Why I used my (up to) $50 of Hilton Aspire airline credit to buy points

One of the best things about redeem travel rewards you are strategizing to get the absolute highest return per point. Airline miles and hotel points can be worth exponentially more than simply redeeming your rewards for cash back, depending on how you use them.

But did you know that you can also get huge value for your statement credits? I used a travel credit of up to $50 from my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card book almost $100 in flights. This is how it worked.

What is the Amex Hilton Aspire Quarterly Airline Credit?

The Amex Hilton Aspire comes with up to $200 in annual statement credits for flight purchases, distributed in increments of up to $50 each quarter. American Express says these credits are valid for “flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.”

It is not necessary to use the full credit each quarter to activate the refund. But it’s important to keep in mind that these credits can be used or lost; Any portion of the credit not redeemed will be forfeited.

These are some of the simplest and easiest to use. statement credits You’ll find it on a rewards credit card.

Why (and how) I redeemed my Amex Hilton Aspire airline credit for points

To set the stage, my family of three needed flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH). The cheapest non-stop route was $350 per person. Even award flights were exorbitant, with one exception: American Airlines seats booked through its partner airline, Qantas.

Prizes cost 9,200 Qantas Frequent Flyer points each. By purchasing 21,000 points, I could combine them with my current modest stash of 7,000 Qantas points to reserve three seats. Buying 21,000 points cost me 662 Australian dollars (or $431.23, at the time).

Using my Amex Hilton Aspire to pay these points activated the card’s quarterly airline statement credit of up to $50. In other words, I paid only $381.23 out of pocket.

Simplifying mathematics

I paid $431 to buy 21,000 Qantas points, meaning each point costs 2.05 cents. Therefore, a seat with an award price of 9,200 points costs a total of $194.20 ($188.60 plus $5.60 in taxes and fees). If I subtract the $50 Hilton Aspire airline credit, I paid about $144 for a seat, compared to the ticket’s cash price of $350.

So, how do I quantify my savings from this credit? It’s quite true that this credit saved me a flat $50. But by using it to buy 2,440 Qantas points instead of simply redeeming it for a $350 American Airlines purchase, I got much better value.

Here were my two options:

• Pay $350 cash for your American Airlines seat: Using my card statement credit would have saved me $50, bringing my out-of-pocket expenses to $300, offsetting 14% of the cost of my flight.
• Pay $194.20 for an award flight (9,200 Qantas points plus $5.60 tax): Using my $50 credit refunded me 2,440 Qantas points, offsetting 26% of the cost of my flight.

In total, I received 3.74 cents per Qantas point: ($350 cash fare – $5.60 in fees) / 9,200 points (award price per seat) = 3.74 cents.

That means the 2,440 Qantas points I bought with my $50 Amex Hilton Aspire credit were worth $91.25 (2,440 x 0.0374). That’s a whopping 82% more value on my statement credit by purchasing points instead of paying my fee in cash.

Do other airlines qualify?

It’s worth repeating that the Amex Hilton Aspire airline credit is, according to American Express, intended for “flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com.”

Many airlines sell their rewards through a website called Points.com. This is not an airline website. – So if you’re interested in purchasing miles with an airline that uses Points.com as a point of sale, your Amex Hilton Aspire credit almost certainly won’t work (I haven’t tested this myself).

That said, credit ought Work with an airline that sells miles directly. For example, American Airlines handles the sale of its own miles, so you should activate the credit of up to $50.

Possible alternative solution for other airlines

While it is a complicated process, it is also possible to purchase miles from airlines that use Points.com to process points and mileage purchases. Some companies allow you to purchase miles as a top-up during the booking process.

For example, United Airlines always extends their “Award Accelerator” option at checkout, allowing you to add some miles to your bill at checkout (instead of purchasing on Points.com). This should be coded as a United Airlines purchase. As long as you haven’t booked a basic economy flight, you can cancel your flight to receive travel credit and your mileage purchase should remain in your account.

Amex Hilton Aspire has other great advantages

The card’s up to $200 annual airline credit is far from the only virtue the Amex Hilton Aspire has to offer. For its annual fee of $550 (see rates and fees), you will also get:

• Annual free night rewards: Upon account opening (and after each cardholder’s anniversary), receive a free night certificate for a standard room at almost any Hilton hotel. Please note that as a cardholder you can earn up to three free night certificates per year.
• Automatic Diamond Elite Status: Receive Hilton’s current premium status, including food and beverage privileges, 100% bonus points on paid Hilton stays, room upgrades (when available) and more.
• Up to $400 annual Hilton resort credit: Receive up to $200 in spending reimbursement at eligible Hilton resort properties every two years (to use on things like room rate, food, spa, etc.).
• Clear Plus Annual Membership Credit: Receive an annual statement credit of up to $209 toward a Clear Plus membership, a program that can help you get to the front of the line at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints (registration required; subject to automatic renewal).

Take a look at our Hilton Amex Aspire review for more information about this premium travel rewards card.

In a nutshell

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card comes with a quarterly statement of up to $50 for flight purchases made directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com. But in some cases, you can use it to buy airline miles. This can be a much better use of your card statement credit than simply redeeming it to reduce the cash price of a flight.

Again, just keep in mind that your credit likely won’t be activated unless you purchase points or miles directly from the airline (as opposed to a third-party seller like Points.com).

For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, click here.