[2020.7 Update] Without much notice, this feature has effectively come back. However, it only works for viewing an FN right after it is issued (back in August last year, you could check any card at any time). No idea whether it will be removed again.
First, if you have received an FN, you will see a prompt in the Banner area of your online account.
After clicking it, you will see the FN number. However, it only shows newly received ones. (Note: FN is now valid for 2 years, and the expiration date is included in the email you receive.)
Here’s a useful trick: for this AMEX viewing link, each card has its own specific code (link). You may want to save it in case AMEX removes this feature again.
Right-click to copy the link, then save it. Next time, after logging into your account, just open the saved link. The link format looks like this:
https://global.americanexpress.com/promotions?account_key=USCC101
“USCC101” is the specific code for your Aspire card, and it is different for every card. For now, I still don’t know how to decode the pattern, but saving each link when you receive it works fine. Knowing how banks think, if this feature works too well and too many people redeem their FN, that probably would not be considered a “good” feature from their perspective. So save it while you can. I missed saving mine the last time around. Being able to check your FN number yourself is still very convenient.
[The content below is from articles published in August and September 2019]
[2019.9 Update] AE rolled out a new webpage interface in September. After briefly allowing FN numbers to be viewed in August, that option is gone again. If you previously saved your Aspire/Surpass Rewards URL, I guess it may still work normally. If you know how to find the viewing link, feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
AMEX now allows us to directly view earned Hilton Weekend Free Night (FN for short) rewards in the online account. Previously, you had to wait for Hilton’s email to see them. Those emails are not easy to find either—usually I would star them right away or search for “Your Reward has arrived!” to locate them, which was not very convenient.
How to view FN in your online account:
- Select the Hilton card you want to check
- Click “Earn a Free Weekend Night Reward” or “View Weekend Night Rewards” on the right side of the page
- Once inside, you can see all FN numbers on that card (used ones will not be shown), but redeeming still requires calling Hilton to make the reservation.
The page looks like this:
[Note 1: For the FN shown above, I only saw it in my online account; AE did not seem to send me an email... This suggests the online account may be more up to date than email]
[Note 2: AE seems to have been continuously improving this system, from initially showing nothing, to “being able to click through from the email into the banking site to view it, or clicking the banner to view it (but only newly received rewards),” and now to “being able to click into each card separately to view both older and newer unused rewards (the link code is different for each card).”]
You can also view multiple FN numbers earned on the same card, or back-to-back FN awards. For example, one of my Aspire cards received two back-to-back FN awards (thanks, AE):
In any case, being able to directly view FN in your online account is a welcome improvement. This is especially helpful for people who want to downgrade early but have still not received the Amex/Hilton FN email, because they can confirm in advance whether the FN has already posted.
[Warning: If you have already received a retention offer, an upgrade bonus, or a welcome bonus and it has not yet been one full year, downgrading is not recommended. Otherwise, you may trigger the AMEX popup.]
Currently, the AMEX Hilton co-branded credit cards that offer Weekend Free Night, and the ways to earn it, are as follows:
- AMEX Hilton Surpass/Ascend: the welcome bonus sometimes includes one FN (awarded in the second cardmember year), and spending $15,000 in a calendar year earns another FN
- AMEX Hilton Aspire: each year after paying the annual fee in a cardmember year, you receive one FN; spending $60,000 in a calendar year earns another FN
- AMEX Hilton Business: the welcome bonus sometimes includes one FN (awarded in the second cardmember year); spending $15,000 in a calendar year earns one FN, and spending $60,000 earns another FN
- Via upgrade: upgrading from the no-annual-fee version or from Surpass to Aspire can get you an FN in the first cardmember year
If you want to learn more about how to use Hilton Weekend Free Night, check out the articles below: