Hilton Surpass Card vs. Marriott Boundless Card [Detailed Comparison]

There are many benefits to having a hotel-branded credit card. Card benefits can enhance your brand experience with elevated rewards earning, hotel loyalty program elite status, and preferred redemption options.

Today’s article will particularly interest those who frequent the Hilton or Marriott hotels. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card support the cards’ associated loyalty program with several hotel-centric rewards and benefits.

Imagine the joy of securing free hotel stays and experiencing the perks that come with hotel elite status! If that sounds appealing, read on for all the reasons you’d want to consider a hotel-branded card.

Hilton Surpass Card vs. Marriott Boundless Card — Overview

Before we get into the details of the Hilton Surpass card and the Marriott Boundless card, let’s look at an overview of how the cards compare.

Here’s a high-level view of what you can expect from each of our featured hotel cards:

Feature or Benefit	The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Welcome Offer	Earn 130,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months	Earn 5 Free Nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 in the first 3 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	6x points at Marriott hotels and resorts 3x points on the first $6,000 in purchases at supermarkets, gas stations, and dining
Top Redemption Option	Hilton hotel nights	Marriott hotel nights
Top Travel Protections and Benefits	Car rental insurance, baggage insurance, Hilton Honors benefits, Hilton statement credits, no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)	Car rental insurance, baggage insurance, no foreign transaction fees, free hotel certificate, Marriott Bonvoy benefits
Top Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection, extended warranty, Amex Offers	Purchase protection, extended warranty, Chase Offers
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees) No charge for authorized users (rates & fees)	Annual fee of $95 No charge for authorized users

The Value of a Welcome Offer

A card’s welcome offer provides the opportunity to earn a large number of rewards in a short period. The welcome offers for hotel-branded cards are typically sufficient to redeem for several free hotel nights.

Once approved for the Hilton Surpass card or the Marriott Boundless card, you may qualify for the welcome bonus offer by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period.

The following snapshots contain our featured cards’ most recent welcome offers and additional card information:

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card come with generous welcome offers that are worth several free hotel nights. You can earn the welcome offer by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period after card approval.

The Hilton Hotel Brand vs. the Marriott Hotel Brand

You won’t go wrong with either Hilton or Marriott — loyalists advocate the benefits of each hotel brand. Both brands have impressive worldwide footprints, with Hilton having over 7,500 properties and Marriott edging in at about 8,700.

Another factor equalizing the brands is that both work hard to provide lodging choices for every type of traveler, from budget to luxury. Hilton has 20+ brands, while Marriott has 35+. This ensures you’ll always have plenty of choices, no matter what brand you frequent.

Regardless of the brand you prefer, the Hilton Surpass card or Marriott Boundless card will help you stay there for less and in greater comfort.

Learn more about the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs. You’ll want to sign up for these programs before staying with either brand.

Let’s continue and look at how our featured hotel-branded cards can make a difference in how you experience these brands.

Earning Potential

The Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card earn well on the respective hotel purchases and everyday purchases. These bonus earnings can help you accumulate rewards faster, resulting in faster free hotel nights.

Here’s how you’ll earn rewards on both of our featured cards:

Earning Category	Hilton Surpass Card	Marriott Boundless Card
Travel	12x points at Hilton properties 3x points on all other travel	6x points at Marriott properties 2x points on all other travel
Supermarkets, Restaurants, Gas Stations	6x points at U.S. locations	3x points on the first $6,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 2x points
U.S. Online Retailers	4x points	2x points
All Other Purchases	3x points	2x points

The Hilton Surpass card earns Hilton Honors points deposited into your Hilton Honors account each month after your card statement closes. Similarly, the Marriott Boundless card earns Marriott Bonvoy points. For this reason, you’ll want to sign up for the respective loyalty program account before applying for either card.

In addition to the points earned by spending on your card, you’ll receive elevated earnings when you stay at Hilton and Marriott properties. Points earned from any source will be deposited into your corresponding hotel loyalty program account.

Earn More When Staying at Hilton Properties

For the Hilton Surpass card, you would earn 12x Hilton Honors points per dollar spent for using the card and an additional 10x base points per dollar spent for the stay at most Hilton properties. You’ll also earn an 80% elite bonus on the base points for having elite status that comes with the card (we’ll talk about elite status shortly).

This translates to earning up to 30x points per dollar spent when using the Hilton Surpass card for your stays.

