100,000 Point Signup Bonus for No Annual Fee Hilton Amex Card

The Deal

Earn 100,000 Hilton points after you spend $1,000 on the Hilton Honors American Express card within the first 3 months.  No annual fee.  (Apply via referral link:  http://refer.amex.us/JASONWjy0r?xl=cp15 )

Bottom Line

• This is one of the better sign-up bonuses you will see for a card with no annual fee.  100,000 Hilton points can yield 2-4 nights at nicer Hilton properties, depending on when and where.  It is possible to find lower tier Hilton properties (Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, DoubleTree, etc) for 20,000 points per night in certain U.S. areas and thereby get as many as 5 free nights from the signup bonus.  Hilton properties in some overseas countries are as cheap as 7k-10k points per night.  Award Mapper is a useful site to view hotel locations by brand, and the points price per night, for properties all over the world.

To get the 100,000 point offer:

The 100,000 point offer is no longer available as a public offer; it is available only via referral link.  Click my Amex referral link to open in a web browser:  
http://refer.amex.us/JASONWjy0r?xl=cp15

then find the offer for the no annual fee Hilton Amex card:

1. Click the View All Cards with a Referral Offer link near the top of the page
2. Click the Looking for a Personal Card? link
3. Click the Continue to Card Details blue button for the Hilton Honors Card (or the Aspire or Ascend care if interested in those other cards)
4. Click Apply Now
5. Complete the application page

(My referral link will show you a Delta Amex credit card first, but you can apply for any Amex card that has a referral offer.  I will get a referral bonus, and you will get the signup bonus listed.)

This post is focused on the no annual fee Hilton Honors credit card as a great 'starter card' for people who are newer to the points and miles hobby.

If you are interested in the other Hilton American Express cards, feel free to apply for one of those instead.  All four Hilton co-branded Amex cards are offering their best-ever signup bonuses (only via referral, as the public offers have been reduced) at this time:

• Hilton Honors American Express Ascend - 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $95 annual fee
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire - 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $450 annual fee
• Hilton Honors Business card - 125,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $95 annual fee
• Hilton Honors card - 100,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $1,000 spend in first 3 months.  No annual fee

Card Benefits

Many of these benefits are fairly common for credit cards, but this is a pretty solid benefit suite for a no annual fee card.

• No Annual Fee and No Annual Fee for Additional Cards
• Earn 7 Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.‡
• Earn 5 Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations in the USA
• Earn 3 Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fee - Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad
• Complimentary Silver Status - Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card.  Earn Gold status thru the end of the next calendar year after $20,000 spend on the card in a calendar year.  Silver status isn't worth much, but it's better than nothing.  Gold status is fairly useful (e.g. free continental breakfast for 2 people per room.)
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance - Use the card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental car counter to be covered if the car is damaged or stolen. (Coverage not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. Coverage is secondary, not primary, and does not include liability coverage.)
• Extended Manufacturer Warranty Coverage - Items purchased with the card may get up to two extra years added to original manufacturer's warranty.  (Applies to warranties of 5 years or less. Coverage varies depending on cardholder's location.)
• Phone Damage and Theft Coverage - On eligible purchases, theft and accidental damage to cell phone can be covered by Purchase Protection up to 120 days and $1,000 per occurrence, $50,000 per calendar year.
• 90-day Return Protection - Return Protection coverage may provide a refund within 90 days of eligible item purchase, even if the merchant will not accept the item for return. (Limited to $300 per item and $1,000 per calendar year. Purchases must be made in the U.S. and its territories.)
• Shoprunner - Free 2-day shipping on eligible items at 140+ online stores with free ShopRunner enrollment. (Minimum purchase may be required.)
• Travel Accident Insurance - This can provide coverage for accidental death and dismemberment while traveling on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when entire fare was charged to the card
• Global Assist Hotline - 24/7 access to medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services, including medical and legal referrals, assistance with cash wires, passport replacement, missing luggage and more. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers
• Entertainment Access - Get exclusive access to ticket presales and Card Member-only events in nearby cities.  Broadway shows and concert tours, family and sporting events, and more
• Pay It Plan It - Two different options to pay down balance. Pay It option - pay small purchase amounts or Plan It - split up large purchases with a fixed fee
• Additional Cards - additional cards are free for anyone age 13+.  Points earnings at same rate and accrue to the primary cardmember's Hilton Honors account.  Adding a child as an authorized user can be a great way to start building positive credit history for a child.
• Fraud Protection - No liability for fraudulent charges made with your American Express Card.  No deductible
• Year-End Summary - Year-End Summary of charges for reviewing annual spending

Public Offer is Not as Good

The current public offer for the Hilton Honors American Express card is 75,000 point signup bonus after $1,000 spend in first 3 months.  LINK.  Use my referral link at top of this post to get the better 100k offer.