Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Aspire Card [Detailed Comparison]

If Hilton is your hotel brand of choice, you’ll be interested in today’s card comparison. It’s well-known that a hotel-branded credit card can help you earn free hotel nights faster, make your hotel stays more comfortable, and provide valuable travel and shopping benefits.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card are fine examples of hotel-branded cards that deliver great value for the Hilton loyalist.

In today’s article, we’ll explain just how much value you can expect to receive when using these Hilton-branded cards at Hilton properties. You’ll also learn how to turn everyday spending into free hotel nights.

Here’s how the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card can elevate your Hilton experience.

Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Aspire Card: Summary

We’re going to expand on all the pertinent features and benefits of the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card shortly.

First, we’ve compiled a helpful overview of how the cards compare.

Here’s a quick view of both of our featured cards, side by side.

Feature or Benefit	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Welcome Offer	Earn 130,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months	Earn 180,000 points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.
Top Earning Categories	12x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 6x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants 4x points on U.S. online retail purchases	14x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 7x points on flights via the airline and AmexTravel.com, rental cars via select rental car agencies, and U.S. restaurant purchases
Top Redemption Options	Hilton hotel nights
Top Travel Protections and Benefits	Car rental insurance, Hilton Honors Gold status, Hilton statement credits, no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)	Hilton Honors Diamond status, up to $400 annual resort statement credits, up to $200 annual airline incidentals credit, free hotel night certificate, no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)
Top Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection, extended warranty, Amex Offers	Purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, Amex Offers
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $150 (rates and fees) No charge for authorized users (rates and fees)	Annual fee of $550 (rates and fees) No charge for authorized users (rates and fees)

The Value of a Welcome Offer

The best hotel-branded cards have welcome offers that can be earned immediately after card approval. The welcome offers on the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card allow you to earn a large number of Hilton Honors points in a short time.

These bonuses can be worth several free hotel nights!

Since offers do vary, here’s a snapshot of the latest information:

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card come with generous welcome offers that can be worth several free hotel nights. Welcome offers allow you to earn a Hilton Honors points bonus by meeting minimum spending requirements in the specified period immediately following card approval.

Earning Potential

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card have robust earning structures. You earn well at Hilton properties but also on many everyday purchases.

Earning Hilton Honors points on every purchase means rewards add up quickly and free hotel nights will be in your immediate future.

We’ll talk about redeeming points next. For now, we’ll concentrate on all the ways you can earn points when spending on each of our featured cards.

Earning Category	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Travel	12x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 3x points on all other travel purchases	14x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 7x points on flights via the airline and AmexTravel.com, rental cars via select rental car agencies
U.S. Supermarkets, U.S. Gas Stations	6x points	3x points
U.S. Restaurants	6x points	7x points
U.S. Online Retailers	4x points	3x points
All Other Purchases	3x points	3x points

Earn When You Stay at Hilton Properties

With strong base earnings at Hilton properties, using either card during your stay is your best option. In addition to card earnings, you earn bonus Hilton Honors points for the stay based on your elite status.

We’ll discuss Hilton Honors card benefits shortly, but just know that both cards include complimentary elite status and the associated bonus earnings. With these additional earnings, the total number of rewards on the Hilton Surpass card could be up to 30x points per dollar spent and up to 34x points per dollar spent with the Hilton Aspire card.

You can see how points could add up quickly when using a Hilton-branded card for your Hilton stays.

Hot Tip:

Referring family and friends to available American Express cards can help you earn more Hilton Honors points, Membership Rewards points, Hilton Honors points, or even cash-back. Learn more about how the American Express Refer a Friend program works in our article on this topic.

Earn on Everyday Spending

If you spend heavily at supermarkets, gas stations, and restaurants, you’d earn well with the Hilton Surpass card compared to the Hilton Aspire card.

If your spending is focused more on flights purchased with the airline or via AmexTravel.com, and on rental cars, you’d earn well on the Hilton Aspire card.

Beyond these bonus categories, earnings are similar.

