Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we may receive financial compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

How to Find the 150k Welcome Offer for the Hilton Surpass Card [Current Public Offer Is 130k]

Stephen Au's image
Stephen Au
Edited by: Kellie Jez
Jump to Section

We may be compensated when you click on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Click for Card Offers (Up to 300k!)

Top Partner Offers

BEST OFFERPlatinum Card® from American Express

Platinum Card® from American Express

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)
As High As 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.
NEW CHATGPT BENEFITThe Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)
Your Offer Could Be As High As 300,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.
NEW CHATGPT BENEFITAmerican Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)
Your Offer Could Be As High As 200,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.
TOP PICKAmerican Express® Gold Card

American Express® Gold Card

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)
As High As 100,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is one of the best hotel credit cards you can get for mid-tier elite status in the world. Whether you pledge loyalty to Hilton or just want the best perks for the lowest cost regardless of brand name, this card offers you perks that you cannot sleep on.

As always, you’ll want to be as strategic as possible when applying for cards. One of the biggest considerations that you’ll want to take into account when applying for a certain card is its welcome offer.

Contrary to popular belief, a welcome offers fluctuates extremely often. It even fluctuates as a function of the avenue through which you apply. It’s just like buying your favorite electronics — you’ll probably get a different price at Best Buy, depending on when you shop. You might also get a different price for the same product when shopping on Amazon, for example.

The most basic tenet is that you want to get the biggest bonus you can, so let’s dive into how you can find better offers on the Hilton Surpass card.

Targeted offers are discussed in the article below. Please note that these offers are not available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Advertisement

Benefits of the Amex Hilton Surpass Card

As we mentioned above, the benefits of the Hilton Surpass are some of the most underrated of all the hotel cards. The Hilton Surpass card offers the best mid-tier hotel status for the lowest price, which is one reason it’s one of the best choices for Hilton loyalists. Also, the Hilton Surpass card rewards you heavily for larger spending, which we’ll get into later.

LIMITED TIME OFFER
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® CardTerms Apply / Rates & Fees

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.
Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 01/13/2027.
130,000 points + Free Night Reward
Up to $650
$150
19.74%-28.74% Variable
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Good to Excellent
Why We Like This Card

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
  • 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
  • 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases
Cons
Card Highlights
  • Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 01/13/2027.
  • Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status with benefits like an 80% Points earning Bonus on Stays, daily food & beverage credit or continental breakfast (varies by brand & region), space-available room upgrades at select properties, and more.
  • Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That’s up to $200 in statement credits annually.
  • Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
  • Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
  • Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
  • Earn 4X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of U.S. Online Retail purchases.
  • Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
  • Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. With Hilton Honors Diamond status, enjoy benefits like: A 100% Bonus on all Base Points you earn on every stay, Premium Wi-Fi at select properties, Daily food & beverage credit at select brands in the U.S. and complimentary continental breakfast at select brands outside of the U.S., Space-available room upgrades at select properties, and Executive lounge access at select properties.
  • Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
  • $150 annual fee.
  • Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
  • Terms Apply.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 19.74%-28.74% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Rewards Center

Hilton Honors

Other Key Benefits

  • Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, which gets you free breakfast for up to 2 guests per room — plus, you’ll get your fifth night free for award bookings and access to preferred room upgrades (suites excluded)
  • No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)
  • Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance, which provides secondary coverage
  • Global Assist Hotline
  • Fraud protection, so you’re not held responsible for fraudulent charges made on your card

How To Find the 150,000 (Or 130,000) Welcome Offer

The average public welcome offer hovers around 125,000 Hilton Honors points. While this is worth around $500 at 0.4 cents per point, according to our travel points and miles valuations, you can do a bit better if you apply at the right time.

Generally, there are 2 types of enhanced welcome offers you’ll find:

  • 150,000 Hilton Honors points
  • 130,000 Hilton Honors points

Increased Public Welcome Offer

The easiest way to get access to these higher offers is to apply when American Express increases the welcome offer on this card. These offers last for a short period before reverting to the “normal” offer.

American Express chooses when to provide and rescind these increases. Here’s the current welcome offer:

  • Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of card membership. Offer ends 01/13/2027.

Now, if the pubic offer is elevated, you’re in luck – you can stop there. But if the above offer isn’t, let’s take a look at some of the more nuanced ways to apply for a better welcome offers.

Utilizing CardMatch (Fastest Method)

CardMatch partners with various banks to distribute these enhanced offers. Usually, larger banks, such as American Express, Chase, and Capital One, publish offers to a smaller, more limited group of people.

The easiest way to find out if you’re within this exclusive group of people with access to better welcome offers is to check for pre-qualified offers.

Because these banks are more selective with who they “target,” you’re more likely to be approved if you find yourself targeted.

