Is the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card the Back to School Card of Choice?

If you haven’t opened or closed a co-branded Hilton credit card in the last 24 months, any Hilton card might be a smart choice. Still, now may be one of the best times to get the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card, specifically.

	Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® Card Add to Favorites	$0 first year $0 after first year	75,000 Hilton HHonors™ Bonus Points After making $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening* Read Review »
Already have this card? Track it and maximize your rewards.

	Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® Card
Apply Now Add to Favorites
Sign Up Bonus $0 first year $0 after first year 75,000 Hilton HHonors™ Bonus Points After making $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening* Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
Read the FTG Review »

Let’s start with the current offer on this card. For the time being, you’ll earn 75,000 Hilton HHonors points after using your card for $2,000 in purchases during the first 3 months you own the account. As an added bonus, you’ll get 6 points for every dollar spent at a Hilton property, 3 points for every dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and drugstores, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Plus, you get automatic Hilton HHonors Silver Status just for signing up.

Best of all, this card never charges an annual fee. So, you can keep it for the long haul and enjoy Hilton HHonors Silver Status in perpetuity without paying for the privilege. If you prefer flexible hotel points you can use any way you want (as opposed to the two free weekend nights offered by the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card), it doesn’t get any better than that.

	Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card Add to Favorites	$95 first year $95 after first year	2 weekend night certificates After $2,500 in purchases within 4 months of account opening Read Review »
Already have this card? Track it and maximize your rewards.

	Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card
Apply Now Add to Favorites
Sign Up Bonus $95 first year $95 after first year 2 weekend night certificates After $2,500 in purchases within 4 months of account opening Annual Fee Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
Read the FTG Review »

Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Sign Up

There are a few reasons now may be the ideal time to sign up. First, the 75,000 point signup bonus is higher than the 40,000 point bonus we see most of the time. If you were waiting for a higher bonus, now is one of the best times to jump in.

Second, this card’s bonus categories are perfect for earning additional points as you shop for back to school. Since you’ll rack up 3 Hilton HHonors points for every dollar you spend at gas stations, grocery stores, and drugstores, it’s feasible to use this to your advantage as you stock up on school supplies for the kids.

How to Use 75,000 Hilton HHonors Points

We’ve written about the many awesome Hilton properties you can book with Hilton HHonors points before, and none of that has changed. However, it’s important to note that many of the top Hilton properties cost upwards of 60,000 Hilton HHonors points per night or more.

If you want to stretch your points as far as they can go, you should strive to stay in properties on the lower end of the Hilton HHonors award chart. To put things in perspective, Category 1 stays start at 5,000 points per night, Category 2 stays start at 10,000 points per night, Category 3 properties run just 20,000 Hilton HHonors points per night, and Category 4 properties run between 20,000 – 30,000 Hilton HHonors points per night. Also keep in mind, Hilton HHonors Silver, Gold, and Platinum members get their 5^th night free when they book at least four consecutive nights with points.

With at least 75,000 Hilton HHonors points to burn, the options are limitless. If you want, you could go for at least one free night at one of Hilton’s higher tier properties. Or, you could stretch your points into a longer stay at a more modest brand. What is best for you depends on your travel goals and which kind of trip you prefer.

The Bottom Line

While Citi has tightened up their policy when it comes to who gets approved for their rewards credit cards, you can still earn the bonus on a Hilton card provided you haven’t opened or closed another Hilton credit card within the last 24 months. Due to this card’s signup bonus and bonus earning categories, now may be the ideal time to get the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card.

Have you had this card before? Why or why not?

[Image via Getty]