First-year winner
Hilton Honors Business Card
$856 Year 1 edge
$1,473 vs $617
Compare Cards
Stack up the better credit card
Compare two cards side by side with your real spend, credits, fees, and rewards.
Card A
Card B
Monthly spend
Start with spending categories
Monthly Total
$2,430/mo
Reward assumptions
Credits & benefits
Count the credits and perks you actually expect to use. Credit rows start with conservative default values; edit them for your own merchant, timing, or travel friction.
Card A
American Express Business Gold Card
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Perk
Amex Offers Access
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible cardholders can add targeted Amex Offers for statement credits or bonus rewards with participating merchants.
Perk
Purchase and Warranty Protections
Purchase Protection · No listed cash value
American Express cards commonly include purchase-protection and extended-warranty style coverage on eligible purchases.
Perk
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible international purchases do not incur an added foreign transaction surcharge.
Perk
Business Account Controls
Other · No listed cash value
Business cards usually include account-management tools that help separate company spend and monitor employee purchases.
Card B
Hilton Honors Business Card
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Perk
Hilton Honors Status Perks
Other · No listed cash value
Hilton co-brand cardholders can unlock hotel-program benefits such as elite-status value, bonus earnings on stays, and on-property perks.
Perk
Amex Offers Access
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible cardholders can add targeted Amex Offers for statement credits or bonus rewards with participating merchants.
Perk
Purchase and Warranty Protections
Purchase Protection · No listed cash value
American Express cards commonly include purchase-protection and extended-warranty style coverage on eligible purchases.
Perk
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible international purchases do not incur an added foreign transaction surcharge.
Verdict
Hilton Honors Business wins year 1 and long term.
Winner after year 1
Hilton Honors Business Card
$1,556 ongoing edge
$1,473 vs $-83
Long-term breakeven: the higher-reward option needs roughly $0 per year in this spend mix to overcome the fee and benefit gap.
American Express
American Express Business Gold Card
Year One
$617
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$-83
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$292
1.00% effective return
Welcome Offer
$700
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
$10,000
3 mo window · $3,333/mo pace · Stretch
Why it wins
- • Still delivers meaningful first-year upside from the welcome offer.
- • Stays usable for international purchases.
Watch for
- • The annual fee is harder to justify if you do not use the credits and perks consistently.
- • The listed welcome-offer threshold looks aggressive for your monthly spend capacity.
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
American Express
Hilton Honors Business Card
Year One
$1,473
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$1,473
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$1,668
5.72% effective return
Welcome Offer
None
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
No listed offer
No spend threshold in dataset
Why it wins
- • Earns well on the spend mix you entered.
- • Stays usable for international purchases.
Watch for
- • The annual fee is harder to justify if you do not use the credits and perks consistently.
- • There is no meaningful active welcome offer in the current dataset.
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
Spend Mix Math
Where the value actually comes from
Category returns are based on the spend mix you entered, your point-value assumption, and the benefits you chose to count.
Dining
1x
$5,400
American Express Business Gold
$54
1.00%
Hilton Honors Business
$270
5.00%
Groceries
1x
$7,800
American Express Business Gold
$78
1.00%
Hilton Honors Business
$390
5.00%
Travel
1x
$3,000
American Express Business Gold
$30
1.00%
Hilton Honors Business
$360
12.00%
Gas
1x
$1,920
American Express Business Gold
$19
1.00%
Hilton Honors Business
$96
5.00%
General
1x
$11,040
American Express Business Gold
$110
1.00%
Hilton Honors Business
$552
5.00%
Total annual spend
$29,160 across this mix
American Express Business Gold$292
Hilton Honors Business$1,668
Raw Breakdown
Full side-by-side details
Use the spec table below when you want the literal field-by-field differences in rewards, benefits, transfer partners, fees, and approval profile.
| Metric | American Express Business Gold Card | Hilton Honors Business Card |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | ||
| Annual fee | $375 | $195 |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Rewards | ||
| Other rewards | 4x 4x Membership Rewards points in the two eligible categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle. | — |
| Travel rewards | — | 12x 12X Hilton Honors points on eligible Hilton purchases. |
| All rewards | 1x | 5x 5X points on other eligible purchases on the first $100,000 per year, then 3X thereafter. |
| Offer | ||
| Welcome offer | 70,000 Membership Rewards points Spend $10,000 in 3 mo | — |
| Benefits | ||
| Estimated benefits | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Benefit highlights | Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more | Hilton Honors Status Perks · Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · +1 more |
| Profile | ||
| Credit needed | Good | Good |
| Network | amex | amex |
| Reward type | Points | Points |
Costs
Annual fee
American Express Business Gold Card
$375
Hilton Honors Business Card
$195
Foreign transaction fee
American Express Business Gold Card
None
Hilton Honors Business Card
None
Rewards
Other rewards
American Express Business Gold Card
4x
4x Membership Rewards points in the two eligible categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle.
Hilton Honors Business Card
—
Travel rewards
American Express Business Gold Card
—
Hilton Honors Business Card
12x
12X Hilton Honors points on eligible Hilton purchases.
All rewards
American Express Business Gold Card
1x
Hilton Honors Business Card
5x
5X points on other eligible purchases on the first $100,000 per year, then 3X thereafter.
Offer
Welcome offer
American Express Business Gold Card
70,000 Membership Rewards points
Spend $10,000 in 3 mo
Hilton Honors Business Card
—
Benefits
Estimated benefits
American Express Business Gold Card
4 listed
Hilton Honors Business Card
4 listed
Benefit highlights
American Express Business Gold Card
Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more
Hilton Honors Business Card
Hilton Honors Status Perks · Amex Offers Access · Purchase and Warranty Protections · +1 more
Profile
Credit needed
American Express Business Gold Card
Good
Hilton Honors Business Card
Good
Network
American Express Business Gold Card
amex
Hilton Honors Business Card
amex
Reward type
American Express Business Gold Card
Points
Hilton Honors Business Card
Points