New Amex Hilton Offer – 60,000 Points

Amex has released a new Hilton card offer, awarding 60,000 points after $750 in spend in the first three months. This is a reasonable offer and an improvement over all previously available offers. Valuing Hilton points at 0.7 cents each (see this link), this bonus is worth about $420. However, the points valuation doesn’t take into account the recent inflation on “premium hotels” discussed by others here and here.

On the one had, an increased bonus is always worth considering, if you don’t already have the card. On the other hand, the Hilton program, which already had low point values, is making it more difficult to redeem points at higher end hotels.  For some this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I’ve read several comments from people who plan to leave the Hilton program over the latest devaluation.

However, since the effect of the recent changes to Hilton awards only applies to a select number of hotels, I doubt there is much change in the value of points. It’s just harder to get to Bora Bora now. Importantly, Hilton has also made a couple of improvements to the way points can be redeemed. Check the aforementioned links for details. So if you’ve been thinking about getting the Hilton card, I don’t see any reason to change that plan.