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The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are excellent cards for those who stay at Hilton properties regularly. These cards have outstanding benefits and can boost your Hilton Honors point balance when you spend in certain categories.
Better yet, holding both of these Hilton Honors credit cards can tremendously boost the value of your Hilton stays, enhance your point-earning ability, and grant you additional perks and benefits.
However, if you're considering paying the annual fee on both cards, it's important to have the right strategies for using the benefits and spending correctly on these cards to extract maximum value. This post will show you how to do just that.
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Hilton Aspire Overview
Hilton Aspire key benefits
First, let's discuss the Hilton Aspire. While this card charges a $550 annual fee , it also offers several benefits that justify the cost.
- Free Night Certificate. Cardholders receive a Hilton free night certificate upon acquiring the card and an additional certificate each year about 10–12 weeks following your renewal. The certificate is valid any night of the week and at almost all properties within the Hilton portfolio (click here to view the exclusions). Once the certificate is issued, you have 12 months to use it. You can also spend an additional $30,000 per calendar year to receive a second certificate and $60,000 for a third.
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit. The Hilton Aspire offers up to $400 annually in Hilton credits. To maximize this benefit, cardmembers must spend at least $200 in the first half of the year and $200 in the second half of the year. These credits will reimburse you for almost any charge incurred at a Hilton Resort, such as those made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the property if charged to your room. Here's more about how to use the Hilton Aspire resort credit.
- Hilton Honors Diamond Status. As a benefit of the card, you'll get instant top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status. Diamond benefits include complimentary breakfast or food and beverage credit, space-available room upgrades, a fifth night free on reward stays, and much more. Better yet, Diamond elites earn a 100% points bonus on Hilton stays. That boosts your total earnings on Hilton stays to 34X if you pay with the Hilton Aspire.
- $100 Property Credit. If you book a paid Hilton stay at a Waldorf Astoria or Conrad property through this link or by calling (855) 292-5757, you can get up to $100 in credits for qualifying charges. Note that property fees, taxes, gratuities, and the cost of the room do not qualify as eligible charges.
- $200 Flight Credit. You can receive up to $50 in statement credits each quarter (up to $200 back each year) on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through the Amex Travel portal using your card.
- CLEAR Plus Credit. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership with your Hilton Aspire.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Related: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card Comprehensive Review
Hilton Aspire earning rates
When you swipe the Hilton Aspire, here's how many points per dollar you'll earn on your purchase:
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
Hilton Surpass Overview
Hilton Surpass key benefits
Now, let's look pivot to the Hilton Surpass. The annual fee for this card is $150 (Rates & Fees). While the Hilton Surpass card doesn't have the many credits and benefits that the Hilton Aspire card has, it can still easily justify its own annual fee.
- Spending-Based Free Night Certificate. Cardmembers receive a free night certificate after spending $15,000 during a calendar year. The certificate will typically appear in your Hilton account within a week after meeting the $15,000 threshold. As with the Hilton Aspire, the free night certificate is valid any night of the week and at nearly every property; be sure to redeem it within a year of its issuance.
- $200 Hilton Credit. Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Surpass.
- Hilton Honors Gold Status. As a benefit of the card, you'll get instant Hilton Honors Gold status. Gold benefits include complimentary breakfast or food and beverage credit, space-available room upgrades, a fifth night free on reward stays, and more. Gold elites earn an 80% points bonus on Hilton stays, which boosts to 30X if you pay with the Hilton Surpass.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Related: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Comprehensive Review
Hilton Surpass earning rates
And when you use the Hilton Surpass, here's how many Hilton Honors points you'll earn:
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
- 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.
- Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That's up to $200 in statement credits annually.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
- As a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $150 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Strategies for Using the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass Together
Hilton loyalists have plenty of reasons to hold either card. After all, both the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass pack plenty of value.
However, I'd argue there's a reason to consider carrying both cards to maximize benefits and enhance your experience at Hilton properties.
Related: How To Earn Hilton Honors Points
Line up your free night certificates for higher-value redemptions
Hilton free night certificates are extremely valuable; earning them can help you reserve a night at a property you'd never consider paying the cash rate for. Better yet, if you have both the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass, you potentially earn multiple certificates in a short amount of time. This allows you to string nights at that dream property together easily.
