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3. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review: Points abound, but perks leave much to be desired

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5 reviews from Intuit Credit Karma members

4.2

Rating: 4.2 out of 5.

Great for Hilton points and status

Annual Fee: $150

This content is curated by Intuit Credit Karma’s Editorial team using data from members who were approved for this card or similar cards, or who self-matched this card or similar cards. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse this content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Here’s the average credit limit of members who matched their Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit limit range

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $13,589, with $1,000 being the most common.

Here’s the average credit score of members who matched their Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit score range

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 706, with 814 being the most common. Note this is just one of the deciding factors when it comes to getting approved.

Member stats

Updated daily

29.3%

Average credit utilization (or what percent of the card’s credit limit is being used) of members who matched with this card or similar cards.

44 years

Average age of members who matched this card or similar cards.

$105,855

Average annual income of members who matched this card or similar cards. Note: Income may be estimated for some members by Credit Karma and may differ from members’ actual incomes.

Pros and cons

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Big welcome bonus

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Hilton credits can outweigh annual fee

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Annual fee is pricey for value

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Must spend a lot to earn a free night reward

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Hilton credits come with strings attached

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review

Updated November 13, 2024

This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.

Written by: Tim Devaney

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Is it worth it?

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card might be worth considering for travelers who frequently stay at Hilton.

The welcome bonus is nice, and you’ll also earn lots of points for everyday spending.

While the card doesn’t offer many high-end benefits, it could be a good option for people who want to earn points for free award nights.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card at a glance

• Annual fee: $150
• Estimated bonus value: Up to $743
• Standout benefit: $200 in Hilton credits
• Standout rewards rate: 12 points per $1 spent at Hilton hotels

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card best perks and features

Points are easy to come by

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers 165,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 during the first 6 months of card membership.

You’ll also earn:

• 12 points per $1 spent at Hilton hotels
• 6 points per $1 on dining at U.S. restaurants
• 6 points per $1 for groceries at U.S. supermarkets
• 6 points per $1 on purchases at U.S. gas stations
• 4 points per $1 on online retail purchases in the U.S.
• 3 points for $1 on all other purchases

While Hilton Honors points have a low estimated point value, before long you could earn enough to stay at some of the most luxurious hotels and resorts on the planet.

Fifth night free

Another key benefit is that when you redeem enough points for four consecutive award nights, you get the fifth night free. That’s a great way to add an extra night on a trip, especially if you use it at one of Hilton’s top hotels.

Complimentary Gold status

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status.

Typically, you have to stay 40 nights in a calendar year to qualify for Gold Status, which entitles you to hotel perks such as room upgrades and food and beverage credits that can enhance your stay.

What are the drawbacks of Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card?

Free reward night is expensive

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card features a “free” reward night, which sounds good at first — until you realize you have to spend $15,000 per calendar year to earn it.

That means you need to use this card regularly to earn that benefit. If you do, you’ll qualify for up to one free reward night per year.

Hilton credits may be a headache to use

The card comes with up to $200 in credits that you can use for purchases at Hilton properties, but there’s a catch: You only have access to $50 per quarter.

While it’s nice that the perk can help you offset the annual fee, you’ll have to stay at least four times per year to make the most of this perk.

How to redeem Hilton Honors points

Hilton Honors points can be redeemed directly through Hilton.

As you might imagine, the best way to use your Hilton Honors points is to book hotel nights. While we estimate your Hilton points are only worth 0.45 cents each, you might be able to get a better value by choosing to redeem them at more expensive hotels and resorts.

Keep in mind, you can redeem your Hilton Honors points for more than just hotel nights. You can also use them for flights, rental cars and even Lyft rides. But we recommend using them for hotel stays if you want to get the most bang for your points.

Other cards to consider

If you comfortably spend at least $15,000 per year on your card, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card might be worth it, given the free reward night you’d earn. But if you don’t spend that much, it’s hard to justify paying the $150 annual fee.

• Hilton Honors American Express Card: This card is a good choice for people who want to earn Hilton points without paying an annual fee.
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: This card is worth considering for people who want more luxurious perks and benefits and are willing to pay a much higher annual fee.
• Platinum Card® from American Express: This card is a good choice for travelers who want Hilton Honors Gold Status, along with a plethora of other benefits.

Credit Karma’s methodology

Credit Karma uses qualitative and quantitative measures to review travel and premium credit cards. Our goal is to help you understand a card’s most useful features — and where it may fall short compared to other options.

We take into account factors such as unique rewards and benefits, ease of redeeming rewards, fees and rates, transfer partners, lounge access and rewards rates.

Credit Karma editors have also built some proprietary metrics to measure the value of rewards credit cards.

Our point valuations estimate how much rewards programs are worth. We look at both the value you could get by redeeming your points directly through a credit card issuer, as well as the value you could get by transferring your points and miles to an airline or hotel rewards program.

Instead of just telling you how many miles you could earn, the editors’ estimated bonus value multiplies the sign-up bonus by the reward program’s point valuations to tell you how much we believe they’re worth.

Our goal is that these metrics will help you decide whether the card’s rewards and benefits are worth it for you.

FAQs about the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card