Earnings play an important role in card selection. The actual value you receive for those points at redemption time also plays a key role. We’ll look at the value proposition next.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card have robust earning structures. Both cards earn well at Hilton properties and on dining. The Hilton Surpass card has stronger earning at supermarkets, gas stations, and online retail stores. The Hilton Aspire card earns well on flights purchased via the airlines or at AmexTravel.com.

Redemptions

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card earn Hilton Honors points that can offer incredible value when redeemed for Hilton hotel nights.

You do, however, have additional options at redemption time.

Here are the choices with either card when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Redemption Option	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Travel	Redeem points for free hotel nights, use Cash + Points, fifth-night free Transfer points to airline partners and redeem them for award flights
Additional Redemption Options	Lyft rides, select travel, shopping at select partners, experiences, gift cards

Redeem for Hotel Nights

We value Hilton Honors points at approximately 0.5 cents each. Using this guideline at redemption time can help you determine whether you’re receiving good redemption value.

For example, if a hotel room rate is $400 per night and you redeem 40,000 Hilton Honors points to secure that same night, you receive a value of 1.0 cents per point — a very good value. If you must use 90,000 points to book the room, you’d be using approximately $450 worth of points (90,000 x 0.5 cents) for a $400 hotel room. You may still want to redeem points instead of paying cash, but the 0.5 cents-per-point guideline can help you make that decision.

If you don’t have enough points for a specific redemption, you can also use a combination of points and cash to book hotel nights with Hilton.

Fifth-Night Free and How It Works

One of the best ways to redeem Hilton Honors points is by utilizing the fifth-night free benefit. All Hilton Honors elite members have access to the benefit. Since the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card offer complimentary elite status (we’ll expand on that shortly), cardholders qualify for the fifth-night free.

If you book 5 consecutive standard room nights using Hilton Honors points, you receive 1 of those nights for free.

For example, we looked at one of the most popular Hilton resort property redemptions, the Hilton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Standard room nights can be booked for 60,000 Hilton Honors points per night. If you booked 5 consecutive nights, you would need to redeem just 240,000 points using the fifth-night free benefit versus the 300,000 points it would normally cost for a 5-night stay (5 x 60,000 points).

Transfer to Airline Partners

While transferring Hilton Honors points to airline partners is possible, it is not the best value for your points.

For example, by transferring 100,000 Hilton Honors points to Delta Air Lines, you receive just 10,000 Delta SkyMiles. Because we value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents each, that’s only $120 worth of miles. That same 100,000 Hilton Honors points could score you a 5-night getaway at a mid-tier Hilton property instead.

Additional Redemption Options

While you can redeem your Hilton Honors points for Lyft rides, shopping with online retailers, experiences, or gift cards, you may not receive good value for your rewards points. It’s helpful to keep the 0.5 cents-per-point value in mind and always try to meet or exceed that value when making a redemption.

Bottom Line:

The best potential redemption value for points earned on the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card may be realized by booking reward hotel nights and utilizing the fifth-night free redemption. You can also transfer Hilton Honors points to airline partners, purchase gift cards, redeem for experiences, and more, but you may receive far less value.

Travel Protections and Benefits

The travel protections found on the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card can help reimburse you should your trip be disrupted for a covered reason.

Travel benefits can save you money on travel-related purchases or add more comfort to your journey.

Here are the top travel protections and benefits included with both of our featured cards, plus those that are unique to each card.

• Car Rental Insurance — Reserve and pay for your car rental with your card and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage to receive damage and theft protection. Coverage is secondary to any other insurance that applies. Access to Premium Protection, for a single low price that covers the entire rental period, is available to cardholders.
• Baggage Insurance Plan — Pay for your common carrier fare with your card and receive coverage if your baggage is damaged, stolen, or lost. You could receive up to $1,250 per covered person with the Hilton Surpass card and up to $3,000 with the Hilton Aspire card. Coverage limits may differ for New York state cardmembers.
• Car Rental Program Benefits — Enroll in National Car Rental’s Emerald Club via your online card account and receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive status.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Common foreign transaction fees can be 3% of the transaction. Travel with either of our featured cards with no worries about these extra fees.

