Jun 12, 2013, 11:05 am
Last edit by: vah4883
Limited-time offers
Hilton HHonors American Express card. 80,000 points for spending $2,000 in 3 months; no annual fee. Ends May 31, 2017
Hilton HHonors American Express Ascend card. 100,000 points for spending $3,000 ; $95 annual fee.
Hilton HHonors American Express card application page. 75,000 points for spending $1,000 in 3 months; no annual fee.
Public offer expired Feb 1, 2017 (this link brings up a page: "This campaign has expired. Thank you for your interest."), but Refer a Friend links still active. This one has the referral ID stripped out.
Citi HH Visa 40K application page (spend $1K/4 mos.)
Ongoing offersPublic offer expired Feb 1, 2017 (this link brings up a page: "This campaign has expired. Thank you for your interest."), but Refer a Friend links still active. This one has the referral ID stripped out.
Citi HH Visa 40K application page (spend $1K/4 mos.)
- This offer does not contain an explicit 24-month restriction.
If you apply using this link & are not instantly approved, DO NOT CALL CITI.
Calling in risks alerting Citi to the offer and having it withdrawn.
Amex HH Surpass Card
FlyerTalk discussion thread: The Hilton HHonors® Surpass(SM) Card from American Express Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card Citi HH Visa 60K application page. You can also apply by calling 1-866-615-2274.
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose] Basic Amex HH Card
FAQ- Annual fee: $75, no first-year waiver.
- Signup bonus: 75K points for spending $3K in the first 3 months.
- Earning: 12 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 6 points/$ at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets & gas stations; and 3 points/$ on everything else.
- Elite status: Hilton Gold status for as long as you have the card and Diamond status after $40,000 in annual spend.
- Booking bonus: 500 bonus points for every stay (including award stays) booked directly with Hilton & guaranteed with the card
- Important limitation on this offer: "Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product."
FlyerTalk discussion thread: The Hilton HHonors® Surpass(SM) Card from American Express
- Annual fee: $95, no first-year waiver.
- Signup bonus: 2 free weekend nights after $2500 in spend within four months. These free nights are valid at all Hilton redemption categories, including Waldorf Astoria properties.
- Anniversary bonus: 1 free weekend night each year after $10,000 in spend.
- Earning: 10 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend, 5 points per dollar on air and car rental, and 3 on everything else.
- Elite status: Hilton Gold status for as long as you have the card and Diamond status after $40,000 in annual spend.
- No foreign currency transaction fees.
- Important limitation on this offer: "Weekend Night Certificates offer is not available if you have had a Citi Hilton HHonors Card account that was opened or closed in the past 24 months.."
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card
- No annual fee.
- Signup bonus: 60K points for spending $1K in the first 4 months
- Earning: 6 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 3 points/$ at U.S. supermarkets, drugstores & gas stations; and 2 points/$ on everything else.
- Elite status: Hilton Silver status for as long as you have the card.
- Fast track To Gold status: After four qualifying stays within your first 91 days of cardmembership, receive Gold status through the end of the following calendar year.
- Important limitation on this offer: "Hilton HHonors Bonus Points offer not available if you have had a Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card account that was opened or closed in the past 24 months."
Flyertalk discussion thread: Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose]
Offer for 50K points (spend $750/3mos.) + $50 credit for first purchase: Make a dummy reservation on Hilton site. Offer will appear on page before final booking. (Cannot be linked to directly.)
Offer for 50K points (spend $750/3mos.)
Offer for 50K points (spend $750/3mos.)
- No annual fee.
- Earning: 7 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 5 points/$ at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets & gas stations; and 3 on everything else.
- Elite status: Hilton Silver status for as long as you have the card and Gold status after $20,000 in annual spend.
- Booking bonus: 500 bonus points for every stay (including award stays) booked directly with Hilton & guaranteed with the card
1. Are these cards churnable?
As of May 1, 2014, Amex will not give a signup bonus to card applicants who have held the card in the past ~7 years, even if the applicant has never earned a previous signup bonus for it. However, it is still possible to upgrade an existing Hilton Amex to the Surpass card to earn a bonus (and reportedly to do this more than once by later downgrading & then upgrading again). The best strategy is to earn a Surpass signup bonus first, and only afterward pursue the upgrade bonus(es).
In August 2016, Citi began inserting language into applications and landing pages requiring a 24-month wait from the date of the opening or closure of any Citi Hilton card. Previously, the Citi Hilton Signature Visa and Reserve cards were on separate clocks for each applicant. Now there is a single 24-month clock reset by open/close of either type of card. For more info, see the wiki at Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose].
