2021 Review: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card – Should you pay $95 for it?

Our Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

We gave the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card card 5 out of 5 Stars because it’s pretty easy to offset the annual fee, and you’ll earn points in a variety of bonus reward categories. But this card is only good for people interested in staying at Hilton properties.

The Surpass is designed for people who travel at least several times per year, and love to stay in Hilton hotels and resorts.

It provides 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar, and you’ll also get an additional 18X Base Points for being a Hilton Honors Gold member, for a total of 30X points per dollar.

That’s a whole lot, and it can provide a cash back equivalent of about 12%–30%, assuming you get from 0.4–1 cent per point when redeeming.

With enough spending you’ll be able to earn enough points to offset the annual fee, and you’ll benefit from the many perks that come with this card. Frequent Hilton customers have no reason not to consider adding this card to their routines.

There are two other personal Hilton credit cards from Amex, with different annual fees and reward programs. The Surpass card is the mid-range option. The right card for you will depend on how much you typically spend with Hilton per year. If you only spend a bit each year, and may not even travel, a no-annual-fee card would make more sense. But if you’re going to spend quite a lot, a card with a higher annual fee could be worthwhile.

Here are the four Hilton cards, with annual fees and key benefits.

Insider Advice: Getting the Most Out of Your Card

• Reap the rewards: Use this card to earn a lot of points at Hilton hotels and resorts. It’s also good for spending at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations.
• Redeem for award nights: It will probably be easiest to get a good value for your points if you redeem them for free night stays. But you’ll get an even better value if you can redeem them for your 5th night free, on stays of five nights or more.
• Make sure your lifestyle supports the card: Be sure to use this card enough each year to offset the annual fee. We’ve found deals that could provide about $95 in value by spending just $324, but this assumes you get a very good value for your points, so your mileage may vary.
• Flaunt your status: Don’t forget about using the benefits you’ll get with this card, especially the Hilton Honors Gold status.
• Reach the free night: Spend $15,000 in a given year to earn a free weekend night reward stay.
• Shine bright like a diamond: Spend $40,000 in a given year to gain Hilton Honors Diamond status, which comes with some better benefits.
• Lounge in style: Enjoy 10 free passes to Priority Pass airport lounges ($32 admission fee after that).
• Pool your points: Share points with your friends and family to pay for expensive trips and vacations.

The Rewards

The value of your Hilton points will depend on how you redeem them, such as the particular hotel and dates you book. We’ve found that you can get the equivalent of at about 12%–30% cash back when redeeming at a rate of 0.4–1 cents per point, which is around the average range you’ll find.

Earning

If it seems like you’ll end up earning a ton of Hilton Honors points with this card, that’s true. However, you’ll find that each point isn’t worth quite as much as the points you can get in other programs, so it pretty much evens out.

Here, we must explain the difference between Bonus Points and Base Points. Bonus Points are what you’ll earn from this credit card, at the rates given above. Base Points are separately awarded to any Hilton Honors member who makes purchases through Hilton, with a normal rate of 10X per dollar spent. Bonus Points and Base Points are counted the same by Hilton when you redeem them.

Cardholders of the Surpass will get automatic Hilton Honors Gold status, which comes with an 80% bonus for all Base Points earned at eligible properties. That comes out to 18X Base Points per dollar spent with Hilton.

This means that cardholders will get 30X points per dollar in total when spending at eligible Hilton properties, and that’s quite the offer (12X points from the card and 18X points from Hilton Honors Gold status).

An even higher status level, Diamond, can be reached by spending $40,000 in a given year. That comes with a 100% point bonus instead. So 20X Base Points will be earned per dollar spent at Hilton, for a total of 32X points per dollar spent at Hilton.

Redeeming

You’ll have quite a few options for redeeming your Hilton Honors points. The value you get for your points will vary depending on how, when, and where you redeem them.

