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Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
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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.
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
130,000 points
$150
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Good to Excellent (670-850)
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.
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.
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
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.
Card Snapshot
Welcome Bonus & Info
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.
Our seasoned and experienced team brings years of expertise in the credit card and travel sectors. Committed to integrity, we offer data-driven guides to help you find the card(s) that best fit your requirements. See details on our intensive editorial policies and card rating methodologies.
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The ratings for these cards have 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.
” System
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Great Card If
You like staying at Hilton hotels and want Hilton Honors elite status
You want a card that offers airport lounge access
Don’t Get If
You’re not a fan of Hilton hotels or don’t travel much
You want a card with no annual fee
Hilton Surpass Card — Is It Worth It?
If you’re someone who often stays at Hilton hotels, then the Hilton Surpass card would likely be worth it for you.
For starters, the card will help you earn significantly more points on your Hilton stays thanks to the 12x points per $1 on Hilton stays that the card earns, plus, thanks to your complimentary Gold elite status you’ll also get an 80% point bonus on your Hilton stays.
Additional perks of your Gold status are complimentary room upgrades, a daily food and beverage credit (U.S. hotels) or continental breakfast (non-U.S. hotels), and late checkout.
Hilton Surpass Card Top Benefits
Hilton Honors Gold Elite Status
By far the best perk of the Hilton Surpass card is that all cardholders get automatic Gold elite status, which usually requires you to spend 40 nights a year in Hilton hotels!
Gold is the second-highest elite tier in the Hilton Honors program, and with your new Gold status, you’ll receive the following benefits:
Complimentary room upgrades (up to executive level)
80% bonus on points earned from stays
Daily food and beverage credit or free continental breakfast
Late checkout
Milestone bonuses
Daily free breakfast and complimentary room upgrades can offer travelers great value during their Hilton stays, not to mention that the 80% bonus in points earned bumps you up to 18 Hilton Honors points per $1 on Hilton stays.
National Car Rental Status
With the Hilton Surpass card, enjoy complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status upon enrollment. Terms apply.
Hot Tip: When you combine your 80% bonus from your Hilton Gold status with the 12x points you earn with your Hilton Surpass card, you’ll be earning a total of 30x points per $1 — representing a return of 12% on your Hilton stays.
Free Night Reward
Those who spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year will earn a Free Night Reward that can be redeemed at nearly any Hilton hotel worldwide!
How To Earn and Redeem Your Hilton Honors Points
The Hilton Surpass card gives you quite a few bonus category options to help you earn more Hilton Honors points, but fortunately, that isn’t the only way to earn Hilton Honors points! In fact, there are tons of great ways to earn Hilton Honors points that don’t involve staying at a Hilton hotel or using your Hilton card.
Hilton offers some really fantastic hotels throughout the world where you can redeem your Hilton Honors points for a fantastic value. The downside is that Hilton no longer publishes an award chart, so it can be difficult at times to know how many points you will need for a specific stay. However, you can use the Hilton Honors Points Explorer tool to help give you an estimate of how much you will need for a given stay.
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.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!
Earn 3 Free Night Awards
$1,050
$95
21.49%–28.49% Variable
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)
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Pros
Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
Automatic Silver Elite Status
Cons
$95 annual fee
Marriott Silver Elite Status is the lowest status tier
Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite status, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
If you’re not committed to the Hilton Honors program and prefer the Marriott Bonvoy program instead, then the Marriott Boundless card is worth your consideration.
With the Marriott Boundless card, you’ll receive automatic Marriott Silver Elite status, a free night certificate each year on your account anniversary, plus 15 Elite Night credits each year to help you reach a higher elite status level like Gold Elite or Platinum Elite.
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.
The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.
The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.
Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Up to 60,000 points
$900
$95
21.49% - 28.49% Variable
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)
The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.
When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.
Pros
Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees for The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the annual fee on the Hilton Surpass card?
The annual fee for the Hilton Surpass card is $150 (rates & fees).
Is the Hilton Surpass card worth it?
If you visit Hilton hotels at least a few times a year and are confident that you’ll get plenty of value out of the card’s benefits, then yes, the card should be worth it.
How many Hilton Honors points do you need for a free night?
While Hilton does not offer an award chat, you will generally need to pay between 5,000 to 95,000 points for a free night depending on the quality and location of the hotel.
Which Hilton credit card is the best?
In terms of elite benefits and return on your spend on Hilton stays, that would be the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. It offers top-tier Diamond status, travel credits, a free night each year, and 14x points per $1 on Hilton stays.
With that said, it might not necessarily be the best Hilton card for you if you don’t want all of those benefits, don’t visit Hilton hotels that often, or aren’t comfortable paying the card’s annual fee of $550.
Does the Hilton Surpass card offer a free night certificate?
Cardholders can get a free night certificate after spending $15,000 on the card within a calendar year.
Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.
This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.
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