Which card earns more rewards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card or IHG One Rewards Credit Card?

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 2X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

Should I get the Hilton Honors American Express Card or the IHG One Rewards Credit Card?

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

Hilton Honors American Express Card vs IHG One Rewards Credit Card

Both cards cost $0/yr. The Hilton Honors American Express Card leads on dining; the IHG One Rewards Credit Card on dining.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Hilton Honors American Express Card American Express · No annual fee	IHG One Rewards Credit Card Chase · No annual fee
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	70,000 points	125,000 points
Rewards	Hilton Honors	IHG One Rewards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	American Express	Mastercard World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	5x Highest	3x
Gas Stations	5x Highest	3x
Grocery Stores	5x Highest	3x
Everything else	3x Highest	2x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Dining & delivery	—	DoorDash DashPass $10/mo Instacart+
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	Automatic Hilton Honors Silver Elite Status	Gold Elite after $15,000 in calendar-year purchases IHG Silver Elite status 4th Reward Night Free on Points Stays
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events 24/7 global travel assistance No foreign transaction fees	$0 Foreign Transaction Fees 30% off reward points
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $5,000
Baggage	—	Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100 Lost Luggage Reimbursement · up to $3,000
Rental car	Car rental insurance (secondary coverage)	—
Purchase & returns	Up to $1,000 per item against damage or theft	Purchase Protection · up to $500
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	—
Pros & cons
Pros	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	No annual fee with automatic Silver Elite status Fourth night free on reward stays of 4+ nights (from 2027, after $5,000 of annual spend) 3x earning on dining, grocery stores and gas stations 2x earning on all other purchases (above-average base rate) Path to Gold Elite with $15,000 annual spend
Cons	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	Silver Elite status provides minimal benefits Lower earning rate at IHG properties (5x vs 10x on Premier) Only 5 Elite Night Credits a year No annual free night certificate $15,000 spend requirement for Gold status is steep
	Card details	Card details

Hilton Honors American Express Card
American Express · No annual fee
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Chase · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Hilton Honors American Express Card
$0
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Hilton Honors American Express Card
70,000 points
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
125,000 points
Rewards: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Honors
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
IHG One Rewards
Foreign transaction fee: Hilton Honors American Express Card
None
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
None
Network: Hilton Honors American Express Card
American Express
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Mastercard World Elite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Hilton Honors American Express Card
5x
Highest
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
3x
Gas Stations: Hilton Honors American Express Card
5x
Highest
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
3x
Grocery Stores: Hilton Honors American Express Card
5x
Highest
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
3x
Everything else: Hilton Honors American Express Card
3x
Highest
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
2x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Dining & delivery: Hilton Honors American Express Card
—
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
DoorDash DashPass
$10/mo Instacart+

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Automatic Hilton Honors Silver Elite Status
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Gold Elite after $15,000 in calendar-year purchases
IHG Silver Elite status
4th Reward Night Free on Points Stays
Other perks: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
24/7 global travel assistance
No foreign transaction fees
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
$0 Foreign Transaction Fees
30% off reward points

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Hilton Honors American Express Card
—
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $5,000
Baggage: Hilton Honors American Express Card
—
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100
Lost Luggage Reimbursement · up to $3,000
Rental car: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Car rental insurance (secondary coverage)
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
—
Purchase & returns: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Up to $1,000 per item against damage or theft
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Purchase Protection · up to $500
Other protections: Hilton Honors American Express Card
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
—

Pros & cons

Pros: 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
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
No annual fee with automatic Silver Elite status
Fourth night free on reward stays of 4+ nights (from 2027, after $5,000 of annual spend)
3x earning on dining, grocery stores and gas stations
2x earning on all other purchases (above-average base rate)
Path to Gold Elite with $15,000 annual spend
Cons: 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
IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Silver Elite status provides minimal benefits
Lower earning rate at IHG properties (5x vs 10x on Premier)
Only 5 Elite Night Credits a year
No annual free night certificate
$15,000 spend requirement for Gold status is steep

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Hilton Honors American Express Card wins in 4 of 4 categories. The IHG One Rewards Credit Card leads in 0.

Dining

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X

Grocery Stores

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X

Gas Stations

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 5X vs 3X

Everyday purchases

Hilton Honors American Express Card earns 3X on all other spending vs 2X

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.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Hilton Honors American Express Card	IHG One Rewards Credit Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $182 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $182 Year one: $462	Rewards: $173 Credits (our usable estimate): $15 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $188 Year one: $938	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	IHG One Rewards Credit Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $730 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $730 Year one: $1,010	Rewards: $691 Credits (our usable estimate): $15 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $706 Year one: $1,456	Hilton Honors American Express Card	IHG One Rewards Credit Card

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Hilton Honors American Express Card if you:

+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 3X on the Hilton Honors American Express Card vs 2X on the other card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Hilton Honors American Express Card or IHG One Rewards Credit Card?: The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 2X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
Should I get the Hilton Honors American Express Card or the IHG One Rewards Credit 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: American Express cards · Chase cards

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.