You'll receive your Hilton Aspire free night certificate within 10-12 weeks of your renewal date. Since this certificate is valid for one year after issuance, it's a good idea to finish your $15,000 worth of spending on the Hilton Surpass at about the time you will receive the certificate from having the Hilton Aspire.
The certificate you earn through the Hilton Surpass will post to your account within a week after you earn it. Earning both will give you two certificates valid for one-time use over the following 12 months.
For example, if your anniversary date for the Hilton Aspire is around July, you should aim to earn your free night certificate sometime in late September or early October. You can focus your spend on the Hilton Surpass card to finish at around the end of September. Then, you can get to booking two nights at one of Hilton's most luxurious properties!
Earn more Hilton Honors points per dollar spent
If you value Hilton Honors points, there's no better way to earn a bunch than by taking advantage of the unique earning categories attached to the Hilton Aspire and the Hilton Surpass. Some categories overlap, but using both cards ensures you get the best multiplier for any purchase you make.
Here's a list of the spending categories and the best Hilton Honors credit card you can use for each one:
- Hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio: 34X points per dollar with the Hilton Aspire.
- Flights: 7X points per dollar with the Hilton Aspire.
- Car rentals: 7X points per dollar with the Hilton Aspire.
- U.S. restaurants: 7X points per dollar with the Hilton Aspire.
- U.S gas stations: 6X points per dollar with the Hilton Surpass.
- U.S supermarkets: 6X points per dollar with the Hilton Surpass.
- Online retail: 4X points per dollar with the Hilton Surpass.
- All other spend: Both the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass earn 3X points for all other eligible purchases.
Employ a spending strategy to enhance your Hilton point-earning ability
While you don't have to spend to get the free night certificate with the Hilton Aspire, you do have to spend on the Hilton Surpass to earn a free night certificate. Therefore, it might make sense to do the following:
- Use your Hilton Surpass for everyday spending on food, gas, online shopping, and general non-bonused purchases.
- Put your travel-related spending, such as Hilton reservations and flight and rental car bookings, on your Hilton Aspire.
If you use your Hilton Surpass card for everyday spending up to the $15,000 threshold required to receive the free night certificate, you'll have earned a minimum of 45,000 Hilton points. Based on the average redemption rate of 0.59¢ per Hilton point, these points are worth about $260.
However, if you focus all your Hilton Surpass spending on the 6X categories and put the rest of your purchases on better-optimized cards, you'll have earned 90,000 Hilton points by the time you earn the free night certificate! 90k Hilton points are worth roughly $520, and there are plenty of ways to redeem Hilton points for great value.
Related: Why I Spend $15,000 Each Year on My Hilton Surpass Card
Save on Hilton stays and purchases with a variety of credits
Having both Hilton cards can also be the key to unlocking major savings. As a refresher, here are all the Hilton-related credits you'll earn if you have both the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass in your wallet (Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.):
- Hilton Aspire
- $400 Hilton Resort credit — $200 bi-annually.
- $100 property credit for use at a Waldorf Astoria or Conrad.
- Hilton Surpass
- $200 Hilton credit — $50 quarterly.
The Hilton Surpass‘s $50 quarterly credit is valid at any Hilton property for expenses such as incidentals, parking, or paying for the room, provided you book an eligible rate. Similarly, the semi-annual $200 credit from the Hilton Aspire is good for the same sort of expenses, but you have to be staying at one of Hilton's resort properties to receive this credit.
You can use both credits at a resort at the same time. However, you will want to talk to the hotel's front desk to verify charges go to the correct card. This helps ensure you use both credits.
Additionally, the $100 Waldorf Astoria or Conrad credit courtesy of the Hilton Aspire can be combined with the Hilton Surpass‘s $50 quarterly credits. This is an easy way to save even more on a more expensive booking; be sure to connect with the front desk to ensure charges go to the right cards.
No matter which way you spin it, leveraging both cards can help you save a little extra.
Related: 9 Things We Love About the Hilton Honors Program
Final Thoughts
The Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass cards offer great benefits for those loyal to the Hilton brand. Using both cards together will enhance your Hilton visits, multiply your Hilton point balance, and help you earn that next free night certificate even faster!
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees)
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