Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Pros

• Hilton Aspire can be over 4% as a catch all if you spend right around either $30k or $60k on it annually (again, assuming you break even on the baseline set of benefits).
• Could also do a Hilton Aspire and go for the extra FNC at 30k, 175k SUB, and 7x points, netting 2 FNCs and around 500k points w another 10k in spend if it’s organic
• I get a Clear credit on my Hilton Aspire.
• The highest return is probably spending at Hilton hotels using the WF Autograph Journey while holding the Hilton Aspire since a lot of those bonus points are from having diamond status.
• These rapid Marriott devaluations combined with their cards being on the weak side are really pushing home the value of the Hilton cards by comparison. Because not even counting the uncapped free night, on both the Aspire and the Surpass...

Cons

• since you can earn 34 points per dollar on stays with the Aspire card’s Diamond status, the card’s 14x earning, and Hilton’s base earning rates.
• Something like a Hilton Aspire is a great card too, but would be a terrible card for me because their credits have terms like, "$200 annual credit issued as one $50 credit on quarterly stays." So every 3 months you don't stay at a Hilton...
• The Aspire's credits are extremely difficult to use for the average person. If you somehow fit in that very small percentage of people that can use all the credits than yes...the Aspire is for you. But man are they a pain in the ass to use.