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Compare the Features and Benefits of Hilton Honors Surpass® Credit Card and
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit 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
Trip Protections
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
No Fees for Authorized Users
Grants Hotel Status
Annual Statement Credits
Grants Car Rental Status
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Amex Offers
Free Checked Bags
Roadside Assistance
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Free Access to Credit Score
Annual Fee
$150 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
Ongoing APR
20.24%-29.24% (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
Trip Protections
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Grants Hotel Status
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Grants Car Rental Status
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Amex Offers
yes
Free Checked Bags
no
Roadside Assistance
no
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
Annual Fee
$69
Avg. Min. Credit Score
670-850
Ongoing APR
20.99%-27.99% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
3x Airfare

Applies only to tickets purchased directly from Southwest. Other airfare earns 1X.

2x Transit
2x Cable / Internet / VOIP Phone
2x Cellular Phone Service
2x Streaming Services
1x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.014
Bonus Offer

Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. (See Companion Pass Guide!)

Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.73) 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 Southwest Plus Card charges the lowest annual fee of any Southwest credit card, making it a tempting option for travelers that enjoy flying Southwest.

In exchange for the modest $69 annual fee, cardholders will be reimbursed for up to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases each year, get 25% back on inflight purchases on Southwest Airlines, plus get 3,000 bonus points each card anniversary.

Get 25% back on Southwest inflight purchases.

Cardholders earn 2 Southwest points per dollar spent in a range of spending categories, including Southwest purchases (including inflight purchases), Southwest Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, local transit, commuting, rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.

Points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. However, Southwest Plus Credit cardholders won’t get Tier Qualifying Points toward earning A-List Status. If you want to earn Tier Qualifying Points, you’ll need to get the Southwest Priority or Premier Credit Card instead.

Southwest Plus cardholders can't earn Tier Qualifying Points on purchases

In addition, the Southwest Plus credit card charges foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases. While that might not be a problem for some travelers, international flyers may want to get the Priority or Premier Card instead.

Frequent Southwest flyers should consider the Southwest Priority Credit Card instead. Although it charges the highest annual fee of any Southwest credit card, the card offers a $75 Southwest annual travel credit, four Upgraded Boardings every cardmember anniversary, and a 7,500-point anniversary bonus. Plus, the card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. Those perks more than offset the additional annual fee.

Lastly, this card is great for getting a large piece of the to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer, since the points earned from the signup bonus count. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.

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

Learn more about these cards today

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