American Express issues the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the United States.
As of October 2026, the Brilliant card has a $650 annual fee. The Aspire card has a $550 annual fee.
Both cards add hotel elite status, a free-night award, and statement credits. The status names, free-night caps, and credit calendars differ. Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee.
| Brilliant card | Aspire card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $650 | $550 |
| Status on the card | Platinum Elite | Diamond |
| Free night without spend | One award after the renewal month, at or under 85,000 points | One reward in the first year and on each renewal |
| Award after spend | One choice after $60,000 in a calendar year | One reward after $30,000, and another after $30,000 more |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
How do the elite status tiers compare?
The Brilliant card adds Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. The Aspire card adds Hilton Honors Diamond status.
Platinum Elite on the Brilliant card
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite benefits list a 50 percent points bonus on eligible hotel purchases. The page also lists an enhanced room upgrade, including select suites, when a room is available at arrival.
The welcome gift is points, a breakfast offering, or an amenity. The gift varies by brand.
At brands that have lounges, lounge access includes breakfast. Marriott lists 4 p.m. late checkout, subject to availability at resort and convention hotels.
The same page lists Titanium Elite after 75 nights. The Brilliant card page grants Platinum Elite. It does not list Titanium Elite.
Each calendar year the card adds 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next status level. American Express says the credits have limits per Marriott Bonvoy account. The benefit is not exclusive to American Express cards.
Diamond status on the Aspire card
American Express describes Diamond status on the Aspire card as a 100 percent bonus on base points earned on stays. The same paragraph lists premium Wi-Fi, space-available room upgrades at select properties, and 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.
Other cards in each family are on the Marriott card comparison and the Hilton card comparison.
Free night reward systems
The Brilliant card issues one Free Night Award after the card renewal month. The award covers one night at a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. American Express says certain hotels have resort fees.
The award is for hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. The card page does not describe adding points above 85,000.
A separate line on that page says Marriott Bonvoy points can be redeemed at over 10,000 participating hotels. That figure is the points-redemption line.
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 print a point cap.
Hilton’s Free Night Reward exclusions limit that reward to one standard accommodation at double occupancy. The page excludes a published list of properties. The list is largely club, timeshare, and residence stays.
What the spend thresholds add
After $60,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year, the Brilliant card offers one Brilliant Earned Choice Award. Marriott’s Brilliant choice page lists five Nightly Upgrade Awards, one Free Night Award up to 85,000 points, or 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
As of October 2026, that page sets a selection deadline of February 1, 2027 for spend in the current year. If no selection is made, the page deposits five Nightly Upgrade Awards.
The Aspire spend thresholds print two more Free Night Rewards. The first follows $30,000 in purchases. The second follows another $30,000 in the same calendar year.
What are the annual credit and fee structures?
Each credit is a published cap on eligible charges. A cap is not a payment the card makes by itself.
| Credit | Brilliant card | Aspire card |
|---|---|---|
| Dining or resort | Up to $300 a year at restaurants worldwide, and up to $25 in a month | Up to $400 a year at participating Hilton resorts, and up to $200 in each half-year |
| Named-brand property | Up to $100 at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis on a two-night special rate | Up to $100 at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad on a two-night Aspire benefit rate |
| Air travel | $120 for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck, once in a 4-year period | Up to $200 a year on flights, and up to $50 in a quarter |
| Airport lane or lounge | Priority Pass enrollment | CLEAR+ up to $219 per calendar year |
Brilliant dining, property, and travel credits
American Express benefit terms cap restaurant credits at $25 in a month and $300 in a calendar year. A restaurant inside a hotel, casino, or event venue may not qualify. Those terms say the statement credit can post 8 to 12 weeks after the purchase.
The $100 property credit is applied on the hotel bill at checkout. The terms exclude the room rate, taxes, property fees, and gratuities.
The stay is at least two nights at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis on the rate named “$100 Property Credit, Luxury Credit Card Rate.” The credit does not carry to another stay.
The Global Entry statement 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 credit in a 4-year period, for whichever fee posts first.
Aspire resort, flight, and CLEAR+ credits
The resort credit applies to eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts. The flight credit applies to flights bought directly from an airline, through AmexTravel.com, or through the Amex Travel App.
The CLEAR+ credit is up to $219 per calendar year after the membership is charged to the card. Taxes and fees are excluded. The membership is subject to auto-renewal.
The card page refers to 60 or more airports.
The $100 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 by calling Hilton Honors at 855-292-5757 with the booking reference.
Aspire cardmembers can enroll for National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through the American Express online account.
What each card pays in points
At participating hotels, the Brilliant card pays 6 points per dollar. The Aspire card pays 14 points per dollar on stays booked directly with Hilton.
Hotel earn rates
| Card | Card earn rate | Combined figure on the card page |
|---|---|---|
| Brilliant card | 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels | Up to 21 points per dollar |
| Aspire card | 14 points per dollar at Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts booked direct | No single combined rate |
American Express builds the 21-point figure from three parts. The card pays 6 points. Marriott Bonvoy membership pays up to 10 points. The Platinum Elite 50 percent bonus pays up to 5 points.
The Aspire card pays 14 points per dollar on those direct hotel purchases. Diamond status adds a 100 percent bonus on base points earned on the stay. The Aspire card page does not print those two rates as one number.
Earn rates away from hotels
The Brilliant card pays 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with the airline. Other eligible purchases earn 2 points per dollar.
The Aspire card pays 7 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through AmexTravel.com. The same 7-point rate applies to car rentals booked directly with select companies, and to U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery. Other eligible purchases earn 3 points per dollar.
What lounge access each card lists
The Brilliant card includes enrollment in Priority Pass. American Express describes unlimited visits to over 1,300 airport lounges in over 130 countries, on any carrier or class. The card page does not state how many guests a visit includes.
Hotel lounge access is a separate line on the Platinum Elite page. It applies at brands that have lounges, and it includes breakfast at those brands.
The Aspire card page does not list Priority Pass. Executive lounge access on that card is the Diamond benefit at select properties. The CLEAR+ credit is an identity-check lane at participating airports.
Tradeoffs, risks, and limitations
The Brilliant dining cap is $300 in a calendar year. The property-credit cap is $100 on a qualifying stay. Those two published caps sum to $400. The annual fee is $650.
The Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit is separate from that sum. It is available once in a 4-year period.
On the Aspire card, the resort, flight, CLEAR+, and named-brand property caps add up to $919. The annual fee is $550. Each cap still follows its own purchase rule.
A month with no eligible restaurant purchase leaves that month’s $25 dining cap unused. A quarter with no qualifying flight leaves that quarter’s $50 flight cap unused. A stay off the named rate leaves the property-credit cap unused.
The Brilliant free-night award stops at 85,000 points and arrives after the renewal month. The Aspire reward arrives in the first year and on renewal, and the card page does not print a point ceiling. Hilton’s exclusions page still limits the reward to a standard room and a property list.
A Marriott Bonvoy credit stays in Marriott Bonvoy. A Hilton Honors credit stays in Hilton Honors.