Earn More When Staying at Marriott Properties

For the Marriott Boundless card, you’ll earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent using your card and an additional 10x base points per dollar spent for staying at most Marriott properties. Additionally, you’ll earn bonus points for having the Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

This translates to up to 17x points per dollar spent just by paying with the Marriott Boundless card!

Earning many hotel points is one of the great benefits of having a hotel-branded card. The value of those rewards at redemption time is also of key importance.

Next, we’ll look at your options when it’s time to redeem your points.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card earn well when using the cards to pay for hotel stays at the affiliated brands. In addition, both cards earn well on everyday purchases.

Redemption Options

Redeeming points earned on the Hilton Surpass card or Marriott Boundless card can be exciting. With either program, you’ll be able to book hotels throughout the world.

In a nutshell, here are the options you’ll have at redemption time.

Redemption Option	Hilton Surpass Card	Marriott Boundless Card
Hotel Stays	Redeem points for free hotel nights, combine cash + points for free nights, fifth night free
Flights	Transfer points to airline partners
Additional Redemption Options	Lyft rides, meetings/events, Ticketmaster, car rentals, shopping	Merchandise, Uber, gift cards, experiences, travel

The best option for redeeming points earned on the Hilton Surpass card or Marriott Boundless card is to redeem them for free hotel nights. Both loyalty programs also allow you to combine points with cash to redeem for hotel stays.

A key benefit of both Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy is the fifth night free when booking 5 consecutive award nights. Hilton Honors offers this benefit to elite members, while Marriott Bonvoy allows all program members to take advantage of this perk.

Let’s look at some examples of the experiences you’ll have access to when redeeming your points with either program.

Redemption Examples

Hilton Surpass Card

Iceland is on many travelers’ bucket lists. And, while flights can be affordable, hotel prices can be expensive. If you book with Hilton Honors points, you can stay at high-end properties like the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre or the Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton for just 80,000 points per night. Stays can be booked for less than 60,000 per night in off-peak periods. You may also want to take advantage of the fifth night free at either of these properties.

We value Hilton Honors points at approximately 0.5 cents per point. This translates to $300 to $400 for a hotel night (even less when using the fifth night free), which can cost as high as $800 per night.

If you prefer warmer climates, there’s no shortage of good value. Here are several ideas for some of the best ways to redeem your Hilton Honors points.

Marriott Boundless Card

Finding hotel rooms in Europe for a traveling family can be challenging. The AC Hotel brand can be an excellent option, especially in Spain. With the fifth night free, booking 2 rooms for a 5-night stay for between 40,000 to 80,000 Marriott total points per room (even in coastal cities) solves the problem. At a value of 0.7 cents per point, that’s just $280 to $560 for 5 hotel nights. You can filter hotels by brand and number of points on the Marriott Bonvoy website.

For more aspirational hotel bookings, we’ve got you covered with these recommendations for the best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points.

Both Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy allow you to transfer points to airline partners. While you might use this option to top off a frequent flyer account for a specific redemption, it is not the best use for your hotel rewards.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass and Marriott Boundless cards earn rewards points best redeemed for free hotel nights. While not the best value for your rewards, both programs also allow you to transfer points to airline partners.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Travel protections can reimburse you for eligible expenses should something go wrong during your trip for a covered reason. Travel benefits can make your journey more comfortable and save you money.

First, we’ll look at the travel protections and benefits of the Hilton Surpass card and the Marriott Boundless card. We’ve then listed some of the unique perks of each card.

• Car Rental Insurance — Use your card to reserve and pay for your car rental, decline the agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive secondary car rental insurance. Secondary means you must first file a claim with any other applicable coverage before card coverage applies.
• Baggage Insurance — If your baggage is lost, stolen, or damaged, you could receive up to $1,250 with the Hilton Surpass card or up to $3,000 with the Marriott Boundless card.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Both cards travel well with no foreign transaction fees charged on either card.
• Emergency Travel Assistance — The Hilton Surpass card offers a Global Assist Hotline while the Marriott Boundless card offers a Visa Concierge where you’ll get 24/7 assistance during your travels. Get access to translation services, assistance in coordinating emergency transportation, referrals to English-speaking legal and medical professionals, and additional support services.

