Any Hilton Honors Surpass Card review has to begin with bonus rewards because there are lots of them. The
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with a welcome offer of
130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points for spending
$3,000 in the first
6 months. And you earn a free night each year you spend $15,000 and extra points on purchases in a handful of bonus categories.
You also get 12 points per $1 spent directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton resort, as well as 6 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, plus 4 points per $1 spent on U.S. online retail purchases. And all of that is in addition to 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
A Hilton Honors Surpass Card review would also be remiss if it didn’t discuss the value of Hilton Honors points or the Surpass Card’s annual fee and APRs. Each Hilton point is worth just
0.61 cents on average. So the bonus points offer has a
$793 value, and you’ll earn the equivalent of 1.89% - 7.56% cash back on purchases. Those are solid earning rates, to be sure, but perhaps not quite as attractive as you initially thought. That’s important because you will be
$150 in the hole, thanks to the card’s annual fee. Rewards are also the star of the Surpass Card show, as there aren’t any low introductory interest rates – just a
20.99% - 29.99% (V) APR.
Still, all in all, the Hilton Honors Surpass Card is the best value among the trio of Hilton credit cards available right now. Continue reading to learn more.
Hilton Honors Surpass Card Review Highlights:
130,000 points
You will earn
130,000 Hilton Honors points for spending $3,000 in the first 6 months. The bonus points are worth about
$793 in Hilton reservations, on average. The average initial bonus on a travel rewards card is
31,964 points/miles.
12 points per $1 spent directly through Hilton
That equates to 7.56% back.
4 - 6 points per $1 on bonus category purchases
You will earn 6 points per $1 spent at U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. restaurants. Plus, you can get 4 points per $1 spent on U.S. online retail purchases. This works out to 2.52% - 3.78% back.
3 points per $1 on non-bonus category purchases
Equal to 1.89% back, this earning rate is about the base return for a rewards card (
1.15% back). But many other types of credit card rewards are far more flexible than Hilton Honors points, which only get you decent value when you redeem for Hilton stays.
Free weekend night for spending $15,000 in 12 months
You can earn this bonus every year. It applies to all Hilton properties, except
these. You’ll get a free weekend night code via email within 8-12 weeks of meeting the spending requirement.
Hilton Honors Diamond status for spending $40,000 in 12 months
Your status lasts for a year after you meet the spending requirement. Diamond status gets you things like executive lounge access and a 48-hour room guarantee.
$150 annual fee
The card’s annual fee is about 6 times higher than the average credit card (
$22.29).
No foreign transaction fee
You won’t pay extra for purchases processed outside the United States. This is the norm for travel rewards credit cards.
20.99% - 29.99% (V) APR
The average credit card offer has a
22.89% APR, and credit cards for good credit charge an average of
24.12%. Needless to say, you probably don’t want to carry a balance from month to month with the Surpass Card.
Ultimately, the Hilton Honors Surpass Card is a very good hotel rewards credit card. So it should come as no surprise that you need good credit or better to get it. You can
check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub to get a sense of your approval odds.
It’s also worth noting that you might get an instant card number if American Express is able to instantly verify your identity when they approve you. This will allow you to make purchases most places Amex is accepted before your card arrives in the mail.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.