Now that we’re into Q2 2023, I’ve started collecting Hilton Honors points again. So, it’s time to do a Hilton Honors Surpass 2023 review. Spoiler alert: I obviously still like this card since I’m, you know, using it 😉
For years now, I’ve carried two Hilton Honors cards from American Express. One constant in this duo has always been my Hilton Honors Surpass, while, up until late last year, the other was the Hilton Honors Aspire, which is now back down to the standard Hilton Honors card. Why? Because, despite the tremendous potential value offered by the Aspire, the Surpass has always been the better card to actually spend on.
Hilton Honors Surpass 2023 Review
While the Aspire has amazing benefits and is fantastic for making Hilton purchases, it isn’t the best for making everyday purchases. Why? Because, for $95 per year, the Hilton Honors Surpass grants you:
- Hilton Honors Gold status, Diamond if you hit $40,000 in annual spend
- 12x points on Hilton spend
- 6x points on U.S. dining,U.S. grocery shopping, and at U.S. gas stations
- 3x points on all other purchases
- 10 Priority Pass lounge visit passes per year
- Free weekend night award after you spend $15,000 in a year
- ShopRunner 2-day shipping membership
There are other benefits, like secondary car rental collision coverage, but they’re not so good, so I’ll skip.
Now, in comparison to the Hilton Honors Aspire, the only bonus categories they have in common are Hilton and U.S. dining, which the Aspire earns at 14x and 7x, respectively. On the other hand, the standard Hilton card has the came categories as the Surpass at 7x, 5x, and 3x, respectively.
How I Use the Surpass Card
My usage pattern isn’t going to be any different in my Hilton Honors Surpass 2023 review in comparison to my 2022 one – this is my grocery shopping card. Ok, well, it used to be my gas card, too, but that has shifted over to my Alaska Air Visa Signature, at least for now. That could change, though, since I recently burned about 60% of the Hilton points I had left.
Of course, that meant I didn’t really use this card thus far this year since the Chase Freedom Flex had grocery stores as one of its quarterly bonus categories in Q1 2023. But now that that’s no longer the case, grocery purchases has shifted by the my Surpass. That’s not going to earn me a ton of Honors points, but that plus the Gold status is why I keep the card.
Hilton Honors Surpass 2023 Review, Final Thoughts
Honestly, this card doesn’t earn its keep the same way that my Sapphire Reserve does. But that’s ok right now. That said, the card is at risk of being cut if I need to lower my annual fee expenses since I don’t stay with Hilton all that often, But, for now, it remains one of my most frequently used cards and remains in my wallet.
If you don’t yet have the Hilton Honors Surpass card and want to get it, please consider using my referral link. You’ll earn 130,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months, while I’ll earn 20,000 points.
Hilton is the worst brand in my experience. I travel 120+ nights a year and have status at Marriott, Hyatt, ICG, and MGM. I decided to try Hilton- Nope not for me. No 24/7 Custer service, lack of care for Hilton members and hotel front desks are mostly operated by horrible CSAs. Honestly, motel 6 has been a better brand than Hilton. I am not sad to go, as my experience was short lived and happy to know the other reward memberships are over the top compared to Hilton.
Oh, for sure. But it’s great to have their points if you need to redeem at a property, especially when there’s none of the competition around.