Bottom Line

The Hilton Honors Surpass Card is ideal for the casual Hilton loyalist. The current 130,000-point sign-up bonus is an excellent deal if you’re in the market for a Hilton-specific card. The $150 annual fee isn’t negligible, but if you stay at Hilton properties a few times per year, the perks can make it worthwhile, such as $200 in Hilton statement credits ($50 quarterly) and complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. There are also several valuable spending perks (like earning 6x points on restaurants, groceries, and gas stations) that you won’t find with many cards, helping you accumulate Hilton Honors points quickly.

Why You Might Want This Card

The 130,000-point sign-up bonus provides great value for the Hilton Honors Surpass Card because it balances benefits for those who enjoy staying at Hilton without traveling often enough to fully use the more expensive ($550 annual fee) Hilton Honors Aspire Card. The $150 annual fee can be offset by perks like complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and a $200 Hilton statement credit. Keep in mind this credit is broken down into $50 quarterly increments, so factor that in when deciding whether to keep the card long-term.

The spending multipliers are impressive. The Surpass Card earns 6x points on restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, which accelerates your points accumulation. You also earn 12x points for spending directly with Hilton, 4x points on online retail purchases, and 3x points on everything else.

Exceptions To The Rule

Here are a few scenarios where this card might not be ideal:

• You don’t value Hilton Gold status or stay at Hilton properties often enough to use the statement credits, especially since they are spread throughout the year.
  
• You travel frequently and prefer Hilton properties, so the higher-fee Hilton Honors Aspire Card ($550 annual fee) could offer more substantial benefits.

About Hilton Honors

Hilton is a key component of the points strategy for hotel stays for 3 big reasons:

1. Points are easy to accumulate

2. They have locations in nearly every city globally

3. The perks are great for cardholders

Hilton currently has 4 different cards to choose from -- and they don’t have the strict limitations on carrying different cards as Marriott and Hyatt do. That could easily add up to 500,000 points per person over a few years, which equates to 20-25 hotel nights. The cards also have high multipliers... as high as 30x on Hilton spends, which can be coupled with membership bonuses and 5-7x on select categories and 3x on everyday spending.

Most Hilton cards also come with Gold status. That gives you room upgrades (really nice ones usually) and complimentary breakfast, along with all of the standard hotel membership bonuses.

The downfall of Hilton points is they’re not a good value for transfer. So unless you’re just topping off your points to have enough for booking, it isn’t a good value to transfer Amex Points to Hilton points.

Booking can be a little tricky, so utilize the Points Explorer Tool on their site.

Where Hilton Honors Surpass Fits In This Point Ecosystem

The Hilton Honors Surpass card’s $150 annual fee places it between the no-fee Hilton Honors Amex and the high-fee ($550) Hilton Honors Aspire card. Hilton does a commendable job of offering different options for guests who prefer Hilton stays, with the Aspire providing premium benefits to match its higher cost.

The no-fee Hilton Honors Amex offers a 70,000-point sign-up bonus (requiring $2,000 in spending over six months) but provides few additional benefits. If you plan to stay at Hilton even once, the Surpass might be worth it for the sign-up bonus alone, and you could choose to downgrade before the second year’s annual fee.

The Hilton Honors Amex Business card doesn’t count against your 5/24 status and has a $195 annual fee with worthwhile perks—though fewer than those offered by the Aspire. It is comparable to the Surpass, so it’s worth considering if you’re nearing your 5/24 limit but still want a Hilton card.

Personal Experience