I canceled Amex Platinum Charles Schwab. The time had come to decide whether I was going to Keep Vs. Cancel the Hilton Honors Business card. For those in a hurry, the quick answer is I canceled because the $95 gets you next to nothing. For those looking to stay around, let me tell you what I mean by nothing.
- Free Weekend Night Rewards: I don’t have the desire to spend 15k to get one free night. Those historically have resulted in difficult redemptions for me (see Hilton Weekend Certificate: Not Worth the 10k Spend).
- Priority Pass Membership: One fear I had from canceling my Platinum was losing out on Priority Pass. Even though I slam Priority Pass frequently (see Priority Pass Jakarta Lounge Review: Yuck), I don’t want to live without it (see Churning Cards? Don’t Let Your Priority Pass Lapse). Amex advertises Priority Pass membership with this card. If you read beyond the headline, you’ll notice that it is only for 10 free visits. That is not enough for this Fat Guy in the Lounge. Fortunately, I was just approved for the Citi Prestige which comes with Priority Pass.
The one feature you do receive is Hilton Gold. If you have an imminent stay at a Hilton, then that is well worth the $95 annual fee which includes free breakfast and 4PM check out. If you’re in no rush to stay at a Hilton, there are other cards that offer the benefit.
Bonvoy Hilton Business! See what I did there?
Just made same decision yesterday for same basic reasons.. I do question $95 for bfast and late checkout– not worth it to me. This left me without PP coverage, but recent PP needs yielded closed or restricted-access lounges, so go no value out of the PPs anyway. Left $35K credit line on the table, but not willing to pay AF just to save the CL. Further, the opportunity cost of $15K on a crappy earning card is substantial unless Vendoming with the free night.
15k even if it’s ms, better spent elsewhere.
Cancel! And get instead the Hilton AMEX Aspire card for the comped Hilton Diamond status and $250 in Hilton Resort statement credits.
yes, i will eventually.