Why I’m Never Closing the Hilton Honors Surpass Card

I’ve been deep in the points and miles game for a decade and have grown to appreciate credit cards that offer easy value. In other words, if I can get enough value from a card without jumping through hoops to justify the annual fee, it’s one that stays in my wallet.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card is one of those cards — and I’m planning to keep it even though I only occasionally stay at Hilton hotels. Here’s why.

Benefits of the Hilton Surpass Card

There are 4 different Hilton Amex credit cards (3 personal cards and 1 business card). The Hilton Surpass card is the middle-of-the-road option, which offers valuable benefits for a reasonable $150 annual fee (rates & fees).

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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 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

20.24%-29.24% 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.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors

Here’s a quick look at the main benefits of the Hilton Surpass card:

• Earn 12x points on Hilton purchases; 6x points on U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas station purchases; 4x points on U.S. online retail purchases; and 3x points on all other purchases
• Up to $200 Hilton credit annually
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and an upgrade to top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status after spending $40,000 in a calendar year
• Earn a Hilton free night certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
• National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status
• Car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage, insurance, extended warranty, and more
• No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)

Reasons I’m Keeping the Hilton Surpass Card

While there are lots of benefits offered on the Hilton Surpass card, there are only a select few that are important to me. In fact, these 3 perks alone offer enough value to make it worth it for me to keep the card open year after year.

1. Accelerated Earnings

The Hilton Surpass card is arguably the best Hilton credit card for earning points. It earns Hilton Honors points at the following rates:

• 12x points per dollar spent at Hilton properties worldwide
• 6x points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. supermarkets
• 4x points per dollar spent on U.S. online retail purchases
• 3x points per dollar spent on all other purchases

These are the best earning rates on U.S. supermarkets and U.S. online retail purchases of any of the Hilton cards. Since these are high-spend categories for many people, it’s easy to see why the Hilton Surpass card is a great way to earn Hilton Honors points.

2. Up to $200 in Hilton Credit Annually

With the Hilton Surpass card, you can get up to $50 in statement credits each calendar quarter for purchases made directly with a Hilton property for a total of up to $200 annually. Eligible charges include those made directly with a property within the Hilton portfolio. Incidental charges, including dining and spa fees, are eligible if they are charged to your room.

Gift card purchases aren’t technically eligible for the statement credit, but in practice, I have found that purchasing a physical Hilton gift card online using my Hilton Surpass card triggers the credit. So, during quarters where I don’t have any Hilton stays, I purchase a gift card to take advantage of this benefit.

If you can maximize this benefit, you’re already getting more value than the cost of the annual fee, making it an easy choice to keep the Hilton Surpass card in your wallet year after year.

3. Free Night Certificate After Spending $15,000

You’ll earn a Hilton free night certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year. While that may sound like a lot of money at first, it works out to just $1,250 in spending each month.

The fantastic thing about this free night certificate is that it can be used at almost any Hilton worldwide, including at luxury brands like Conrad or Waldorf Astoria. As long as there is standard award room availability, you can use the free night certificate to book it.

So, by spending $15,000 on the Hilton Surpass card in a year, you’d earn at least 3 points per dollar on all of your purchases (or potentially more if you spend in the card’s bonus categories) and a free night certificate that could be worth $1,000 or more, depending on what hotel you book.

Many high-end Hilton hotels cost 100,000 to 150,000 points per night. If you could use the certificate at a property that costs 100,000 points per night, that’s like getting an extra 6.67 points per dollar spent. If you could use the free night certificate at a property that costs 150,000, you’d get an extra 10 points per dollar spent.

For the last couple of years I’ve been putting $15,000 of spend on The World of Hyatt Credit Card to get a Category 1-4 free night certificate. Now that I have the Hilton Surpass card, I will probably switch that spend over since the Hilton certificate is significantly more valuable than the Hyatt one.

Final Thoughts

The Hilton Surpass card is a great option for even casual Hilton travelers. It’s a powerhouse when it comes to earning Hilton points and includes up to $200 in Hilton credits annually. These benefits easily outweigh the reasonable annual fee, making it an easy choice to keep year after year.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Surpass card, 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 baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Surpass card, 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 Surpass card, 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.