Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Blue Card or Hilton Honors American Express Card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

What benefits does the Bilt Blue Card have that the Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn't?

The Bilt Blue Card offers cell phone protection. The Hilton Honors American Express Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Bilt Blue Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Card?

Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

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Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.

Bilt Blue Card vs Hilton Honors American Express Card

Both cards cost $0/yr. The Bilt Blue Card leads on rent and dining; the Hilton Honors American Express Card on hotels.

Card data as of September 27, 2026.

Bilt Blue Card

Cardless

Hilton Honors American Express Card

American Express

Fees & Welcome Offer

Annual Fee

Welcome Bonus

$100 in rewards

80,000 points

Earn Rates

Category	Bilt Blue Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hotels	1X	7X
Dining	1X

Category-by-Category Winner

The Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in 7 of 7 categories. The Bilt Blue Card leads in 0.

Rent

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X vs 1.25X

Mortgage

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X vs 1.25X

Hotels

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 7X vs 1X

Dining

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 1X

Gas Stations

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 1X

Everyday purchases

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X on all other spending vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

The better card depends on how much you spend.

The Bottom Line

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 3X on the Hilton Honors American Express Card vs 1X on the other card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Blue Card or Hilton Honors American Express Card?: The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the Bilt Blue Card have that the Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn't?: The Bilt Blue Card offers cell phone protection. The Hilton Honors American Express Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Blue Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Card?: Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

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Official issuer pages: Cardless cards · American Express cards

Benefits & Features

Network

MASTERCARD

AMEX

Key Benefits

✓Cell phone protection

✓Purchase protection

✓Rental car insurance

✓Purchase protection

✓Rental car insurance

Pros & Cons

Pros

+No annual fee
+Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees
+4% Bilt Cash on all non-housing spend (stackable with 1X points)
+$100 Bilt Cash welcome bonus with no spending requirement
+Transferable points to 23 airline and hotel partners (valued at 2.2 cents each by TPG)

+No annual fee ever
+Automatic Hilton Silver status with 20% bonus points and late checkout
+Path to Gold status after $20,000 annual spend
+Solid 7X earning at Hilton properties, 5X at restaurants/supermarkets/gas
+No foreign transaction fees

Cons

−Only 1X points on non-housing purchases (below average for flat-rate cards)
−Unlocking housing points requires regular non-housing spend or Bilt Cash redemptions
−Most Bilt Cash expires at year-end (only $100 rolls over)
−No bonus categories like dining or travel (those are Obsidian features)
−Fewer card-specific protections than Obsidian or Palladium

−Only Silver status (lower than Surpass/Aspire Gold grants)
−Lower earn rates than premium Hilton cards (7X vs 12X at Hilton)
−No annual credits or free night rewards
−Points locked to Hilton with no transfer flexibility
−Amex network less accepted internationally than Visa/Mastercard

Scenario	Bilt Blue Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $264 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $264 Year one: $364	Rewards: $182 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $182 Year one: $502	Bilt Blue Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,056 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,056 Year one: $1,156	Rewards: $730 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $730 Year one: $1,050	Bilt Blue Card	Bilt Blue Card

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
+Do most of your spending at grocery stores
+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending