Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
$150 annual fee · $200/yr in printed statement credits · 3x on everything else · no foreign transaction fees
Earn rates · how we got this
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 6x | uncapped |
| Groceries | 6x | uncapped |
| Gas | 6x | uncapped |
| Online retail | 4x | uncapped |
| Everything else | 3x | uncapped |
| Hotels at Hilton only — anywhere else in this category the card earns its base rate, so it is excluded from every ranking on this site |
12x | uncapped |
See how it ranks: best dining cards · best groceries cards · best gas cards · best online retail cards.
Signup bonus: 130,000 points after $3,000 in 6 months. We never count unearned bonuses in savings math — a bonus you don't clear is worth zero. Plus a Free Night Reward. Limited-time offer; ends 2027-01-13. Bonus figure confirmed on the issuer's page 2026-09-15.
Statement credits — $200/yr on paper · how we got this
| Credit | Value | How it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Credit | $200/year | quarterly |
Monthly and quarterly credits expire if unused — that's where most of their printed value quietly disappears.
Non-cash perks
- Hilton Honors Gold status (80% bonus points on stays, food & beverage credit/continental breakfast, space-available upgrades)
- Upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through end of next calendar year after $40,000 spend in a calendar year
- Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status (enrollment required)
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance (secondary)
- Global Assist Hotline
- Baggage Insurance Plan
- Purchase Protection (up to $1,000/purchase, $50,000/calendar year)
Does the fee earn out? · how we got this
The printed statement credits ($200/yr) cover the $150 fee on paper — if you'd spend that way anyway. Credits you have to remember, enroll in, or change behavior for are worth less than face value. Our app tracks each one against your actual charges.
Is this $150 fee worth it? See the break-even math →
Check the current offer on the issuer's site → Where a card link will appear once available — no link on this page pays us today.
Who this card is not for
Every point below is a term the issuer prints, read off this card's own row in our database — not an opinion about the card. One thing on this card rules out a kind of spender:
- Anyone who doesn't spend at Hilton. Its largest printed rate, 12x on hotels, pays only at Hilton. Anywhere else it earns its base 3x, so the headline number is a loyalty rate rather than a category rate — which is why no ranking on this site counts it.
Don't want the fee any more?
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card can normally be product-changed to one lower-fee card in the American Express Hilton Honors family instead of being closed — which keeps the account, its age and its credit line.
What does Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card downgrade to? →
Comparing cards in the same currency? See the best cards that earn Hilton Honors points →
More from American Express
Which card should this spending actually be on? The demo re-scores a year of realistic spending against every card in a wallet — free, no signup. See it on sample data →
Verified 2026-08-21 against issuer terms · sources: www.americanexpress.com · www.thepointsguy.com. Spot an error? Tell us.