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 dining.
Card data as of November 13, 2026.
Bilt Blue CardCardless · No annual fee
Hilton Honors American Express CardAmerican Express · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Bilt Blue Card$0Hilton Honors American Express Card$0
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Bilt Blue Card$100 in rewardsHilton Honors American Express Card70,000 points
- Rewards
- Bilt Blue CardBilt PointsHilton Honors American Express CardHilton Honors
- Foreign transaction fee
- Bilt Blue CardNoneHilton Honors American Express CardNone
- Network
- Bilt Blue CardMastercard World EliteHilton Honors American Express CardAmerican Express
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
- Dining
- Bilt Blue Card1xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Gas Stations
- Bilt Blue Card1xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Grocery Stores
- Bilt Blue Card1xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Mortgage
- Bilt Blue Card1.25xHilton Honors American Express Card3xHighest
- Rent
- Bilt Blue Card1.25xHilton Honors American Express Card3xHighest
- Everything else
- Bilt Blue Card1xHilton Honors American Express Card3xHighest
Perks & access— means none on record
- Hotel status & programs
- Bilt Blue Card—Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Automatic Hilton Honors Silver Elite Status
- Other perks
- Bilt Blue Card
- No foreign transaction fees
Hilton Honors American Express Card- Amex Offers
- Early access to concerts and events
- 24/7 global travel assistance
- No foreign transaction fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Rental car
- Bilt Blue Card
- Secondary rental car collision damage waiver
Hilton Honors American Express Card- Car rental insurance (secondary coverage)
- Purchase & returns
- Bilt Blue Card
- $1,000 purchase protection per item for 90 days
Hilton Honors American Express Card- Up to $1,000 per item against damage or theft
- Cell phone
- Bilt Blue Card
- Up to $800 cell phone protection per claim
Hilton Honors American Express Card— - Other protections
- Bilt Blue Card—Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Bilt Blue Card
- 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 20+ airline and hotel partners (valued at 2.2 cents each by TPG)
Hilton Honors American Express Card- 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
- Bilt Blue Card
- 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
Hilton Honors American Express Card- 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
Expert Analysis
The Bilt Blue Card and Hilton Honors American Express Card are two of the most popular cards in their category, and choosing between them comes down to which rewards structure better matches your spending. Both deliver strong value, but in meaningfully different ways.
The Bilt Blue Card's strongest category is Lyft at 3X, while the Hilton Honors American Express Card leads with 7X on Hilton Properties. Overall, the Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in more bonus categories (7 vs 0) — so the better choice depends on where you spend the most.
Both cards carry a $0/yr annual fee, so the decision comes down purely to rewards structure and benefits — there's no fee math to worry about.
Key Differences
- Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X on Dining vs 3X for the other
- Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X on Rent vs 1.25X for the other
- Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X on Mortgage vs 1.25X for the other
- Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 1X on non-bonus spending)
- Different networks: Bilt Blue Card is MASTERCARD, Hilton Honors American Express Card is AMEX
Spending Scenarios
Which card wins in real-world spending situations?
$400/month on dining
Hilton Honors American Express CardHilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X. Over a year, that's 24,000 vs 14,400 points — a 9,600-point advantage.
$200/month on rent
Hilton Honors American Express CardHilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X vs 1.25X. Over a year, that's 7,200 vs 3,000 points — a 4,200-point advantage.
Who Should Get Which?
Get the Bilt Blue Card if:
The Bilt Blue Card is a well-rounded card at $0/yr that works for a variety of spending patterns.
Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card if:
The Hilton Honors American Express Card is ideal for cardholders who prioritize spending heavily on dining and rent and earning more on everyday purchases. At $0/yr, it delivers strong no-fee value for its target audience.
Upgrade & Downgrade Path
These cards are from different issuers, so switching between them requires a new application. Many rewards enthusiasts hold both to maximize earn rates across different spending categories — the annual fee total may be worth it if you're actively using both cards' bonus categories.
Consider which card's rewards ecosystem better fits your redemption goals. Transferable points programs offer more flexibility for travel redemptions.
Category-by-Category Winner
The Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in 6 of 6 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
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.
| Scenario | Bilt Blue Card | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $240 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $240 Year one: $340 | Rewards: $182 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $182 Year one: $462 | Bilt Blue Card | Hilton Honors American Express Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $960 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $960 Year one: $1,060 | Rewards: $730 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $730 Year one: $1,010 | 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
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.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.