Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Honors Card [Detailed Comparison]

If you’re a Hilton brand loyalist or stay at Hilton properties even a few times a year, you’ve probably considered a Hilton-branded credit card.

Opting for elevated earnings on Hilton stays and everyday purchases is a smart decision. You’ll build rewards quickly and soon enjoy free hotel nights.

Beyond free hotel nights, you’ll find value in the Hilton-related perks you receive with card ownership.

Today’s article highlights 2 key card options popular with Hilton fans. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Card provide considerable value for any traveler who stays at Hilton, even occasionally.

Here are all the reasons to have one of these featured cards in your wallet.

Hilton Surpass Card vs. Hilton Honors Card — Overview

Next, we’ll expand on all the features and benefits of the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Honors card.

Before we start, let’s look at a helpful side-by-side comparison for an overall view of each card:

Feature or Benefit	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Welcome Offer	Earn 130,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months	Earn 80,000 points after spending $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months.
Top Earning Categories	12x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 6x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants 4x points on U.S. online retail purchases	7x points at Hilton hotels and resorts 5x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
Top Redemption Options	Hilton hotel nights
Top Travel Protections and Benefits	Car rental insurance, Hilton Honors Gold status, Hilton statement credits, no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)	Car rental insurance, Hilton Honors Silver status, no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)
Top Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection, extended warranty, Amex Offers
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees) No charge for authorized users (rates & fees)	Annual fee of $0 (rates & fees) No charge for authorized users (rates & fees)

The Value of a Welcome Offer

You’ll have a unique opportunity once approved for either the Hilton Surpass card or the Hilton Honors card. After meeting minimum spending requirements within the required period, you can qualify for a welcome bonus offer worth several free hotel nights.

These card snapshots include the most current welcome offers for our featured cards and additional useful information:

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Honors card each come with a generous welcome offer that can be worth several free hotel nights. You can qualify for the offer by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period immediately after card approval.

Earning Potential

One of the key benefits of having either the Hilton Surpass card or the Hilton Honors card is earning bonus points that can be redeemed for free hotel nights.

You’ll have several ways to earn points on every purchase, including elevated earnings at Hilton properties and everyday purchases. This means every purchase you make will earn Hilton Honors points.

Here are all the ways you’ll earn rewards using our featured cards:

Earning Category	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Travel	12x points on Hilton purchases 3x points on all other travel purchases	7x points on Hilton purchases 3x points on all other travel purchases
U.S. Supermarkets, U.S. Gas Stations, U.S. Restaurants	6x points	5x points
U.S. Online Retail Purchases	4x points	3x points
All Other Purchases	3x points	3x points

The Hilton Surpass card earns significantly more at Hilton properties versus the Hilton Honors card and slightly more on everyday purchases at U.S. supermarkets, gas stations, dining, and online retail.

Although the Hilton Surpass card has an annual fee, the higher earnings on the card can help to offset that fee.

Hot Tip:

You can earn additional Hilton Honors points, American Express Membership Rewards points, and more by referring family and friends for an eligible American Express card. Check out our article that shows you how to maximize this valuable benefit.

Earnings are just a single factor to consider when selecting a Hilton-branded card. Other valuable card features and benefits can help you determine which card is better for you.

Let’s continue as we discuss redemption options and benefits for travel and shopping protection.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Honors card earn the most rewards when used at Hilton properties. The Hilton Surpass card has better overall earnings, but it has an annual fee. Earnings are just one of the factors to consider when selecting a card, as there are additional benefits that can add value.

Redemption Options

The Hilton Honors points earned on either the Hilton Surpass card or the Hilton Honors card have equal value at redemption time. Although the best value for your rewards is to redeem them for free hotel nights, you’ll have additional options.

Here are the choices when it’s time to redeem your rewards:

Redemption Option	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Card
Travel	Redeem points for free hotel nights, use Cash + Points, get a fifth-night free, or transfer points to airline partners and redeem them for award flights
Additional Redemption Options	Lyft rides, select travel, shopping at select partners, experiences, gift cards

We value Hilton Honors points earned on either of our featured cards at approximately 0.5 cents each. When you redeem your points, you’ll want to strive for a value equal to or greater than this for good value.

One way to maximize your Hilton Honors points is by taking advantage of the fifth-night free benefit.

The benefit is available to all Hilton Honors elite members. The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Honors card come with complimentary elite status that qualifies you for this benefit.

How the Fifth-Night Free Works

You can book any participating Hilton property with points for 5 consecutive nights and receive 1 of those nights for free. Let’s say you booked the Hilton Garden Inn in Tangier, Morocco, for 20,000 points per night. For 5 nights, you would normally pay a total of 100,000 points (20,000 points x 5 nights). With the fifth-night free, you would pay just 80,000 points (20,000 x 4 nights)!

The credit for the free night is calculated using the average cost of all nights included in the stay. The benefit can be used an unlimited number of times, up to 4 times per stay. For example, a 20-night award stay would result in 4 free hotel nights. It’s a great way to make your points go further.

To learn more about some of the best ways to redeem Hilton Honors points for hotel stays, we have great ideas in our article on this topic.

