At the end of 2024, Hilton quietly pulled its gift cards from sale. The message on Hilton’s site blamed an “unforeseen inventory issue.” That sounded simple enough—maybe they ran out of physical cards, and with global supply chain snags, it was easy to believe.
But what started as a short-term hiccup has turned into something much bigger. Nearly a year later, Hilton gift cards are still unavailable, and the story keeps getting stranger.
We first covered this back in January: Update On Hilton Gift Card Hiccups. At the time, it looked like Hilton would restock soon. But that never happened.
More Than Just Holiday Gifts
Sure, some people were upset that they couldn’t slip a Hilton gift card into a birthday or holiday card. However, the biggest outcry came from a different group entirely: savvy American Express cardholders.
One of the worst-kept secrets in the points-and-miles world was that buying Hilton gift cards directly from Hilton triggered the statement credits on several American Express cards. Those credits expire if not used, so gift cards were the perfect “set it and forget it” solution.
When gift cards disappeared right at year’s end, procrastinators had to scramble for other ways to use their credits before they expired.
From “Out of Stock” To “New Experience”
Then came the real twist: the cards never came back.
The original “out of stock” notice eventually disappeared, replaced with a teaser promising an “updated Hilton Gift Card experience.”
That wording made people wonder: was Hilton working on something better—or had AMEX stepped in?
Follow the Credits
Here’s where the AMEX angle starts to make sense. Hilton would still get the money whether you bought a gift card or used your AMEX card to pay for a hotel room, so why would they care?
The likely issue was on AMEX’s side. Their credits are only profitable if a good chunk of them go unused. However, if cardholders could buy Hilton gift cards, stash them for later use, and utilize every dollar, that “breakage” would disappear. And AMEX doesn’t like that.
Now we’ve got proof that AMEX is cracking down. As reported by Doctor of Credit, the Business Platinum Card’s $50 quarterly Hilton credits will no longer apply to gift cards starting January 31, 2026.
Meanwhile, Frequent Miler reminds us what Hilton-related credits are still in play:
- Business Platinum – $50 quarterly Hilton credit
- Hilton Surpass – $50 quarterly Hilton credit
- Hilton Business – $60 quarterly Hilton credit
- Hilton Aspire – $200 semi-annual resort credit
For now, only the Business Platinum explicitly bans gift cards—but American Express has a long track record of expanding restrictions once they start.
What Happens Next?
So what’s the real reason Hilton gift cards vanished? Officially, Hilton says a new gift card “experience” is coming. Unofficially, the timing certainly suggests that AMEX had something to do with it.
If Hilton gift cards return in 2026, don’t be surprised if they’re structured in a way that prevents them from being used to trigger AMEX credits.
Until then, this Hilton–AMEX mystery remains unsolved—but the writing on the wall suggests the easy gift card workaround is gone for good.
Final Thought
Whether this is Hilton’s delay or AMEX’s crackdown, the result is the same: gift cards are off the table, and credits are harder to use. If you’ve been relying on Hilton gift cards to maximize your AMEX perks, it’s time to come up with a Plan B.
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