The redemption options are:

• Free hotel stays and 5^th night free at hotels and resorts
• On-property purchases, like vacation packages, spa treatments, golf lessons, and more
• Redemption Experiences like concerts, travel excursions, and others
• Online shopping and dining experiences
• Point transfers to airline/rail miles and credit card programs
• Pooling and transferring points with family and friends

The best methods involve using them for stays at Hilton properties, because you’ll get the highest value per point.

Generally, you’ll get a better value for your points when you redeem them at less expensive properties. But this isn’t always the case, because the value of your points will vary based on when and where you book your stay, along with other factors like current events.

The other redemption options will usually provide a lesser value, and they will vary quite a bit depending on the particular deal. We recommend avoiding them because you can get a better deal with free night stays, or by getting your 5^th night free.

You can also share points with friends and family. This could let you gather a ton of points to use for a special trip or vacation.

Another option is point transfers to a partner travel program. The transfer rate (one point for one mile, one point for two miles, etc.) will vary depending on the particular deal, time of year, and other factors.

There are four travel loyalty program you can transfer to, one rail service and three airline services:

We don’t recommend using this method unless you happen to get a great transfer deal. But there’s no guarantee that you will, and in most cases you’ll be better off with one of the following redemption methods.

Free Night Stay Point Redemption Example

Using your points to book stays directly is one of the best ways to redeem them. Stays begin at 5,000 points at the lowest-level properties.

Let’s go over an example redemption to see how much your points would be worth. Say you want to spend a night at the Hilton Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois. You’ll get a standard room on the night of October 20^th, a Saturday.

This room would typically cost $587 for a night’s stay, after taxes. Or, you could get that room for 60,000 Hilton Honors points.

That would mean your points are worth about 0.98 cents each for this particular deal.

How much would you need to spend with your Surpass card to get this room? That will depend on the rate at which you earn your points. The higher the rate, the less you’ll need to spend.

If you spend at the rate of 30X points per dollar, for example, you’d need to spend $2,000 to earn 60,000 points. If you only earn at a lesser rate, like 6X points, you’d need to spend $10,000.

When earning at the 30X rate, you’d spend $2,000 to get a room valued at $587 (12X points from the card and 18X points from Hilton Honors Gold status). That means you’d get a cash back equivalent of about 29.35%, which is quite good. If you earn any of those points at a lesser rate you’d get a smaller cash back equivalent.

The Benefits

You’ll probably get the most out of the annual weekend night reward and your Hilton Honors Gold status, which provides a myriad of useful perks. But that’s not where the value ends; you’ll also gain a handful of shopping and travel protections that could end up saving you some money in a pinch.

• Annual weekend night reward: You’ll get a free weekend night after spending $15,000 on purchases in any calendar year. A redeemable code will be emailed to you after meeting the threshold. The code is redeemable for one weekend standard accommodation, double occupancy. Weekend nights refer to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. It can be combined with other offers, or added to existing stays. Certain properties are excluded.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status: Cardholders get Hilton Honors Gold status, which is two tiers above the basic Member status. It comes with some nice benefits, like an 80% bonus on all Base Points earned, your 5th night free when booking reward stays, your 2nd guest stays free, a discounted rate on rooms, and more amenities.
• Fast track to Hilton Honors Diamond status: Cardholders will be awarded with Hilton Honors Diamond status if purchases for a given year reach $40,000. Diamond status comes with better benefits than Gold, including a 100% bonus on Base Points and a 48-hour room guarantee.
• Priority Pass Select access: Cardholders get access to over 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges around the world. This does not grant access to non-lounge Priority Pass experiences. 10 free lounge visits are provided per year. After that, the entry fee will be $32 per person. Authorized users, which are free to add, can take advantage of the free visits, but they don’t get a membership. You’ll need to manually enroll in this benefit, and you’ll receive your Priority Pass Select card within 10–14 business days.
• Amex Offers: You’ll have special earning opportunities at a selection of merchants that changes from time to time.
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership: Free membership with ShopRunner, which provides free two-day shipping and returns from some online retailers.
• Entertainment Access: This benefit, also called Membership Experiences, provides pre-sale tickets to a variety of sports, music, and cultural events, as well as access to certain exclusive experiences. You’ll be able to search by interest, artist, event, or venue.
• Global Assist Hotline: Provides help when traveling 100 miles or more from home; cardholders must pay for all third-party costs
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Waiver: Decline the rental company’s offer and charge the full amount to your card and your rental will be covered against damage and theft.
• Baggage Insurance Plan: When traveling by common carrier, provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen bags; up to $1,250 for carry-on bags, and up to $500 for checked bags
• Purchase Protection: Eligible purchases are covered for accidental damage and theft for 90 days.
• Extended Warranty: Manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less can be extended for up to one extra year.

