American Express issues two ultra-premium U.S. hotel cards. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card has a $650 annual fee. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $550 annual fee.
As of October 2026, both cards add hotel elite status, a free-night award, and statement credits. The credit calendars, status names, and free-night caps are different. Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee. Additional cards on each account have no annual fee.
How the fees and status names compare
| Card | Annual fee | Status on the card | Free-night timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | $650 | Platinum Elite | One award after each renewal month |
| Hilton Honors Aspire | $550 | Diamond | One award in year one and on each renewal |
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite is the fourth level Marriott publishes. Member, Silver Elite, and Gold Elite sit below it. Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite sit above it. Marriott lists Titanium Elite at 75 nights.
The Brilliant card adds 25 Elite Night Credits each calendar year. American Express says the credits have limits per Marriott Bonvoy account and are not exclusive to American Express cards. The card does not list Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite as the automatic status.
American Express grants Diamond status with the Aspire card. The card page describes a 100 percent bonus on base points earned on stays. It also lists premium Wi-Fi, space-available room upgrades at select properties, and executive lounge access at select properties.
The other cards in each family sit on the Marriott card comparison and the Hilton card comparison.
What the status benefits include
Marriott Platinum Elite
Marriott publishes these Platinum Elite benefits on its member page.
- A 50 percent points bonus on eligible hotel purchases, including room rate and incidentals charged to the room.
- An enhanced room upgrade, including select suites, subject to availability on arrival.
- A welcome gift choice of points, a breakfast offering, or an amenity. The choice varies by brand.
- Lounge access, with complimentary breakfast, at hotel brands that have lounges.
- 4 p.m. late checkout, subject to availability at resort and convention hotels.
- An Annual Choice Benefit at 50 Elite Night Credits. Published options include five Nightly Upgrade Awards or five more Elite Night Credits. They also include $1,000 off a bed, gifted Silver Elite status, or a $100 charity donation.
Hilton Diamond on the Aspire card
American Express describes Diamond on the Aspire card as a 100 percent bonus on base points. The same paragraph lists premium Wi-Fi and space-available room upgrades at select properties. It also lists executive lounge access at select properties. The Aspire card page does not list a breakfast rule. It does not list a set number of hours for holding a room.
The status names are not the same step in each program. Platinum Elite is below two published Marriott levels. The Aspire card’s Diamond benefits are the set American Express prints on that card page.
How free-night awards are issued
| Card | Award without a spend threshold | Award after spend |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | 1 night at or under 85,000 points, after the renewal month | One Brilliant Earned Choice Award after $60,000 in a calendar year |
| Hilton Honors Aspire | 1 Free Night Reward in year one and on each renewal | 1 reward after $30,000, and another after $30,000 more, in a calendar year |
The Brilliant award covers one night at a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. American Express says some hotels charge resort fees. The card page states redemption at over 10,000 participating hotels. It does not describe adding points above 85,000.
The Brilliant Earned Choice Award is one selection after $60,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. The benefit terms list five Nightly Upgrade Awards, a Free Night Award up to 85,000 points, or 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. If no selection is made by February 1 of the next year, the terms assign the five Nightly Upgrade Awards.
The Aspire card issues one Free Night Reward in the first year and one on each renewal. In a calendar year it also issues one reward after $30,000 in purchases and another after an additional $30,000. The Aspire card page does not publish a point cap for that reward.
What the statement credits cover
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
| Credit | Published cap | How American Express splits it |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | $300 per calendar year | Up to $25 per month at restaurants worldwide |
| Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis property credit | $100 | A stay of at least two nights on a special rate booked direct |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck | $120 or up to $85 | One credit in a 4-year period |
The Global Entry credit is $120. The TSA PreCheck credit is up to $85 for a 5-year plan through an official enrollment provider. American Express gives one of those credits in a 4-year period, for whichever fee posts first.
Hilton Honors Aspire
| Credit | Published cap | How American Express splits it |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton resort credit | $400 per year | Up to $200 semi-annually at participating Hilton resorts |
| Flight credit | $200 per year | Up to $50 each quarter |
| CLEAR+ | Up to $219 per calendar year | Taxes and fees excluded. Membership is subject to auto-renewal |
| Waldorf Astoria or Conrad property credit | $100 | A stay of at least two nights on the Aspire Card Benefit rate |
The flight credit applies to flights bought directly from an airline, through AmexTravel.com, or through the Amex Travel App. The CLEAR+ line on the card page refers to 60 or more airports. Aspire cardmembers can also enroll for National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status.
Where the credit rules stop
The Brilliant dining credit is a monthly cap. A month with no eligible restaurant purchase does not move that month’s $25 into the next month. Benefit terms say the dining statement credit can post 8 to 12 weeks after the purchase.
