Amex Hilton Surpass Review: Bonus Points, Complimentary Gold Status, and Much More

Travelers looking for a quality hotel card at a reasonable price will find the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card tough to beat. In our Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review, we'll cover why this card lives up to its name -- and surpasses our expectations.

This credit card is a good fit for: Travel rewards enthusiasts who want to save money on Hilton Hotels stays or get airport lounge access from a card that doesn't break the bank.

Top perks

Big welcome offer

You'll earn a sizable welcome offer of 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 6 months. Hilton Honors points are worth about $0.005 per point on average, although it's possible to redeem them for more. Based on that value, 130,000 bonus points are worth at least $650, making this one of the bigger welcome bonuses we've found. Terms apply.

Earn up to 12X points per $1

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card earns:

• 12X points per $1 on eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
• 6X points per $1 on purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
• 4X points per $1 on U.S. online retail purchases
• 3X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply

While Hilton Honors points aren't the most valuable credit card rewards, this card can still earn you a lot of points very quickly. And its bonus categories are a match for the best rewards credit cards.

Earn a free night reward

If you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card for $15,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year, you'll receive one free night reward that can be redeemed for one standard accommodation at any Hilton property that has this type of room available. You can easily redeem this for a value of $100 to $200, and at higher-end properties, it could be worth over $500. Terms apply.

READ MORE: Best Hotel Credit Cards

Up to $200 in annual statement credits

You can get up to $50 each calendar quarter ($200 annually) as a statement credit for eligible purchases made directly with Hilton. Terms apply.

Complimentary Gold status

As a cardholder, you'll automatically get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. Benefits include daily food and beverage credit or free continental breakfast, space-available room upgrades, and an 80% bonus on base points earned on every stay.

There's also the opportunity to get Hilton Honors Diamond status by making at least $40,000 in eligible purchases with your card in a calendar year. That's the highest elite status in the Hilton Honors program, and benefits include executive lounge access and a room guarantee if you book at least 48 hours in advance (subject to certain restrictions). Terms apply.

Airport lounge access

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card includes a complimentary Priority Pass membership with up to 10 free lounge visits per membership year when you enroll. This perk will be discontinued after this date, and any lounge visits will need to be used up by Oct. 31, 2024 at the latest. Terms apply.

If you fly often, airport lounge access is an excellent benefit, especially from a card with a modest annual fee. Most credit cards offering a complimentary Priority Pass membership cost $400 or more.

No foreign transaction fees

A foreign transaction fee is the additional percentage charged on any purchase made in a foreign currency, which is anything except U.S. dollars (see rates and fees).

Since the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card doesn't have any foreign transaction fees, you can use your card without worrying about paying extra fees on purchases in another currency while shopping at home or abroad. This can save you 2% to 3% on purchases versus cards with foreign transaction fees.

RELATED: Best American Express Cards

What could be improved

Free night reward

It's nice that you can earn a free night certificate using the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. But this benefit could be improved by removing the $15,000 spending minimum so you'd receive a free night every year just for being a cardholder. This is something many other hotel credit cards offer right out of the gate, although it is included with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.

Bonus points on international purchases

This card has several great bonus categories, including U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. The problem is that you only earn bonus points if those purchases are with U.S. businesses. If, for example, you're traveling internationally and use your card at a restaurant, you won't earn bonus points like you would at a restaurant in the States.

With travel credit cards, including hotel cards, we like to see benefits you can use all over the world. That's especially true with a Hilton card, considering that Hilton has a huge international footprint and it's likely that many cardholders will take international vacations. Terms apply.

For more options, take a look at our picks for the best credit cards for international travel.

We suggest having good or excellent credit -- a FICO® Score of at least 670 -- when applying for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Just like with any credit card application, your credit score isn't the only factor that matters, so that alone won't guarantee approval or result in denial. Amex will consider your entire credit profile, as well as your income, when evaluating your application.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has an annual fee of $150 (see rates and fees). This is a great deal if you can make use of the card's benefits.

The free night reward alone should more than pay for the annual fee, and it could be worth over $500. If you're going to spend at least $15,000 using your Hilton card, then you'll easily come out ahead from the free night reward and all the points you earn.

Complimentary Gold status in the Hilton Honors program and airport lounge access are useful perks, especially for frequent travelers. The more often you stay at Hilton properties and use airport lounges, the more value you'll get.

• You want a Hilton card that doesn't break the bank, with a relatively modest annual fee and plenty of benefits.
• You stay at Hilton properties at least a few times per year but don't visit often enough to justify a card with a higher annual fee.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.