When you check for pre-qualified offers through CardMatch, you won’t receive a hard inquiry on your credit report. You’ll simply get a soft inquiry, which uses your personal information to match your identity to any offers meant for you.

To see if you’re targeted, you’ll need to submit information including:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Last 4 digits of your Social Security number

Targeted Mailings From American Express

One of the most traditional ways to get increased welcome offers is to receive a good, old-fashioned letter in the mail. To get targeted, you need to opt-in and enable mail correspondence.

This method only works if you’re an existing American Express cardholder. To get started, visit the Communication and Privacy Preferences section in the Account Services section of your Amex online account.

From there, you can choose your preferences. To maximize your chances of getting targeted through this method, you can even opt-in for email marketing in addition to postal mail.

Check for Pre-Qualified Offers With American Express

Lastly, you can fill in an online form directly with Amex and instantly see what your pre-qualified credit card offers are.

Simply follow these steps, and you’ll be ready to pull up any targeted card offers directly from Amex:

  1. Visit American Express’ homepage.
  2. Hover over the button that says Cards on the top ribbon of the page, and click Check for Pre-qualified Credit Card Offers under the Personal Cards section.
  3. You may be asked to enter your personal information or log into your Amex account if you’re an existing customer.
  4. Then, you’ll see the pre-qualified credit card offers that you can immediately access.
Amex Banner
You can easily check for pre-qualified offers directly on Amex’s website. Image Credit: American Express

Advertisement

Reasons You May Not Access a Higher Welcome Offer

1. The Current Public Offer Is Not an Increased Offer

If all of the methods don’t yield any positive results with better offers, there could be one simple explanation: Amex isn’t running any offers for that particular card publicly.

To try to get around this, you can use CardMatch, which can show highly targeted offers. If nothing helps, then the best thing to do would be to wait for the higher offer to return in the future.

2. Amex’s Credit Card Maximum Rule

American Express limits the maximum credit cards you can hold at any particular time. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but most report that you can only hold a maximum of 5 or 6 Amex credit cards at any given time.

3. Low Credit

If your credit score is not sufficiently high, it’s unlikely that card issuers like American Express will target you as an ideal customer. In this case, the best move is probably to improve your credit score.

4. You’ve Opted out of Marketing Offers

Sometimes you’ve unintentionally opted out of marketing offers, and many times these decisions were made many years ago. However, this is one of the easiest things to fix.

Make sure to follow the instructions above to opt into both postal and email communications to maximize your odds of getting targeted.

Final Thoughts

The Hilton Surpass card is an absolute keeper for those looking for lots of hotel perks and a small price tag. The benefits are plentiful, and you’ll get even more value if you stay with Hilton.

As always, you want to apply when you have the best welcome offer available. The techniques mentioned above will give you the best shot at getting a hefty offer.

Of course, earning Hilton Honors points is just one part of the equation. Start dreaming about all the amazing ways you can redeem Hilton Honors points!


Frequently Asked Questions

How much are Hilton Honors points worth?

Hilton Honors points are worth 0.4 cents per point, according to our travel points and miles valuations. This is simply an approximate value. It is possible to get upwards of 1-2 cents per point in value if you stay at aspirational hotels such as the Conrad Maldives, Waldorf Astoria Maldives, and more.

How many Hilton Honors points are needed for a free night?

Hilton categorizes its properties, and the lowest category only requires 5,000 points per night. If you also throw in a free fifth award night, you’ll reduce your minimum points cost to 4,000 points per night for a 5-night stay in a Category 1 Hilton hotel.

Rooms can get as pricey as 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

Do Hilton Honors points expire?

Hilton Honors points expire after 24 months of inactivity. You can extend with qualifying activity, such as earning points through hotel stays or credit card spending.

How can I create a Hilton Honors account?

You can create a Hilton Honors account by filling out a registration form on Hilton’s website.

Stephen Au's image

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE™

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

We Recommend

Platinum Card® from American Express

  • You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
Show more
  • $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. Effective January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings will require a minimum two-night stay to be eligible for the $600 Hotel Credit.
  • With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. *As of 08/2026.
  • $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
  • $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
  • $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights™ by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. As a Platinum Card® Member you have special access to reservations on select nights at participating sought after Resy restaurants through Platinum Nights™ by Resy. Simply add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to book your reservation.
  • $219 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 60+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to The Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
  • Whatever the occasion, choose from our two signature collections of premium hotels, curated to inspire and excite you when you book through Amex Travel™: Fine Hotels + Resorts® is a collection of over 1,900 luxury hotels that are destinations unto themselves and the Hotel Collection includes over 1,400 upscale hotels in desirable destinations.
  • $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
  • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Get up to a $12.95* statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
  • Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
  • $895 annual fee.
  • Terms Apply.
DMCA.com Protection Status