Citi Hilton Hhoners

[Denny33142]

I have been researching a bit about this card but unfortunately have not found much info about it, I know it is a Visa Signature so it must be hard to get but i also know that they will counter with a regular Visa if declined for the signature.

My first question is obviously about the difficulty of getting this card, I have never apped for any Citi cards or done much research into Citi Bank so i do not know how stingy they are about baddies or lates.

My second question would be about the benifit of actually having a Hilton Hhonors, Besides the obvious fact that you can earn points towards nights at Hilton hotels does it offer anything else? For example does Hilton Hotels give you any perks/special treatment for having the card?

Finally i know that amex has their own version of Hilton Hhonors, is there any difference between the Citi card and the Amex card?

My interest in this card is due to the fact that i book with Hilton on almost all of my vacations, they are a bit expensive but my experiences with them have always been excellent.

[Walt_K]

The Amex Hilton Surpass is the better Hilton card.  It earns more points.  You can get Diamond status via spend.

[Creditdreamer]

I agree with Walt. I used to work at a Hilton and if you have a choice I'd go for the Amex version. In my experience and from what I've heard, Citi and Amex are pretty much on the same scale, especially for a card like this. If you don't think you can get approved for a mid to high range Amex, then you probably won't get the Citi card. Try getting in with Amex with the Zync and then wait a bit to get to the HH card with them.

[JaysonT]

Note, the Hilton HHonors card from Amex comes in two flavors. The Citi card tends to have a higher spend requirement to get the initial bonus miles or a lower number of bonus miles depending on the timing and the offer you jump on. You will get points faster on the Amex card and the categories are: Hilton spend, Select purchases (grocery/drugstore/gas), all other purchases. Those three categories in mind, the points are 6, 6, 3 on Amex HHonors; 9, 6, 3 on Amex HHonors Surpass; 6, 3, 2 on Citi HHonors. Amex also earns points In the select purchases category for cable, satellite and cell. Amex Surpass does have an annual fee but gets you Gold status for the first year and for each year after that you spend $20K. You also get airport lounge access through Priority Pass with Surpass.

[FrugalRican]

If you travel frequently, the AMEX HHonors Surpass is well worth the annual fee.

I'd much rather get the AMEX than the Citi.

And look through the Hilton website or online throughout the google interwebz. Sometimes they'll have a better initial offer than AMEX themselves.

[Creditdreamer]

@ FrugalRican: OT but LOL at interwebz...