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Hilton Honors American Express vs Hilton Honors Surpass

Hilton Honors American Express edges Hilton Honors Surpass on year-1 math ($1,750 more value at 1.8¢/pt).

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors American Express

$0 annual fee

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors Surpass

$150 annual fee

Quick verdict

Hilton Honors American Express edges Hilton Honors Surpass on year-1 math ($1,750 more value at 1.8¢/pt)

Hilton Honors American Express: $0 recurring credits + $1,800 welcome bonus − $0 AF = $1,800 net. Hilton Honors Surpass: $200 recurring credits + $0 welcome bonus − $150 AF = $50 net. These are year-1 numbers (welcome bonus included) at a 1.8¢/pt rewards valuation. The /tools/annual-fee-breakeven calculator runs the year-2-onward math without the bonus.

Side-by-side specs

Hilton Honors American ExpressHilton Honors Surpass
Annual fee$0$150
Welcome bonus100,000 pts after $1,000 in 3mo
Welcome bonus value @ 1.8¢$1,800
Free-night certSurpass Weekend Night (spend tier) (~$300)
Recurring credits / year$0$200
Year-1 net @ 1.8¢$1,800$50

Year-1 net assumes the welcome bonus values at 1.8¢/pt. For year-2-onward math, use the Annual Fee Break-even Calculator.

Hilton Honors American Express

0 recurring credits

No recurring credits listed in our catalog for this card.

Hilton Honors Surpass

1 recurring credit

  • Hilton Resort Credit$50 · Quarterly

Pick Hilton Honors American Express if

the AF is meaningfully lower ($0 vs $150); the welcome bonus pays more at 1.8¢/pt ($1,800 vs $0).

Pick Hilton Honors Surpass if

the recurring credits stack is richer ($200 vs $0); the included free-night cert is a structural advantage.

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