The Hilton Honors American Express® Card is Canada's first Hilton credit card, and the launch offer is what I'd build the case around. 60,000 points and a Free Night Reward for $3,000 in 3 months, plus 10,000 more in month 13, is a good haul, and at the 0.6 cents per point (cpp) I put on Hilton points, the 70,000 points alone are worth about $420. I'd save the free night for a city where hotel rates hurt, like London or New York.
Past the welcome offer, the card is thinner than I'd like. It earns 6x at Hilton, 4x on dining, groceries and gas in Canada and 2x on everything else, and it comes with Hilton Honors Gold, which I already get through The Platinum Card® from American Express. There's no yearly free night, no Hilton credit and no foreign transaction fee waiver, so from year two the card has to earn its spot through spending.
Welcome offer
The card launched with up to 70,000 Hilton Honors points and a Free Night Reward, verified on the Amex page on October 29, 2026. You earn 60,000 points and the Free Night Reward after $3,000 in net purchases in the first 3 months, then 10,000 points after $500 in purchases charged in month 13. The offer is for applications received from October 29, 2026 to January 11, 2027, and only new Hilton Honors American Express Cardmembers qualify.
The Free Night Reward covers one night in a standard room, double occupancy, any night of the week, at Hilton properties outside Hilton's exclusion list, and it includes the taxes and resort fees on that night. Hilton emails it as a code up to 16 weeks after you reach the $3,000, it expires 12 months after it is issued, and it is redeemed by calling Hilton at 1-800-446-6677. The month-13 points mean keeping the card into a second year and paying that year's $150 fee.
$3,000 in 3 months is $1,000 a month, which ordinary dining, grocery and gas spending can cover, all at 4x. The Free Night Reward is worth the most where hotel rates are highest, such as London or New York, and since it expires 12 months after it is issued, it pays to have a trip in mind before applying.
Fees & eligibility
The annual fee is $150, with no first-year waiver; Amex charges it on the first statement after the card is issued and once a year after that. Supplementary cards are free, up to 9 per account for anyone 13 or older, and their purchases count toward the 50,000-point bonus and Diamond status.
No minimum income is published; Amex lists Canadian residency, a Canadian credit file and the age of majority in your province or territory. The interest rate is 21.99% on purchases and on funds advances, rising to 25.99% and/or 29.99% after Missed Payments, so the points only come out ahead if the balance is paid in full each month. The card's own pages do not print a foreign transaction fee or advertise a waiver, and Amex Bank of Canada charges 2.5% on its other cards, so plan on the same here.
Earning rewards
Earning runs on three rates. Purchases made directly with Hilton and Hilton Affiliated Establishments, including Hilton Grand Vacations and incidentals charged to your room, earn 6x. Dining, groceries, gas and food delivery in Canada earn 4x, and everything else earns 2x, with no cap stated on any of them.
At 0.6 cents per point (cpp), that is about 3.6% back at Hilton, 2.4% in the 4x categories and 1.2% on everything else. The 4x rate follows how the merchant is coded: restaurants, quick service, coffee shops and bars, stand-alone grocery stores, gas stations, and food and grocery delivery merchants in Canada all count. Hilton stays booked through another website or a travel agent earn 2x, not 6x.
Everything bought outside Canada earns 2x, and with a foreign transaction fee expected at the 2.5% Amex charges on its other cards, spending abroad costs more than it earns. That includes a Hilton stay billed in another currency, where most of the 3.6% back goes to the conversion fee. For food, the American Express Cobalt® Card earns 5x Membership Rewards on eats and drinks in Canada (up to $2,500 a month), and those points transfer to Hilton Honors at 1:1.
Redeeming rewards
Points go into Hilton Honors, so their main use is hotel nights. Reward nights have no blackout dates at more than 9,000 properties in 144 countries and territories, stays booked fully with points carry no resort fees, and Points & Money lets you pay part of a stay in cash. Members with Silver status and up get the 5th night free on standard reward stays, so the card's Gold status unlocks it.
In Hilton's October 2026 points sale, buying points worked out to about 0.64 Canadian cents each, so this page values them a little below that, at 0.6 cents per point (cpp). On that basis the 70,000-point welcome bonus is worth about $420 and the 50,000-point annual bonus about $300. Points can also be shared with friends and family, used for experiences such as concerts and sporting events, or spent at participating retailers.
Perks & benefits
The headline perk is complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status for the Basic Cardmember, applied within up to 12 weeks; it ends if the card is cancelled. Gold adds an 80% bonus on base points, space-available upgrades and a breakfast or food and beverage credit, depending on the brand. The Platinum Card® from American Express already includes Hilton Gold after a one-time enrolment, so holders of that card gain nothing new here.
The bigger rewards take spending. $12,000 in eligible net purchases in a calendar year earns 50,000 bonus points (about $300 at 0.6 cpp), and $40,000 in a calendar year upgrades you to Hilton Honors Diamond for the rest of that year and all of the next, adding executive lounge access, a 48-hour room guarantee and a 100% bonus on points from stays. Both counts run January 1 to December 31 whenever the card was opened, and supplementary cards' purchases count toward them.
What is missing matters as much: there is no yearly Free Night Reward, no Hilton credit, no airport lounge access and no foreign transaction fee waiver. For comparison, the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card gives a free night every card anniversary for a $120 fee. Amex Experiences (Front Of The Line presale and reserved tickets) and Amex Offers round out the list.
Insurance
The insurance is a delay-and-rental package. There is no emergency medical, no trip cancellation or interruption and no mobile device coverage, so travel medical has to come from another card or a separate policy.
What is included: flight delay and baggage delay share $500 per occurrence, lost baggage pays up to $500, hotel burglary up to $500, and common carrier travel accident cover is $500,000. Car rental theft and damage is primary coverage with no deductible on vehicles up to $85,000 MSRP for rentals of 48 days or less, and purchases get 90-day Purchase Protection plus Buyer's Assurance, which adds up to 1 year to manufacturer warranties.
My take
I'd apply for the welcome offer if you stay at Hilton and can put a free night to good use; as a card to keep past year one, I'd skip it as it stands.
I applied on launch day for the 70,000 points and the Free Night Reward, and was approved the same day. Together they're worth well over the first $150, and I'll re-evaluate when the second annual fee posts. The 10,000-point month-13 bonus lands right around then too, which I'm sure is a coincidence.
Year two is where it falls short. I already get Gold through The Platinum Card® from American Express, and the 50,000-point bonus ($300 at 0.6 cpp, twice the fee) takes $12,000 a year on a card that earns 2x on most things, spending that earns more on other cards. I'd have wanted a yearly free night, a Hilton credit, or at least no foreign transaction fee; Amex Canada's own Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card gives a free night every anniversary for $120.
The good
- 60,000 points and a Free Night Reward for $3,000 in 3 months
- 4x on dining, groceries, gas and food delivery in Canada
- Hilton Honors Gold, with a path to Diamond at $40,000
The catch
- No yearly free night or Hilton credit
- No foreign transaction fee waiver, and only 2x outside Canada
- No emergency medical or trip cancellation insurance