Biggest ever Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card new cardmember welcome offer: Earn 165k Hilton points.

Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.

September 23, 2024: Amex and Hilton have announced a limited-time Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card new cardmember offer. The limited time offer features the largest number of bonus points we’ve ever seen offered on this card.

Here’s the best available new cardmember offer on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card:

Annual fee: annual_fees
(See Rates and Fees)

Best welcome offer: bonus_miles_full

Learn how to apply.

This bonus is earned as Hilton Honors Bonus Points.

Our take: Biggest bonus we’ve seen and the best card for most frequent Hilton guests.

The current limited-time welcome offer features the biggest bonus we’ve seen on this card since we started keeping track. If you’re interested in this card, you should pick up this card before the bonus expires in January.

We also think that this is the Hilton credit card to get and keep if you consistently stay at Hilton properties half a dozen times a year or more. You can earn more in credits than you’ll pay for the card’s annual fee if you maximize the up to $200 ($50, quarterly) credits for Hilton purchases. Though if you are a road warrior traveler who is in Hilton properties nearly every week, or if you enjoy paying for luxury travel, you might want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card instead. Visit our guide to the Hilton cards to compare all of the Hilton cards’ benefits and rewards, side-by-side.

About the card: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card at a glance

Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
(See Rates and Fees)

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is the best Hilton card for you if you stay in Hilton hotels consistently and can get the value from its up to $50 in quarterly Hilton statement credits.

Welcome offer

Best welcome offer: bonus_miles_full

Learn how to apply.

This bonus is earned as Hilton Honors Bonus Points.

Rewards

• 12x on Hilton hotel and resort purchases.
  for eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 6x on dining
  at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
• 6x on groceries
  at U.S. supermarkets.
• 6 on gas
  at U.S. gas stations.
• 4x on U.S. online retail purchases.
• 3x on other eligible purchases.

Rewards are earned at Hilton Honors Bonus Points.

Benefits

Hilton benefits

• Hilton Honors Gold Status
  Upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year after you spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year.
• $200 Hilton credit
  Earn up to $50 in statement credits each quarter (up to $200 per year) for eligible purchases made with Hilton Hotels and Resorts. Terms apply.
• Earn a free night award
  after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases within a calendar year. Terms apply.

Consumer insurance benefits

• Purchase protection.
• Extended warranty.

Travel insurance benefits

• Car rental loss and damage insurance.
• Global assist hotline.
• Baggage insurance plan.

Partner benefits and statement credits

• National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status.
  Enrollment required. Terms apply.
• ShopRunner.
  Enrollment required. Terms apply.

Are you eligible for a new Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card welcome offer?

American Express will generally not let you get a welcome offer on a card if you’ve previously had the card. If you’ve ever had the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card or previous versions of these cards, you might not be eligible to receive a welcome offer.

Here’s the direct text from the offer terms:

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offer terms

Note that the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card is no longer available to new cardmembers.

American Express may also exclude you from welcome offer eligibility based on your history with Amex, the number of cards you’ve opened or closed, or other factors. Fortunately, Amex will notify you prior to processing your application if you are ineligible for a welcome offer. So, even if you’re unsure whether you qualify, it can make sense to apply—your credit score won’t be affected if Amex tells you that you are ineligible for the welcome offer and you withdraw your application.

A few notes on applying for American Express credit cards

Here are a few things that you should know about applying for American Express cards.

• Amex will let you know if you’re ineligible for the new cardmember welcome offer when applying. If you don’t qualify for a welcome offer for any reason, American Express will inform you during the application process and let you withdraw your application before they perform a “hard pull” on your credit report. If you withdraw your application, the withdrawn application will have no impact on your credit score.
• No hard pull if they deny you. If Amex denies your credit card application, they usually won’t issue a hard pull on your credit report. This means that your credit score won’t decrease because of the denied application.
• One welcome offer per card per “lifetime”. Most Amex card terms say that you’re ineligible for a welcome offer if you’ve ever had the card before. Some targeted offers do not have this lifetime language. Readers and other blogs have reported that Amex may internally define “lifetime” as 7 years—if it’s been 7 years since you’ve had a card, you might be eligible to get a welcome offer again.
• Some cards allow one welcome offer per card “family”. Some American Express cards, like the personal Platinum card or the Charles Schwab Platinum card have language that prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had a card from the same card family before.
• Maximum 5 Amex credit cards and 10 pay-over-time cards. You can have a maximum of 5 American Express credit cards at one time. In addition, you can hold up to 10 American Express pay-over-time cards (like the Platinum, Gold, and Green cards.) These limits are known to occasionally be flexible for some cardmembers, some of the time.
• You might be able to get a better welcome offer than the public offer. American Express offers some customers targeted offers. See our post on how to get the best welcome offers from American Express and try those methods before applying for an American Express card. You might be able to get an elevated welcome offer.
• Check your application status online. You can check the status of your American Express card application online through the Amex website.

Frequently asked questions

Read more about the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

American Express card disclosures

• For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees

Amex Basic Purchase Protection benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.   Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Amex Extended Warranty benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.   Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Amex Basic Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance disclosure: Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Amex Basic Baggage Insurance Plan benefit disclosure: Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.