The Brilliant property credit requires a two-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis on the special rate booked direct. A stay at another Marriott brand does not match that rule.
The Aspire resort credit applies to eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts. The card page caps it at $200 in each half of the year. The flight credit is capped at $50 in each quarter. The CLEAR+ credit follows payment for a CLEAR+ membership and excludes taxes and fees.
The Aspire property credit is separate from the resort credit. It requires a two-night stay at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad on the Aspire Card Benefit rate. The stay is booked at HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com or through Hilton Honors with the booking reference.
What lounge access each card publishes
The Brilliant card includes enrollment in Priority Pass. American Express describes unlimited visits to over 1,300 airport lounges in over 130 countries. The card page does not state how many guests a visit includes.
Marriott’s Platinum Elite page adds hotel lounge access at brands that have lounges. That lounge access includes complimentary breakfast at those brands. It is a hotel benefit, not the Priority Pass membership.
The Aspire benefits list does not include Priority Pass. American Express does list executive lounge access at select properties as part of Diamond status on that card. The CLEAR+ credit is an identity-check lane at participating airports. It is not a lounge membership.
What each card earns on purchases
The card earn rate is separate from points the hotel program adds for membership or elite status.
At hotels
| Card | Card earn rate | Combined figure the issuer prints |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels | Up to 21 points per dollar |
| Hilton Honors Aspire | 14 points per dollar at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, booked direct | Not printed as one combined rate |
American Express builds the Brilliant 21-point figure from three parts. The card pays 6 points. Marriott Bonvoy membership pays up to 10 points. Platinum Elite’s 50 percent bonus pays up to 5 points.
The Aspire card pays 14 points per dollar on direct hotel and resort purchases in the Hilton portfolio. Diamond status adds a 100 percent bonus on base points earned on the stay. American Express does not multiply those two rates into one number on the card page.
Away from hotels
| Card | Higher everyday rates | Other purchases |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked direct with the airline | 2 points per dollar |
| Hilton Honors Aspire | 7 points per dollar on direct flights, AmexTravel.com flights, select direct car rentals, and U.S. restaurants | 3 points per dollar |
The Aspire restaurant rate includes takeout and delivery in the United States. The Brilliant restaurant rate is worldwide and is not limited to the United States on the card page.
How the published credit caps compare with the fee
The annual fee is a charge. American Express prints each credit as a cap. A cap is not a payment the card makes by itself.
On the Brilliant card, the dining cap is $300 in a calendar year. The property-credit cap is $100 on a qualifying stay. Together those two caps are $400, against a $650 annual fee. The expedited-travel credit is $120 or up to $85, and it is available once in a 4-year period.
On the Aspire card, the resort cap is $400 and the flight cap is $200. The CLEAR+ cap is $219. The Waldorf Astoria or Conrad property-credit cap is $100. The sum of those four caps is $919, against a $550 annual fee. Each cap still depends on the purchase rule for that credit.
A month without a restaurant charge leaves that month’s dining cap unused. A quarter without a flight charge leaves that quarter’s flight cap unused. A stay that misses the named rate leaves the property-credit cap unused.
Where the benefit rules differ
The Brilliant annual fee is $100 higher than the Aspire annual fee. The Brilliant card publishes Priority Pass enrollment. The Aspire card page does not. The Aspire card publishes a larger set of statement-credit caps, split across resorts, flights, CLEAR+, and a named-brand property credit.
The Brilliant free-night award stops at 85,000 points and arrives after the renewal month. The Aspire free-night reward is issued in the first year and on renewal. The Aspire card page does not print a point cap. Aspire also prints two extra rewards at $30,000 and $60,000 of calendar-year purchases. The Brilliant spend award is one choice after $60,000, and a free night is one of the listed choices.
Platinum Elite includes a welcome-gift breakfast option that varies by brand, plus breakfast inside lounges at participating brands. The Aspire card page describes Diamond lounge access at select properties and does not print a breakfast rule.
What the cards do not do
The Brilliant card does not grant Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite. Marriott publishes both levels above Platinum Elite. Titanium Elite is listed at 75 nights.
The Aspire card page does not list Priority Pass. Hotel lounge access on that card is the Diamond benefit at select properties. Airport lounge enrollment on the Brilliant card is the Priority Pass benefit.
The Brilliant free-night award does not cover a redemption level above 85,000 points on the published rule. The Aspire card page does not state a point ceiling for its Free Night Reward.
Points and elite status stay in the program that issued them. A Marriott Bonvoy credit does not post to Hilton Honors, and a Hilton Honors credit does not post to Marriott Bonvoy.