Hilton Surpass Card

• Premium Car Rental Protection — You’ll have access to primary car rental insurance for 1 low price of $12.25 to $24.95 (depending on the coverage selected and state of residence). The fee covers the entire rental period, up to 42 consecutive days, and you do not need to file a claim with other insurance before card coverage applies.
• Hilton Honors Elite Status — The card features complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status.
• A Faster Path to Higher Elite Status — After spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, you would earn top Diamond elite status.
• Free Hotel Night Certificate — Receive a free hotel night certificate after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
• Hilton Statement Credits — Receive up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, up to $200 each year, when using your card to pay for Hilton hotel stays.
• National Car Rental Program Benefits — Receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive status when you enroll your card via your online card account in National Car Rental’s Executive Club program.

Hot Tip:

Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy offer fifth-night-free benefits when booking award nights. Hilton Honors provides this benefit to all elite members, while Marriott Bonvoy allows any member to enjoy this benefit.

Marriott Boundless Card

• Trip Delay Coverage — If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours or overnight, you could receive up to $500 for covered unreimbursed expenses.
• Baggage Delay — If your bags are delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day, up to 5 days, for eligible expenses.
• Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status — Receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status due to the gift of 15 elite night credits each year that count toward elite status qualification.
• A Faster Path to Higher Elite Status — Earn 1 additional elite night credit for every $5,000 spent on the card each calendar year. Spend a total of $35,000 on the card and receive complimentary Gold Elite status.
• Free Hotel Night Certificate — Each year, at your card anniversary, you will receive a free night certificate worth up to 35,000 points. This benefit alone is worth having the card.

Note that we have abbreviated coverage descriptions and have not included all applicable protections and benefits. Please refer to each card’s Guide to Benefits and offer detailed information for full descriptions and the associated terms and conditions.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card have several travel protections and benefits, including car rental insurance, baggage coverage, and no foreign transaction fees. Additionally, you’ll find that both cards offer elite status. The Marriott Boundless card includes a free hotel night certificate, while the Hilton Surpass card requires you to spend $15,000 in a calendar year.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

The Hilton Surpass card and the Marriott Boundless card come with valuable shopping protections and benefits.

If you have problems with an eligible item you purchased with your card, shopping protection can come in handy. Shopping benefits can save you money.

Here are the features on both cards and those unique to each card.

• Purchase Protection — Receive coverage for damage or theft of an eligible item purchased with your card.
  • The Hilton Surpass card provides coverage for 90 days from the date of purchase, up to $1,000 per eligible purchase, for up to $50,000 per eligible card account.
  • The Marriott Boundless covers eligible items for up to 120 days for up to $500 per claim, up to $50,000 per account.
• Extended Warranty — Eligible items purchased with your card may receive an extension of the manufacturer’s warranty for 1 additional year. The Hilton Surpass card requires the eligible items to have manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, while the Marriott Boundless card requires 3 years or less.

Hilton Surpass Card

• Amex Offers — Login to your online card account and select the offers you prefer from up to 100 retailers and service providers. Make the associated purchase and receive a statement credit or additional points.

Marriott Boundless Card

• Chase Offers — You’ll find Chase offers in your online card account. Add the offers to your card, make the required purchase, and receive a statement credit.

Bottom Line:

The Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card come with product protections, including purchase protection and extended warranty coverage. In addition, you’ll save money and potentially earn more rewards with shopping offers found on each card.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Understanding any fees you might need to pay when holding a credit card is important. You’ll want to be sure you’re receiving benefits that have value beyond any associated card fees.

The Hilton Surpass card has an annual fee of $150, while the Marriott Boundless card has an annual fee of $95.

There is no additional fee to add authorized users to either card.

Final Thoughts

There are many positive reasons to have a hotel-branded card if you stay at Hilton or Marriott properties, even just a few times a year.

Plus, with lower annual fees on the Hilton Surpass card and Marriott Boundless card, the benefits of the hotel loyalty program you receive can far outweigh any card-associated outlay. With the Marriott Boundless card specifically, the free night certificate at each card anniversary more than offsets the annual fee.

Don’t rule out the possibility of securing both hotel-branded cards if you frequent both hotel brands. Just be sure to check issuer requirements before applying for either card.

If you want to learn more about the perks of Hilton Honors elite status and Marriott Bonvoy elite status, our articles on these topics have all the information you’ll need.

To learn more about our recommendations for additional hotel-branded cards, we’ve put together a list of some of the best hotel cards available.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the purchase protection benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase with their eligible card, purchase protection can help protect their covered purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the global assist hotline benefit of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.