One of the longstanding benefits of the American Express Platinum Card has been complimentary Hilton Gold status. It’s a useful perk to have, since it gives you free breakfast when staying at Hilton hotels, along with other benefits.
Fortunately, Hilton Gold status is now also included with the Business Platinum Card from American Express. This is good news, and adds even more value to an already competitive product.
Complimentary Hilton Gold Status on the Business Platinum Card
As a premium card, the Business Platinum Card from American Express comes with a number of perks. Amongst the most valuable benefits are unlimited free lounge access, great insurance, and access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, in addition to a usually generous welcome bonus.
One perk given to anyone with its personal version, the American Express Platinum Card, that has been absent from the Business Platinum to date is complimentary Hilton Gold status.
Today, cardholders should have received an email from American Express informing them of the new benefit on their Business Platinum Card. The email simply states that effective immediately, eligible cardholders can enrol for complimentary Hilton Gold status.
Usually, when these types of emails about changes to your card arrive, they bring bad news; however, in this case, the news is wholly positive.
Activating the status is quite easy. You’ll first need to write down your Hilton Honors number (or sign up for one if you aren’t yet a member), and then head to the benefits portal on the American Express website.
Once there, simply click on the Hilton Honors button, fill out the form, and then wait for your status to be activated.
While you’re at it, you can also enrol in any other benefits for which you haven’t signed up yet, including Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
What Are the Benefits of Hilton Gold Status?
Hilton Gold status is the loyalty program’s second-highest status tier. Typically, members must stay at least 40 nights in a year to enjoy the status; however, a much easier (and cheaper) way is just to pay the annual fee for a credit card that comes with it as a perk.
As the second-highest status in the program, there are some tangible benefits for members, including:
- 80% bonus points on paid stays
- Late checkout
- Free breakfast for two at all hotels
- Space-available room upgrades to Executive rooms
The full list of benefits may be found in the below chart:
Of all the benefits, the most valuable are free breakfast and room upgrades. If you tend to frequent Hilton hotels, these can both greatly enhance your stay and save you some cash along the way.
The best part about Hilton Gold status is that it comes as an included benefit on Platinum Cards.
As you can imagine, paying an annual fee of $699 (CAD) or $499 (CAD), respectively, for these cards is much cheaper than what it would cost to spend 40 nights at hotels in a given year.
While this doesn’t necessarily add significant value to the already-strong Business Platinum Card, it doesn’t come with any additional cost to you. Therefore, it falls squarely in the “low-hanging fruit” basket, and it’s worthwhile for anybody with the card to enrol for it.
It’s worth noting that the US-issued American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card comes with top-tier Diamond status as an ongoing benefit. With that card, you can enjoy suite upgrades and lounge access, and with a comparable $450 (USD) annual fee and a suite of extra perks, it may be worthwhile prioritizing if Hilton status is really what you’re after.
Conclusion
Complimentary Hilton Gold status is now a benefit on the Business Platinum Card from American Express. All cardholders are eligible to enrol in the status, which is effective immediately.
This is a nice addition to one of Canada’s best credit cards to begin with, and complements the suite of other premium perks that come with the card.
If you have the credit card and you have some upcoming stays at Hilton hotels in the works, be sure to enrol so you can enjoy free breakfast and other benefits during your stays.