Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Review

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The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is ideal for earning and redeeming Hilton points. It has an annual fee of $95. However, it's pretty easy to offset the fee through its various valuable bonus categories. It has no foreign transaction fee, which is something we always like to see on travel cards.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card earns 12 points per dollar for eligible purchases at Hilton properties worldwide. You earn six points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in U.S. supermarkets, restaurants and gas stations. Any other eligible purchases will yield points at a rate of three points per dollar.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has an impressive welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton points if you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first six months of opening an account.

You can redeem the rewards by logging in to your Hilton Honors account. The lowest amount you can redeem is 5,000 points if you’re paying using both cash and points. However, the rate of redemption for Hilton bonus points is dynamic and changes depending on demand and seasons.

Luckily, there are no blackout dates for points redemption, which increases the hotel availability. Hilton offers an option to combine cash and points, with a value-per-point of around 0.5 cents each.

Hilton also offers a points pooling option that allows Hilton Honors members to combine points with other cardholders to make a meaningful redemption.

• Spend $2,000 on purchases in the first six months to earn 130,000 bonus points.
• Spend at properties within the Hilton portfolio to earn 12x points.
• Spend at U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. restaurants to earn 6x points.
• Earns 3x points through all other purchases.
• Redeem your reward points for free nights, VIP access to events, Lyft rides, shopping at Amazon.com and Hilton Honors' online mall or car rentals.
• Can convert your points to miles with the program’s airline partners or share them with other Hilton Honors members.
• Qualify for a free Hilton Honors weekend night reward from if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
• Get ten complimentary airport lounge visits every 12 months by enrolling in the Priority Pass Select program.
• Get automatic Hilton Honors Gold status with your new card. If you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, you stand to get Hilton Honors Diamond status, which remains valid for a year.
• Fraud protection offers safeguard against possible misuse of your card.
• Get access to American Express features such as Send & Split and Pay It Plan It.

There are many Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card benefits. Here are other valuable perks that could make your next stay much more relaxed.

• Purchase protection: The card covers damage or theft for purchases up to $1,000 within the first 90 days after buying the item.
• Baggage insurance: The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card covers lost, stolen or damaged checked and carry-on baggage if the tickets are purchased using the card.
• Car rental loss and damage insurance: This credit card provides secondary compensation for qualified rental vehicles.
• Global Assist Hotline: This 24/7 service assists before and during travel for emergency services such as lost passports.
• Presales and preferred seating: The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card provides the chance to buy event tickets before the public and access preferred seating.
• Free ShopRunner subscription: You'll have free two-day shipping and returns with chosen merchants if you use this card.
• Travel accident insurance: For tickets charged on your card, you're eligible for coverage in the event an accident occurs that disrupts or suspends your travel plans.
• Customer service: American Express has the best reputation for customer satisfaction among credit card issuers. In J.D. Power's 2020 survey, Amex took the top spot over 11 other issuers.

The card has no foreign transaction fees. Its rewards are lucrative and have excellent sign-up bonuses. However, the factors you’d consider when comparing it with other cards will largely depend on what you want from the card.