Hilton Honors Amex Aspire vs Hilton Honors Amex Surpass — which is worth it to you?
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card ($550/yr) and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card ($150/yr) side by side: credits, earning rates against a flat 2% cash-back baseline, and protections — with your spending deciding which card actually wins each category.
The Hilton Honors Amex Aspire charges $550 a year against the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass's $150, so it starts $400 behind. Both earn Hilton Honors points, and a point from one is worth the same as a point from the other. What separates them is rates and credits.
Both cards pay a bonus on dining (7x vs 6x). Past the overlap, the Hilton Honors Amex Aspire has bonus rates on flights (7x), while the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass has them on groceries (6x).
The Hilton Honors Amex Aspire comes with 5 statement credits, the biggest being $400 Hilton Resort Credit, Amex Venue Collection Concessions Credit ($250/yr) and $219 CLEAR Plus Credit, plus 2 more. The Hilton Honors Amex Surpass has 2 statement credits: Amex Venue Collection Concessions Credit ($250/yr) and $200 Hilton Credit. All of these are face values, and a credit only really pays out if it covers something you were buying anyway.
Both cards carry elite status, extended warranty, lost luggage, no foreign transaction fees, purchase protection and rental car collision coverage. The Hilton Honors Amex Aspire also has cell phone protection, return protection, trip cancellation and trip delay, with no equivalent on the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
American Express · $550 annual fee · earns Hilton Honors points
Earning rates
- 14x Hilton portfolio hotels & resorts
- 7x U.S. restaurants
- 7x Flights booked direct or via AmexTravel
- 7x Select car rental companies
- 3x Everything else
Statement credits (5)
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit — Up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually (Jan–Jun, Jul–Dec) for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts — up to $400 back annually.
- $200 Flight Credit — Up to $50 in statement credits each calendar quarter for airfare purchased directly with an airline or through AmexTravel — up to $200 back annually.
- $100 Waldorf Astoria / Conrad Property Credit — Up to $100 per booking in hotel-applied credit on 2+ night stays at Waldorf Astoria or Conrad hotels, booked through HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com or by phone with the Aspire rate code.
- $219 CLEAR Plus Credit — Covers a CLEAR Plus airport security membership (up to $219 per calendar year).
- Amex Venue Collection Concessions Credit — 10% back (up to $250/yr) on food & beverage concessions purchases at participating stadiums and arenas in the American Express Venue Collection, through 12/31/2026.
Full Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card breakdown — 14 more benefits on the full page.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
American Express · $150 annual fee · earns Hilton Honors points
Earning rates
- 12x Hilton portfolio hotels & resorts
- 6x U.S. restaurants
- 6x U.S. supermarkets
- 6x U.S. gas stations
- 4x U.S. online retail
- 3x Everything else
Statement credits (2)
- $200 Hilton Credit — Up to $50 in statement credits each calendar quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio — up to $200 back annually.
- Amex Venue Collection Concessions Credit — 10% back (up to $250/yr) on food & beverage concessions purchases at participating stadiums and arenas in the American Express Venue Collection, through 12/31/2026.
Full Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card breakdown — 9 more benefits on the full page.
Card data verified against issuer sources: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card on 2026-08-21, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card on 2026-08-21.
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