Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Aspire Card [Detailed Comparison]

If Hilton is your hotel brand of choice, you’ll be interested in today’s card comparison. It’s well-known that a hotel-branded credit card can help you earn free hotel nights faster, make your hotel stays more comfortable, and provide valuable travel and shopping benefits.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card are fine examples of hotel-branded cards that deliver great value for the Hilton loyalist.

In today’s article, we’ll explain just how much value you can expect to receive when using these Hilton-branded cards at Hilton properties. You’ll also learn how to turn everyday spending into free hotel nights.

Here’s how the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card can elevate your Hilton experience.

Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Aspire Card — Overview

We’re going to expand on all the pertinent features and benefits of the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card shortly.

First, we’ve compiled a helpful overview of how the cards compare.

Here’s a quick view of both of our featured cards, side by side.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

The best hotel-branded cards have welcome offers that can be earned immediately after card approval. The welcome offers on the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card allow you to earn a large number of Hilton Honors points in a short time.

These bonuses can be worth several free hotel nights!

Since offers do vary, here’s a snapshot of the latest information:

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Welcome Offer

Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months of Card Membership.

130,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$650

Annual Fee

$150

APR

20.99%-29.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
• 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
• 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases

Cons

• Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club^® program is required. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points.

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

Welcome Offer

Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/31/2024.

175,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$875

Annual Fee

$550

APR

20.99% - 29.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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Paying hundreds of dollars for an annual fee on a co-branded hotel card might seem ridiculous, but you should know that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is much more than your run-of-the-mill hotel credit card.

The Hilton Aspire card is not only a phenomenal card for Hilton Honors loyalists, but even those who visit Hilton hotels just a few times a year can still get excellent value out of all the benefits that are packed into this card.

So let’s have a look at what makes the card so valuable to travelers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 14x points per $1 on Hilton purchases
• 7x points per $1 on select travel and at U.S. restaurants
• 3x points per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• High annual fee of $550

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/31/2024.
• Earn 14x Hilton Honors Bonus Points when you make eligible purchases on your card at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for eligible purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants.
• Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for other purchases on your card.
• Enjoy up to $400 in Hilton Resort Credits (up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually) on your card each anniversary year when you stay at participating resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Enjoy complimentary Diamond status.
• $550 annual fee.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 29.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card come with generous welcome offers that can be worth several free hotel nights. Welcome offers allow you to earn a Hilton Honors points bonus by meeting minimum spending requirements in the specified period immediately following card approval.

Earning Potential

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card have robust earning structures. You earn well at Hilton properties but also on many everyday purchases.

Earning Hilton Honors points on every purchase means rewards add up quickly and free hotel nights will be in your immediate future.

We’ll talk about redeeming points next. For now, we’ll concentrate on all the ways you can earn points when spending on each of our featured cards.

Earn When You Stay at Hilton Properties

With strong base earnings at Hilton properties, using either card during your stay is your best option. In addition to card earnings, you earn bonus Hilton Honors points for the stay based on your elite status.

We’ll discuss Hilton Honors card benefits shortly, but just know that both cards include complimentary elite status and the associated bonus earnings. With these additional earnings, the total number of rewards on the Hilton Surpass card could be up to 30x points per dollar spent and up to 34x points per dollar spent with the Hilton Aspire card.

You can see how points could add up quickly when using a Hilton-branded card for your Hilton stays.

Hot Tip:

Referring family and friends to available American Express cards can help you earn more Hilton Honors points, Membership Rewards points, Hilton Honors points, or even cash-back. Learn more about how the American Express Refer a Friend program works in our article on this topic.

Earn on Everyday Spending

If you spend heavily at supermarkets, gas stations, and restaurants, you’d earn well with the Hilton Surpass card compared to the Hilton Aspire card.

If your spending is focused more on flights purchased with the airline or via AmexTravel.com, and on rental cars, you’d earn well on the Hilton Aspire card.

Beyond these bonus categories, earnings are similar.

