Credit Card Review: AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass [Nov. 2023 Update]

Generally, the higher the annual fee, the greater the benefits, especially travel credit cards. The AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card comes with numerous perks, including complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status, a free night certificate, a $200 airline credit, a $400 Hilton resort credit, and many more. However, it carries an annual fee of $550, and some people are uncomfortable making that level of financial commitment. In that case, you can choose a credit card among low annual fee cards, and if you want to enjoy staying at Hilton hotels and use airport lounges here and there, the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card may be for you. Hilton recently revamped the card to stay competitive in the travel credit card market, and it is equipped with practical benefits that will enhance your lodging experiences at Hilton hotels as well as airport visits. Here’s my review of the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card:

• Sign-Up Bonus & Multipliers

• Annual Fee & Benefits

  • $200 Hilton Statement Credit

  • Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status

  • Potential to Earn a Free Night Award

  • Removal of Priority Pass Visits

• Redeeming Hilton Honors Points

• Summary

Sign-Up Bonus & Multipliers

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 170,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of card membership. With a 0.6 cents per point valuation, the sign-up bonus is worth $1,020. Since the card is issued by AMEX, you can only receive the sign-up bonus once per lifetime; so make sure to apply when the highest sign-up bonus is available.

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card can be a valuable addition to your wallet depending on your travel style. Photo by AMEX.

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card earns 12X per dollar spent on Hilton hotels and resorts when booked directly through Hilton and 6X at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. supermarkets. Cardmembers can earn 4X on U.S. online retail purchases, including home supply stores, malls, and boutique retailers. All other purchases will earn 3X per dollar spent. The 6X return rate for purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. supermarkets would be great for weekly household expenses, and the card really shines when you stay at Hilton properties. The 12X return rate is slightly below the 14X return rate for the AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card. Nevertheless, the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card does come with complimentary perks that will increase the return rate for Hilton stays. 

If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!

Annual Fee & Benefits

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card now carries an annual fee of $150, which places it at Tier 3 on my credit card totem pole. Let’s see what benefits and perks this card brings to the table.

$200 Hilton Statement Credit

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card introduced a fresh benefit, offering cardmembers the opportunity to receive up to $200 annually for eligible Hilton purchases. This quarterly perk allows cardholders to obtain up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, culminating in the $200 annual credit. Qualifying expenses encompass room rates, room upgrades, and incidental charges like minibar purchases or room service. While the $50 increase in the annual fee seems reasonable given this added perk, maximizing the full $200 credit might pose a challenge, requiring at least four annual travels.

Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status

As a cardmember of the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card, you will receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, the second highest tier in the Hilton Honors elite status ladder. Hilton Honors Gold level comes with these notable benefits:

• 80% points earning bonus on Hilton stays

• Daily food & beverage credit at domestic Hilton hotels or continental breakfast at international Hilton hotels

• Room upgrades

• Fifth night free when the entire stay is booked using points

• Elite rollover nights

Hilton Honors Gold members can receive valuable benefits like daily food & beverage credit or continental breakfast. Photo by Hilton.

Because the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card earns 12X per dollar on Hilton stays, you can imagine how many bonus points you could earn when coupled with the additional 80% points booster. The daily food & beverage credit provides flexibility since the credit could be used at hotel restaurants or bars. For instance, top-tier Hilton brands like LXR, Conrad, and Waldorf Astoria offer $25 per day for one guest and $50 per day for two guests.

Hilton’s food & beverage credit is a flexible way to immerse yourself in lodging experiences. Photo by Hilton.

When I stayed at Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, my fiancé and I used the $50 credit to get delicious cocktails. The use case becomes stronger at international Hilton hotels. When I stayed at Alexandra Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, my fiancé and I had a fantastic breakfast buffet, thanks to my Hilton Honors elite status. Lastly, you may receive complimentary room upgrades, which are subject to availability. Moreover, since Diamond members are prioritized, it could be challenging for Gold members to receive meaningful upgrades. Nevertheless, having Gold status opens many doors and will enhance your overall lodging experience.

Tequila Sunrise was invented at Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and you can use your food & beverage credit towards this refreshing cocktail!

Potential to Earn a Free Night Award

If you plan on putting more than $15,000 on the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card in a calendar year, you are in for a treat because you will earn a free night certificate. Hilton’s free night certificate can be used at any Hilton property with a standard room rate on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This can yield an amazing value if you stay at aspirational destinations.

You can pay cash to spend a night at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, but it will be expensive. Photo by Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

For example, I will be staying at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills next year, and the cash rate for a one-night stay in mid-January would almost cost $1,500. If I were to book my stay closer to the date, I can safely presume that the rate would be close to $2,000, if not more. Of course, there are some other great credit cards designed for putting significant expenses on, but a free night award can be very useful if you are strategic about its usage.

Weekend Night Certificate can be immensely lucrative at aspirational Hilton hotels. Photo by Hilton.

Removal of Priority Pass Visits

Previously, the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card provided cardholders with ten visits to airport lounges through the Priority Pass program. Regrettably, as part of the card's revamp, AMEX decided to discontinue its association with Priority Pass. The expiration of your Priority Pass membership is contingent upon your activation date: if you enrolled before 01/31/2023, the original ten passes are valid until 01/31/2024; however, if enrollment occurred between 02/01/2023 and 01/31/2024, you can use the ten complimentary visits until 10/31/2024. Personally, I don't believe the removal of Priority Pass visits is significant, as nearly every premium travel credit card now offers unrestricted access to Priority Pass lounges.

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card will no longer provide ten complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges.

Redeeming Hilton Honors Points

When you earn the sign-up bonus of 170,000 Hilton points, you can stay one night at one of the best Hilton hotels in the world or plan for a two-week-long cross-country road trip, staying at budget Hilton hotels. Alternatively, you can spend two nights at mid-tier hotels and have some leftover points for later. For instance, if you want to visit the city of Brotherly Love, take a look at The Logan Philadelphia, Curio Collection by Hilton. Two nights in early November would cost roughly $1,100 with taxes and fees.

Two nights at The Logan Philadelphia, Curio Collection by Hilton would cost you nearly $1,100. Photo by Hilton.

On the other hand, the two-night stay on the same dates would be 120,000 Hilton points. The redemption rate for this particular example is 0.9 cents per point, yielding a significantly higher value than the traditional point valuation of 0.6 cents per point. It may take a few extra searches to find cost-effective redemptions, but stay flexible and patient, and you will save tons of cash.  

The 130,000 Hilton points earned from the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass crd will cover the entire cost of the two-night stay at The Logan Philadelphia, and you will still have some leftover points. Photo by Hilton.

Summary

The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card is a Tier 3 credit card with an annual fee of $150. It may not offer the fanciest perks, but it surely packs a punch for a low annual fee card. By holding the card, you will automatically become a Hilton Honors Gold member, which awards elite members an additional 80% points bonus on Hilton stays, daily food & beverage credit or continental breakfast, room upgrades, and many more. Cardmembers no longer receive ten complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges but can now receive up to $200 in statement credit when staying at Hilton properties. Additionally, cardmembers can earn a Free Night Award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year. The AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card is a straightforward hotel credit card for semi-frequent travelers who like to stay at Hilton properties. The automatic Hilton Honors Gold status will work synergistically with the card’s increased earning rate of 12X at Hilton hotels, and cardmembers of the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card will accumulate a healthy pool of Hilton points in no time. 

If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors Surpass card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!