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)
Jun 14, 2017, 9:30 am
#241
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 928
Here's an update to my post #518 in which I described an issue with an unknown Honors account number showing up on the web page for the account of my new Honors-branded AmEx Surpass card.
Since posting, I have made three more calls and conducted one chat session with AmEx reps regarding this matter, including two calls yesterday (one which I was hung up on and the other I was on hold for ~20 minutes and had to hang up to go into a meeting).
So I called again this morning and was connected to a supervisor. I explained the situation to him and he replied in a somewhat haughty manner that it's "common knowledge" that the strange Honors account number displayed on the web page is purposely a fake, for security reasons. He said that my real number will never show up on the web page for that reason.
I inquired that if it was such "common knowledge", then why oh why was I hearing it for the first time from him after having had several earlier conversations with his colleagues?
He said he was surprised to hear this from me, and apologized profusely. He promised to get the word out to coworkers so that they can give people who are inquiring about the same issue the straight scoop.
So there you have it (if we're lucky). Lauren, I hope you will follow up and pursue why this so-called common knowledge wasn't made clear to the AmEx CSR's, or you, or both, from the get go. A lot of time got wasted as a result (including yours).
For the record, over the weekend I breached the $3K spend threshold for the 100K point bonus. The bonus points were posted overnight and are showing in my "real" Honors account now.
Since posting, I have made three more calls and conducted one chat session with AmEx reps regarding this matter, including two calls yesterday (one which I was hung up on and the other I was on hold for ~20 minutes and had to hang up to go into a meeting).
So I called again this morning and was connected to a supervisor. I explained the situation to him and he replied in a somewhat haughty manner that it's "common knowledge" that the strange Honors account number displayed on the web page is purposely a fake, for security reasons. He said that my real number will never show up on the web page for that reason.
I inquired that if it was such "common knowledge", then why oh why was I hearing it for the first time from him after having had several earlier conversations with his colleagues?
He said he was surprised to hear this from me, and apologized profusely. He promised to get the word out to coworkers so that they can give people who are inquiring about the same issue the straight scoop.
So there you have it (if we're lucky). Lauren, I hope you will follow up and pursue why this so-called common knowledge wasn't made clear to the AmEx CSR's, or you, or both, from the get go. A lot of time got wasted as a result (including yours).
For the record, over the weekend I breached the $3K spend threshold for the 100K point bonus. The bonus points were posted overnight and are showing in my "real" Honors account now.
Jun 16, 2017, 8:21 am
#243
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ROC
Programs: Anything CC gives me
Posts: 1,118
Jun 17, 2017, 7:59 am
#247
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: Hilton, IHG, JetBlue, AA, Delta, Southwest
Posts: 35
Here's an update to my post #518 in which I described an issue with an unknown Honors account number showing up on the web page for the account of my new Honors-branded AmEx Surpass card.
Since posting, I have made three more calls and conducted one chat session with AmEx reps regarding this matter, including two calls yesterday (one which I was hung up on and the other I was on hold for ~20 minutes and had to hang up to go into a meeting).
So I called again this morning and was connected to a supervisor. I explained the situation to him and he replied in a somewhat haughty manner that it's "common knowledge" that the strange Honors account number displayed on the web page is purposely a fake, for security reasons. He said that my real number will never show up on the web page for that reason.
I inquired that if it was such "common knowledge", then why oh why was I hearing it for the first time from him after having had several earlier conversations with his colleagues?
He said he was surprised to hear this from me, and apologized profusely. He promised to get the word out to coworkers so that they can give people who are inquiring about the same issue the straight scoop.
So there you have it (if we're lucky). Lauren, I hope you will follow up and pursue why this so-called common knowledge wasn't made clear to the AmEx CSR's, or you, or both, from the get go. A lot of time got wasted as a result (including yours).
For the record, over the weekend I breached the $3K spend threshold for the 100K point bonus. The bonus points were posted overnight and are showing in my "real" Honors account now.
Since posting, I have made three more calls and conducted one chat session with AmEx reps regarding this matter, including two calls yesterday (one which I was hung up on and the other I was on hold for ~20 minutes and had to hang up to go into a meeting).
So I called again this morning and was connected to a supervisor. I explained the situation to him and he replied in a somewhat haughty manner that it's "common knowledge" that the strange Honors account number displayed on the web page is purposely a fake, for security reasons. He said that my real number will never show up on the web page for that reason.
I inquired that if it was such "common knowledge", then why oh why was I hearing it for the first time from him after having had several earlier conversations with his colleagues?
He said he was surprised to hear this from me, and apologized profusely. He promised to get the word out to coworkers so that they can give people who are inquiring about the same issue the straight scoop.
So there you have it (if we're lucky). Lauren, I hope you will follow up and pursue why this so-called common knowledge wasn't made clear to the AmEx CSR's, or you, or both, from the get go. A lot of time got wasted as a result (including yours).
For the record, over the weekend I breached the $3K spend threshold for the 100K point bonus. The bonus points were posted overnight and are showing in my "real" Honors account now.
For the record, sounds like the supervisor is the one who doesn't know whats going on. My real Hilton Honors numbers shows up on my AmEx Surpass account page and has since I opened the card.
What I have noticed, though, is when the card hit my credit report, the part of the account number shown on that is nothing even close to what the real number is.
Jun 17, 2017, 2:38 pm
#248
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: EWN/OAJ/RDU/ILM (Formerly BTV)
Programs: HH D i a m o n d !!!
Posts: 356
If I get Diamond status by spending $40k on the Surpass card in 2017 (should happen within the next week or two), will I keep Diamond throughout all of 2018 even if I cancel or downgrade Surpass at some point?
Jun 17, 2017, 3:27 pm
#249
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,833
I upgraded, finished the spend and the bonus posted about 4 days later. Pretty quick. And I did have a Surpass previously but used the upgrade link with no once-per-lifetime verbage. So no issue with getting bonus a second time even though the language has now changed provided one used the correct link.
Jun 20, 2017, 12:38 pm
#251
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 209
so I've met the spend on my first ever Surpass and I still have the regular HHonors Amex that I've also met spend on.
Can I not still request the upgrade on the regular card to the Surpass and get the bonus again?
Did that just change recently because I would swear I read that it was possible to do exactly that not too long ago?
Can I not still request the upgrade on the regular card to the Surpass and get the bonus again?
Did that just change recently because I would swear I read that it was possible to do exactly that not too long ago?
Jun 20, 2017, 11:34 pm
#252
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,423
I upgraded, finished the spend and the bonus posted about 4 days later. Pretty quick. And I did have a Surpass previously but used the upgrade link with no once-per-lifetime verbage. So no issue with getting bonus a second time even though the language has now changed provided one used the correct link.
Jun 20, 2017, 11:40 pm
#253
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,833
I cancelled my previous Surpass (not an upgrade - I applied for it as a Surpass) about a bit less than a year ago. Upgraded my existing Amex no fee Hilton in May. So probably around 10 months since the last time I had a Surpass.
Jun 23, 2017, 8:09 am
#254
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 928
Update: new card Surpass (never had a Hilton card prior), met final spend (not counting $75 fee) on 6/19 - points posted this morning, 6/23