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American Express has a handful of co-branded Hilton credit cards ranging from no annual fee to a high-end option charging hundreds of dollars in annual fees each year. These popular cards offer a variety of benefits, including Hilton Honors elite status, free night credits, and the ability to earn Hilton points on purchases.
Now, two of Amex's most popular Hilton cards — the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — are getting some updates. Let's check out what's happening.
Amex Hilton Surpass Card Updates
- 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
The Hilton Surpass card is Amex's mid-tier offering, allowing you to earn Hilton points on purchases and providing Gold elite status. Cardholders also have the ability to earn a free night award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Now, Amex has announced new benefits and an increased annual fee on the Hilton Surpass card:
- $150 per year annual fee (up from $95). (Rates & Fees)
- Up to $200 in statement credits at Hilton properties ($50 per quarter).
- 4x Hilton Honors points per $1 spent on U.S. online retail purchases (up from 3x).
- Complimentary National Car Rental Executive Club Emerald Status.
- Removal of Priority Pass benefits on February 1, 2024.
- Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
These changes are mostly positive, but increasing the annual fee by $55 might be enough to turn away those without frequent Hilton stays. And the Priority Pass change may be a deal-breaker for some. If you enrolled prior to January 31, 2023, your benefits will end on February 1, 2024, when enrollment is no longer possible with this card. However, if you enroll between February 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024, your membership will be canceled on November 1, 2024.
Perhaps the most interesting addition is the ability to earn 4x Hilton points on online purchases. In recent AwardWallet user redemptions, Hilton points average out to 0.59¢ each. This means that you'll be getting roughly a 2.3% return on any online purchases you make.
While this isn't the absolute highest you'll get from online shopping — for example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card‘s 2x miles may be even more valuable — it's still decent and can be a good way to rack up Hilton points on otherwise non-bonused spending categories.
Amex Hilton Aspire Card Changes
The Hilton Aspire Card is Amex's premium offering and provides Diamond elite status, unlimited Priority Pass airport lounge access, and 14x Hilton points per $1 spent at Hilton properties.
Along with new perks, cardholders now need to pay an extra $100 each year in annual fees:
- Annual fee of $550 (up from $450).
- Up to $400 each year in statement credits at eligible Hilton resorts ($200 semi-annually, up from $250 per year).
- $199 CLEAR membership credit.
- $200 in Amex airline credits ($50 quarterly).
- Complimentary National Car Rental Executive Club Emerald Status.
- Free night certificate after spending $30,000 in a calendar year (down from $60,000).
- Cell phone protection ($50 deductible, up to $800 per claim).
- Removal of Priority Pass benefits on February 1, 2024.
The two downsides here — aside from the increased annual fee — are the removal of Priority Pass and changes in the airline credit. Dropping the airline credit by $50 and moving it to quarterly credits significantly reduces its usability. However, the credit is no longer relegated to incidental fee purchases; instead the credit can be used on airfare purchased directly with the airline or via Amex Travel.
This also matches moves Amex has taken with its other premium travel cards, where additional statement credits are spread out over a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual basis.
And the loss of Priority Pass may sour some customers. If you enrolled prior to January 31, 2023, your benefits will end on February 1, 2024, when enrollment is no longer possible with this card. However, if you enroll between February 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024, your membership will be canceled on November 1, 2024.
However, the ability to earn a second free night certificate after spending just $30,000 a calendar year is tempting. This is in addition to the certificate you'll receive each year as a cardholder. If you're a big spender, the ability to earn three uncapped Hilton free night certificates each year can be extremely rewarding.
Related: Things We Love About the Hilton Honors Rewards Program
Welcome Offers
To help ease the blow of increased fees, Amex is also offering excellent welcome offers on all three of its personal co-branded credit cards:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® 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.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 150,000 Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Related: Which Hilton Honors Credit Card Is Right For You?
The Bottom Line
No one likes it when card issuers raise annual fees. However, Amex has done its best to soften the blow with the addition of new perks and statement credits. Is this enough to keep cardholders around, especially as they lose Priority Pass benefits? We'll see, but those welcome offers may be reason enough for many to apply.
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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