7 Valuable Benefits of the Amex Hilton Honors Surpass Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card might be the best card for earning Hilton Honors points currently on the market. For Hilton fans, this is the hotel credit card for you.

Not only can it help you earn Hilton points, but it comes with a number of fun perks that will make your Hilton stays even better and some benefits that will bring you peace of mind.

Let’s take a look at what the Hilton Surpass Card can do for you.

Card Snapshot

Here’s a quick snapshot of the Hilton Surpass Card:

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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.

Welcome Offer

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

165,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$825

Annual Fee

$150

APR

19.99%-28.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

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 cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

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

• Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• 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 Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club^® program is required. 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: 19.99%-28.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors

The Hilton Surpass Card is one of 2 co-branded Hilton Honors credit cards. It is the premium version and comes with a number of perks that make it a great card if you plan to stay at any of the Hilton brands or redeem Hilton Honors points for award stays.

Like many Amex credit cards, the Hilton Surpass Card also comes with a number of protections for your purchases, and even for your car rentals (if necessary).

Earn Lots of Hilton Honors Points

Right off the bat, this card is the best way to earn Hilton Honors points quickly. Every time you stay at a Hilton property and pay with this card, you will earn 12X points per dollar spent. This is on top of the points you earn for staying with Hilton.

You can also earn 6X points per dollar spent on purchases at U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. supermarkets. For many, these bonus categories will be a huge boost, since they’re some of the most common places you’ll likely spend. Not to mention that the card also earns 4X on U.S. online retail purchases.

Now, if you need to make purchases that don’t fall under one of these bonus categories, you will still earn 3X points per dollar spent. So, in a sense, all of your purchases become bonus category purchases.

If that’s not enough, the Hilton Surpass Card often comes with a hefty introductory bonus that can give your Hilton Honors account a huge boost. To earn the bonus, you will need to meet a minimum spending requirement within a stated period of time.

Hot Tip: Looking for some inspiration for your next Hilton award booking? Check out some of the best ways to redeem Hilton Honors points.

Earn Bonus Points on Hilton Stays

As we mentioned above, just staying at Hilton properties will earn you Hilton Honors points, even if you don’t have the Hilton Surpass Card. However, you will receive an automatic bonus of 500 Hilton Honors points when you book a stay online and pay with this card.

Hot Tip: If you book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz, you will not earn Hilton Honors points on the booking, nor will you earn 12X points per dollar with this card.

For those who find themselves on the road regularly, this is an easy way to earn even more Hilton points for award stays. In this scenario, you’ll earn 12X points per dollar from the card, a 500-point bonus, and whatever points you earn automatically for your stay. That’s a ton of Hilton points!

Complimentary Gold Elite Status

If you were to earn Gold elite status with the Hilton Honors program by staying at Hilton properties, you would have to stay 20 nights or earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Base Points (these are not the same as redeemable points).

However, with the Hilton Surpass Card, you will receive Gold elite status just for having the card. This is definitely one of the best benefits the card has to offer.

With Gold status, you will receive complimentary breakfast at several of Hilton brands such as Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Curio – A Collection by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry by Hilton, and Hilton Garden Inn. Not having to think about what you will do for at least 1 meal while on the road makes the whole experience a little bit easier.

Another great perk of having Gold status is that you are eligible to receive your fifth night free on award bookings. This means you only need enough points to book 4 nights, and you’ll get the fifth night for no extra points.

One important thing to remember is that the benefits extended to Gold members are not consistent across Hilton brands…so you’ll want to check the Hilton Gold elite status benefits page before your stays.

Fast Track To Diamond Elite Status

If you want to take your status to Hilton’s top level (Diamond), the Hilton Surpass Card can help you get there too. Rather than staying 60 nights or earning 120,000 Hilton Honors Base Points, you can spend $40,000 on the card within a calendar year.

With Diamond elite status, you’ll receive all the benefits that a Gold member gets, plus a few more. Perhaps the best benefit of Diamond status is that you will receive access to the Executive Lounge (not all hotels have one), and you don’t have to stay in an upgraded Executive Room.

Additionally, you also have a 48-hour room guarantee. So, if you’re booking at least 48 hours prior to your stay, Hilton will guarantee you that a room will be available.

Purchase Protection

If you make a purchase and it is stolen or damaged (accidentally) within 90 days, you could be eligible for coverage. When you pay with this card, you will be covered up to $1,000 per incident. Hopefully, you won’t need to take advantage of this very often (if at all), but you have $50,000 in coverage available per calendar year.

Extended Warranty

American Express’ extended warranty benefit is a great addition to the warranty provided by a manufacturer. If the manufacturer’s warranty is no more than 5 years and you purchase the item with your Hilton Surpass Card, you could be eligible for an additional year of coverage.

Each item that meets the requirements is covered up to $10,000, while the maximum cumulative coverage per year is $50,000.

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

Unlike the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, the rental car insurance that comes with this card provides secondary coverage. This means that your insurance plan will take the role of primary coverage; if your rental car is damaged, then you will be responsible if you don’t accept the insurance from the rental company.

If you pay for a rental car with this card and choose to decline the rental company’s insurance, your personal insurance will kick in first and then will be followed by insurance provided by your Hilton Surpass Card. This additional insurance covers up to $50,000 from damage and theft.

Final Thoughts

Hilton has some amazing hotel properties, and the best way to book stays is of course with points. With the Hilton Surpass Card, you’ll be set to earn tons of Hilton points to book these stays.

Your complimentary Gold elite status that provides free breakfast at many Hilton brands will make these award stays even more fun. So, when you’re searching for your next hotel credit card, give this one a look and see what it can do for you.

If you’d like some additional options, check out our guide to the best credit cards for Hilton loyalists.

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 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.