Earnings play an important role in card selection. The actual value you receive for those points at redemption time also plays a key role. We’ll look at the value proposition next.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card have robust earning structures. Both cards earn well at Hilton properties and on dining. The Hilton Surpass card has stronger earning at supermarkets, gas stations, and online retail stores. The Hilton Aspire card earns well on flights purchased via the airlines or at AmexTravel.com.

Redemptions

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card earn Hilton Honors points that can offer incredible value when redeemed for Hilton hotel nights.

You do, however, have additional options at redemption time.

Here are the choices with either card when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Redeem for Hotel Nights

We value Hilton Honors points at approximately 0.5 cents each. Using this guideline at redemption time can help you determine whether you’re receiving good redemption value.

For example, if a hotel room rate is $400 per night and you redeem 40,000 Hilton Honors points to secure that same night, you receive a value of 1.0 cents per point — a very good value. If you must use 90,000 points to book the room, you’d be using approximately $450 worth of points (90,000 x 0.5 cents) for a $400 hotel room. You may still want to redeem points instead of paying cash, but the 0.5 cents-per-point guideline can help you make that decision.

If you don’t have enough points for a specific redemption, you can also use a combination of points and cash to book hotel nights with Hilton.

Fifth-Night Free and How It Works

One of the best ways to redeem Hilton Honors points is by utilizing the fifth-night free benefit. All Hilton Honors elite members have access to the benefit. Since the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card offer complimentary elite status (we’ll expand on that shortly), cardholders qualify for the fifth-night free.

If you book 5 consecutive standard room nights using Hilton Honors points, you receive 1 of those nights for free.

For example, we looked at one of the most popular Hilton resort property redemptions, the Hilton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Standard room nights can be booked for 60,000 Hilton Honors points per night. If you booked 5 consecutive nights, you would need to redeem just 240,000 points using the fifth-night free benefit versus the 300,000 points it would normally cost for a 5-night stay (5 x 60,000 points).

Transfer to Airline Partners

While transferring Hilton Honors points to airline partners is possible, it is not the best value for your points.

For example, by transferring 100,000 Hilton Honors points to Delta Air Lines, you receive just 10,000 Delta SkyMiles. Because we value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents each, that’s only $120 worth of miles. That same 100,000 Hilton Honors points could score you a 5-night getaway at a mid-tier Hilton property instead.

Additional Redemption Options

While you can redeem your Hilton Honors points for Lyft rides, shopping with online retailers, experiences, or gift cards, you may not receive good value for your rewards points. It’s helpful to keep the 0.5 cents-per-point value in mind and always try to meet or exceed that value when making a redemption.

Bottom Line:

The best potential redemption value for points earned on the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card may be realized by booking reward hotel nights and utilizing the fifth-night free redemption. You can also transfer Hilton Honors points to airline partners, purchase gift cards, redeem for experiences, and more, but you may receive far less value.

Travel Protections and Benefits

The travel protections found on the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card can help reimburse you should your trip be disrupted for a covered reason.

Travel benefits can save you money on travel-related purchases or add more comfort to your journey.

Here are the top travel protections and benefits included with both of our featured cards, plus those that are unique to each card.

• Car Rental Insurance — Reserve and pay for your car rental with your card and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage to receive damage and theft protection. Coverage is secondary to any other insurance that applies. Access to Premium Protection, for a single low price that covers the entire rental period, is available to cardholders.
• Baggage Insurance Plan — Pay for your common carrier fare with your card and receive coverage if your baggage is damaged, stolen, or lost. You could receive up to $1,250 per covered person with the Hilton Surpass card and up to $3,000 with the Hilton Aspire card. Coverage limits may differ for New York state cardmembers.
• Car Rental Program Benefits — Enroll in National Car Rental’s Emerald Club via your online card account and receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive status.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Common foreign transaction fees can be 3% of the transaction. Travel with either of our featured cards with no worries about these extra fees.

Hilton Surpass Card

• Hilton Honors Status — Receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status as long as you hold your card. Spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year and receive top Hilton Honors Diamond status.
• Earn a Free Hotel Night Certificate — Spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year and receive a certificate good for a free standard hotel night.
• Hilton Hotel Credits — Receive up to $200 annually, up to $50 per quarter, for charges made directly at Hilton properties.

