Hilton’s mid-level co-branded credit card has a new, higher annual fee with some additional perks to go with it. The annual fee of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is now $150. That’s a sharp increase from the previous annual fee of $95. Terms apply.

It begs the question: Is the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card worth it? Do its perks outweigh its annual fee? And, is this the best Hilton card to get?

It ultimately depends on factors such as the member’s travel habits, and whether they’re able to fully take advantage of the card’s travel perks and cost-saving benefits.

New benefits in 2024

Hilton added several benefits in this card’s revamp.

$200 annually in statement credit for Hilton purchases

Most notably, cardholders will receive up to $200 back each year on Hilton purchases (like hotel stays) after they pay with their Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

The statement credits will be capped at a maximum of $50 per quarter, so to take full advantage of the benefit, you’d need to make a Hilton purchase once per quarter.

4x on online retail purchases

Another new perk: Cardholders will earn 4 Hilton Honors points per dollar for online retail purchases. That’s on top of existing bonus spend categories for purchases made with Hilton, or on U.S. restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. Terms apply.

National car rental elite status

Hilton will also give members Executive Elite status with National Car Rental’s Emerald Club loyalty program, making earning free rental days and complimentary upgrades easier. Executive members earn a free rental day after every six credits, while first-tier members only earn a free day after every seven credits.

Priority Pass membership ending

It’s worth noting, though, that one perk is no longer available with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Cardholders will no longer receive 10 annual airport lounge visits through Priority Pass Select.

Existing cardholders who enrolled in Priority Pass on or before Jan. 31, 2023 will no longer have a membership as of Feb. 1, 2024. Cardholders who enroll between Feb. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2024, will continue to have membership through Oct. 31, 2024. Terms apply.

Existing Hilton Honors Surpass Card perks

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Rates & Fees

With these added perks complementing existing ones, here’s a quick rundown of the most notable benefits that Hilton Honors American Express Surpass cardholders can expect.

Welcome bonus

Earn 170,000 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. Terms Apply.

Earning rates

Earn 12 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases.

Earn 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations.

Earn 4 points per dollar on online retail purchases.

Earn 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Terms apply.

Other notable benefits

Automatic Hilton Gold elite status. If the cardholder spends more than $40,000 in a calendar year on the card, they will earn Diamond status.

A Free Night Reward if the cardholder spends more than $15,000 in a calendar year on the card.

No foreign transaction fees.

Terms apply.

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How to make the math work for you

Use your bonus points for stays

Let’s start off by talking about what you could get with those points from the welcome offer: Earn 170,000 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. Terms Apply.

NerdWallet values Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cent each when redeemed for an award stay. Use our calculator to find out how much the welcome offer is worth.

The points from the welcome bonus could conceivably get a member several nights at a lower-cost property or even one or two at some high end properties.

For example, it could cover two nights at the Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which has a nightly rate of about 770 euros (about $812 USD). The bonus could also be redeemed for a few nights at the Hilton Playa del Carmen, an all-inclusive adults only resort in Mexico (56,000 points nightly). That’s compared to a $532 nightly rate.