No annual feeHilton HonorsNo foreign feeAmexUsually needs 670+
View issuer offerComparison brief
Hilton Honors vs. Hilton Honors Surpass
Browse all comparisons
Hilton Honors’ no-fee 5x on dining, groceries, and gas becomes 6x on Surpass, plus a new 4x rate on online retail — a modest earn-rate bump for a $150 fee. The bigger piece is a $200/year Hilton credit ($50 a quarter on purchases charged directly with a Hilton property) that only pays off if you actually stay at Hilton each quarter; skip that and the free card’s 5x is hard to beat.
2/4 selected
Ready
Overview
$150/yrHilton HonorsNo foreign feeAmexUsually needs 670+
View issuer offerSome links may become affiliate links; today none pay us. Commissions are not solver inputs or ranking criteria; issuer terms, eligibility, channel offers, and your assumptions control the modeled result. Read the affiliate disclosure
Which wins on my spending?
Runs the optimizer on these two cards alone, one card allowed, against your own monthly spending.
Earn rates
Everyday categories
Dining
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 5x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 6xHighest
Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas)
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 5x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 6xHighest
Groceries — in store
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 5x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 6xHighest
Groceries — online
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 5x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 6xHighest
Hilton Properties
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 7x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 12xHighest
Online retail
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 3x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 4xHighest
Everything else
- Hilton Honors Amex
- 3x
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- 3x
| Category | Hilton Honors Amex | Hilton Honors Surpass |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 5x | 6xHighest |
| Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas) | 5x | 6xHighest |
| Groceries — in store | 5x | 6xHighest |
| Groceries — online | 5x | 6xHighest |
| Hilton Properties | 7x | 12xHighest |
| Online retail | 3x | 4xHighest |
| Everything else | 3x | 3x |
Highest marks the highest listed rate, on each card that ties for it; a row where every card ties is not marked. Muted figures are base rates. Listed rates can still be subject to portal, spending-cap, or category-selection rules; review each card's details before deciding.
Credits and benefits
Hilton Credit
- Hilton Honors Amex
- —
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $200/yrConditional
Estimated usable credit value
- Hilton Honors Amex
- —
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- $0/yr
Maximum face value
- Hilton Honors Amex
- —
- Hilton Honors Surpass
- $200/yr
| Credit | Hilton Honors Amex | Hilton Honors Surpass |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Credit | — | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $200/yr Conditional |
| Estimated usable credit value | — | $0/yr |
| Maximum face value | — | $200/yr |
Estimated usable value applies the same conservative assumptions used by the optimizer. Maximum face value assumes every listed credit is used in full.
Find your modeled setup
The optimizer searches eligible portfolios against your stated spending—not just two cards at a time—and reports whether the result was proven within the selected catalog and run inputs.
Run the optimizer — free