May 26, 2014, 3:09 pm
Last edit by: rrgg
Hilton HHonors American Express Surpass card. 155,000 points for spending $3,000 in 3 months; $95 annual fee. Offer Expires Apr. 17, 2024
Hilton HHonors American Express Surpass card. 170,000 points for spending $3,000 in 3 months; $95 annual fee. Expired Jan 17 2024
Hilton HHonors American Express Surpass card. 130,000 points for spending $4,000 in 4 months; $95 annual fee. OFFER EXPIRED AUG 28.
Hilton HHonors American Express Ascend card. 75,000 points for spending $2,000 in 3 months+ 25,000 points after additional $1000 in 6 months; $95 annual fee.
Note: For existing Surpass card holders, AMEX verbally confirmed that on or after 20 January 2018, card holders can call in and request cards be converted to Aspire - while maintaining the same credit card number, balance limits, PIN, etc.
Card features:
Check your application status
Linking AmexAscend Surpass to your Hilton Honors account.Many (most?) have reported that a new Hilton Honors number gets assigned by Amex even when they put their existing Hilton Honors number in the application, and it can take several weeks to get this worked out. However, the key to making things go smoothly seems to be an exact match of your name and address between Amex and Hilton, including adding your middle initial to your Hilton Honors account if you use it on your Amex. When everything matches, an Amex rep should be able to update the account number, it should "go through" immediately, and the correct Hilton account number will be reflected on the Amex website in about 2 days.
Is the AmexAscend Surpass 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 Ascend 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 Ascend Surpass signup bonus first, and only afterward pursue the upgrade bonus(es).
For information on other Hilton-branded credit cards, see the wiki at Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi
- Important limitation on this offer: "Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product."
Note: For existing Surpass card holders, AMEX verbally confirmed that on or after 20 January 2018, card holders can call in and request cards be converted to Aspire - while maintaining the same credit card number, balance limits, PIN, etc.
Card features:
- Annual fee:
$95$150, no first-year waiver. - Earning: 12 HHonors points per dollar on Hilton spend; 6 points/$ at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets & gas stations; 4 points for online retail purchases (as of 2023); 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
Check your application status
Linking Amex
Is the Amex
For information on other Hilton-branded credit cards, see the wiki at Ongoing offers for Hilton cards issued by Amex or Citi
The Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express (formerly called Ascend)
Aug 12, 2016, 6:40 pm
#136
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 581
FYI I cancelled my Hilton Surpass Amex today, and they were willing to reallocate the bulk of that credit limit to my other non-Hilton amex cards. It sounded like it was on a case-by-case basis - the person helping me wasn't sure if it would work or if it would need a manual approval, but when he tried to move the limit, it worked.
Now I'm wondering if I can apply for the regular Hilton Amex immediately or if I should wait a month - it did sound like the changes in my credit limit would be frozen for 30 days. I'm concerned that if I apply too soon and they want to allocate limit to the new card rather than grant me additional limit, I'll just be rejected. But the 75k point offer seems to be active now and seems to be about as good as it gets for this card, so I'd hate to miss it. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Now I'm wondering if I can apply for the regular Hilton Amex immediately or if I should wait a month - it did sound like the changes in my credit limit would be frozen for 30 days. I'm concerned that if I apply too soon and they want to allocate limit to the new card rather than grant me additional limit, I'll just be rejected. But the 75k point offer seems to be active now and seems to be about as good as it gets for this card, so I'd hate to miss it. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Sep 15, 2016, 5:40 am
#137
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1
Amex Surplus 100k
I was looking to apply for the 100k Surplus offer when I noticed in the rates and fees the following:
If your application is not received by 06/30/2016, you will not be eligible for the 100,000 Bonus Points offer and the friend who referred you may not receive the Referral Bonus even if your application is approved.
Anyone had any luck applying after the 6/30 date and still getting the 100k? Hesitant to go through with the hard pull and 3k spend if it's all for naught, even though the application page is still up.
If your application is not received by 06/30/2016, you will not be eligible for the 100,000 Bonus Points offer and the friend who referred you may not receive the Referral Bonus even if your application is approved.
Anyone had any luck applying after the 6/30 date and still getting the 100k? Hesitant to go through with the hard pull and 3k spend if it's all for naught, even though the application page is still up.
