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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to use the up to $400 Hilton Aspire resort credit each year
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
March 21, 2026 • 9 min read
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Quick summary
A premium hotel card offers up to $400 in statement credits each year for eligible purchases at participating Hilton resort properties, split into two $200 credits per half-year period.
To use these credits, eligible charges must be made directly at qualifying Hilton resorts and charged to your room, with exclusions for nonrefundable and advance purchase rates.
Credits can be applied toward room rates and incidentals, and may sometimes be used for deposits or gift cards purchased directly from the resort, though terms require careful adherence.
Multiple credits can be combined on a single stay if you hold more than one eligible card or coordinate with a partner.
What to consider
Eligible purchases must be charged directly to your room and paid at the property; third-party or mobile wallet payments are excluded.
Processing times for credits can take up to twelve weeks, and the transaction date—not the stay date—determines eligibility within each credit period.
Always consult the official Hilton resort list to confirm property eligibility, as not all Hilton-branded locations qualify.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maximizing resort credits, including stacking benefits and tips for splitting payments across multiple cards during a single stay.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
I enjoy getting complimentary Hilton Diamond status as a cardmember and have redeemed the annual free night certificate I get each year after renewing my card at spectacular properties. But one perk I must carefully plan my trips to utilize is the Hilton Aspire resort credit.
So, here's what you should know about the Hilton Aspire resort credit, including how to determine which properties are eligible.
Hilton Aspire resort credit basics
If you have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you can get up to $200 in statement credits twice a year when you make eligible purchases directly with participating Hilton resort properties. Specifically, you'll receive one credit of up to $200 from January through June and another between July and December, totaling $400 back annually.
Pool at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Considering the Hilton Aspire has a $550 annual fee, fully using these statement credits at participating Hilton resorts each year can effectively cover a significant portion of your card's annual fee. As such, you'll want to strategize how to use the Hilton Aspire resort credit during each qualifying period.
To use the Hilton Aspire resort credit, you or an authorized user on your account should stay at an eligible Hilton resort and use your Hilton Aspire card to pay for eligible charges.
Nonrefundable and advance purchase rates do not count toward the Hilton Aspire resort credit. Still, room rates and other incidental charges to a room should be eligible when you pay at the property with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Beach villa at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
In the past, some consumers have had success using their Hilton Aspire resort credit when making spa or restaurant purchases at participating properties, even without staying.
However, the terms of the Hilton Aspire resort credit state, "Incidental charges (including charges made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the hotel property) at a participating Hilton Resort must be charged to your room and paid for with a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to be eligible for statement credits through this benefit."
The terms go on to state, "your purchase will not be eligible if it is not identified as being made directly with a Hilton Resort (e.g., if a purchase is made at a restaurant or convenience store within a Hilton Resort)."
Some travelers have also had luck getting the Hilton Aspire resort credit to cover advanced deposits and gift cards purchased directly with an eligible resort. For example, TPG director of content Carly Helfand purchased gift cards in the first half of the year for a resort she was staying at in the second half of the year, and TPG contributor Matt Moffitt called a hotel to make a deposit on a 2025 stay near the end of 2024.
Conrad Bora Bora Nui in French Polynesia. CAMERON SPEARANCE/THE POINTS GUY
The terms of the Hilton Aspire resort credit say you "may not receive the statement credit if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible, if a transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party (such as an app store), or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process it." So, be sure to have your physical Hilton Aspire card with you when checking out of an eligible resort to ensure the charge is applied toward your Hilton Aspire resort credit.
As with many statement credits, the credit is based on the transaction date, which may differ from the date you made the purchase. I highly recommend that you don't wait until the last few days of June or December to make an eligible purchase at a Hilton resort. Otherwise, the charge could post after your current credit expires.
It may take eight to twelve weeks for the statement credit(s) to post to your account after your purchase(s). If Amex hasn't posted the statement credits after 12 weeks have elapsed, call the number on the back of your card to speak with a customer service representative.
The Hilton Aspire's terms direct you to view a list sorted by brand or region on the Hilton website. I recommend using the sort by region function, as it lets you review the currently eligible properties you may be able to include in an upcoming trip.
HILTON
Don't use the search bar at the top of this page, though, as doing so will also display properties that aren't eligible for the Hilton Aspire resort credit.
My husband and I each have a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which means we have two sets of Hilton Aspire resort credits to use each January through June and July through December.
So, we find two Hilton resorts to visit each year — one from January through June and another between July and December — and split the bill between our cards at checkout.
In 2024, we used the January through June credits at the Hilton Alexandria Corniche in Egypt. Our five-night stay cost just $433, so we used our credits to cover all but $33. Meanwhile, we used our July through December credit for incidentals at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, where we used two free night certificates and 150,000 Hilton points for our room.
WALDORF ASTORIA MALDIVES ITHAAFUSHI/FACEBOOK
In 2025, we used the January through June credits at the Hilton Cartagena Hotel. Our three-night stay cost $536, so we covered all but $136 with our Hilton Aspire resort credits. Then, we used the July through December credits at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton Niagara Falls. Our three-night stay plus parking cost $457, so we used our credits to cover all but $57.
We used one of our credits on incidentals during a five-night award stay at the Hilton Niseko Village in February 2026. However, I haven't yet decided where we'll use our other Hilton Aspire resort credits in 2026.
It's also possible to use multiple credits on a single Hilton stay. For example, TPG contributor Matt Moffitt wrote about stacking benefits from two Amex cards to pay just $35 per night for a Hilton stay in Portugal.
Likewise, it's worth checking whether any Chase Offers or Amex Offers apply to your stay. Then, consider how you want to split your payment to make the most of all your credits and offers before you reach the check-in desk. I've never had an issue asking the front desk to split payment for a stay across several cards.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is one of the most valuable hotel credit cards on the market. The card's complimentary Hilton Diamond status and 14 points per dollar earnings on eligible purchases made directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio are straightforward to maximize.
Maximizing Hilton Aspire resort credits and the annual free night certificate requires more planning. But even if you don't fully take advantage of these perks, you'll likely find the card offers more than enough value to justify its annual fee.
And if you don't already have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, the card is currently offering new cardmembers 200,000 bonus points, earned after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
