Why I Make Sure To Spend $15K on My Hilton Honors Surpass Card Every Year

When I first got my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, I used it as a daily rewards driver. Earning 6 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations made this card quite lucrative for some of my most frequent expenses.

Since I opened the card, I’ve largely shifted my spending to other cards that earn more flexible travel rewards. However, I still aim to spend at least $15,000 on my Hilton Surpass card every year to earn a valuable benefit: the Hilton Free Night Reward. 

Let’s explore why this certificate is valuable and how I’ve used it for free nights at Hilton hotels and resorts.

How I Earn Hilton Free Night Rewards

The Hilton Surpass card is one of many Hilton Amex credit cards that offer Free Night Rewards. When spending $15,000 in a calendar year, Hilton issues a free night certificate that’s good for a year from the date of issuance.

When I first used my Hilton Surpass card, I didn’t have a strategy for reaching $15,000 in annual spending. I used it as my everyday spending card and also booked Hilton hotels with it, effortlessly reaching the spending threshold.

Now that I’ve shifted most of my spending to other cards, I start the year only using my Hilton Surpass card to pay for Hilton purchases, which earn 12 points per $1. I don’t spend anywhere close to $15,000 on Hilton purchases each year, but it’s a good place to get started.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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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 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward 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 4/29/2025.

130,000 points + a Free Night Award

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $650

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

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 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward 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 4/29/2025.
• 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 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.
• As a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. 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

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Hilton Honors

Once it gets close to the end of the year, around September or October, I assess my progress toward a free night certificate and direct spending to it to reach the $15,000 goal. I usually prioritize spending at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, to earn 6 points per $1. 

In 2024, I even used my Hilton Surpass card to put a $5,000 down payment on a vehicle, knowing I would reach my $15,000 spending threshold with that purchase. The 15,000 points, worth $75 in points value according to Upgraded Points’ latest valuations, were just icing on the cake compared to the value of the Free Night Reward I clinched with that transaction.

What Are Hilton Free Night Rewards Worth?

Hilton free night certificates can be redeemed for standard room rewards at any Hilton hotel or resort worldwide.

The value of a Free Night Reward depends on where and when you redeem it. It’s possible to redeem a Free Night Reward for rooms that cost $2,000 or more per night — an amazing return on spending. 

For example, Upgraded Points’ Senior Content Contributor Carissa Rawson has redeemed her free night certificates to visit the Maldives, Bora Bora, and Edinburgh, getting more than $2,000 in value every single use.

How I Used My Hilton Free Night Reward Redemptions

I haven’t used my Hilton free night certificates for $2,000-per-night hotel rooms yet, but my redemption value has still gotten me at least 2% back on spending each time, which is a good baseline. Ultimately, my free night certificates have helped me stretch my points, extending vacation time without added costs and making luxury properties more accessible.

I first used a free night certificate to add a night to my 3-night Casa Marina Key West stay. I combined the stay with points, and the certificate alone saved me 90,000 points on the night it applied. The room I got had a cash rate of $694. If you’re doing the math, I got a return of 4.63% by spending $15,000 to get $694 back in value. 

My next redemption was at Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City on a family trip to Universal Studios Hollywood. That redemption was worth 80,000 points. It saved me about $466, and I got a redemption rate of about 3.11% on my $15,000 in spending.

My most recent free night certificate redemption was at Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, one of my favorite Disney Springs resorts. The standard room rate was 60,000, and the room we stayed in cost about $300 per night. That worked out to a 2% return on $15,000 in spending.

Whether you’re booking with free night certificates or Hilton points, taxes and fees are waived on these stays, adding even more value to these awards. Not only that, but I also got a $30-per-night food-and-beverage credit with my Hilton Honors Diamond status.

Earning Points With Hilton Surpass Card

While the free night certificate is my main motivation for spending $15,000 on my Hilton Surpass card each year, I can’t overlook the points I earn along the way.

At a minimum, the Hilton Surpass card earns 3 points per $1. When I spend $15,000 annually, that’s at least 45,000 points. Since we value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, which translates to a value of $225 for 45,000 points.

But realistically, I rarely earn just 3 points per $1 because most of my spending on my Hilton Surpass card is with Hilton, which earns 12 points per $1, or at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants, which earn 6 points per $1. Realistically, my average is closer to 8 points per $1, which is 120,000 points annually or $600 in value.

Between the free night certificate and points value, I get about $900 to $1,300 in value from spending $15,000 on my Hilton Surpass card each year. That’s almost as much as I could earn from some of the best welcome bonus offers on a new card.

Limitations With Hilton’s Free Night Rewards

Although I’ve found great value in earning free night certificates and stacking points, Free Night Rewards can have their limitations. The certificates expire a year from the date issued, so the clock starts ticking immediately. It’s not enough to book a night with your certificate before expiration — you must complete your stay before the award expires.

A year sounds like a long time, and it is, but I’ve found it limiting for making the most of the certificate. I nearly missed out on using the certificate I earned in 2023, which expired in early November 2024. But then the expiration date loomed too close for comfort. I used it for a single night at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, which gave me the lowest value of all the certificates I’ve used: $300. I was happy to stay there for free but probably could have figured out a better redemption.

I prefer to pair my certificate with a 3-night points stay to get to 4 nights and take advantage of the fifth-night-free benefit for Hilton Honors members, but I ran out of time to make a great redemption. That’s not all, though. It can be tough to find standard room reward availability at properties where I’d like to use my free night certificate. Because the certificate is only valid on standard room rewards, I have to skip over properties offering premium room rewards. 

For instance, at Casa Marina Key West — where I used my first free night certificate —standard room rewards are offered on very limited dates. Most of the available King rooms fall under premium room rewards, making them ineligible for free night certificate redemption.

Final Thoughts

While I’ve shifted much of my spending to cards with more flexible rewards, I never miss out on spending at least $15,000 on my Hilton Surpass card annually. Free night certificates help me stretch my travel budget and stay longer at luxury Hilton properties while eliminating costs like taxes and resort fees.