American Express Hilton HHonors Card and HHonors Surpass Card Review (before May 2013)
Amex Hilton HHonors Card
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Amex Hilton HHonors Surpass Card
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- Best Use of Hilton HHonors points: Hilton HHonors points are best used for Hilton Worldwide hotels, including Conrad, Waldorf Astoria Collection, Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites.
- Other Facts: American Express Hilton card holders can use AXON rates when redeeming points for stays of 4 days; AXON6 (for redemption at Category 6 hotels) and AXON7 (for redemption at Category 7 hotels) represent even better value than VIP rates.
The Math
The value of Hilton HHonors points varies greatly, from 0.3 to 1.0 cent per point. Thus the basic HHonors Card returns around 1~3% on general spending and 2~6% on bonus categories. If you redeem Hilton points towards high-end Hilton brand hotels, this card can be invaluable, especially with Hilton Gold after $20K.
Hilton HHonors vs. Hilton HHonors Surpass: The Surpass card costs $75 more, but returns an extra 3 points on Hilton and the possible Hilton Diamond after $40K. While it is hard to figure out how much value Hilton Diamond offers over Hilton Gold, if you spend more than $3,600 on Hilton a year ($300/month) and value one point at 0.7 cent then definitely upgrade to the Surpass Card, since $3,600 x 3 point/$ x 0.7 cent/point > $75. Also if you would like to sign up one, go with the Surpass first since you will get instant Hilton Gold and the difference in signup bonus is more than the annual fee; then upon renewal, you can always downgrade it to the basic card if you can't justify paying the annual fee.
The Conclusion
If you value Hilton points high, Amex Hilton HHonors cards are invaluable, especially considering Hilton Gold or Hilton Diamond as the spending bonus.