American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card Review
Updated January 27, 2024.
The Facts
The Math
First of all, the $200 Hilton credits in form of $50 quarterly credits might not be enough to cancel out the $150 annual fee, at least for those who don't somehow frequent Hilton.
The value of Hilton Honors points varies greatly and the general consensus is that it doesn't exceed 1 cent per point. Our current valuation is below half a cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your points balance for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending, because it will be a stretch in our opinion to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat 2% cashback provided by cards like Citi Double Cash, or Fidelity Visa. As a matter of fact, this is one of the "drawer cards" we recommend. However, you may consider this card for the 12x and 6x categories depending on your points valuation.
Amex Hilton Surpass ($150) vs. Amex Hilton ($0): The Surpass card costs $150 more, but returns 5 extra points on Hilton, 1 extra point on gas/groceries/dining/retail, and comes with the complimentary Hilton Gold, $200 annual Hilton credits ($50 per quarter), the potential Hilton Diamond status after $40K, and a free night after $15K spending. If you stay with Hilton just a few times a year, upgrading to the Surpass card is a no-brainer.
Amex Hilton Surpass ($150) vs. Amex Hilton Aspire ($550): With the difference of $400 in annual fees, on Aspire, you receive an annual free night without any spending (Surpass requires $15K spending to get one, while Aspire allows one or two more for $30K or $60K spending), $400 annual Hilton resort credits in form of $200 semi-annual credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which aren't that different on paper, but in reality as a top-tier elite, you usually get better treatments), somewhat comparable $200 annual credits in form of $50 quarterly credits (for flights on Aspire vs. for Hilton on Surpass), and some different bonus categories (which aren't that important anyway). Before the October 2023 revamp, it used to be fairly straightforward to recommend Aspire over Surpass for most Hilton guests; now, however, while we think Aspire still has some edge, it is really up to each individual to decide which is better.
The Conclusion
After the March 2013 devaluation of Hilton program, we stopped recommending the Hilton Amex cards for general spending. Amex Hilton Surpass always paled compared to its direct competitor Citi Hilton Reserve Visa, until Citi decided to sell its Hilton credit card portfolio to Amex. In January 2018, Amex finally made this mid-tier Hilton card a much better card by introducing the annual free night with $15K spending. However, a Hilton frequent guest was still recommended to check out the top-tier Hilton Aspire for the substantially enhanced benefits. The October 2023 revamp might just be enough to keep it competitive, at least for those who stay at Hilton at least a few times a year.
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- Annual Fee: $150
- Signup Bonus: 130,000 points after you spend $3,000 within 6 months of new account opening. This signup bonus is not available to applicants who have or have had this card. Historical best bonus of this card: (1) 130,000 points + one free night in 2022 and 2023; (2) 200,000 points with $10K spending requirement in 2021; (3) $150 + 150,000 points in 2021; (4) 150,000 points in 2021; (5) 100,000 points + free night at first anniversary in 2017; (6) 130,000 points in 2019; (7) 125,000 points in 2018 and 2020. The free night certificate expires after 12 months of issuance. Hilton's most expensive hotels require 95,000~120,000 points or $400 to over $1,000 in cash per night. Here are some examples of exceptional redemption for free nights: Waldorf Astoria Maldives, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Grand Wailea - A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Waldorf Astoria Park City (in peak seasons), Conrad Bora Bora Nui, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Conrad Koh Samui, Conrad Punta de Mita, Conrad New York Midtown, Conrad Tokyo, Zemi Beach House - LXR Hotels & Resorts, Oceana Santa Monica - LXR Hotels & Resorts, The Biltmore Mayfair - LXR Hotels & Resorts, Cliffrose Springdale - Curio Collection, Hilton Seychelles Labriz, and Hilton Seychelles Northolme.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 12x Hilton, 6x U.S. gas stations, U.S. grocery stores, and U.S. restaurants, 4x U.S. online retail stores, and 3x everywhere else.
- Best Use of Hilton Honors points: Hilton Honors points are best used for hotels and resorts in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, including Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Conrad, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, motto by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, tru by Hilton, spark by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, and Hilton Grand Vacations.
- Hilton Benefits: (1) Up to $200 Hilton statement credits each calendar year in form of up to $50 quarterly credits. (2) Complimentary Hilton Gold status, which is normally achieved by 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75,000 base points annually, and offers complimentary breakfasts for two at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Curio Collection, and Tapestry Collection, is considered the best mid-tier hotel status in the industry. (3) When you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you will receive Hilton Diamond status, the top-tier Hilton elite status which is normally achieved by 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120,000 base points annually and offers perks such as 50% points bonus (100% as of April 2018), complimentary breakfasts for two at Waldorf Astoria, and guaranteed lounge access for two at Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Curio Collection and Tapestry Collection properties (complimentary breakfasts for two at properties that do not have lounges). (4) When you spend $15,000 in a calendar year, receive one free night at most Hilton portfolio hotels, excluding all-inclusive properties and distinctive properties with no standard rooms, upon each card anniversary. (5) 500 bonus points each time you book a stay online with any Hilton portfolio website and pay with your card.
