Is the Hilton AmEx Surpass Card Worth Its Annual Fee?

Hilton’s mid-level co-branded credit card has a new, higher annual fee with some additional perks to go with it. The annual fee of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is now $150. That’s a sharp increase from the previous annual fee of $95. Terms apply. (see rates and fees.)

It begs the question: Is the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card worth it? Do its perks outweigh its annual fee? And, is this the best Hilton card to get?

It ultimately depends on factors such as the member’s travel habits, and whether they’re able to fully take advantage of the card’s travel perks and cost-saving benefits.

» Learn more: How to build the best Hilton credit card strategy

New benefits in 2024

Hilton added several benefits in this card’s revamp.

$200 annually in statement credit for Hilton purchases

Most notably, cardholders will receive up to $200 back each year on Hilton purchases (like hotel stays) after they pay with their Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

The statement credits will be capped at a maximum of $50 per quarter, so to take full advantage of the benefit, you’d need to make a Hilton purchase once per quarter.

» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now

4x on online retail purchases

Another new perk: Cardholders will earn 4 Hilton Honors points per dollar for online retail purchases. That’s on top of existing bonus spend categories for purchases made with Hilton, or on U.S. restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. Terms apply.

National car rental elite status

Hilton will also give members Executive Elite status with National Car Rental’s Emerald Club loyalty program, making earning free rental days and complimentary upgrades easier. Executive members earn a free rental day after every six credits, while first-tier members only earn a free day after every seven credits. Enrollment required.

Priority Pass membership ending

It’s worth noting, though, that one perk is no longer available with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Cardholders will no longer receive 10 annual airport lounge visits through Priority Pass Select.

Existing cardholders who enrolled in Priority Pass on or before Jan. 31, 2023 will no longer have a membership as of Feb. 1, 2024. Cardholders who enroll between Feb. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2024, will continue to have membership through Oct. 31, 2024. Terms apply.

Existing Hilton Honors Surpass Card perks

With these added perks complementing existing ones, here’s a quick rundown of the most notable benefits that Hilton Honors American Express Surpass cardholders can expect.

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.

Earning rates

• Earn 12 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases.

• Earn 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations.

• Earn 4 points per dollar on online retail purchases.

• Earn 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Terms apply.

Other notable benefits

• Automatic Hilton Honors™ Gold elite status. If the cardholder spends more than $40,000 in a calendar year on the card, they will earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond status.

• A Free Night Reward if the cardholder spends more than $15,000 in a calendar year on the card.

• No foreign transaction fees.

Terms apply.

» Learn more: Hilton Honors: The complete guide

How to make the math work for you

Use your bonus points for stays

Let’s start off by talking about what you could get with those points from the welcome offer:

NerdWallet values Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cent each when redeemed for an award stay. Use our calculator to find out how much the welcome offer is worth.

The points from the welcome bonus could conceivably get a member several nights at a lower-cost property or even one or two at some high end properties.

For example, it could cover two nights at the Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which has a nightly rate of about 770 euros (about $812 USD). The bonus could also be redeemed for a few nights at the Hilton Playa del Carmen, an all-inclusive adults only resort in Mexico (56,000 points nightly). That’s compared to a $532 nightly rate.

» Learn more: Your guide to booking award nights with Hilton Honors

Take advantage of other card perks

Free Night Reward and $200 in credits at Hilton hotels

One of the most surefire ways to get the most out of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is to earn the Free Night and take advantage of the statement credits. Terms apply.

Cardholders who spend at least $15,000 in a calendar year are eligible for one free, standard night redemption at thousands of Hilton properties around the world (with some exclusions). Terms apply. That could equate to hundreds of dollars in savings, particularly if cardholders redeem it at a higher-end property.

On top of that, cardholders can earn up to $200 in statement credits on charges with Hilton paid for with the card. Since the credits are capped at $50 per quarter, taking full advantage of this benefit requires travelers to spend with Hilton somewhat regularly. They won’t be able to earn all $200 back on one $250 hotel stay. Terms apply.

But if both benefits are used fully, the savings from these two Hilton benefits alone could surpass the card’s annual fee.

Valuable elite status

Hilton Honors™ Gold elite status affords cardholders some perks: bonus points on most Hilton purchases, complimentary upgrades, the “fifth night free” benefit when paying for a stay with points and waived resort fees. Terms apply.

NerdWallet found the average resort fee among hotels that charge them is $42.41 per night, so with a five night award stay, the cardholder could save about $210 per night and get a 20% discount on the number of points needed. It’s a win-win for cardholders and the savings on resort fees alone could offset the annual fee in this scenario.

No foreign transaction fees

Don’t forget, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card also helps members save thanks to it having no foreign transaction fees. Terms apply.

For anyone who plans to make credit card charges outside the country, that’s money in the bank, saving you around 3% over the fees some other cards charge. (Keep in mind that American Express cards are not accepted as widely abroad as Visa and Mastercard, so you’ll want to make sure you travel with a backup.)

If you're considering the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card ...

For travelers who plan to stay at Hilton portfolio hotels in the future, the accelerated points earning that come with this card are a key factor to consider. For every $1 members charge on the card at a Hilton property, they’ll earn 12 Hilton Honors points.

That’s on top of the points earned from the stay itself, just for being a Hilton Honors member — plus, with the card, the member is also upgraded to Gold status (which will accelerate their points earning at Hilton hotels even further).

NerdWallet values Hilton Honors points at about 0.6 cent each, so at 12 points per $1, cardholders get back about 7 cents for every dollar spent using the card at Hilton hotels. Terms apply.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card comes with automatic Gold status in the Hilton Honors program, and members who spend $40,000 a year, will get upgraded to Diamond status.

Plus, members who can fully take advantage of the free night reward (after spending $15,000 in a calendar year) and $200 in Hilton credits ($50 per quarter) will be come out ahead despite the higher $150 annual fee.

To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, see this page.