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Compare the Features and Benefits of Hilton Honors Surpass® Credit Card and
Hilton Honors American Express Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Grants Hotel Status
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
No Fees for Authorized Users
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Amex Offers
Annual Statement Credits
Grants Car Rental Status
Trip Protections
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Annual Fee
$150 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
Ongoing APR
20.49%-29.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
12x Hotels

At Hilton portfolio properties when you book direct with Hilton or the hotel. Otherwise, earn 3X points

6x Gas Stations

U.S. gast stations

6x Dining Out / Food Delivery

U.S. dining, including takeout and delivery

6x Groceries

U.S. Supermarkets. * American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

4x Online Retail Shopping

U.S. Online Retail Shopping

3x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.005
Bonus Offer
Earn 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of Card Membership (Terms apply).
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(4.08) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

With a relatively low $150 annual fee, The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card comes with some valuable benefits, including Gold Elite status, which gets you free breakfast (or a daily food and beverage credit) on all stays at full-service Hilton hotels and resorts.

You can redeem Hilton Honors points and Free Night Rewards for a room like this with room with a private plunge pool in Mexico

Waldorf Astoria Pedregal – Cabo, Mexico

With Hilton Honors points having an approximate value of 0.5 cents per point, you are earning roughly 6% back on Hilton stays and 3% back on select categories in the US: gas stations, gas, and groceries. Remember you’ll earn 3X Hilton Honors points on other eligible purchases, so that would be worth about a 1.5% return on spend.

Hilton Surpass Credit Card dining bonus category
The Hilton portfolio also has some amazing hotels and resorts at which you can spend your Hilton Honors points and Free Night Reward certificates. You can get value of rooms that sell for over $1,000 a night and include the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi and the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal in Los Cabos. You could easily make a case that simply being able to earn the lucrative Free Night Reward certificates is reason enough to hold this card.

View from an infinity pool at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal in Los Cabos, Mexico - Bookable with Hilton Honors points and Free Night Rewards.
While we don’t recommend the Hilton Honors Surpass card as your only credit card, it certainly is worth more than its annual fee if you frequently stay at Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts.

Rates and fees for the Hilton Honors Surpass® Credit Card

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Amex Offers
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Grants Car Rental Status
yes
Trip Protections
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
no
Annual Fee
$0 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
Ongoing APR
20.49%-29.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
7x Hotels

Applies to bookings at Hilton Honors properties booked directly with Hilton. Otherwise, earn 3X

5x Gas Stations

At U.S. Gas Stations

5x Dining Out / Food Delivery

At U.S. Restaurants. Take out and delivery included.

5x Groceries

At U.S. Supermarkets. * American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

3x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.005
Bonus Offer
Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of Card Membership (Terms apply).
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(4.2) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is the entry level Hilton card in a family of three Hilton credit cards for individuals including this one, the Hilton Honors Surpass® Credit Card ($150 annual fee), and the Hilton Aspire® credit card ($550 annual fee).

(All information about the Hilton Honors Aspire® Credit Card ahas been collected independently by Your Best Credit Cards.)

If you stay with Hilton frequently and simply aren’t willing to pay an annual fee, this isn’t a bad card. With 7X earned at Hilton portfolio properties (we value that at 3.5% worth of points back since we value Hilton points at 0.5 cents each), you’ll certainly do well when you pay with this card at Hilton family hotels and resorts.

5X Hilton Honors points at US restaurants, US gas stations, and US supermarkets on a no-annual fee card isn’t bad either, with a 2.5% effective return on spend assuming a value of 0.5 cents per Hilton point).

restaurants-hilton-honors-american-express-card

However, if you do step up to the annual fee cards, you do get more. The Surpass comes with automatic Hilton Gold status instead of Hilton Honors Silver status, which adds a breakfast or meal voucher credit to your benefits along with room upgrades and gives you the opportunity to earn a Free Night Reward valid on any Standard Night Reward after $15,000 in spend on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.

And the Aspire, despite its heft annual fee, provides come crazy benefits like Diamond elite status.

However, you are probably reading about this card because you want a no annual fee Hilton credit card and this one is pretty strong for a new annual fee hotel card. Not to mention the shopping protections like Extended Warranty and Purchase Protection as well as no foreign transaction fees.

Rates and Fees for the Hilton Honors Credit Card from American Express

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Amex Offers
yes
Annual Statement Credits
no
Grants Car Rental Status
no
Trip Protections
no
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes

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