Hilton co-branded card upgrade/downgrade [Consolidated]
 

Hey guys,

I've had the Amex Surpass and got the bonus--I canceled it this January (2014).

I also have the normal Amex Hilton card.

I understand that it is too short a time period to apply again for the Surpass bonus (and with the new changes, I won't be able to churn the Surpass at all for a new bonus), BUT I was wondering: Can I upgrade my current Hilton Honors Amex to the Surpass and get the 50,000 point bonus?

Thanks!

I do not believe so. you have to cancel and get a new Amex account.

Just upgraded myself last week. Somewhere on my AMEX account page I found a link to upgrade my current Hilton AMEX to the Surpass for 50K bonus. Did it right there and then and was approved for upgrade in minutes.

Then sent message to AMEX saying how I upgraded but just got email for Surpass and 75K bonus (true story), but they would not match. Getting 1 cent for each Hilton point on a upcoming reward stay so I found the points valuable while avoiding another app.

Did you previously have the Surpass and cancel it within the last 12 months? That's the big question, since I had it, got the bonus and then only canceled it 3 months ago.

Does anyone have the upgrade link from the free version to Surpass for 75k? I only have the link for 50k.

there isn't one

Hilton co-branded card upgrade/downgrade [Consolidated]
 

I had just upgraded to the Hilton Honors Ascend Card (with 75k bonus for $2k spending in 3 months). I haven't received the physical card yet, but does any spending on the old card now count towards the spending bonus for the new Ascend card (the account number is the same) or do I have to wait to activate the new physical card?

I asked Amex via chat and they said yes any spending on the old card now counts, but wanted to see if anyone has experience with this as I have a large bill to pay today.

I assume the same logic would apply to any Amex upgrade offers, not just the Hilton Ascend. Thanks!

If the online account shows that you have an Ascend account, that's what you have. The physical card is just a piece of plastic.

Yes that's the case. Thanks for the quick response!

Hilton Amex (free) to Ascend upgrade bonus?
 

Has anyone who had the Surpass card in the past been able to upgrade the regular HH Amex to Ascend and get the 75K points ?

I upgraded my dad today via an email he received and when I chatted they could not find the 75K offer on his account.

They said give it a couple days but I have my doubts.

Thanks

Is there a 75,000 point upgrade offer?

Yes there is/ was. I saw the offer showing up under each of our basic cards for many weeks, probably close to 2 months before they finally disappeared. You can only see it with the latest site - it does not show up with the much olded site which I continue to use as it is far more functional.

We did not take it because we dont forsee any probability we would stay at a full service Hilton property as the card's primarily usage to us would be the instant Gold status due to HHonor is a pure revenue-based system - there is no reason to pile up pts (and pay $95 AF) before we use up the existing balances. I feel confident we will see the upgrade offer again as the upgrade offer showed up when it was still $65 AF and AMEX reminded you that it would be $95 after certain date...

Yes, it's in the AMEX offers on all ( my dad, wife and me) of our NAF HH card accounts and we also all received emails recently with the offer.

Dear XXXXX,
We appreciate your loyalty. You’ve been selected to request an upgrade to the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card. Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first three months of Card Membership. Offer expires 8/31/2018.1 Enjoy benefits that can make travel even more rewarding for an annual fee of $95.

Or call 1-866-252-4438 and mention POID GAUK:0001

I went for this offer online in April and within the past week or so I got the 75000 points to post to my Hilton account, within a couple days after passing the $2000 of required purchases (in the middle of a statement cycle).

But I never had a Surpass card before, so I can't comment on the OP's question, except to say that in the days of the Surpass, many people upgraded several times over the years (after downgrading back to the no-AF) and got the bonus each time, even after the lifetime language appeared on from-scratch applications. So it's not clear if the lifetime language applies to online upgrades. I guess you have to check the T&Cs carefully.