Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Reverting Its Name Back to Surpass

Just over a year after it was rebranded as part of a roll-out of changes, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card is reverting to its roots with another name change — back to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.

Don’t worry, though. It’s just the name that’s changing.

Originally introduced as the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card in February 2009, the card ran for a little over 10 years until a slew of changes rolled out for the Amex-Hilton credit card portfolio in January 2018 — adding new credit cards and updating others. Rebranded as the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card, it also picked up a handful of new, exciting benefits.

American Express announced that effective July 28, 2019, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card will once again be known as the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card.

All of the key features of the card will remain untouched, according to an American Express spokesperson, along with the $150 annual fee (terms apply).

Cardmembers will still enjoy the following features:

• Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months

• 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts

• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations

• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other eligible purchases

• A Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status. Plus, spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.

• Foreign transaction fee: None

Bottom line

Having two American Express credit cards with such close names — Ascend and Aspire — may be the driver behind this upcoming change to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, but cardmembers can rejoice knowing it’s only the name that’s getting an overhaul this time around.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$150

Rewards Rate

12X points on eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts; 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months
• 12X points at eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts
• Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
• No foreign transaction fee
• $150 annual fee. Terms apply.

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee
• No intro APR
• No free anniversary night

Card Details

• Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months
• 12X points on eligible purchases at participating Hilton hotels or resorts; 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply

Author Details

Matt Miczulski Matt Miczulski is a personal finance writer specializing in financial news, budget travel, banking, and debt. His interest in personal finance took off after eliminating $30,000 in debt in just over a year, and his goal is to help others learn how to get ahead with better money management strategies. A lover of history, Matt hopes to use his passion for storytelling to shine a new light on how people think about money. His work has also been featured on MoneyDoneRight and Recruiter.com.

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