Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Review

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Review

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is suitable for regular travelers who prefer staying in Hilton hotels or resorts. The card is a competitive mid-tier hotel credit card with lots of benefits and a great welcome bonus.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® cardholders earn a generous welcome bonus and automatic Hilton Honors Gold Status. It has a large welcome offer of 130,000 Bonus Points when you spend $3,000 within the first 6 months.

If you spend a considerable amount of time at Hilton properties, the annual fee of $95 isn’t significant, given the numerous benefits you receive.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Pros and Cons

Rewards in a Nutshell

There are several ways you can earn reward points with the Hilton Honors Card. You will earn points under the Hilton Honors program. With the Hilton Honors program, you earn two types of points:

• Base Points can be earned when you stay at Hilton hotels and resorts. Base Points count towards higher tier status.
• Bonus Points can be earned at Hilton hotels or by using Hilton Honors Credit Card. Bonus Points, however, do not count towards higher tier status.

Points earned vary depending on the purchase categories.

You will earn 12 Bonus Points per dollar spent at Hilton properties. This includes hotel stays as well as purchases at a spa or hotel restaurants.

Purchases at U.S supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations earn you 6 Bonus Points per dollar spent. All other purchases earn 3 Bonus Points per dollar spent.

Each stay at Hilton property earns you 10 Base Points regardless of your status tier. Additionally, the Hilton Gold Status earns 8 more Base Points per dollar spent at eligible Hilton properties. With the Gold Status, you can earn up to 30 points (12 Bonus Points plus 18 Base Points) on hotel spending. Additionally, Gold Status offers Daily Food & Beverage Credits in U.S. hotels or Continental Breakfast at non-U.S. hotels and space-available room upgrades.

You can redeem Hilton Honors points for perks such as:

• Stays at Hilton properties
• Miles at partner airlines
• Rental cars
• Lyft rides
• Purchases on Amazon.com

You will likely get the best value from your points if you use them for Hilton hotel stays. You can use any combination of points and money towards your booking as well.

The redemption rates for hotel stays are dynamic and change with seasons and demand. Since there is no set redemption rate, it’s difficult to predict the number of points you need to stay at a specific hotel.

Hilton Honors has a unique program known as Pooling, where up to 10 members can pull their points together. Friends and family can transfer points into one account for redemption.

Who Can Benefit From Getting the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card?

This card is for frequent Hilton guests who spend a considerable amount of money at Hilton properties. While it comes with a $95 annual fee, it provides some nice perks that make the fee reasonable.

Since this credit card earns points through the Hilton Honors program, it’s best for people who enjoy the brand. In addition, the card provides a higher reward rate on gas, grocery, and restaurant spending, so it’s ideal if you want to rake up as many points to use them at Hilton properties.

Are There Any Other Benefits?

Besides the bonus rewards, the Hilton Honors Surpass Credit Card comes with a wide range of benefits. They include:

• Priority Pass Select program

The complimentary Priority Pass Select allows you to access airport lounges that participate in the program. With the Hilton Honors Surpass card, you can receive up to 10 free lounge visits each year.

• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

This card comes with rental car insurance. If you pay for a car rental using this card and decline the company’s insurance, your Hilton Surpass® Card will provide secondary coverage. However, as this insurance is secondary, it does not provide liability coverage.

• Global Assist Hotline

When traveling over 100 miles from your home, you can utilize the Global Assist Hotline in case of an emergency. This hotline helps with legal and medical referrals, translation, passport replacement, and missing luggage assistance. However, you will be responsible for any costs associated with third-party service providers.

• Fraud Protection

This card’s fraud protection covers you from any fraudulent activities done with your card. So in case you notice a suspicious or fraudulent transaction, all you need to do is call the number on the back of your card.

• Additional Cards

You can apply for additional cards if you have anyone who makes purchases on your behalf. This could be an employee, spouse, or child.

• Plan It Pay It

The Pay it, Plan It program allows you to control how you pay for purchases. With Pay It, you can make payments equal to the amount billed on purchases under $100 and pay it off immediately without affecting your credit limit. The Plan It allows you to select amounts billed on purchases over $100 and split them into monthly payments with a fixed monthly fee but no interest.

• Terms Apply

Conclusion

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is an ideal option for regular travelers who enjoy staying at Hilton properties. Compared to the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, it’s a mid-range option in terms of cost, benefits, and rewards.

This credit card has an annual fee of $95, so you must ensure it doesn’t stay idle in your wallet, as it becomes a liability.

The complimentary Gold Status allows you to rake up more points and enjoy more hotel stays. The intro offer is generous, and if you can reach the spending minimum, you could enjoy more hotel stays.