Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card Review [2023]: Worth the $95 Annual Fee?

If you typically book stays with a property from the Hilton Portfolio, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card could be the best hotel credit card worth looking into. In this review, we'll take a look at the card's pros and cons to help you decide if it's right for you.

Robust Welcome Offer

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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Current Offer

Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

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; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 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
• $95 annual fee. Terms apply.

Drawbacks

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

Card Details

• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 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; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply

Who should get the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card ?

As a hotel-branded card, the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card is suited for avid travelers with a preference for staying at Hilton hotels or resorts. Specifically, travelers who might be new to the Hilton Honors program or haven’t reached Hilton Honors Gold status yet can receive the immediate benefit of ascending to a higher loyalty program tier by becoming a holder of this hotel card.

Card basics

Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card perks and benefits

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

• Rewards: Earn 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; and 3X points on all other eligible purchases.

• Complimentary Gold elite status: You’ll receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status through the card, which opens the door to an 80% bonus on all earned Hilton Honors base points, room upgrades when space is available, and free breakfast at all hotels. On top of that, if you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status.

• Free Night Reward: Earn a Free Night Reward after spending a minimum of $15,000 on your card within a calendar year.

• 10 Priority Pass Select visits: If you want lounge access, but you don't need it for all your trips, then this card could be a good fit for you as it's one of the credit cards that give you free Priority Pass access. As a cardholder, you'll get 10 complimentary Priority Pass Select lounge visits after enrolling your card in the Priority Pass Select program. This will get you access and potential freebies at airport lounges around the world. Enrollment is required for select benefits such as Priority Pass Select.

Drawbacks to this card

• Annual fee: This card has an annual fee of $95. For a travel card, that's not too bad, but if you're not a regular Hilton visitor, the fee may not be worth it.
• No anniversary award night: While the card can earn you a Free Night Reward if you meet the annual spending requirement, it does not offer an automatic reward on your cardholder anniversary.
• No intro APR: Since this is a travel-rewards-focused credit card, it does not offer any introductory interest rate on either balance transfers or purchases.

Earning & redeeming Hilton Honors points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look how your points can add up with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.6 cents per point, based on the typical redemption values achieved by those in the points-and-miles community. 

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,726.60

Year two earnings: $826.60

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee. For this particular card, the assumption is that the "travel" spending did not include any purchases within the Hilton portfolio. Of course, with this card you are likely to book Hilton stays. So your earnings in your first year and second year would potentially be much higher than what is projected here.

In addition to the value determined above, if you take advantage of the complimentary Priority Pass access and Gold status with the Hilton Honors loyalty program, you will get even more value out of this card.

Best ways to earn

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card gives cardholders a number of ways to earn points while traveling or through everyday spending.

If you plan on spending a lot at Hilton properties, you’ll have the greatest chance at earning points. Other earning accelerators, like the 6X points per dollar earned at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, also help you earn Hilton Honors points faster.

However, the card only earns you 3X on all other eligible purchases. If a majority of your card spending is outside of the top aforementioned earning areas, you may want to find a better card option.

Maximizing your redemptions

Although you can use points toward non-Hilton purchases, the best redemption option by far for your Hilton Honors points is hotel stays at Hilton properties. If you don’t have enough points to fully cover a free rewards stay or if you’d prefer to save your points toward a future trip, you can use Hilton Honors’ Points & Money option, which allows you to use a mix of rewards points and cash toward your booking.

The Hilton Honors program allows you to transfer your points to a friend or family member or to pool them with up to 10 other members at a time. There’s no charge to transfer or pool points. 

Like many hotel credit cards, the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card does not have the option to redeem for statement credits or cash. But you wouldn't get the best value for your rewards that way anyway.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card transfer partners

You can transfer your points to any of the many Hilton travel partners. The list of partners includes more than 30 airline, rail, and mileage rewards programs. Among these hospitality companies are Amtrak, Hawaiian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

You can also add to your Hilton Honors points with rewards from both American Express and Diners Club. For American Express cardholders in the U.S., you will receive 2,000 Hilton Honors points for every 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points that you transfer into your Hilton account.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

If you’re on the fence about whether the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is the right new card for you, you’ll find other credit card offers on the market that offer similar hotel rewards and benefits.

If you're looking to earn rewards for Hilton stays, but you don't travel as often and would prefer not to pay an annual fee, then the Hilton Honors American Express Card could be a better fit for you. This card offers points toward the same spending categories as the Hilton Surpass but at a slightly lower rate. You'll still get a healthy welcome bonus, though. Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.

If you’re not loyal to the Hilton brand, you may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card, which offers cardholders many travel perks that frequent travelers expect and enjoy. The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is quite robust, and new cardholders can earn 3 free night awards (up to a 150,000 total point value) after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening (each night valued up to 50,000 points).

Robust Welcome Offer

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

Why We Like It

Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

See how these cards compare:

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
• High rewards rates
• Complimentary Silver status
• No foreign transaction fee
• No annual fee. Terms apply.
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

• Earn 3 Free Night Awards (up to a 150,000 Total Point Value) after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening (each night valued up to 50,000 points)
• Up to up to 17X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 3X points at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year
• One free night each year at account anniversary
• No foreign transaction fee

Author Details

Jennifer Calonia Jennifer Calonia is a native Los Angeles-based writer and editor with eight years of experience in personal finance. She's passionate about helping others pay off debt, navigate family finance, and use rewards credit cards, responsibly. She's been featured on Forbes, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Credit Karma, Nerdwallet, and more. To find more information about her work, visit JenniferCalonia.com.

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