$95 Annual Fee

Signup Bonus

Currently, the Hilton Surpass card has a signup bonus of 150,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership which is the highest we’ve seen for this card.  I value Hilton points at 0.5 cents each, so this bonus is worth about $750 which is quite generous.  These points can be redeemed at any property in the Hilton portfolio.

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Who is This Card For?

The Hilton Surpass card is perfect for semi frequent travelers looking for great Hilton hotel perks at a low cost.  For those of you who spend a significant number of nights per year with Hilton Hotels, I would recommend the Hilton Aspire card instead which costs more but offers more lucrative benefits.   

Card Benefits

Hilton Gold Status

The primary cardholder receives Hilton’s mid tier elite status as long as you have the card.  Hilton’s mid tier status is the most valuable among major hotel groups like Marriott, Hyatt, or IHG, with additional benefits like:

-Room Upgrades

-Free Breakfast

-Execuitive Lounge Access (If upgraded to an executive room)

-Early check in/late check out

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For a full list of Hilton elite benefits, click here.

Cardholders have the opportunity to earn Hilton’s top tier Diamond status by spending $40,000 in one year of cardmembership.  People who are in the position to spend $40,000 on this credit card are better off paying the higher annual fee for the Hilton Aspire card.

Priority Pass Select Membership (10 Lounge Visits Per Year)

The primary cardholder receives complementary Priority Pass Select membership.  This card provides 10 free entrances to Priority Pass’ collection of over 1300 partner lounges worldwide for the cardholder.  Unlike the Priority Pass membership offered by some high end travel credit cards like the Hilton Aspire, the cardholder cannot bring in additional guests for free.  Priority Pass is great for travelers flying in economy class without lounge access to be able to access an airport lounge before their flight.

Get free access to the Skyteam lounge in Dubai with your Priority Pass membership!

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Bonus Spend Categories

The Hilton Surpass card offers an attractive bonus of 12x points at Hilton properties worldwide. You’ll also earn 6x points at US restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, and 3x points on all other purchases.

This is easily my go to card for Hilton purchases, but I prefer either the American Express Platinum or Citi Prestige for travel and restaurant purchases.

Bottom Line

The Hilton Surpass card is the most attractive mid range hotel credit card available. With a large signup bonus, Priority Pass membership, and Hilton Gold status, the card is an obvious choice for travelers looking to enhance their hotel experience without a high annual fee.