Choice Privileges Mastercard vs Hilton Honors American Express Card
Both cards cost $0/yr. The Choice Privileges Mastercard leads on gas stations; the Hilton Honors American Express Card on dining.
Card data as of November 13, 2026.
Choice Privileges MastercardWells Fargo · No annual fee
Hilton Honors American Express CardAmerican Express · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Choice Privileges Mastercard$0Hilton Honors American Express Card$0
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Choice Privileges Mastercard40,000 pointsHilton Honors American Express Card70,000 points
- Rewards
- Choice Privileges MastercardChoice Privileges PointsHilton Honors American Express CardHilton Honors
- Foreign transaction fee
- Choice Privileges MastercardNoneHilton Honors American Express CardNone
- Network
- Choice Privileges MastercardMastercard World EliteHilton Honors American Express CardAmerican Express
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
- Dining
- Choice Privileges Mastercard1xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Gas Stations
- Choice Privileges Mastercard3xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Grocery Stores
- Choice Privileges Mastercard3xHilton Honors American Express Card5xHighest
- Home Improvement
- Choice Privileges Mastercard3xHilton Honors American Express Card3x
- Telecom
- Choice Privileges Mastercard3xHilton Honors American Express Card3x
- Everything else
- Choice Privileges Mastercard1xHilton Honors American Express Card3xHighest
Perks & access— means none on record
- Hotel status & programs
- Choice Privileges Mastercard
- Automatic Gold Elite status with 10% bonus
Hilton Honors American Express Card- Automatic Hilton Honors Silver Elite Status
- Other perks
- Choice Privileges Mastercard
- 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
- Choice Privileges Mastercard—Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Car rental insurance (secondary coverage)
- Purchase & returns
- Choice Privileges Mastercard—Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Up to $1,000 per item against damage or theft
- Cell phone
- Choice Privileges Mastercard
- Up to $800 cell phone protection
Hilton Honors American Express Card— - Other protections
- Choice Privileges Mastercard—Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Choice Privileges Mastercard
- No annual fee with automatic Gold Elite status
- Strong 3x earning on gas, grocery, home improvement, and phone plans
- 5x earning at participating Choice Hotels
- 10 elite night credits annually
- No foreign transaction fees
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
- Choice Privileges Mastercard
- Gold Elite status provides limited benefits compared to Platinum
- Lower earning rates than the Select card across all categories
- No anniversary bonus points
- No Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
- Choice Hotels lacks luxury properties
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
Category-by-Category Winner
The Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in 4 of 4 categories. The Choice Privileges Mastercard leads in 0.
Gas Stations
Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X
Grocery Stores
Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X
Dining
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 | Choice Privileges Mastercard | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $144 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $144 Year one: $464 | Rewards: $182 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $182 Year one: $462 | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Choice Privileges Mastercard |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $576 Year one: $896 | Rewards: $730 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $730 Year one: $1,010 | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Hilton Honors American Express Card |
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card if you:
- +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
- +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 Choice Privileges Mastercard 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 Choice Privileges Mastercard have that the Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn't?
- The Choice Privileges Mastercard offers cell phone protection. The Hilton Honors American Express Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
- Should I get the Choice Privileges Mastercard 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; 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.