Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review

This is the card for your Hilton stays but also for everyday purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases. Plus it offers perks for travelers including airport lounge access.

Written by
Brooklyn Lowery
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Hotel Card

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

  • Rewards
  • 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.
  • Welcome Bonus
  • 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.
  • Annual Fee
  • $150
card_name
Sponsored card
5.0
Credit Score: Excellent, Good
on American Express's secure website
Terms and Limitations Apply

Key Features

Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • The opportunity to earn a weekend night stay reward after spending at least $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year gives you an ongoing option to more than offset the annual fee.
  • There's a mega welcome offer opportunity with this card of 165,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
  • This branded card offers you bonus rewards opportunities outside of just your Hilton purchases.
Cons
  • There is an annual fee to think about. If you're a casual credit card user who won't spend enough for the annual weekend night reward, you might want to consider a more general rewards card without an annual fee.
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

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Credit Score: credit_score_needed
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card_name benefits

For frequent travelers, especially those who are loyal to the Hilton brand, the CardName warrants some attention. American Express is a CardRatings advertiser.

To start things off on the right foot, new Surpass® cardholders can earn 165,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Cardholders will also receive a weekend night reward stay when spending at least $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, a perk that can more than offset the card’s AnnualFees annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)

Beyond bonuses, your points can add up quickly with 12 points earned for every $1 spent on eligible purchases directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio. You’ll also earn six points on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, four points per $1 spent on U.S. online retail purchases, and three points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. With so much potential to earn rewards on purchases other than at Hilton properties, this card turns out to be a solid option for your everyday purchases, too.

Cardholders also enjoy Gold status in the Hilton Honors program, and the card makes Hilton Honors Diamond status easily within reach. Spend $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year to receive your Diamond Status upgrade. Enrollment required for select benefits.

CardRatings Tip

Learn more about elite status and the numerous benefits of the Hilton Honors rewards program in our Hilton Honors program guide.

The card_name has no fee for foreign transactions, which has the potential to save you hundreds of dollars if you travel internationally often. (See Rates and Fees)

Potential downsides of the card_name

The CardName isn’t for everyone. If you don’t travel very often, then many of the perks and bonuses could be out of reach. In that case, you might want to look for a card that doesn’t have an annual fee or that offers cash-back rewards instead.

Remember, too, that the rewards for non-Hilton purchases are decent, but you’ll really maximize the potential with this card if you stay regularly at Hilton properties. Hilton Honors points can also be redeemed for perks other than free hotel stays including purchases on Amazon.com; car rentals and rental upgrades; and special experiences such as private concerts, luxury weekends and VIP access to special events; however, you’ll likely get the most out of your points using them for free hotel stays.

How do cardholders rate the card_name?

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the CardName:

 Current ScoresPast Scores (avg.)
Overall Score69.384.8
Rewards Program Satisfaction6.98.4
Customer Service7.28.5
Website/App Usability6.28.5
Likelihood of Continuing to Use7.38.7
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague6.88.5
Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How the card_name compares to other cards

card_name vs. card_name

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Anyone who stays at Hilton properties on a regular basis can probably benefit from a Hilton Honors credit card. Both the card_name and the CardName offer points and perks that can be used at hotels and resorts across the globe.

The card_name is an entry-level card that doesn’t charge an annual fee but also doesn’t come with the same perks as the Surpass® card. (See Rates and Fees) In exchange for an annual fee, the Surpass® card comes with complimentary Gold Status, and a free weekend night reward after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases per year. Meanwhile, the card_name offers complimentary Silver Status and an opportunity to earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

While you can’t go wrong with either of these cards, frequent travelers may find that a higher status level and airport lounge access are well worth the annual fee charged by the Surpass® card.

card_name vs. card_name

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If you prefer to stay at Hilton hotels and resorts, a Hilton Honors credit card may seem like the best choice. However, it’s worth considering whether a general purpose rewards card might be better. For example, let’s see how the card_name stacks up against the CardName.

For a annual_fees annual fee, the Amex Gold card gives you the opportunity to earn up to $120 in dining credits at select restaurants and a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com, at over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection. Eligible charges vary by property. Enrollment required for select benefits. See Rates and Fees.

Additionally, for a limited time the card_name, offers new cardholders 60,000 points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first six months of card membership, up to $100 back. Offer ends 11/6/24. Those points can be used to book travel directly through American Express or be transferred to partner programs, including Hilton Honors.

As for rewards earning potential, Amex Gold offers 4X points per $1 spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year), then 1X points; 4X points per $1 spent at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year) then 1X points; 3X points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com; 2X points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com; and 1X point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

Is the card_name a good card?

Yes, the CardName is a strong consideration for the wallet of any traveler who often, if not always, stays at Hilton properties when on the road. If you are a frequent traveler, whether it be for business or pleasure, you are a well-suited candidate for this card. It won’t take long to achieve the thresholds needed for some very attractive perks.

Frequently asked questions

To redeem a card_name Free Night Reward, login to your Hilton Honors account and select your desired hotel and the dates for your stay. During the booking process, you should see an option to apply your Free Night Reward. Select this option and follow the prompts to complete your reservation.
The annual fee for the card_name is AnnualFees.
The card_name is designed for people with good to excellent credit. If your credit score falls within this range, you should qualify for eligibility. That said, other factors, such as payment history, your total number of accounts, and the average age of your accounts, could also be considered in the application process.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. "Current Scores" reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); "Past Scores" reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards featured in this post, please visit the following links: CardName (See Rates and Fees); CardName (See Rates and Fees); CardName (See Rates and Fees)

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