KEY LINKS
- Hilton Honors American Express Card – Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. $0 annual fee (see rates and fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – 165,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $150 annual fee (see rates and fees)
“What credit card should I get?” Lots of people wonder which card to sign up for when starting the pursuit of points and miles. Because Hilton is a fairly major hotel chain, one of the most common types of points that people look to get are Hilton Honors points. While Hilton Honors points are the most valuable points around, they can be useful, especially with the welcome offers that these two cards offer. So let’s take a look and compare the Amex Hilton vs. Amex Hilton Surpass to see which one is better. Let’s review the details.
Hilton Honors American Express Card vs. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Annual fee
- The Hilton Honors American Express card has no annual fee
- The Hilton Surpass has a $150 annual fee.
Winner: The Hilton American Express card (obviously)
Comparing the welcome offers
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a welcome offer where you can earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
The welcome offer on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card allows you to earn 165,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership.
Winner: Surpass. Obviously the welcome offers on the cards change over time, so you can argue a slight edge to one card vs. the other depending on where the welcome offers currently sit. Though given the fact that these two cards are quite similar, the welcome offer on the Surpass is almost certainly going to be higher than the offer on the base Hilton card. This is likely to be true even when accounting for the difference in the annual fees on the two cards.
Winner: The Hilton American Express Surpass card
Rewards With the Hilton Surpass and Hilton Cards
The two cards have a very similar earning structure. With the Hilton Surpass, you’ll earn
- 12X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
- 6X Hilton Honors points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
- 4X Hilton Honors Points on U.S. Online Retail Purchases
- 3X Hilton Honors points on all other eligible purchases
Compare that to the base Hilton card, which earns at the following rates:
- 7X Hilton Honors points for eligible spending at Hilton Hotels
- 5x Hilton Honors points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
- 3x Hilton Honors points on all other eligible purchases
Winner: Hilton Surpass. It has higher earning categories in every single area.
Redemptions and transfers
Both the base Hilton card and the Hilton Surpass card earn Hilton Honors points, which means that you can use them to book stays at Hilton hotels. Hilton does have a few transfer partners, but they are generally poor value and not recommended.
Winner: Tie.
Other benefits of the cards
The Amex Hilton and Amex Hilton Surpass do not have a ton of benefits, but there are a few. Each gives complimentary Hilton elite status (Silver for the basic Hilton card and Gold for the Hilton Surpass).
Additionally, the Hilton Surpass gives you a path to top-tier Diamond status when you spend $40,000 in a calendar year. You can also get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. So if you find yourself with regular paid stays at Hilton, that $200 annual credit will likely take some of the sting out of the $150 annual fee.
Winner: Hilton Surpass. While neither card has some of the amazing benefits found on other top hotel credit cards, the Surpass definitely has a leg up.
And the winner is…
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card! Although it comes with a $150 annual fee, it also has a higher welcome offer and significantly better benefits.
KEY LINKS
- Hilton Honors American Express Card – Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. $0 annual fee (see rates and fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – 165,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of card membership. $150 annual fee (see rates and fees)
I think that for most people, these added benefits (including potentially being able to get $200 off at Hilton stays each year) along with the higher welcome offer are enough to offset the difference in the annual fees. You can always apply for the Surpass and if you find the annual fee is not worth it for you, downgrade to the no-fee Hilton card in year two.
Which card would you pick between the Amex Hilton and the Hilton Surpass? Is there another card that is better than both of these? Leave a comment below and let us know why!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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