credits plus $80 in free breakfasts)

Earn bonus Amex and Hilton points

On the first two-night booking through The Hotel Collection, I earned 2,675 American Express Membership Rewards points on my prepaid booking (at 5 points per dollar spent), worth $54 per TPG's August 2025 valuations.

Then I earned 23,790 Hilton Honors points, worth $119 per our August 2025 valuations. These points were earned on:

• Two nights booked through The Hotel Collection (you can double-dip on earnings with both Amex and the hotel loyalty program)
• Two nights booked directly with Hilton
• $134 in incidental charges (of which $100 were covered by the on-property credit)

Breaking it down: I earned 10,895 base points for being a Hilton Honors member, which were then doubled with my Diamond status (from my Aspire card). I also received 1,000 points each from a 2025 Points Plus Promotion and Diamond MyWay Bonus.

Value of points earned: $173 ($54 in Amex points and $119 in Hilton points)

Crunching the numbers

Here's how it broke down:

These three credits alone cut my out-of-pocket cost by 64%.

Factor in $173 in points earned and $80 worth of complimentary breakfasts, and my effective cost dropped to just $137 for:

• Four nights of accommodation
• Four breakfasts
• One lunch
• Two dinners

That works out to be under $35 per night — not bad for a luxury Hilton stay that originally cost over $1,000.

Factoring in annual fees

By now, you might be wondering, "What about the hefty annual fees on these cards?"

It's true, the Amex Platinum has a high $895 annual fee (see rates and fees). I don't use every single perk it offers, but even across just four benefits — the up to $600 hotel credit, up to $200 in Uber Cash*, up to $200 airline fee credit and up to $300 digital entertainment credit** (which I use for Hulu and Disney+) — I get a lot of value each calendar year. (Enrollment is required for select benefits.)

Related: Is the Amex Platinum worth the annual fee?

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card's $550 annual fee (see rates and fees) is also easy to offset with two key perks: up to $400 in Hilton resort credits (up to $200 in statement credits semi-anually) and up to $200 in flight credits (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter).

Yes, you have to pay the annual fees upfront, but it's very realistic to get more value back than you spend, especially if you stack the benefits the way I did on this trip.

Related: Is the Hilton Aspire Amex card worth the annual fee?

*$15 in Uber Cash to use on eligible orders with Uber Eats and rides with Uber in the U.S. every month plus a $20 bonus in December, for U.S. services. The Amex Platinum Card must be added to the Uber app, and it can be redeemed with any Amex card.

**Up to $25 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with your card at one or more of the following providers: Disney+, The Disney+ Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Paramount+, YouTube TV and YouTube Premium.

How this strategy can work for you

Hilton resorts that overlap with the two American Express hotel programs are the sweet spot for stacking benefits.

First, find a property that is both a Hilton resort and part of Amex's The Hotel Collection (THC) or Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program. Many Conrad, Curio Collection and LXR properties qualify. Here are some examples of overlapping properties:

Not all Hilton resorts overlap. For example, Hilton Yala Resort in Sri Lanka (a fantastic safari property I've stayed at) qualifies for the Hilton Aspire credit, but isn't part of THC or FHR.

Once you've confirmed it is an overlapping property, book a stay through Amex Travel with your Platinum to trigger the up to $600 hotel credit (one-night minimum with FHR; two nights minimum with THC).

Then, book a second stay with your Aspire; if possible, place a deposit in one six-month period (January to June or July to December) and pay the rest in the next.

Finally, pay the bill with your Aspire to earn bonus points and enjoy Diamond perks like complimentary daily breakfast.

If you can plan your stay at least six months out, this strategy can easily save you hundreds of dollars.

Bottom line

Portugal is one of Europe's most popular destinations, and my stay at the Boeira Garden Hotel felt like a splurge without the high price tag.

Stacking credit card benefits turned my stay into one of the most lucrative hotel redemptions I've pulled off. And sipping port by the Douro River felt even better knowing I'd only paid (at most) a third of the price.

If you want to do the same, these two cards are the key:

• American Express Platinum for the up to $600 hotel credit and bonus Amex points on prepaid hotel bookings
• Hilton Aspire for the biannual resort credit, bonus Hilton points on stays and Diamond status perks like complimentary daily breakfast

Apply here: American Express Platinum

Apply here: Hilton Honors Aspire

For rates and fees links of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees links of the Hilton Honors Aspire card, click here.