Hilton Aspire Card

• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption — If your trip needs to be canceled, or is disrupted, for a covered reason, you could receive up to $10,000 per trip, up to $20,000 per account each 12 months.
• Free Hotel Night Certificates — Each year at card renewal, you receive a free night certificate good for a standard room redemption at Hilton properties. Spend $30,000 on your card in a calendar year and receive an additional free night certificate. Spend a total of $60,000 and receive an additional free night certificate.
• Top Hilton Honors Status — Enjoy complimentary top-level Hilton Honors Diamond status just for having the card.
• Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Stay Credits — Receive $100 property credit when you book a 2-night stay or greater via HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com or call Hilton Reservations.
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit — Receive up to $400 in statement credits each year for purchases at Hilton resort properties. You receive up to $200 for each period, January through June and July through December.
• $200 Airline Credit — Each quarter you could receive up to $50 in statement credits for eligible flight purchases, up to $200 each year.
• CLEAR Plus Credit — Use your card to pay for your CLEAR Plus membership and receive a statement credit for up to $189 each calendar year.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card are loaded with travel protections and benefits, including car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees. The Hilton Aspire card comes with the highest level of Hilton-specific benefits, including top Diamond status, and hundreds of dollars in statement credits.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide extra peace of mind when you purchase an eligible item with your card. If you should experience a covered loss, you could be reimbursed, receive a replacement, or have the item repaired.

The shopping benefits included on the Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Aspire card could save you money. You could also earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits on both cards and those that come with each card individually.

• Purchase Protection — Pay for a qualifying item with your card and receive coverage for accidental damage, theft, or loss, up to 120 days (90 days in New York) from the date of purchase. Coverage limits are $1,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per account per year on the Hilton Surpass card. Meanwhile, coverage limits are $10,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per account per year on the Hilton Aspire card.
• Extended Warranty — For eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, 1 additional year of coverage is provided.
• Amex Offers — You can choose from up to 100 offers from select retailers and service providers. Add the offer to your card, make the required purchase, and receive a statement credit or earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Hilton Aspire Card

• Return Protection — If an eligible item, purchased with your card, is not accepted for return by the merchant within 90 days from the purchase date, you could receive reimbursement.
• Cell Phone Protection — Pay for your monthly bill with your card and receive up to $800, replacement, or repair, if your cell phone is damaged or stolen. There is a $50 deductible per claim and a limit of 2 claims per year. Terms apply.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Considering the cost of holding a particular card can be important to determine the bottom-line value you’d receive. These costs could include annual fees and adding authorized users to your card.

The Hilton Surpass card has an annual fee of $150. The Hilton Aspire card has an annual fee of $550.

There is no additional fee to add an authorized user to either of our featured cards.

Final Thoughts

Deciding between the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Aspire card is like trying to decide between a great burger and a steak. Either choice has the potential to result in a good meal (apologies to vegetarians for the analogy). Both cards have the potential to add significant value to those who stay at Hilton brands.

The better card for you will depend on your tolerance for paying an annual and whether you’ll derive enough benefit from paying that fee.

If you stay frequently at Hilton, you’re likely to receive enough benefits from the Hilton Aspire card to make economic sense. Top Hilton Honors Diamond status, the free hotel night certificate, resort statement credits, and airline credits, can deliver enough value to offset the annual fee.

A quick calculation of which benefits you’ll use and the estimated value of those benefits can help you decide which card would be the better fit.

Since it can also be possible to change from one of these cards to the other after a year, there’s little risk in choosing either card.

If you’d prefer a Hilton-branded card with $0 annual fee, consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card (rates & fees). For business owners who frequent Hilton properties, check out The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase with their eligible card, purchase protection can help protect their covered purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, the maximum benefit amount for trip cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the return protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, with return protection, you may return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase. American Express may refund the full purchase price excluding shipping and handling, up to $300 per item, up to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per Card account, if you purchased it entirely with your eligible American Express^® Card. Purchases must be made in the U.S. or its territories. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

For the cell phone protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.