ryanlx

Hi, I'm thinking to sign up for one of the two Amex mentioned in the title, however, I couldn't decide which one will be the best choice.

I really like SPG's points to miles transfer however I think it will take a lot spendings to earn enough points to redeem a nice upscale hotel stay or flight. On the other hand, Hhonor surpass has a great points earning program but lack of flight deals.

I'm not a frequent traveler so most of the points earned will be coming from everyday spendings such as restaurants, gas, etc. Due to that I found earning 6 points on every dollar spent is really attractive(6pts per dollar spend vs 1pts from SPG). I don't have any particular preferences on neither brand as long as it's a nice, modern, somewhat upscale hotel. I really like W hotel but I'm sure there is something equivalent in the Hilton brand. I also like that you can earn free night every year from SPG.

Has anyone had the experiences of having both cards and staying in both brands? Who has the better hotel? I've seen people say SPG has a great points value compare to other travel cards, is it true? Although Hilton might require more points to redeem a free night from same level hotel, it seems much easier to rack up points by using the Amex surpass.

malthus

You probably need to decide what your goal is for earning the points and paying the annual fee on those credit cards. You have hinted that you realize that Hiltons often require 3X or more points for the similar level hotel. That immediately cuts into the difference in earnings on the credit cards. I wouldn't focus on how many points, of dubious and ever depreciating value, you are accumulating. I would focus on how long it will take you to get a "free" vacation that you want to take.

Hilton's main advantage is that there are 4000+ properties worldwide. Where ever you want to go, there will be one nearby. SPG only has about 1000 and they can be sparse outside popular vacation destinations and cities. On the other hand if you want to take a very expensive flight to a very remote location (without corporate hotels), SPG will help you get there and Hilton won't.

The right answer is almost always figure out what kind of travel you want to do and then figure out how whatever loyalty program you have access to will help you get there.

Alex_I

- I do have SPG AMEX and my wife has HHonors Visa Reserve. Actually, both HHonors Surpass and Visa Reserve have 3 points/$ for other spending categories. But if your major spending comes from gas/restaurants/groceries than HHonors Surpass is a clear winner.

One important difference difference between SPG and HHonors credit cards mentioned is that HHonors will give you GLD status that has better benefits than SPG Gold (and with $40K of annual spend you will be HHonors Diamond - the top tier). If you are on vacation abroad free breakfast for Gold (typically - full breakfast if not in US) will save you quite a bit.

Rest will depend where you want to go. If you like to visit Kauai - there are no HHonors properties there but three SPG hotels. If you like Bangkok, then HHonors redemption are the best values (especially cash and points) and hotels are excellent (especially Conrad).

Eujeanie

I have both cards right now. I stay at a lot of Hilton properties because they are in more places and have a wider range of levels.

The Surpass card amasses me a huge amount of HH points, plus gives Gold status, which more than pays for the annual fee many, many times over because of the free breakfasts.

The Starwood card I keep because it takes so much fewer points to redeem a room, especially at the c&p level. I was going to get rid of it when the annual fee became due last year but they gave me enough goodwill points to pay for another room (esp., again, at the c&p level) that more than covered the cost of the annual fee. I don't stay at that many Starwood properties because so few (none?) of them offer free breakfast and we prefer hotels that do, but it's still nice to have the option to stay in one once in a while when it's the most convenient option.

Oh, and both cards being Amex...every month they offer many cash-back deals - once in while there's one I use. I've used Costco, Staples, AT&T, bonus points on their own hotel stays, etc., to name a few.

TravelinSperry

You may want to consider the Citi Hilton Reserve Visa. I love the Amex SPG and think it's the best - but also always like having a secondary card and don't want two Amex cards (acceptance issues). Also the SPG Amex has foreign exchange fees if you travel internationally and you don't want that.

Alex_I

Reserve Visa also gives you annual free night (after $10K in spending) - that alone pays the annual fee (especially if you redeem in properties like Grand Wailea or Conrad Hong Kong). You will getting 2 free nights after some minimum spending as a sign-up bonus and 1 night annually thereafter.