Hilton Honors Surpass® Review

Overview

The Hilton Honors Surpass® is a category rewards card from American Express, running on the Amex network. The Hilton Honors Surpass® earns up to 6x on dining, groceries, and gas, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $150 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $3,000 in 6 months.

It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.

Our 4.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the Hilton Honors Surpass® earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 6x on dining (about $180 a year on the $3,000 a typical household spends there), 6x on groceries (about $360 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there), and 6x on gas (about $130 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $1,174 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:

• 12x Hilton Honors points at Hilton portfolio hotels

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points, earned after you spend $3,000 in 6 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $650. The spending requirement works out to roughly $500 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $150 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,674.

Is the annual fee worth it?

To come out ahead on the Hilton Honors Surpass® you need to clear its $150 annual fee. On typical spending it earns about $1,174 a year in rewards, and it carries up to $235 in statement credits. For anyone who spends in its categories, the fee is easy to justify.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• Free Night Reward each card anniversary
• Automatic Hilton Honors Gold Status (80% bonus points, room upgrades when available)
• $200 Hilton resort statement credit annually
• Priority Pass Select lounge access (10 free visits/yr, then $35/visit)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and baggage insurance
• Car rental loss and damage insurance

Statement credits

• $200 Hilton resort statement credit annually
• Priority Pass Select lounge access (10 free visits/yr, then $35/visit)

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for regular guests of this hotel brand who will use the free anniversary night and elite status to more than cover the annual fee.

Skip it if you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.

Frequently asked questions