Transferring Hilton Honors Points to Airline Partners

Transferring your Hilton Honors points to airline partners is also an option. While there are over 2 dozen airline partners, a typical redemption ratio is 10 Hilton Honors points to 1 airline mile, which is not a good value for your rewards.

For example, you could redeem 100,000 Hilton Honors points for a 5-night hotel stay or transfer those points to Delta Air Lines and receive just 10,000 Delta SkyMiles. We value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents per mile, which would give your 10,000 miles a value of $120 — far less than a 5-night hotel stay.

Bottom Line:

The best value for Hilton Honors points earned on the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Honors card is to redeem them for free hotel nights. Utilizing the fifth-night free benefit makes your points go even further. You can also transfer Hilton Honors points to airline partners, shop with select partners, or redeem points for travel, gift cards, or experiences.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Travel protections can provide added value should you experience a covered loss during your travels. Benefits can provide a better travel experience or save you money on travel-related purchases.

Here are the travel protections and benefits you’ll find on both the Hilton Surpass card and the Hilton Honors card, plus lists of those that are unique to each card.:

• Car Rental Insurance: Use your card to reserve and pay for your entire rental, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance, and receive coverage for damage and theft. The coverage is secondary, which means you must first file a claim with any other applicable insurance before card coverage applies.
• Access to Premium Protection Car Rental Insurance: For 1 low price ($12.25 to $24.95) that covers an entire rental period of up to 42 consecutive days, you’ll receive primary car rental insurance and expanded coverage.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: Hilton hotels are available worldwide. Pay for your stays or any purchase during your travels with no worries of being charged foreign transaction fees.

Hilton Surpass Card

• Baggage Insurance: You can receive up to $1,250 per covered person for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
• Earn a Free Hotel Night Certificate: After spending $15,000 on your card in a calendar year, you’ll receive a free night certificate.
• Hilton Honors Elite Status: Receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status with your card. Spend $40,000 on your card and receive top-level Diamond status.
• Hilton Statement Credits: Receive up to $200 annually in statement credits ($50 each quarter) for purchases made with your card at Hilton properties.
• Car Rental Program Elite Status: Receive complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. Enrollment is required, and terms apply.

Hot Tip:

Hilton free night certificates are valuable, as they can be redeemed for a standard hotel room anywhere in the world. It’s possible to use the certificate to book a hotel night at a luxury property that can cost upwards of $1,000 per night.

Hilton Honors Card

• Hilton Honors Elite Status: Receive complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your card. You’ll earn Hilton Honors Gold status once you’ve spent $20,000 on the card within a calendar year.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Honors card come with secondary car rental coverage with access to Premium Protection. Neither card charges foreign transaction fees. The Hilton Surpass card comes with Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton statement credits, while the Hilton Honors card comes with Silver status.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

When you use the Hilton Surpass card or the Hilton Honors card to make an eligible purchase, you could receive coverage if something goes wrong with the item.

Shopping benefits can provide statement credits for associated purchases or help you earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits you’ll find on both of our featured cards:

• Purchase Protection: Purchase an eligible item with your card and receive coverage for theft or damage for up to 90 days from the purchase date. There is a limit of $1,000 per item, up to $50,000 per eligible card.
• Extended Warranty: For items purchased with your card with original manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, the warranty coverage will be extended for 1 year. Coverage is provided for up to $10,000 per covered item and up to $50,000 per card.
• Amex Offers: Access your online card account to view up to 100 Amex Offers. Add the offers you will use to your card, make the associated purchase, and receive a statement credit or earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Honors card come with purchase protection and extended warranty coverage for eligible items purchased with either card. Both cards also offer Amex Offers that can save you money or help you earn additional Hilton Honors points.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

As you make a card selection, consider any fees you might have to pay for holding a particular card. Knowing these fees in advance will help determine if you’ll receive sufficient value to offset the fees.

The Hilton Surpass card charges an annual fee of $150, and the Hilton Honors card has a $0.

There are no fees for adding authorized users to either card.

Elevate Your Hilton Honors Status

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

For those who appreciate having top-level Hilton Honors Diamond status plus other premium Hilton benefits, the Hilton Aspire card should be a consideration.

It’s rare to find a card with this level of complimentary elite status. Plus, you’ll receive up to $400 each year in Hilton resort credits ($200 for January to June and $200 for July to December), up to $200 in airline credits ($50 per quarter), and up to $189 in CLEAR Plus credits. Add in a free hotel night certificate each card anniversary year and the card could make sense for Hilton loyalists.

If you own a business and stay at Hilton properties, you’ll also want to check out The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.

Final Thoughts

The Hilton Surpass card is the better card for overall earnings and Hilton Honors elite status compared to the Hilton Honors card. The card has an annual fee, but if you frequent Hilton properties and utilize the Hilton statement credits, you’ll receive greater value.

The Hilton Surpass card also provides the opportunity to earn a valuable free hotel night certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year on the card. Even if all of those purchases earned just 3x points, you’d earn another 45,000 Hilton Honors points to use for an additional free hotel night.

Regardless of the hotel brand you frequent, with a hotel-branded card, you’ll always receive elevated earnings, hotel-related perks, and a faster path to free hotel nights. If you’d like to learn more about some of the best hotel credit cards available, we’ve put together a great list of options.