Hilton AmEx Surpass Review: Credits Can Offset the High Fee

Annual statement credit

Yes, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has a higher annual fee ($150) than many of its competitors. Typically, a hotel card in this class charges less than $100 per year.

But if you know you'll be spending money on Hilton stays, then the card's $200 annual statement credit on qualifying Hilton purchases means it will more than pay for itself. Just be aware that those credits are awarded in $50 increments per quarter. Terms apply.

Robust welcome offer and ongoing rewards

This card comes with a sizable welcome bonus: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

The ongoing rewards — especially at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations — are practical for folks who plan to use this card for everyday purchases and often spend in those categories.

In addition to the 12 points per dollar spent you'll earn on eligible Hilton purchases with this card, you'll also earn 10 Hilton Honors base points for every eligible dollar spent on Hilton rooms (with some exceptions), and an 80% bonus through the Gold Status your card automatically comes with (more on that later). Terms apply. Potentially, that could add up to 30 points per dollar spent on eligible Hilton stays.

Automatic elite status

This card comes with Gold Status, Hilton's middle elite status that's a step above Hilton Honors™ Silver status, and a step below Diamond. This gives you access to plenty of goodies usually reserved for loyal customers. These perks include:

• An 80% bonus on all Hilton Honors base points earned.

• Complimentary breakfast at select hotels.

• Room upgrades, subject to availability, at select hotels.

• Fifth night free when you book a stay of five or more nights using only points.

• All benefits available to lower-tier elite members, such as free internet access at select properties, two complimentary bottles of water per stay at select properties and more. Terms apply.

The 80% bonus, in particular, makes it easy to rack up rewards on Hilton stays. Suppose you book an eligible Hilton stay for $200, and earn 2,400 points from the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and 2,000 points from Hilton through the loyalty program. Because of your Gold Status, you would get an 80% bonus on those 2,000 points earned through Hilton — an additional 1,600 points. All told, that $200 purchase would earn you 6,000 Hilton points.

Priority Pass Select passes (for now)

The card offers 10 free visits to Priority Pass Select lounges each calendar year, giving you a taste of luxury for a reasonable cost. Terms apply. And if you use all those visits each year, it might be more cost-effective than actually springing for a pricier card with unlimited Priority Pass Select visits. Keep in mind that you’ll forfeit these passes at the end of the year if they go unused, though. Also, as noted above, this benefit is being phased out.

How it compares to other Hilton cards

In the Hilton card family, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is the middle-of-the-road option. Unlike the $0-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card, it offers automatic Gold Status and several other perks. But it lacks many of the premium benefits that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers. For more analysis, read NerdWallet's full comparison of Hilton cards. Here's how the cards stack up.

Annual fee

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has a $150 annual fee. And while it offers more than that back in hotel credits, that's still a more expensive price point than other cards in its class. It's also worth noting that those credits are awarded in $50 per-quarter increments, meaning you can't offset an eligible $200 Hilton expense all at once.

If that annual fee is a buzzkill but you still want to earn rewards for Hilton stays, consider the card's $0-annual-fee sibling, the Hilton Honors American Express Card. With this card, you'll earn elevated rewards on Hilton stays, plus restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. The Hilton Honors American Express Card doesn't have the perks you'll find on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, but it also doesn't cost anything to carry.

Lack of flexibility

You can use Hilton points on more than just Hilton stays, but points will generally lose a lot of value if you use them for anything other than hotel stays with the brand. So if you're not a Hilton loyalist (or don't plan on becoming one), a general travel card with more flexible rewards might be a better option.

For example, the rewards you earn with the $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be redeemed for any travel booked through Chase. Or you can transfer points to one of Chase's travel partners to potentially get even more value. The card also earns rewards on a number of useful categories:

• 5 points per $1 spent on travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 spent on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases.

• 2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase.

• 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

No free anniversary award night

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers strong rewards, but it doesn’t offer an automatic free award night every year. To earn a free award night, you have to spend more than $15,000 in a calendar year. If you want a card that gets you a free award night with no spending requirement, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card instead.

This card offers a free award night every anniversary year and solid ongoing rewards. The card also comes with automatic Silver Elite status, which gets you extra benefits like late checkout and free Wi-Fi. The annual fee is $95.