American Express is currently offering a targeted promotion to select cardholders that allows them to earn up to 12 Hilton Honors points on Alamo rental car spending in the United States. This offer is only available to holders of Hilton’s co-branded credit cards.
To qualify for this promotion, cardholders must add the offer to their eligible card and use the same card to make the qualifying purchases. Only purchases made with a Hilton Honors American Express Card are eligible for this offer. The rentals must be completed and paid for by March 8, 2024, in order to qualify.
The number of Hilton Honors points earned per dollar spent will vary depending on the Hilton co-branded credit card held by the cardholder. For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card earns 7 points per dollar on select travel, which includes rental car spending with Alamo. With this offer, cardholders can earn a total of 12 Hilton points per dollar on up to $1,000 of Alamo spending.
On the other hand, other Hilton co-branded credit cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card, Hilton Honors American Express Card, and Hilton Honors Business Card do not offer bonus points for rental car spending. Without the bonus earnings, these cards would typically earn 3 points per dollar on Alamo spending. However, with this offer, cardholders can earn a total of 8 Hilton points per dollar on up to $1,000 of Alamo spending.
It’s important to note that this offer has a cap of 5,000 bonus Hilton Honors points, which means it is effectively valid on up to $1,000 of spending with Alamo. The bonus points will be credited to the cardholder’s Hilton Honors program account within 90 days after March 8, 2024, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about the qualifying purchase.
The value of Hilton points is typically around 0.4 cents each. Based on this valuation, the extra effective rebate that this offer provides on up to $1,000 of spending with Alamo is 2%. For Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card holders, the total effective rebate would be 4.8%, while for other Hilton co-branded cardholders, the total effective rebate would be 3.2%.
While this offer may be tempting for those looking to boost their Hilton Honors balance, it may not be worth it for some cardholders. None of the Hilton cards mentioned in this offer provide primary rental car coverage. If cardholders choose to use this offer, they would be giving up the primary coverage offered by other cards. Considering this, the potential earnings from the Hilton card and the Amex offer may not be substantial enough to offset the loss of primary rental car coverage.
Ultimately, whether this offer is worth it or not depends on individual circumstances and preferences. If cardholders do not have a card that offers primary rental car coverage, this offer may be more appealing. However, for those who already have cards with primary rental car coverage, the benefits of this offer may not outweigh the loss of coverage.