The Hilton credit card is a great card to start out with
Written: Jun 01 '04
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Pros: Easier to get, good starter credit card, quick points
Cons: NOT ACCEPTED EVERYWHERE. SOME PEOPLE CRINGE WHEN YOU BRING IT IN THEIR STORE.
The Bottom Line: Good starter credit card, but will annoy you in the long run when business owners turn you and the card away.
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| lcoffiejr's Full Review: Hilton Credit Card (American Express) |
My wife is from the Philippines. She has been living in the United States for three years now. She wanted a credit card and all the credit card companies kept turning her down. I could not get a credit card because I have been divorced and I had a business go down the tubes. One day, we decided to try American Express. They accepted my wife and gave her a $2,0000 limit on the Hilton credit card. My wife was thrilled to have a credit card.
There are some good things and bad things about having a Hilton American Express credit card.
THE BAD- The interest is pretty high. I believe my wife's card is 18.9% The fees are high is you want to get cash with the card. And I believe you only get a ten day period to pay your bill. These are just minor difficulties. I believe if you get a credit card, you should not use it unless you are going to pay it off in full each month when you get a bill. If you do this, it will not matter how high the interest is on the credit card. Because you will never pay interest. If you don't want to pay large fees to receive cash, don't use this part of the credit card. If you don't want to pay late charges, pay your bill on time. Each of these things are simple if you use your credit card correctly. Credit card companies are rich for a reason. People do not use the credit cards in the correct way and get themselves in debt.
However, there is one problem with the American Express card which I have not found the answer to. Many of the places we went to, who accepted credit, did not accept our American Express card. This is an inconvenience for the credit card holder. An inconvenience, I found out, which comes from greed. I asked some places why they did not accept American Express. They told me the fees American Express charges them was too much, so they decided against them.
THE GOOD- NO ANNUAL FEE!
The Hilton American Express card can lead to better things. We had the card for about six months. We used it and payed off our bill on time each month. After six months, other credit card companies began to offer us credit. First, we received the Universal Mastercard with no problem. Next we received a Visa card from SunTrust bank. Which is not the easiest thing to do here in Florida. So now, we have credit cards which we can use everywhere. So what i'm telling you is this. If your credit is not great and American Express accepts you. Use the card, pay your bill, and it can and will lead to better credit cards.
The Hilton American Express card is not bad as a basic credit card. The points are very easy to acquire and they add up fast. After six months we had acquired 26000 points. I believe they started us out with a bonus of 7500 and we received 2 for every dollar we spent. If you used the card at their hotels, you received many more points. I believe our card was 5 points per dollar spent at any Hilton hotel or their affiliates. We never used the card at any of their hotels. However, we used it whenever we flew, and received some bonus points. Also, I believe they will give you another 2500 points when you first use the card.
The customer service at American Express has always been very nice to me when I call them. After a year, my wife and I decided we wanted to spend a night in a Hilton hotel. We had 26000 points because we stopped using the AE card after we received our Mastercard. I asked the customer service where in Florida could I use my points. According to customer service, hotel points work on different levels. Starting at level 1 and going to level 5. Level 1 cost 10000, but there were no level 1 hotels in Florida. I was a little disappointed because level 2 hotels cost 20000 points and I only had 26000. It's the Thursday before memorial day and my wife wants to spend a night in the hotel on Sunday night. Just three days away. I found out on normal weekends, we could spend a night on the beach in Miami in a nice hotel for 20000 points. But not this busy weekend. We opted for a hotel near where we are building a house in Brandon, FL. Who can do much with a ten week old baby anyway? The customer service booked me and sent all of the information to my yahoo mail. Including the certificate I needed to get into the hotel. Not bad considering the busy weekend ahead.
I really did not think we would be staying in a great hotel. Last minute and on points. We were surprised. It was one of the Hilton Garden Inn hotels. Clean, large rooms. We had television, fridge, micro, coffee pot, etc. I was told it was a business man hotel and averaged 120 dollars per night. They had a nice outdoor pool, a great workout room, a place to buy food, and a restaurant. I was impressed. We all slept well, including the baby. Very good night out for all of us.
Just a note-you can exchange your Hilton points for airline points, but the exchange rate is low, so it is not worth it. You can also double dip. Get Hilton and airline points when you stay in their hotel.
I like their website. Easy to navigate, pay your bill, see you charges.
The Hilton American Express card was good for us. It helped our credit, we stayed in a nice hotel, and the customer service people were great. It is not my favorite credit card only because of its lack of convenience. I haven't decided if I will keep it.
Recommended:
Yes
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lcoffiejr
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Member: leroy coffie
Location: Saint Petersburg, FL
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 2 members
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