Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card Overview
This Hilton honors the American Express Surpass® Card Hilton properties and automatic offer solid earnings on Hilton Gold Elite status, which offers free breakfast, increased earnings and space-available upgrades when you stay at a Hilton property. The status benefits alone can make it easy to justify the card’s $150 annual fee (see Rates and Fees). Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card ratings are based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and are not influenced by the card issuer.
This Overcome the Hilton It’s an ideal choice for those who frequently stay at Hilton properties and want a cobranded credit card with a modest annual fee and valuable benefits — but aren’t ready to go for the high-end Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Applicants must have a credit score of 670 or higher to be eligible for this card.
You may wonder if the Hilton Surpass Card is a good addition to your wallet. Here are the details and other cards to consider as you decide.
Information for the Hilton Aspire Amex Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Pros and Cons of Hilton Crossing
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Hilton Surpass Welcome Offer
New applicants for Overcome the Hilton Receive a welcome offer of 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership. This offer ends on January 8, 2025.
This welcome offer is not far off the best we’ve seen so far and meets our criteria for taking advantage of a good offer.
Having another Hilton credit card doesn’t make you ineligible for the welcome bonus, but remember that Amex cards have a “once in a lifetime” rule on bonuses. Amex also has these conditions for the welcome offer:
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You may not be eligible to receive the welcome offer if you have or have had this card, the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card, or previous versions of these cards. You may also not be eligible to receive a welcome offer depending on a variety of factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express card member, the number of credit cards you’ve opened and closed, and other factors.
Fortunately, Amex will notify you before you submit your application if you don’t qualify for the bonus. If you receive this message, you can proceed without the welcome offer or withdraw your application before Amex does a hard pull on your credit report.
Related: The Complete Guide to Amex’s One-Bonus-Per-Lifetime Restrictions
Hilton Surplus Benefits
This of Hilton Surpass Card The welcome offer is attractive, but the card’s ongoing benefits provide long-term value for semi-regular Hilton guests. Registration is required for select benefits; Conditions apply.
Below are some of the benefits that Hilton Surpass offers:
- Hilton Gold status honors: Gold Elite status below, which includes the following benefits: paid stay, space-available room upgrade, 80% points bonus on Elite rollover nights, fifth night free when you book a stay with points and daily breakfast or food and beverage credit. Spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year will earn you top-tier Diamond status by the end of the next calendar year.
- Up to $200 in Hilton Statement Credits: Get up to $200 back per calendar year on eligible Hilton purchases (up to $50 in statement credits per quarter)
- Rental Car Elite Status: Earn complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status upon enrollment in the Emerald Club program (conditions apply)
Hilton Surpass offers various other benefits. For example, you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees when traveling outside the US
You’ll enjoy free two-day shipping with Shop Runner, send and split bills to share with friends — like a group dinner — and secondary rental car insurance up to $50,000 for theft or damage.*
* Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Not all types of vehicles or rentals are covered and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage provided by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Related: 5 Reasons to Get the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card
Earn points with Hilton Surpass
This Hilton Surpass Card It’s a great way to earn Hilton points. You’ll earn 12 points per dollar at Hilton Hotels & Resorts — a 7.2% return on spend based on TPG’s September 2024 valuation. This is better than what you get with most of the best credit cards for hotel bookings, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
You’ll earn 6 Hilton Points per dollar spent at US restaurants (including takeout and delivery), US supermarkets and US gas stations, giving you a 3.6% return on these purchases.
Hilton Surpass US also earns 4 points per dollar on online retail purchases, which can be maximized when clicking through the shopping portal. That is a return of 2.4%
Finally, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases — a return of 1.8%.
This return on non-Hilton spending is not spectacular. But, if you’re looking to increase your Hilton Points balance, the Hilton Surpass Card also offers decent rewards on purchases outside of the Hilton Honors program.
Related: Direct Booking: How Much Value Does Hilton Status Offer?
Redeeming points with Hilton Surpass
One of my favorite options is to focus on properties that are priced relatively low but offer great value. Thanks to Hilton’s dynamic award chart, these can be hard to find, but with a little patience and effort, you can score some amazing deals.
Hilton’s Points & Money option lets you pay more cash (and less points) when making a reservation. This can be useful when you don’t have enough points for a full booking but don’t want to pay full price for a hotel room.
Finally, remember that Hilton allows you to pool your points with up to 10 other members. If you want to combine balances with a friend or family member, to keep more luxurious rewards within reach, you can.
Which cards compete with Hilton Surpass?
For those looking to earn and redeem points with Hilton, no natural competitors Hilton Surpass Card Another would be the Hilton credit card. In addition to other redemption options, it’s also worth looking into the cards you can use at Hilton.
- If you don’t want to pay the annual fee: This Hilton honors the American Express Card You also earn points that you can redeem for complimentary hotel stays with Hilton. As a card with no annual fee (see Rates and Fees), you’ll naturally earn lower rates and less benefits. With the Amex Hilton Honors Card, you’ll earn 7 points per dollar at Hilton hotels and resorts, 5 points per dollar at US restaurants (including takeout and delivery), US supermarkets and US gas stations, and 3 points per dollar on other eligible purchases. . To learn more, see our full review of the Amex Hilton Honors Card.
- If you want more benefits: The Amex Hilton Aspire Card is Hilton’s premium card, offering top-tier Diamond status as an automatic benefit. The card has an annual fee of $550. You’ll receive a free night award on each account anniversary, and you can earn two more by spending $30,000 and $60,000 on purchases with your card during the calendar year. In addition, you can receive up to $200 in statement credits in airline fees per calendar year (up to $50 per quarter), up to $400 in Hilton resort credits each calendar year (up to $200 semi-annually) and up to $100 in Hilton on-property credits. Registration is required; Conditions apply. To learn more, see our full review of the Amex Hilton Aspire Card.
- If you’re not partial to Hilton: The Amex Everyday Preferred Card earns 3 points per dollar on annual purchases up to $6,000 at US supermarkets (1 point per dollar thereafter), 2 points per dollar at US gas stations and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. You will also earn 50% points bonus every billing period if you have 30 or more transactions during that period. The Amex Everyday Preferred Card does not earn Hilton Points. Instead, it earns American Express Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to Hilton for hotel redemptions but can also be used with 20 other airline and hotel partners. To learn more, see our full review of the Amex Everyday Preferred Card.
For additional options, check out our picks for the best travel cards and the best hotel cards.
Read more: Which credit card should you use for a Hilton stay?
Information for the Amex Everyday Preferred Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The bottom line
While the Hilton Surpass doesn’t offer the same card flexibility as the Amex Everyday Preferred Card or the elite benefits of the Amex Hilton Aspire Card, the Hilton Honors program may be just what you need for your next stay. Benefits You’ll receive the benefits of Gold Elite status and $200 in statement credits (up to $50 per quarter) toward Hilton purchases per calendar year.
Apply here: Hilton honors the American Express Surpass Card
Related: World of Hyatt Cards Vs. Hilton Surpass Card
For Hilton Surpass Card rates and fees, click here.
For Hilton Amex Card rates and fees, click here.