Sep 22, 2016, 7:58 am
#138
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: PHL
Posts: 226
I was looking to apply for the 100k Surplus offer when I noticed in the rates and fees the following:
[I]If your application is not received by 06/30/2016, you will not be eligible for the 100,000 Bonus Points offer...Anyone had any luck applying after the 6/30 date and still getting the 100k?
[I]If your application is not received by 06/30/2016, you will not be eligible for the 100,000 Bonus Points offer...Anyone had any luck applying after the 6/30 date and still getting the 100k?
Oct 1, 2016, 12:36 pm
#140
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
Dec 3, 2016, 8:11 am
#141
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,223
Just went over the $40,000 spend on the Hilton Amex Surpass, so should be upgraded from Gold to Diamond "for the remainder of this year until the end of the next year".
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
Dec 4, 2016, 10:46 am
#143
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EP; WN CP;UA SILVER; MARRIOTT TITANIUM; HH DIAMOND; IHG PLAT; RADISSON PLAT; HYATT GLOBAL
Posts: 1,938
Just went over the $40,000 spend on the Hilton Amex Surpass, so should be upgraded from Gold to Diamond "for the remainder of this year until the end of the next year".
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
This happened to me back when drugstores got bonus and I MS $40K with vanilla reloads. I received 3 years of Diamond. Don't ask me why. It expired early this year.
Dec 13, 2016, 3:17 am
#144
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,223
Just went over the $40,000 spend on the Hilton Amex Surpass, so should be upgraded from Gold to Diamond "for the remainder of this year until the end of the next year".
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
However, it then says "may take 10-12 weeks for the status to be upgraded"
That leaves you with just 9 -10 months of upgraded status next year, not the whole year!
Has anyone had it take less than 10-12 weeks to be updated?
Dec 14, 2016, 11:57 am
#145
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: EWN/OAJ/RDU/ILM (Formerly BTV)
Programs: HH D i a m o n d !!!
Posts: 356
Does anyone ever get upgraded to nicer rooms with Gold status or does that really only happen as a diamond? Or another related question would be, what is likelihood of getting upgraded as Diamond vs Gold?
I saw there is an entire thread related to Diamond suite upgrades, but I couldn't find anything similar for Gold upgrades.
Dec 14, 2016, 6:00 pm
#146
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, HGVC, WN RR, National Exec, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,057
Does anyone ever get upgraded to nicer rooms with Gold status or does that really only happen as a diamond? Or another related question would be, what is likelihood of getting upgraded as Diamond vs Gold?
I saw there is an entire thread related to Diamond suite upgrades, but I couldn't find anything similar for Gold upgrades.
The best part of being a Gold for me is the free breakfast at HGI's where I tend to stay frequently.
Dec 14, 2016, 7:30 pm
#147
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,480
By comparison, since matching to Diamond I've gotten pretty much nil.
Dec 15, 2016, 10:10 am
#148
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EP; WN CP;UA SILVER; MARRIOTT TITANIUM; HH DIAMOND; IHG PLAT; RADISSON PLAT; HYATT GLOBAL
Posts: 1,938
I have the no-AF Hilton AmEx and just surpassed the $20k threshold for earning gold... only took ~6-7 days 'til my Hilton account showed Gold status (also, my CC statement closed in that time, so perhaps that was why I got it so quickly).
Does anyone ever get upgraded to nicer rooms with Gold status or does that really only happen as a diamond? Or another related question would be, what is likelihood of getting upgraded as Diamond vs Gold?
I saw there is an entire thread related to Diamond suite upgrades, but I couldn't find anything similar for Gold upgrades.
Does anyone ever get upgraded to nicer rooms with Gold status or does that really only happen as a diamond? Or another related question would be, what is likelihood of getting upgraded as Diamond vs Gold?
I saw there is an entire thread related to Diamond suite upgrades, but I couldn't find anything similar for Gold upgrades.
Dec 15, 2016, 11:28 am
#149
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego
Programs: IHG Spire Amb, HH Diamond, DL Diamond and 1MM
Posts: 3,611
There is a whole thread for Gold upgrades. The short answer is that Gold upgrades are common overseas (especially places like Istanbul and Izmir over pricey places like Tokyo). Domestic USA Hiltons not so much. Upgrades when they occur may be to the exec floor, a full suite upgrade is not likely to never.