Eujeanie

I'm going insane reading 3-4 threads about the same thing!

Can the mods please consolidate all these threads into one?

Happy

Exactly.

Bringing up the Centurion card is so laughable. As the poster says, the Centurion is by invitation only but the AMEX HH family of cards is open to ANYONE who cares to apply.

Just because he has to pay 600 euro for an AMEX Plat with his home base, it has nothing, absolutely nothing, relevant to the US-based Aspire card.

Not to mention the AMEX Plat cards in US even have a first year FREE version.

Hence the poster is totally off based in doing the comparison.

Happy

You totally miss the point.

This card is OPEN to ANYONE who cares to apply and meet the credit-worthy requirement. That is HOW credit card market in US works.

christianj

Lauren,

So I signed up for the Surpass recently under the offer which offered the 100k sign up bonus after the $3k spend PLUS a free night after paying the second year annual fee. Based on what I’m reading Surpass holders will be upgraded to the Ascend card which will offer a free weekend night after spending $15k annually.

This brings up the following questions:
1. I assume free night on Surpass deal will be honored if I keep card after one year. Correct?
2. If I spend $15k once my card is moved over to the Ascend I will get a second free weekend night. Correct?

gkbiiii

How about using it for meal purchases in AA Clubs, or VIP Five-Star Ground Service with AA? Also, on some AF flights, you can buy Le Premier Ground Service. I think that these last two, would be a great Use of the credit.

ckiggins

A couple of questions:

1. I applied for the Surpass in July of this year. Do I have to wait a certain amount of time before I can upgrade to the Aspire?

2. Is the $75 Annual Fee I already paid credited towards the $450 AF on the Aspire?

jamesteroh

If I can use the credit to buy Delta gift cards then it will be a no brainer for me to get the $450 card. $250 in delta flight credits and I always use my free night overseas and get well over $250 value out of it so Am Ex is basically paying me to be diamond if I go that route

I am a Delta diamond with a Delta reserve Am Ex so a skyclub membership wouldn't do me much good but since skyclub memrship will be a choice gift starting in January I could always use the credit to pay for sky club admission on the rare trip where I'm forced to fly WN to Nashville and won't be able to enter the club for free anymore.

Just make sure you fly Delta a lot if you use it for $50 gift cards since you can only apply one gift card per flight with delta

RolfD

So it is the amex platinum, still the benefits cost/ratio of the new amex hilton are abysmal to the amex platinum... btw the benefits of the amex charge cards are pretty much the same in USA and Europe (my card was issued originally in USA)

Still it is a card for an specific audience ( hilton honors) with very low benefits and it is comparable to the Platinum Delta Skymiles card.

Eujeanie

That's the problem, living in Oregon our airline of choice is Alaska, and we get a lot of benefits for being Gold with them. I'd (almost) never use any of the services you mentioned. No, make that most likely never use.

And I was thinking about the Resort credit...resorts are quite expensive (usually), and who goes to a resort for one night? If you're going anyway, great, but to just make an effort to go for one night to get the credit? Not going to happen. And we don't go to a resort every year. We're going to a very nice beach "hotel" next year, in Florida, but "resort" is not in its name so no dice. And also, since resorts usually are so pricey, with taxes, and resort fees, it is one of the ways we use our points. So I can't see either using the airline perk or the resort perk.

Not to say that many will find them good value, but I think I'll be happy with our regular Ascend. we're culling down the cards we have so putting $15,000 on it should not be a problem. I'm afraid Diamond will be always out of reach, but that's ok. I truly believe those who have THAT many head on pillow nights DESERVE it, not someone like me.

RolfD

just because you have not been invited to have a centurion card it does not belittle the benefits of the card. I will point out that benefits of the card outweighs the cost of the card (e.g Delta Platinum Medallion status, Hilton Honors Diamond status)

and Finally just because I work in Germany it does not mean that i am detach from my home state NY

IsleOfMan

I currently use Surpass for basically all of my business travel spend, just shy of $30k/year (my flights flights are still paid for directly by the home office). All things considered, I like the look of the mid-level cards compared to the current Surpass offering, even for $20/year more. The main benefit I see is the 10 Priority Pass Pass entries with the new card compared to the basic Priority Pass $25/entry scheme with Surpass. I currently only use the paid Priority Pass entry 1-2 times/year if I have an unexpected delay, but 10 paid passes would likely get used a bit more freely (AS in and out of SEA along with random Priority Pass options).

I like the idea of a top-tier offering that's HHonors focused, but I don't see myself ponying up for the Aspire, even though the benefits and fee likely do equal a net-zero or net-positive. The main issue is that I would have to actively try to take advantage of the Statement Credit benefits on expense-able items to recover the fee, and I'm not sure how easy that would be to do. Baggage fees and preferred seats are already waived based on status, I don't do a ton of on-board food buys, Comfort+ is now baked into the fare instead of an "incidental" fee, etc. I'd basically have to try to recoup it on same-day change fees (which is possible but marginal)... I have a feeling I'd become prone to making same-day changes PURELY for the statement credit, which would be disingenuous to my employer. The DL gift card route, if viable, would work as well but not be expense-able and most of my leisure travel is done on miles, not paid.

Also, I assume the Resort credit also applies only to incidentals and not base rate... which would, again, make it hard to recapture given I don't have a ton of "Resort" stays (I'd basically have to actively focus on Resort properties when in Orlando for business and try to recoup it all through F&B). The Waldorf/Conrad credit would likely be impossible for me to use because any stays I have there are either on corp rates or points, so I wouldn't be able to book the Aspire package to begin with.

More or less, I'm not sure trying to recoup the statement credit benefits of Aspire would be worth the effort just for unlimited Priority Pass (which I likely wouldn't use much more than the 10/year on Ascend) and probably another 30-40k points/year.

Any idea if they would convert a Surpass to Business instead of Ascend? I'm not sure if I would prefer the earnings on flights/car rentals vs. grocery stores but it would be nice to have the option (right now I'm thinking it would pretty much be a wash).

restlessinRNO

This point is repeatedly made, however the $250, $250 and $100 credits are useless to me, and perhaps many other HH members. I don't pay airline incidentals, I don't go to Hilton resorts, I don't use WA/Conrad restaurants. So how many people will hand over $450 just for HH D status?

ukinny2000

Agreed. I am HH Gold, and tbh paying $450 for the Aspire card doesn't really appeal to me - I already pay $550 to Amex for the Platinum card with all its attendant benefits, so the idea of paying $450 more to Amex (even with credits, of which at least the Waldorf one I know I would never use) holds no appeal for me. If anything I could see this card possibly cannibalising the AmexPlat for those people who have already churned their way through all AmexPlat flavours

skunker

Well that's just dumb.

jamesteroh

I wouldn't depend on PP getting you into the boardrooms. Alaska has been turning PP members away a lot lately when the clubs are crowded and only admitting Boardroom members people on first class tickets. I have never flown Alaska and have a Delta skyclub membership but at I like the Boardrooms over the skyclubs, especially in the morning when the pancake machine is out and was turned away at SEA recently and at LAX last year.

I you fly Alaska a lot it might pay you to get the Aspire and use the airline credit towards a boardroom membership (Boardroom members won't get turned away due to capacity).