- Other Benefits: (1) Waived foreign transaction fees with an embedded EMV chip. (2) Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status, which gives you faster free rental days, guaranteed upgrades on full-size and above reservations, etc. (3) Amex Offers - you receive savings in form of statement credit or earn bonus points on select merchants when using your Amex card; you need to manually add an offer to your Amex card to be eligible for savings or bonus, and unlike other savings/bonus programs, you don't need to shop through a certain portal. (4) ShopRunner membership for free 2-day shipping with select merchants. (5) Entertainment Access including American Express Presale and Premium Access (dining).
- History: In May 2013, Amex changed the rewards structure on Hilton Surpass, and you may see the old structure in our old review. In November 2013, Amex finally made Gold Status complimentary to Hilton Surpass instead of the $20K annual spending requirement to align with Citi Hilton Reserve's. In January 2018, after Amex took over Citi's Hilton credit card portfolio and became the sole issuer of Hilton credit cards, Amex introduced two new products - the $450 Hilton Aspire and the $95 Hilton Business Card and revamped two existing products - Hilton Ascend (name changed from Hilton Surpass, annual fee increased to $95, free night with $15K added) and the non-fee Hilton Amex. In July 2019, Amex re-branded Hilton Ascend back to Hilton Surpass. In 2022, after allowing Free Weekend Night (originally defined as a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night) rewards to be used on any day of the week since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Hilton finally made this change permanent. In October 2023, Amex revamped the Surpass card by increasing the annual fee from $95 to $150, adding the $200 annual Hilton credits ($50 per quarter), a new 4x bonus category for online retail and free National Executive status, and removing Priority Pass Select with 10 free visits.
The Math
First of all, the $200 Hilton credits in form of $50 quarterly credits might not be enough to cancel out the $150 annual fee, at least for those who don't somehow frequent Hilton.
The value of Hilton Honors points varies greatly and the general consensus is that it doesn't exceed 1 cent per point. Our current valuation is below half a cent. Thus, unless you are working on topping off your points balance for a certain redemption, we won't recommend this card for general spending, because it will be a stretch in our opinion to value points as high as 0.7 cent to be able to beat 2% cashback provided by cards like Citi Double Cash, or Fidelity Visa. As a matter of fact, this is one of the "drawer cards" we recommend. However, you may consider this card for the 12x and 6x categories depending on your points valuation.
Amex Hilton Surpass ($150) vs. Amex Hilton ($0): The Surpass card costs $150 more, but returns 5 extra points on Hilton, 1 extra point on gas/groceries/dining/retail, and comes with the complimentary Hilton Gold, $200 annual Hilton credits ($50 per quarter), the potential Hilton Diamond status after $40K, and a free night after $15K spending. If you stay with Hilton just a few times a year, upgrading to the Surpass card is a no-brainer.
Amex Hilton Surpass ($150) vs. Amex Hilton Aspire ($550): With the difference of $400 in annual fees, on Aspire, you receive an annual free night without any spending (Surpass requires $15K spending to get one, while Aspire allows one or two more for $30K or $60K spending), $400 annual Hilton resort credits in form of $200 semi-annual credits, Hilton Diamond instead of Hilton Gold (which aren't that different on paper, but in reality as a top-tier elite, you usually get better treatments), somewhat comparable $200 annual credits in form of $50 quarterly credits (for flights on Aspire vs. for Hilton on Surpass), and some different bonus categories (which aren't that important anyway). Before the October 2023 revamp, it used to be fairly straightforward to recommend Aspire over Surpass for most Hilton guests; now, however, while we think Aspire still has some edge, it is really up to each individual to decide which is better.
The Conclusion
After the March 2013 devaluation of Hilton program, we stopped recommending the Hilton Amex cards for general spending. Amex Hilton Surpass always paled compared to its direct competitor Citi Hilton Reserve Visa, until Citi decided to sell its Hilton credit card portfolio to Amex. In January 2018, Amex finally made this mid-tier Hilton card a much better card by introducing the annual free night with $15K spending. However, a Hilton frequent guest was still recommended to check out the top-tier Hilton Aspire for the substantially enhanced benefits. The October 2023 revamp might just be enough to keep it competitive, at least for those who stay at Hilton at least a few times a year.
© 2011-2024 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.