2. I have met the spending. When will my bonus post?
For Amex cards, the bonus will post a few days after meeting the spend. The points from the actual spend will post after statement is generated. For Citi products, bonus points post only at statement close.
3. What happened to the Amex drugstore category spending bonus?
Changes to Hilton Amex cards as of May 2013 are explained here:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfr...at-we-thought/
4. What is the link to upgrade from no fee card to Surpass card for 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months?
This link redirects to this landing page. Application page.
You need to be logged into your Amex account first, then click on the link above, then click Upgrade. (This does not work for all people. It is suspected that only people that have had the no-fee card for at least one year are able to upgrade to the Surpass card.) There is generally no hard pull on your credit report for upgrading.
5. Does having one of these Hilton cards preclude me from successfully earning the signup bonus on a different one?
No. All four cards are separate products. Having (or having previously had) one of them has no effect on your bonus eligibility for the others--but note, as discussed in FAQ #1, that opening or closing any Citi Hilton card will affect your eligibility for any new Citi Hilton card bonus.
As of May 1, 2014, Amex will not give a signup bonus to card applicants who have held the card in the past ~7 years, even if the applicant has never earned a previous signup bonus for it. However, it is still possible to upgrade an existing Hilton Amex to the Surpass card to earn a bonus (and reportedly to do this more than once by later downgrading & then upgrading again). The best strategy is to earn a Surpass signup bonus first, and only afterward pursue the upgrade bonus(es).
In August 2016, Citi began inserting language into applications and landing pages requiring a 24-month wait from the date of the opening or closure of any Citi Hilton card. Previously, the Citi Hilton Signature Visa and Reserve cards were on separate clocks for each applicant. Now there is a single 24-month clock reset by open/close of either type of card. For more info, see the wiki at Citi Hilton HHonors VISA [60k-75k, read Wiki to choose].
2. I have met the spending. When will my bonus post?
For Amex cards, the bonus will post a few days after meeting the spend. The points from the actual spend will post after statement is generated. For Citi products, bonus points post only at statement close.
3. What happened to the Amex drugstore category spending bonus?
Changes to Hilton Amex cards as of May 2013 are explained here:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfr...at-we-thought/
4. What is the link to upgrade from no fee card to Surpass card for 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months?
This link redirects to this landing page. Application page.
You need to be logged into your Amex account first, then click on the link above, then click Upgrade. (This does not work for all people. It is suspected that only people that have had the no-fee card for at least one year are able to upgrade to the Surpass card.) There is generally no hard pull on your credit report for upgrading.
5. Does having one of these Hilton cards preclude me from successfully earning the signup bonus on a different one?
No. All four cards are separate products. Having (or having previously had) one of them has no effect on your bonus eligibility for the others--but note, as discussed in FAQ #1, that opening or closing any Citi Hilton card will affect your eligibility for any new Citi Hilton card bonus.
Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi
Jan 2, 2014, 9:15 am
#181
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
Does anyone know if Citi ever matches to better bonuses? I applied in January on the offer without the statement credit. Curious if I could match to the better offer.
Jan 2, 2014, 4:58 pm
#182
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Apologies if this has been answered already - I've looked around but couldn't find a clear answer. Does anyone know if you can have both Amex cards (no-fee and Surpass) at the same time? I have a no-fee HH Amex card right now but the public sign-up offer for the Surpass is much better than the upgrade offer they're giving me.
Thanks!
Thanks!
As far as I know, there is nothing in that law to prevent you from applying for each of the ccs as ordinary applications, rather than an upgrade. And the AMEX sign up bonus for the Surpass is better for an app than for the upgrade anyway.
That said, AMEX probably will not allow you to apply for the Surpass while you have the regular card open, unless:
You sign out of the AMEX website.
You either clear out all of your cookies, and your browsing history. Or use "in private" browsing to apply. Or both...
When AMEX would not let me upgrade to the Surpass on their website, I did the above, and got instant approval for the Surpass. I had both of them open for around 6 months, with no complaint from AMEX.
Good Luck...
Last edited by Brugge; Jan 2, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Jan 2, 2014, 5:09 pm
#183
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
I'm hoping for some data points on applying for the new Surpass offer if you have already had that card in the past. The T/C seem a little vague to me. First it says: " This offer is not valid for existing Hilton HHonorsTM Surpass® Card Members".
Which makes it seem that I could cancel my current Surpass card, wait a month or so, and reapply. It does not have the usual language about "not having had this card in the past 12 months".
