How my Hilton cards turned a luxury Portugal resort stay into an all-inclusive experience
Luxury travel enthusiasts often find themselves grappling with the high costs associated with on-site dining and amenities, even when booking accommodations with points. While all-inclusive resorts can alleviate some of these expenses, they often fall short in culinary quality. However, savvy travelers can leverage certain credit cards to offset these costs significantly, particularly at Hilton properties. This year, while planning a trip to the stunning Algarve region of Portugal, one traveler discovered a unique strategy to eliminate her out-of-pocket expenses entirely by utilizing the statement credits offered by her Hilton credit cards.
The author has been a dedicated holder of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card since its launch in 2018, and she and her husband also use the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Both cards recently underwent beneficial updates, adding substantial statement credits for eligible purchases at Hilton resorts. Specifically, Aspire Card holders can earn up to $400 annually in statement credits, while Surpass Card holders receive up to $200 annually. Additionally, the author benefits from statement credits from The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which further enhances her ability to offset costs. By strategically combining these credits, she found that her family could potentially reclaim up to $1,100 during their stay at the Conrad Algarve, covering a range of expenses from gourmet dining to childcare services.
To maximize these benefits, the author ingeniously purchased dining gift certificates directly from the Conrad Algarve, using her credit cards to trigger the statement credits. This allowed her to effectively prepay for meals and experiences at the resort, including a tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant and local port wines, all while enjoying the luxury of a high-end resort without the financial burden typically associated with such indulgences. By combining the dining vouchers with the statement credits, she was able to enjoy a truly all-inclusive experience, proving that with the right credit card strategy, luxury travel can be both affordable and memorable. For those looking to enhance their travel experiences while minimizing costs, this approach offers a compelling solution to the often-overlooked expenses that accompany luxury stays.
I absolutely love luxury resort trips, but there’s one drawback: Even when booked with points, they can be pretty pricey thanks to expensive on-site food-and-beverage costs. Of course,
all-inclusive resorts
can help reduce those costs dramatically — but they’re typically not known for standout dining, which is important to me on any trip.
Fortunately, there are a handful of
credit cards that offer statement credits
to offset spending, specifically at
Hilton properties
, and for years I’ve been using these card perks to bring down bills on luxury trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Bora Bora and beyond. But it wasn’t until this year, when I was planning a trip to Portugal’s Algarve region, that I realized I could use them to eliminate my out-of-pocket costs completely.
Praia da Marinha beach and cliffs in Algarve, Portugal. STUDIOBARCELONA/GETTY IMAGES
Here’s how I did it.
Amassing Hilton statement credits
I became a
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
holder shortly after the product debuted in early 2018, and it has held a top spot in my wallet ever since. My husband has the card as well, and between us, we also both have the
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
that we use for its
free night certificate potential
.
In late 2023, both cards got
major refreshes
that added ultra-useful statement credits to their lists of benefits. Aspire Card holders now get up to $400 annually (up to $200 biannually) in statement credits for eligible purchases made at participating Hilton resorts, while Surpass Card holders now receive up to $50 in statement credits quarterly (up to $200 annually) when using the card for Hilton purchases.
Continuing to stack Hilton credits, I also receive statement credits from
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
. As a cardmember, I receive up to $200 in
statement credits for Hilton purchases
every calendar year, and, similar to those on the Surpass Card, they are divided so that members earn up to $50 per quarter (enrollment required).
Related:
How to maximize the Amex Business Platinum’s $200 Hilton statement credit
Put it all together, and that means that if my husband and I book a resort trip each half year, combined, we can get up to $550 in statement credits back on our cards.
While that would be ideal, sometimes, life gets in the way, and in the first half of the year, I found us still sitting on the full (up to) $550 worth of credits with no idea how I’d use them.
Doubling up with vouchers
CARLY HELFAND/THE POINTS GUY
Luckily, at that time, I was already planning my second-half (of 2025) excursion to Portugal, which included a stay at the Conrad Algarve. To book my four-night resort stay, I used three free night certificates and 100,000
Hilton Honors
points. Then, during my family vacation, I intended to use our combined (up to) $550 in statement credits to help cover on-property expenses.
But without a plan for my first-half credits, I decided to see if there was any way I could put them toward my Portugal stay.
TPG’s contributing editor,
Matt Moffitt
, had success
prepaying deposits to trigger resort credits
, but since I had already used certificates and points for the stay, I didn’t need to do that. Instead, I called the resort and asked if it sold gift certificates that would cover incidentals on the property.
Sure enough, the staff member directed me to the resort’s website, where you can buy vouchers for spa sessions, dining and more. With nothing to lose, I purchased a dining gift certificate with my
Business Platinum Card
to see how the purchase would code and if I would get reimbursed. When it did, I bought four more — one on each
Surpass Card
and one on each
Aspire Card
. In total, I purchased about $550 worth of dining vouchers (an estimation, as the gift cards were purchased in euros).
Related:
How to use the up to $400 Hilton Aspire resort credit each year
My all-inclusive Hilton Conrad stay
The result was that by the time we arrived at the Conrad Algarve, we had up to $1,100 (about $550 in dining vouchers and up to $550 in combined statement credits) to spend while on property.
With that hefty sum, we were able to cover food and drinks that far exceeded any I’ve ever had at an all-inclusive resort — such as the standout port wines Portugal is known for, as well as a tasting menu at the property’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Gusto by Heinz Beck.
CARLY HELFAND/THE POINTS GUY
But it wasn’t just food and drinks we covered. While $550 was issued in food-and-beverage vouchers, the up to $550 worth of card statement credits could be used to cover any charges we made to the room while at the resort. That included a babysitter, arranged by the hotel, to watch my daughter for an afternoon at the resort’s kids club while my husband and I read by the pool.
While guests usually pay babysitters directly in cash, because I didn’t have any, the front desk staff let me charge the cash to my room for a modest fee (which my statement credits also covered).
Bottom line
Sometimes, even when you book a hotel stay with points, the associated expenses can pile up — particularly if you’re staying at a luxury property with prices to match.
Hilton’s generous statement credits can ease the sting of these expenses, or, when combined, they can even erase them altogether. If you’re struggling to use all your credits or save up for a big luxury trip, this strategy could be for you.
Apply here:
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Apply here:
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
