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The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees) feature solid welcome offers and provide a compelling mix of brand-specific perks, mid-range hotel status, tangible travel benefits, a decent return on hotel spending, and competitive annual fees.
Let’s break down how these two cards stack up — from welcome bonuses and ongoing perks to earning rates and application restrictions.
IHG One Rewards Premier Card vs. Hilton Surpass at a Glance
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Annual fee of $99
- Anniversary Free Night certificate worth up to 40,000 points
- Automatic Platinum Elite status
- TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS statement credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG® Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Hotel Indigo® & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for being a IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn up to 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® One Rewards member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- Annual fee of $150 (Rates & Fees)
- Free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
- Automatic Hilton Honors™ Gold status
- Up to $200 in annual Hilton credits
- National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
- Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status with your Card. Plus, spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. Terms and Limitations apply.
- 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 a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- 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.
- 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.
- Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, Global Assist® Hotline is available for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services, including medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. Other terms and conditions apply.
- Pay It Plan It®: Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You'll know upfront exactly how much you'll pay.
- Points don't expire while your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is active and in good standing.
- $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.
- 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
IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass: Welcome Offers
Before taking a look at the offers, keep in mind that IHG One Rewards points are worth slightly more than Hilton Honors points based on AwardWallet user redemptions. So, the IHG One Rewards Premier Card has an edge to start. Thanks to its higher welcome offer and lower annual fee, it's a clear winner:
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card: Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Hilton Surpass: Limited-Time Offer: Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
Since welcome offers change throughout the year, the gap won’t always be this clear. But when factoring in point value and annual fee, IHG’s card usually has the advantage.
IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Cardholder Benefits
IHG One Rewards Premier Card
- Anniversary Free Night certificate. This is added to the cardholder's account following the account anniversary. The certificate is valid at any IHG property and is worth up to 40,000 points. It can be topped off with additional IHG points.
- Fourth night free on award bookings. Cardholders can book three nights and receive the fourth night free of charge.
- Automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status. This status offers benefits such as priority check-in, free Wi-Fi, 60% bonus points on paid stays, guaranteed room availability, a welcome amenity at check-in, complimentary upgrades, early check-in, and late checkout (all subject to availability).
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit. Receive a statement credit when you use your card to apply for one of these security screening programs. This credit can be used once every four years.
- $100 statement credit and 10,000 bonus points. These are applied to your account each calendar year that you spend at least $20,000 on the card.
- No foreign transaction fees. This helps ensure you're not spending unnecessary money when traveling overseas.
- Travel and purchase benefits. These include baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and purchase protection.
Related: IHG One Rewards Premier Card full review
Hilton Surpass
- Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status. At this status level, you'll receive an 80% points earning bonus on Hilton stays, room upgrades (depending on availability), daily food and beverage credits, and more.
- $200 Hilton credits annually. You'll receive up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases at one of the many properties in the Hilton Honors program.
- National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. Executive status provides faster earnings toward free rentals, a wider selection of cars at pickup, guaranteed upgrades, and the ability to skip the line when picking up and returning your vehicle. To take advantage of this perk, you will need to enroll via your Amex online account.
- Free Night Award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year. This is a significant amount of spending to earn a free night; however, it may be worth it since Hilton's Free Night Award certificates can be used at nearly any Hilton property. When you account for recent devaluations at top-tier properties, this perk becomes even more valuable.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Travel and purchase benefits. These include secondary car rental insurance, baggage insurance, the Global Assist hotline, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Related: Hilton Surpass full review
Benefit Comparison
There are some overlapping benefits across cards, such as complimentary mid-tier status, no foreign transaction fees, and travel and purchase benefits. But there are also many ways that the two cards differ.
Choosing which card has the best benefits depends on several factors, including the other cards in your wallet. For example, if you currently hold American Express Platinum Card®, you won't get much value from the Hilton Surpass‘s complimentary Hilton Gold status since the Platinum Card® also offers this benefit, available after enrollment.
Similarly, if you have any of the cards offering a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, this IHG One Rewards Premier Card benefit isn't particularly valuable. However, using it for NEXUS might be worthwhile if you visit Canada regularly.
However, the hero benefit of the IHG One Rewards Premier Card is the Anniversary Free Night, which is typically valuable enough to cover the card's annual fee.
Meanwhile, the fourth night free benefit can deliver substantial savings on longer award stays. Just keep in mind that these perks cannot be combined in a single reservation.
When it comes to benefits that make up for the annual fee, the annual $200 Hilton credit on the Hilton Surpass fits this bill, assuming you're planning to spend at least $50 quarterly at Hilton properties. Since the credit is issued quarterly, you’ll need to use it consistently to avoid leaving value on the table.
Finally, it's helpful to compare your travels to see which program's properties match your upcoming trips. Hilton features many more luxury properties in places like the Maldives. IHG features fun, upscale brands like Kimpton, but plenty of budget options too, like Candlewood Suites.
IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Return on Spending
IHG One Rewards Premier Card
The IHG One Rewards Premier Card earns as follows:
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for being a IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn up to 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® One Rewards member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Hilton Surpass
The earning potential on the Hilton Surpass breaks down as follows:
- 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
You'll also earn 10 base points per $1 spent with Hilton, as well as 8 points per $1 spent with your Gold status. That yields a total of up to 30X on spending with Hilton.
Both of these cards offer an exceptional return on spending with their respective hotel brands. The IHG One Rewards Premier Card has a slight edge with bonus categories that aren't restricted to the U.S.
IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Application Eligibility
Hilton Surpass
The primary restriction on American Express cards is that they have a “once per lifetime” rule for welcome bonuses. However, this doesn't mean you can't apply for the Hilton Surpass if you have another Hilton credit card. As per the application page:
“You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors.”
American Express will let you know if you're ineligible to receive the welcome bonus (via a pop-up window) before you submit your application, allowing you to withdraw your application or continue anyway. Additional rules include a limit of five American Express credit cards at a time and unlikely approval for more than two cards in a 90-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
IHG One Rewards Premier Card
Like all Chase cards, the IHG One Rewards Premier Card is subject to Chase's 5/24 policy. If you've opened five or more personal credit cards in the last 24 months, you won't be approved for this card. Furthermore, you'll see these terms on the application page:
“This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any IHG® Rewards credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
Thus, if you currently have this or another personal IHG card or received a welcome bonus on one in the past 24 months, you won't be eligible. If you are sitting at 4/24 and you've had your eye on a new hotel card, we'd recommend thinking about the sequencing of your applications. If you apply for the Hilton Surpass first, you then won't qualify for the IHG One Rewards Premier Card as you'll be at 5/24.
However, if you apply for the IHG One Rewards Premier Card first, you are still eligible for the Hilton Surpass — provided you meet the other qualification criteria. Finally, if you've applied for the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees) in the past, that doesn't exclude you from receiving a welcome bonus, either.
Final Thoughts
The reality is that both cards feature top welcome offers and provide perks and benefits that justify holding the cards over the long term. For folks who are under 5/24, we'd recommend rounding out your Chase portfolio with the IHG One Rewards Premier Card before moving on to Amex and other issuers.
If you're over 5/24 and looking to add some big value to your rewards portfolio, it's hard to pass on the Hilton Surpass.
Whichever choice you make, you're getting a solid card with a moderate annual fee and some great benefits.
Page Contents
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card vs. Hilton Surpass at a Glance
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass: Welcome Offers
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Cardholder Benefits
- Benefit Comparison
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Return on Spending
- IHG One Rewards Premier Card and Hilton Surpass Application Eligibility
- Final Thoughts
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees), and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
