Key takeaways
- American Express offers co-branded Hilton credit cards for every type of traveler, including the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Where the Hilton Honors American Express Card has limited benefits and rewards in exchange for no annual fee, the Hilton Honors Surpass Card comes with a higher rewards rate and premium perks like Hilton Honors Gold status.
- The right card for you depends on your tolerance for annual fees, the benefits you want to have and how often you stay in Hilton properties.
American Express offers various co-branded credit cards that earn points in the Hilton Honors program and can help cardholders earn rewards that they can redeem at more than 8,000 Hilton properties around the world. The Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are some of the most popular options, likely due to their fee structures, rewards rates and available welcome offers.
But, these two cards aren’t one and the same. Where the Hilton Honors Amex Card is the brand’s no-annual-fee hotel credit card, the Hilton Honors Surpass card offers more rewards and benefits for a $150 annual fee (compared to the $550 annual fee on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*).
If you don’t mind paying a little more for a co-branded hotel card, you can earn more rewards on eligible Hilton purchases and will get a slightly larger welcome bonus with the Surpass Card. Here are the key benefits of these two hotel credit cards to help you find the right fit.
Compare the Hilton Honors Amex vs. the Hilton Honors Surpass
| Cards | Hilton Honors American Express Card | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Welcome bonus |
|
|
| Annual fee | $0 | $150 |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None |
| Hilton Honors status | Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status; upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold Status when you spend $20,000 on your card in a calendar year | Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status |
Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Credit Card
When comparing these cards, it’s best to look at the features that are most important to you. A welcome bonus may be more important for some consumers, whereas others may care more about rewards rates for spending. Either way, take a look at the differences in the cards below to choose the one that best matches your needs.
Welcome bonus winner
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The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card earns 130,000 Hilton Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. On the other hand, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card only offers 70,000 bonus points and a Free Night Reward after spending $2,000 in purchases during the first 6 months of card membership. That easily makes this category a winner for the Surpass Card.
Although the Surpass Card’s ability to earn a 130,000 point bonus is generous, keep in mind that Hilton Honors points are only worth around 0.6 cents each based on Bankrate’s latest points valuation. That means this bonus would be worth around $780, although you may be able to get more value through certain award bookings.
Even with the annual fee of $150, you still come out way ahead with the Surpass Card by earning the welcome bonus alone. When you add some of the other card features and perks, you’ll get even more value out of this card.
Rewards rate winner
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The Hilton Honors Surpass card comes out on top here because of the high rewards rate on common categories many families use — like restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. Using this card for all of these spending categories can help you earn award nights at Hilton properties pretty quickly.
Here’s a reminder of what you’ll earn using the Hilton Surpass Card:
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors points on eligible Hilton purchases
- Earn 6X at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations
- Earn 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases
- Earn 3X on all other purchases
The Hilton Honors American Express Card also offers bonus points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets, but at a slightly lower 5-point-per-dollar rate. And when it comes to earning on Hilton purchases, the Hilton Honors Amex brings in a much more modest 7X points.
Annual fee winner
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Even as a no-annual-fee travel card, the Hilton Honors American Express Card still offers significant rewards rates for many common spending categories, including:
- 7X Hilton Honors points on eligible Hilton purchases
- 5X points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants
- 3X points on all other purchases
Without an annual fee, you are still poised to net quite a bit of value with the welcome bonus and ongoing rewards. The card could even be an everyday spending card thanks to its common bonus categories.
On the other hand, the Hilton Honors Surpass Card comes with an annual fee of $150 — which makes the Hilton Honors American Express the winner of this category.
Which card earns the most?
It’s likely the Surpass Card will help you earn more rewards over the course of a year since it comes with higher bonus rewards rates and more bonus categories overall. However, you can find this out by looking at your regular spending and running the numbers for yourself.
Hilton Honors American Express vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass spending example
Here’s a spending example that shows you what we mean. Imagine you travel fairly often and charge a lot of your personal expenses on a credit card. In that case, here’s what your monthly spending might look like:
- $700 per month for supermarket spending
- $300 gas stations
- $200 restaurants
- $300 on Hilton hotel stays
- $500 on other spending
With the no annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card, you’d earn 115,200 bonus points annually, whereas the Surpass card would net you 147,600 bonus points each year. If you factor in the welcome bonuses for these cards, you could earn 185,200 or 277,600 points during your first year of card membership, respectively.
If you use the 0.6 cents valuation for Hilton Honors bonus points, the welcome bonus value is roughly equivalent to $420 or $780 towards Hilton stays, respectively. When you add in the first-year spending example, the total estimated value in rewards for these two cards works out to $1,111.20 for the Hilton Honors American Express Card and $1,665.60 for the Hilton Honors Surpass Card.
Even when you take the $150 annual fee on the Surpass card into account, it definitely comes out ahead in this spending example.
Why should you get the Hilton Honors American Express Card?
Why should you get the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Credit Card?
The bottom line
If you are a frequent traveler and like the Hilton brand, either one of these cards could work well for you.
Those who don’t travel as much may opt for the Hilton Honors American Express Card, while more frequent travelers should consider the Surpass Card. Either way, earning and redeeming rewards with one of these credit cards could help you reach your goal of affordable stays at Hilton properties worldwide.
However, if you’re less brand loyal or looking for more flexibility, you might consider a top general travel rewards card instead.
*All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
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