Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

Note: American Express is a Frequent Miler advertiser. Please see our Advertiser Disclosure.

130K Points
130K after $2K in the first 3 months. Terms apply.(Rates & Fees)
Click Here to Apply

$95 Annual Fee

Via some browsers you may find a targeted 140K offer with a refer-a-friend link. You can find our refer-a-friend link here (Note: this refer-a-friend link is not an affiliate link. Information about this link was collected independently by Frequent Miler)

FM Mini Review: Easy way to secure Hilton Gold status (which offers free breakfast among other perks). Those who want Diamond status may be better off with the Aspire card.

Card Type: Amex Credit Card

Base

3X
(1.35%)

Dine

6X
(2.7%)

Gas

6X
(2.7%)

Grocery

6X
(2.7%)

Brand

12X
(5.4%)

Earning rate: ⚬ 12X Hilton spend ⚬ 6X U.S. restaurants, US Supermarkets, and US gas stations ⚬ 3X on all other eligible purchases

Big spend bonus:
⚬ Free weekend night after $15K spend in calendar year ⚬ Diamond elite status with $40K calendar year spend ⚬ Terms apply

Noteworthy perks: Free Gold status. Diamond status w/ $40K spend. ⚬ 10 free Priority Pass lounge visits per calendar year ⚬ Terms Apply. (Rates & Fees)

Overview

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card offers the following benefits:

No foreign transaction fees
Hilton Gold status; Diamond status after $40K calendar year spend
Earning rate:
- 12X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
- 6X at U.S. grocery stores, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations
- 3X on all other eligible purchases
Weekend Night Rewards:
- $15K calendar year spend = weekend night reward
- You will receive the reward email within 8-12 weeks after you have met each purchase requirement.
- Weekend = Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night
- Weekend Night Rewards cannot be used at Hilton hotels listed here: HiltonHonors.com/weekendreward.
10 free Priority Pass Lounge passes per calendar year

Overall this is a great option for those who want an easy way to get and keep Hilton Gold status (which offers free breakfast, among other perks). Due to the relatively low value of Hilton points compared to many other types of rewards (see: Reasonable Redemption Values), this isn't the best card to use for spend at 3X, but it's not bad for it's 6X and 12X categories.

Application Tips

Amex Application Tips

Safe to Apply: Amex is the safest bank for trying your luck at a new welcome bonus. They don’t usually issue a hard pull when denying your application. Plus, they’ll now warn you during the application process if you’re not eligible for the bonus.

Lifetime Rule: If you've ever had the same card before, you are most likely prohibited from getting a welcome bonus for the card if you apply now. Fortunately you'll be warned during the application process if this is the case. Amex is known to "forget" that you've had a card after about 7 years.

5/90 Rule: In general, you can get at most one credit card within 5 days and 2 within 90 days. The 5 day limit is not enforced when your applications are automatically approved. Neither rule is enforced for charge cards.

5 credit card max:Amex usually won't approve applications for new credit cards if you already have 4 or more Amex credit cards or 10 or more charge cards.

Better Offers: You may be able to get a better offer than the best available public offer. Details here.

Hard inquiries combine into 1 when approved same day

Check application status here.
If denied, call reconsideration: 877-399-3083 (new accountholders); 866-314-0237 (current accountholders)

How to Meet Spend Requirements

In order to meet minimum spend requirements, people often look for options to increase spend in ways that result in getting their money back. These techniques are referred to as "manufacturing spend". American Express has terms in their welcome offers that exclude some manufactured spend techniques from counting towards the minimum spend requirements for the welcome bonus. For example, most new cardmember bonuses have terms like this:

Eligible purchases to meet the Threshold Amount do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents.

That said, many techniques for meeting minimum spend are perfectly fine. Here are some techniques that are safe for meeting Amex minimum spend requirements (click each link for more information):

Related Cards (Hilton)

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card