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American Express launched the Hilton card yesterday, and I’m sure everyone’s first question is how it stacks up against Canada’s only other hotel co-branded card: the Marriott Bonvoy Amex. Amex issues both cards, and their annual fees are similar, so it’s a fair comparison. As such, let’s compare the earn rate and benefits.
Winner: Hilton – Welcome Bonus
Since the Amex Hilton card is new, I don’t want to bury the lede: yes, you should sign up for the card. The welcome bonus is 60,000 points and a Hilton Free Night Reward upon spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Then you earn another 10,000 points if you spend $500 in month 13.
Hilton’s Free Night Reward is my favourite hotel credit card perk ever, as you can use it to cover one night at any hotel, as long as a standard room is available. This perk is worth up to 250,000 points a night (current price ceiling for Hilton standard awards), and you can use any combination of Free Night Rewards and points to book a stay. Some of my most memorable uses of Free Night Rewards are at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos, Conrad Tokyo, and Waldorf Astoria Osaka.
Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos
Marriott’s sign-up bonus changes over time, but the best offer yet is up to 110,000 Marriott points. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic offer; it’s just not as good as Hilton’s Free Night Reward. You also don’t get the 35,000-point Free Night Award (FNA) in the first year.
Winner: Marriott – Earn Rate
The Amex Hilton earns as follows:
- 6X Hilton Points on Hilton spending
- 4X Hilton Points on gas, grocery and dining purchases in Canada
- 2X Hilton Points on all other purchases
Meanwhile, compare that to Amex Marriott Bonvoy:
- 5X Marriott points on Marriott spending
- 2X Marriott points on everything else
Here’s the thing: both co-branded cards are primarily for spending at their respective hotel brands. Hilton points are worth 0.63 cents CAD each, while Marriott points are worth 0.8 cents CAD each. Therefore, the Amex Marriott’s return on spending at Marriott hotels is about 4%, while Amex Hilton’s at Hilton hotels is only 3.78%.
The Amex Marriott card offers a better return at Marriott hotels than the Amex Hilton card does at Hilton hotels
It might not sound like a big difference, but the truth is 0.8 cents is a conservative estimate for Marriott points, and I personally value them closer to 0.85-0.9, which puts the Amex Marriott card solidly in the lead. Hilton’s value of 0.63 is more of a ceiling because that’s the price you can buy them for directly from Hilton.
Hilton looks like the winner on paper for everyday spend with 4X earnings on gas, grocery, and dining, but you should use a different credit card (like the Amex Cobalt, RBC Ion+, or Capital One Quicksilver) to earn more rewards in those categories anyway.
Take groceries, for example: the Cobalt earns 5 MR points per dollar, which would get you 5 Hilton points through a 1:1 transfer, already beating the Hilton card’s 4X rate. And that’s a relatively poor use of MR points. You can get considerably more value by transferring to airline partners like Aeroplan, putting the Cobalt even further ahead.
Winner: Marriott – Benefits & Perks
Marriott 35k FNA Trumps Hilton’s 50K Bonus Points After Spending $12,000
This is the biggest difference between the Marriott and Hilton co-branded cards. For me, this single-handedly determines which card is a for-sure keeper versus a maybe-keeper.
Marriott gives you a 35,000-point Free Night Award (FNA) just by holding the card and paying a $120 annual fee. You can top up this certificate with 25,000 points to book hotels that cost up to 60,000 points. This perk alone justifies the annual fee, and I’ve had this card in my wallet for the last 7 years (and will keep it until something changes).
Redeem your 35K FNA at Kananaskis Mountain Lodge (photo credits to Kananaskis Mountain Lodge)
Hilton, on the other hand, requires spending $12,000 in a calendar year to earn 50,000 bonus points. If this were a Free Night Reward, I’d be singing a different tune. At my valuations, those points are worth about $315, compared to $280 for 35,000 Marriott points, but Marriott gives you its certificate just for renewing. Hilton makes you put $12,000 on the card first.
It comes down to: would you pay $120 and get a 35K Free Night Award or would you pay $150 and then spend $12,000 to earn 50,000 Hilton points? I’m certain we all agree on the answer.
Hilton Wins on Elite Status
The other perk on both cards is the Elite status provided. Hilton’s included Gold status comes out on top here, as it comes with either free breakfast or a daily food and beverage credit, depending on your region and brand.
Marriott’s card offers the lowest-tier Silver status, with a $30,000 spending requirement to reach Marriott Gold Elite. This isn’t worth it because you can get Gold with an Amex Platinum card, and Gold offers no meaningful perks at Marriott: no free breakfast and no guaranteed late check-out.
The Marriott card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. That brings the usual 50-night requirement for Platinum down to 35 actual nights, which is a meaningful benefit if you’re working toward status.
On the Amex Hilton, you can spend $40,000 to earn Diamond status, which comes with lounge access and (in theory) suite upgrades. You can’t earn Platinum by spending on the Amex Marriott card. To be fair, I don’t think this is a worthy endeavour either, but it is objectively better to have the option than not.
The thing is, Hilton’s loyalty benefits are overall weaker than Marriott’s, with no guaranteed late check-out or suite upgrade certificates for Gold or Diamond members. At participating U.S. brands, Gold and Diamond members generally receive a measly US$10-$25 per person daily food and beverage credit instead of complimentary breakfast. Some brands include breakfast for everyone, but at upscale hotels, that credit often falls well short of covering it.
These aren’t faults of the Amex Hilton card, but they lower its value nonetheless.
At the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, Elite members get a $25 food and beverage credit in lieu of breakfast
Tie: Annual Fee, Travel Insurance, Foreign Transaction Fees
Annual Fee
The new Amex Hilton card has a $150 annual fee, while the Amex Marriott Bonvoy personal has a $120 annual fee. I guess Marriott wins officially, but with such a small difference, we’ll call it a tie.
Travel Insurance
Both cards offer similar travel insurance benefits: no emergency medical, but they include flight delay, baggage delay, lost and stolen baggage, and common carrier travel accident. All also include Amex’s better-than-standard car rental coverage, which covers cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000.
Foreign Transaction Fees
Both the Hilton and Marriott co-branded cards charge a 2.5% foreign transaction fee, like every Amex.
Takeaway
Both cards have strengths, but if I had to keep just one in my wallet long-term, the Amex Marriott Bonvoy wins comfortably. Not a fault of the Amex Hilton card, but Marriott also has more properties and a bigger footprint.
The Hilton Amex has a fantastic welcome bonus, and I’d absolutely recommend signing up. Complimentary Hilton Gold status is also a meaningful perk, especially if you regularly stay at Hilton properties. However, Marriott offers a better return on spending at its hotels and, more importantly, its annual 35,000-point Free Night Award makes renewing the card an easy decision, with no spending requirements.
That’s ultimately what separates the two cards. The Hilton Amex is an excellent card for the first year, but whether it’s worth renewing depends on your Hilton loyalty and how much you spend. The Marriott Bonvoy Amex, on the other hand, basically pays for itself every year through its Free Night Award alone.
I’m still thrilled to see Hilton enter the Canadian co-branded credit card market, but Marriott remains the stronger long-term keeper card.
