American Express Platinum appears to have dropped Hilton Gold status as a benefit

UPDATE – JUNE 2025:  This is an old article, and the credit card information given is likely to be out of date.

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The American Express Platinum charge card has a lot to offer the regular traveller. Yes, there is a fairly bonkers £450 annual fee, but you can get 50,000 Avios for signing up and the benefits are not bad. (I will write more on this in a couple of days.)

Cardholders will know that Amex did a big relaunch for the card in mid 2012. This followed a) an increase in the annual fee from £300 to £450 and b) a cut-back in the value of the travel insurance benefit.

However, we all got a big glossy brochure in the post which aimed to reassure us about the great value that Platinum offers.

This brochure attracted a lot of criticism because it implied that the Cathay Pacific Gold card (which gives you most of the benefits of a British Airways Silver card, including lounge access) was a permanent benefit. It isn’t. It is meant to be a one-off for 1 year, although Cathay is currently rolling over memberships for people.

The brochure also implied that the Hilton HHonors Gold card offered to American Express Platinum cardholders was a permanent benefit. We all knew that was not true – it was a ‘one off’ for a year.

Now, the free Hilton HHonors Gold card has disappeared from the Amex website.

It has gone from the main promotional site from the card

It has gone from the private Amex Platinum website

It has gone from the online application form for the hotel and Cathay cards

Gone, with no notice. Which is very poor form (again).

This is especially poor form because – as the Hilton card was a genuine ‘one year only’ deal – a lot of people had delayed signing up for it until they knew they would have a Hilton stay coming up. If Amex had given a few weeks notice, everyone who had not had this offer yet could have signed up.

This is especially annoying as Hilton Gold is the best mid-tier hotel status to have. You get a guaranteed upgrade, free breakfast (except at Waldorf-Astoria’s) and free internet, plus a 50% points bonus. For the leisure traveller, these are all benefits that offer real value.

There is a way of getting Hilton Gold status with just four Hilton stays, which I will post about in a few days. That is still nowhere near as good as getting the card just for filling in a form, though – especially if you only wanted it for a couple of stays.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (June 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th August 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Hilton Honors Plus debit card is TRIPLED to 30,000 Hilton Honors points. You will also receive Gold Elite status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

30,000 bonus points (to 14th August), Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, 50% fee discount, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• The American Express Business Gold Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Business Platinum Card (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.