Enrollment required for select benefits; terms and limitations apply.

The Terms & Fees

The costs and fees of this card are pretty straightforward. You’ll have an annual fee to pay, and if you revolve a balance from month to month you’ll accrue interest at your given APR. But we recommend paying your balance in full to avoid interest and help your credit.

There’s no foreign transaction fee, which is something we like to see on travel cards. It doesn’t make sense to have a travel card that will charge you extra for spending outside the country. American Express doesn’t have very wide acceptance outside the U.S., but presumably any Hilton property you stay in will take Amex.

See our alternative picks below for some other options without foreign transaction fees and with wider acceptance around the world.

The Bottom Line

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is a good card option for anyone who spends at least $1,000 or so at Hilton properties every year. If you find yourself in their hotels more often than not, a card like this could probably go a long way for you.

But the threshold for the free weekend night is $15,000 per year, so if you won’t spend that much you may want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card (Review).

The extra benefits are pretty good for a card at this fee level. The most important for travelers will probably be the Hilton Honors Gold status and all the perks that come with it. But don’t forget to use your 10 free visits to Priority Pass Select airport lounges, too.

If you tend to stay with Hilton but you don’t quite like this card, there are some others that might suit you better. There are also cards designed for other hotel brands, and cards that are good for travel in general. Take a look at some of those options below to see if one might be a better fit.

How Do I Apply for the Hilton Honors Surpass Card?

You can apply now for this card securely on the American Express website by following the link below. They will check your credit reports with the three major credit bureaus when you apply.

Many applicants will get an instant decision in just a few seconds. But in some cases it may take longer. You can check the status of your application any time after you apply.

What Credit Scores Do I Need to Qualify for the Surpass Card?

It’s recommended that you have good credit before applying for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card.

That would mean your credit scores fall within the ranges of 670–739 for FICO and 700–749 for VantageScore.

However, keep in mind credit card companies will look at more than just your credit scores when determining your creditworthiness. Credit card issuers will take other factors into account, like income and source of income when mulling over if you should be approved or not.

So if your credit scores are lower than those ranges, you could still have a shot. But that also means even if you have higher credit scores, there’s a chance you won’t be approved.

Qualifications and Requirements

• You must be 18 to apply
• Personal identifying information: Name, date of birth, SSN, home address, email address, phone number
• Financial information: Total annual income, source of income
• Hilton Honors membership number, if applicable

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass?

The most valuable benefits are the annual weekend award night after you spend $15,000 in a calendar year, and your automatic Hilton Honors Gold status.

From your Gold status you’ll get some nice perks like an 80% bonus to Base points, your fifth night free when redeeming for five nights or more, a discounted rate on rooms, and more.

Take a look at the full list of benefits that’ll come with your card.

What are Hilton Honors points worth?

On average we found your points will be worth 0.4–1 cent. That means you’ll be able to get a cash back equivalent of 12%–30% when redeeming for award nights, assuming you’re earning 30X points at Hilton properties.

Interested in all the redemption options you’ll have?

How do I link my Amex account and Hilton Honors account?

If you don’t have your Hilton Honors membership number when you first fill out your application, you can call Amex customer support at 1-800-528-4800 to link your accounts. Or, you can do so online from your American Express account.

Check out some tips on how to get the most out of your Hilton Honors Amex Surpass card.