Hilton Honors Surpass® vs Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®
Side-by-side comparison
| Hilton Honors Surpass® | Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $150 | $95 |
| Welcome offer | ||
| Dining | 6x | 3x |
| Groceries | 6x | 3x |
| Gas | 6x | 3x |
| Travel | 1x | 1x |
| Streaming | 3x | 1x |
| Everything else | 3x | 2x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $1,174 | $671 |
| Points type | Locked to Hilton Honors | Locked to Marriott Bonvoy |
| Network | Amex | Visa |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified July 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | Hilton Honors Surpass® | Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points | 125,000 points + 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 pts) |
| To earn it | $3,000 in 6 months | $3,000 in 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $2,524 | $2,326 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $1,224 | $576 |
The Hilton Honors Surpass® wins on both fronts: it comes out ahead in year one on the welcome offer and stays ahead every year after. Short term or long, it is the stronger pick on the numbers.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | Hilton Honors Surpass® | Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | ~$200/yr (1 credits) | None |
| Points & redemptions | Locked to a single program | Locked to a single program |
On perks and redemptions, the Hilton Honors Surpass® carries the heavier credit stack (about $200 a year). Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
Neither card earns transferable points, so redemptions are cash-back or fixed portal value on both, roughly a cent per point. There is no airline or hotel transfer angle to separate them.
Both are the practical mid-fee choice for their chain, a free night and mid-tier status, so this is Hilton vs Marriott at the everyday-loyalty level.
The Surpass is the stronger earner and gives higher Gold status, but costs $55 more. The Boundless is cheaper and its 35,000-point free night can punch above the fee. Which chain you stay with comes first; the earning and status differences are the tiebreakers.
Pros and cons
- 12x at Hilton and 6x on U.S. dining, groceries, and gas
- Hilton Gold status (breakfast, fifth-night-free on awards)
- An annual free night and a $200 Hilton resort credit
- A better everyday earner than the Boundless
- $150 fee, $55 more than the Boundless
- Free night requires meeting a spending threshold
- Points locked to Hilton
- A 35,000-point annual free night, often worth more than the $95 fee
- Marriott Silver status plus 15 elite night credits
- 3x at Marriott, groceries, gas, and dining
- Lower $95 fee
- Only Silver status vs the Surpass’s Gold
- Lower everyday earning than the Surpass’s 6x
- Points locked to Marriott
Where each one wins
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel chain | Depends | Hilton for the Surpass; Marriott for the Boundless. |
| Elite status | Surpass | Hilton Gold vs Marriott Silver. |
| Free night | Both | Surpass’s earned free night vs the Boundless’s 35k points. |
| Everyday earning | Surpass | 6x dining, groceries, and gas vs the Boundless’s 3x. |
| Annual fee | Marriott Boundless | $95 vs $150. |
The verdict
If you stay at Hilton, the Surpass is the better mid-tier card, its Gold status is a step above Marriott’s Silver, its free night plus $200 resort credit stack up, and its 6x on dining, groceries, and gas makes it genuinely useful between stays. For a Hilton guest, it earns its slightly higher fee.
If you stay at Marriott, the Boundless is the natural pick, and it’s cheaper: its 35,000-point free night alone often beats the $95 fee, and you still get Silver status and solid everyday earning. As always with hotel cards, the chain comes first, book where you actually stay, but note the Surpass is the stronger everyday earner if you’re on the fence between ecosystems.