4 to 0 - worth a look -updated in 2003 and 2005
Written: Jul 21 '01 (Updated Oct 09 '05)
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Pros: Great customer service, Free Amex, travel rewards
Cons: Not as widely accepted as Visa and MC
The Bottom Line: Try it. If you want a travel rewards card this one is excellent.
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| jack49a's Full Review: Hilton Credit Card (American Express) |
Everyone loves this card. So far there are 3 other epinions on this card and all are favorable. Make it 4.
I had had this card for less than a year now. I joined the HHonors program because I stay a Hampton Inns several times a year (Hampton is part of the Hilton family of hotels). I got this card because it was offered to new members. It sounded good, had no annual fee (unusual for AmEx), and offered many points for just signing up (and more as you spend). I now have about 30,000 points (they add up quickly) and am about to get my first free stay. The cost of a free night in points varies with the hotel (and sometimes even the time) but this one is 10,000 points. You can also exchange points for merchandise or frequent flier miles but I've not done this.
The few times I have called customer service, I got through to a person quickly (less than a minute, I'd guess).
My only criticism is the web site. Several times I tried using it for paying my bill and the site was down. Also there are links to a variety of AmEx services and after clicking though a tree to use or read about a benefit, you are told you are not eligible (presumably because your card is a free none rather than one with an annual fee. It seems to me that once you sign in the system knows (or should know) what type of account holder you are and only serve up appropriate links.
But that is a minor thing. I no longer use the site for bill pay and know I know which services are not for me. But otherwise the site seems very informative and seems to work well.
Update added Oct 16, 2003: OK now that I've used this card for several years, I just wanted to update some of my comments. I still use this card and have had several free stays in Hampton Inns as a result. Amex periodically has specials where you might get extra points for your purchase if you charge so much in a month. I have usually taken advantage of these. I commented earlier on the poor web site. I think it has been much improved since I wrote that. I do use site now to pay my bill every month and have not had any problems in the past year or so.
Update added Oct 9, 2005: I notice there are now quite a few opinions on this card. Let me say, I still like it after all these years. Yes, hotels are sometime unavailable when you want. But I imagine that is true of hotels in general - both paid room and free rooms. This summer we were going to New York City and could not find a room at a price we were willing to pay. So we tried using our HHonors points. The hotels we wanted were booked for points. Many but not all were also booked for paying customers. So we ended up staying at the Hilton at Times Square for free. A very nice hotel - several levels nicer than the hotels we usually stay at. Cost lots of points but I think it was well worth it.
Jack
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jack49a
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Member: Jack Reidy
Location: PA, USA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 2 members
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