But right after that it says: "You are eligible to receive points for only one Card account". So does this mean I can reapply with this offer, but only once? ie. No two browser method.
Or does it mean, unlike the previous offers that could be reapplied for after a 12 month waiting period, this one is Citi AA-type terms of "first time cardholders only"?
Which makes it seem that I could cancel my current Surpass card, wait a month or so, and reapply. It does not have the usual language about "not having had this card in the past 12 months".
But right after that it says: "You are eligible to receive points for only one Card account". So does this mean I can reapply with this offer, but only once? ie. No two browser method.
Or does it mean, unlike the previous offers that could be reapplied for after a 12 month waiting period, this one is Citi AA-type terms of "first time cardholders only"?
Jan 2, 2014, 10:55 pm
#184
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 148
If you already have the regular AMEX HH card, according to the terms of the Dodd-Frank law, AMEX cannot allow you to "upgrade" to the Surpass until you have had the reg cc for at least a year.
As far as I know, there is nothing in that law to prevent you from applying for each of the ccs as ordinary applications, rather than an upgrade. And the AMEX sign up bonus for the Surpass is better for an app than for the upgrade anyway.
That said, AMEX probably will not allow you to apply for the Surpass while you have the regular card open, unless:
You sign out of the AMEX website.
You either clear out all of your cookies, and your browsing history. Or use "in private" browsing to apply. Or both...
When AMEX would not let me upgrade to the Surpass on their website, I did the above, and got instant approval for the Surpass. I had both of them open for around 6 months, with no complaint from AMEX.
Good Luck...
As far as I know, there is nothing in that law to prevent you from applying for each of the ccs as ordinary applications, rather than an upgrade. And the AMEX sign up bonus for the Surpass is better for an app than for the upgrade anyway.
That said, AMEX probably will not allow you to apply for the Surpass while you have the regular card open, unless:
You sign out of the AMEX website.
You either clear out all of your cookies, and your browsing history. Or use "in private" browsing to apply. Or both...
When AMEX would not let me upgrade to the Surpass on their website, I did the above, and got instant approval for the Surpass. I had both of them open for around 6 months, with no complaint from AMEX.
Good Luck...
Jan 3, 2014, 12:41 am
#185
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
60K offer has expired (as expected).
Jan 3, 2014, 11:54 am
#186
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 36
I haven't been able to apply for AMEX HH for the past 24 hours. Anyone have luck with it? Just says please try again later...
The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express (no annual fee)
https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...rd/71-1000-272
The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express (no annual fee)
https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...rd/71-1000-272
Jan 3, 2014, 11:58 am
#187
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
I haven't been able to apply for AMEX HH for the past 24 hours. Anyone have luck with it? Just says please try again later...
The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express (no annual fee)
https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...rd/71-1000-272
The Hilton HHonors™ Card from American Express (no annual fee)
https://www262.americanexpress.com/a...rd/71-1000-272
Jan 3, 2014, 1:41 pm
#189
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Good question, I hadn't even thought of that. I don't know the answer, but if I find out, I will post it here.
Jan 4, 2014, 10:07 am
#190
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 684
AF on Surpass
Upgraded my AX HH no fee card to Surpass in Nov, spent $3000, got the upgrade points, now the AF is coming. is it OK or safe to cancel it now?
Jan 4, 2014, 1:09 pm
#191
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Connecticut
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Delta Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 342
Jan 8, 2014, 6:46 pm
#192
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 321
Hi Amex experts...
I just applied for a SPG Amex and got an instant approval. Is it risky to apply for another Amex card? specificially HH 75K offer?
I just applied for a SPG Amex and got an instant approval. Is it risky to apply for another Amex card? specificially HH 75K offer?
Jan 10, 2014, 4:55 pm
#193
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
I applied for the Hilton Surpass card and was approved about 15 minutes later in an email. With the points from this and 2 Citi HH Visa cards plus spend, I should have enough for 3 nights at the Conrad Centennial Singapore this summer, unless Hilton devalues their points again.
Jan 10, 2014, 5:22 pm
#194
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
I applied for the Hilton Surpass card and was approved about 15 minutes later in an email. With the points from this and 2 Citi HH Visa cards plus spend, I should have enough for 3 nights at the Conrad Centennial Singapore this summer, unless Hilton devalues their points again.
Jan 12, 2014, 10:54 pm
#195
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: HH Gold-IHG Plat
Posts: 390
I d read the 5th night only works with full reward redemptions and not points+money booking, is this correct?