Hilton Surpass Card

• Hilton Honors Status — Receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status as long as you hold your card. Spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year and receive top Hilton Honors Diamond status.
• Earn a Free Hotel Night Certificate — Spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year and receive a certificate good for a free standard hotel night.
• Hilton Hotel Credits — Receive up to $200 annually, up to $50 per quarter, for charges made directly at Hilton properties.

Hilton Aspire Card

• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption — If your trip needs to be canceled, or is disrupted, for a covered reason, you could receive up to $10,000 per trip, up to $20,000 per account each 12 months.
• Free Hotel Night Certificates — Each year at card renewal, you receive a free night certificate good for a standard room redemption at Hilton properties. Spend $30,000 on your card in a calendar year and receive an additional free night certificate. Spend a total of $60,000 and receive an additional free night certificate.
• Top Hilton Honors Status — Enjoy complimentary top-level Hilton Honors Diamond status just for having the card.
• Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Stay Credits — Receive $100 property credit when you book a 2-night stay or greater via HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com or call Hilton Reservations.
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit — Receive up to $400 in statement credits each year for purchases at Hilton resort properties. You receive up to $200 for each period, January through June and July through December.
• $200 Airline Credit — Each quarter you could receive up to $50 in statement credits for eligible flight purchases, up to $200 each year.
• CLEAR Plus Credit — Use your card to pay for your CLEAR Plus membership and receive a statement credit for up to $189 each calendar year.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card are loaded with travel protections and benefits, including car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees. The Hilton Aspire card comes with the highest level of Hilton-specific benefits, including top Diamond status, and hundreds of dollars in statement credits.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide extra peace of mind when you purchase an eligible item with your card. If you should experience a covered loss, you could be reimbursed, receive a replacement, or have the item repaired.

The shopping benefits included on the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card could save you money. You could also earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits on both cards and those that come with each card individually.

• Purchase Protection — Pay for a qualifying item with your card and receive coverage for accidental damage, theft, or loss, up to 120 days (90 days in New York) from the date of purchase. Coverage limits are $1,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per account per year on the Hilton Surpass card. Meanwhile, coverage limits are $10,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per account per year on the Hilton Aspire card.
• Extended Warranty — For eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, 1 additional year of coverage is provided.
• Amex Offers — You can choose from up to 100 offers from select retailers and service providers. Add the offer to your card, make the required purchase, and receive a statement credit or earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Hilton Aspire Card

• Return Protection — If an eligible item, purchased with your card, is not accepted for return by the merchant within 90 days from the purchase date, you could receive reimbursement.
• Cell Phone Protection — Pay for your monthly bill with your card and receive up to $800, replacement, or repair, if your cell phone is damaged or stolen. There is a $50 deductible per claim and a limit of 2 claims per year. Terms apply.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Considering the cost of holding a particular card can be important to determine the bottom-line value you’d receive. These costs could include annual fees and adding authorized users to your card.

The Hilton Surpass card has an annual fee of $150. The Hilton Aspire card has an annual fee of $550.

There is no additional fee to add an authorized user to either of our featured cards.

Final Thoughts

Deciding between the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card is like trying to decide between a great burger and a steak. Either choice has the potential to result in a good meal (apologies to vegetarians for the analogy). Both cards have the potential to add significant value to those who stay at Hilton brands.

The better card for you will depend on your tolerance for paying an annual and whether you’ll derive enough benefit from paying that fee.

If you stay frequently at Hilton, you’re likely to receive enough benefits from the Hilton Aspire card to make economic sense. Top Hilton Honors Diamond status, the free hotel night certificate, resort statement credits, and airline credits, can deliver enough value to offset the annual fee.

A quick calculation of which benefits you’ll use and the estimated value of those benefits can help you decide which card would be the better fit.

Since it can also be possible to change from one of these cards to the other after a year, there’s little risk in choosing either card.

If you’d prefer a Hilton-branded card with $0 annual fee, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card (rates & fees). For business owners who frequent Hilton properties, check out The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase with their eligible card, purchase protection can help protect their covered purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, the maximum benefit amount for trip cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the return protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, with return protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express^® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

For the cell phone protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.