Link: Apply now for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Hotel credit cards are often underrated, given welcome bonuses and valuable perks that they can offer. The Hilton Surpass Card is Hilton’s popular mid-range personal credit card, which is a great example.
While you can read a full review of the Hilton Surpass Card here, in this post, I wanted to share eight reasons you should consider applying for this $150 annual fee card (Rates & Fees). In no particular order…
In this post:
165,000 Hilton Honors Points
Through Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Hilton Surpass Card has a limited time welcome offer of 165,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 within the first six months. As a point of comparison, previously the card offered a bonus of up to 130,000 points, so this is quite a bit better.
Personally, I value Hilton Honors points at ~0.5 cents each, meaning that the 165,000 Honors points are worth $825 to me.
Hilton Honors Gold status
Arguably the best ongoing perk of the Hilton Surpass Card is the hotel elite status that it offers. Specifically, you receive Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as you have the card. This is in my opinion the most valuable mid-tier hotel status out there, as it offers perks like complimentary breakfast, a daily food & beverage credit, and/or executive lounge access, plus bonus points, room upgrades, and much more.
Up to $200 in Hilton credits per year
The Hilton Surpass Card offers a benefit that will in and of itself more than justify the annual fee, for those who stay at Hiltons with any frequency. The card offers up to $200 in statement credits annually for Hilton stays.
The way this works, you get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio with your card. So as long as you spend at least $50 per quarter on a Hilton stay — whether it’s on room rates or incidentals when redeeming points — this card will net you $200 per year in statement credits.
Free Night Award with spending
Not only is the Hilton Surpass Card worth holding onto for the perks, but it’s also worth spending money on. When you spend $15,000 on the Hilton Surpass Card in a calendar year you receive a Hilton free night award. This can be used for a stay at nearly any Hilton-family property in the world, which could otherwise retail for up to 150,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
If you have this card and are in a position where you can complete that amount of spending, it’s absolutely worth it. To me, spending $15,000 on the card annually is a sweet spot.
12x Honors points on Hilton stays
The Hilton Surpass Card can be a great card to use for spending at Hilton-family properties, as you earn 12x Honors points per dollar spent. Based on my valuation of 0.5 cents per Hilton Honors points, that’s like a 6% return on Hilton spending, in addition to the points you usually earn for your stay.
National Emerald Club Executive status
Just for having the Hilton Surpass Card, you can receive National Emerald Club Executive status for as long as you’re a cardmember. I consider National Car Rental to be the best major rental car agency in the United States, and having Executive status gets you access access to a larger selection of cars, lets you rack up rewards faster, and more.
6x Honors points on gas, groceries, and dining
The Hilton Surpass Card has some of the most well-rounded bonus categories of any hotel credit card. The card offers 6x Honors points on:
- Dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Gas at U.S. gas stations
- Groceries at U.S. supermarkets
There aren’t many cards offering bonus points on restaurants, gas, and groceries, so that makes this card very well-rounded. Ideally, you could spend $15,000 per year in these categories on the card, so that you’d earn 90,000 Honors points plus a free night certificate.
Amex Offers
You can never underestimate the value of the Amex Offers program, which offers savings for purchases with select retailers. The Amex Offers program saves me hundreds of dollars per year, and for many cards the program alone more than justifies the annual fee I pay. The more Amex cards you have, the more Amex Offers you’ll have access to.
Looking for a business card instead?
If you’ve had the Hilton Surpass Card and/or are simply looking for a business card, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. There’s a lot of overlap between the two cards, and you’re potentially eligible for the bonuses and perks of both cards.
You can read a full review of the Hilton Business Card here, and you can read a comparison of the Hilton Surpass Card and Hilton Business Card here.
Bottom line
The Hilton Surpass Card is one of the most useful mid-range hotel credit cards out there, and it’s also particularly well-rounded, given that it has an amazing welcome offer, awards elite status just for having the card, can be worth spending money on, and even offers annual Hilton credits that can more than justify the annual fee.
If you have the Hilton Surpass Card, what has your experience been with the card?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees).
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