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)
Jan 17, 2018, 6:04 am
#526
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Trinidad & Tobago
Posts: 437
I called Amex, they say 'as long as the merchant is non-US' you will be charged a foreign transaction fee regardless of the currency of the charge.
...still looking for a good replacement for my Sapphire Reserve with no Annual Fee, no Foreign Fees, and a useful signup bonus before January 2018.
...still looking for a good replacement for my Sapphire Reserve with no Annual Fee, no Foreign Fees, and a useful signup bonus before January 2018.
Jan 18, 2018, 1:10 pm
#527
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
1. I though it some other thread that you will only be able to upgrade the Ascend card if you had the Surpass card for more than a year as of Jan 30, and that you won't be able to upgrade until Jan 30. (If so, that wouldn't work for a resort stay next week
. Gosh, even if you applied for the Aspire from scratch today, I don't know for sure if you'd have it in time for a resort stay next week.)2. So far there's no word on whether you can get an upgrade bonus in upgrades from other Amex HH cards to Aspire. All that's been announced so far is from-scratch signup bonuses.
Jan 19, 2018, 5:12 am
#528
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,836
I called today to ask if I could get a bonus if I upgrade from Ascend to Aspire. I was told there is no such offer at this time and the chap recommended that I call back in February because there might be an upgrade offer, rather than cancel my card now and apply for a new card.
Jan 20, 2018, 1:00 pm
#529
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Citi Honors card to Amex Ascend confusion
Newbie to AMEX world... My wife had the Citi card, I was a free additional cardholder. We just got the Ascend cards in separate mailings which included the card and a full page insert with "get ready"" at the top of the page. My insert says >I< get Hilton Silver status (hers said she gets gold). Strangely, my paperwork also says 7x Hilton points, 5x gas/supermarkets, 3x other purchases, but hers says 12x, 6x, 3x and we have different card numbers. Her insert says she can upgrade to Gold and gets Priority Pass 10 visits (mine says I can upgrade to Gold). Both sets of paperwork say Ascend card.
I'm confused. Did Amex just accidentally send me the wrong info sheet? I wasn't expecting any benefits for me as an additional cardholder. I expected my use of the card to just generate Hilton points for my wife's account. And I don't want to pay for the extra card, so hoping this is still a free benefit to have additional cardholder.
I'm confused. Did Amex just accidentally send me the wrong info sheet? I wasn't expecting any benefits for me as an additional cardholder. I expected my use of the card to just generate Hilton points for my wife's account. And I don't want to pay for the extra card, so hoping this is still a free benefit to have additional cardholder.
Last edited by abaheti; Jan 22, 2018 at 8:46 am
Jan 20, 2018, 1:15 pm
#530
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: AA EXP, Hertz Gold Plus, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 338
I called today to ask if I could get a bonus if I upgrade from Ascend to Aspire. I was told there is no such offer at this time and the chap recommended that I call back in February because there might be an upgrade offer, rather than cancel my card now and apply for a new card.
Jan 24, 2018, 7:13 am
#531
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: IAD/DCA
Programs: UA - seesaws between no status and Silver; HH Diamond
Posts: 77
After seeing @greg5 post, I checked my account and did see the 10 entries there. But i'm a little confused after seeing this:
"Inclusive member and accompanying guest visits in each membership year (each person uses one inclusive visit). Any additional member or guest visits will be charged directly to the payment card associated with your account at a rate of US$27 per person per visit.
Your membership refreshes 05 Oct 2019"
(Bold and italics are mine)
SO....if it renews each membership year - how is almost two years from now when it renews? This doesn't seem fair.... I am assuming that my anniversary date is Oct. 5, but seems kind of rotten to start this in Jan and consider this my Oct. 2018 "allotment".
"Inclusive member and accompanying guest visits in each membership year (each person uses one inclusive visit). Any additional member or guest visits will be charged directly to the payment card associated with your account at a rate of US$27 per person per visit.
Your membership refreshes 05 Oct 2019"
(Bold and italics are mine)
SO....if it renews each membership year - how is almost two years from now when it renews? This doesn't seem fair.... I am assuming that my anniversary date is Oct. 5, but seems kind of rotten to start this in Jan and consider this my Oct. 2018 "allotment".
Jan 25, 2018, 3:25 pm
#532
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,180
Has anyone received the new Ascend card that had a Surpass? I received the Ascend card that were converted from the Citi Visa (even though I cancelled it quite a bit prior) but am yet to receive a new card from the Surpass conversion.
Jan 25, 2018, 3:33 pm
#533
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BUR/LAX
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, HHonors Diamond, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 2,505
I converted my Surpass card to the Aspire card and received it yesterday.
Jan 25, 2018, 3:33 pm
#534
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
I was wondering the same thing. Maybe because they are both Amex products we won't get a new card until our current expiration date? My Amex account (and Hilton account) has called it Ascend for a couple of months already.
Jan 25, 2018, 3:42 pm
#535
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: flyover country
Posts: 2,435
Although my Surpass card has been called Ascend in email and on the web site for a some weeks now, I just received paper mail referring to the Surpass card. Apparently some parts of American Express are on a different page.
Jan 27, 2018, 1:33 pm
#537
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: 17,421
Jan 27, 2018, 2:21 pm
#539
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BUR/LAX
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, HHonors Diamond, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 2,505
Jan 30, 2018, 1:20 pm
#540
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Resolved. Registered my wife's card, tried to do mine and got errors. Basically everything ends up as it should. American Express screwed up by inserting the benefits sheet in my envelope according to the phone rep. My card shows up under my wife's online, all charges etc go under her account, she gets benefits (I don't), any spend on my card accrue the bonus points as Ascend onto HER Honors account. In other words, I'm just a normal additional cardholder despite the confusing paperwork. Interesting minor glitch (?) is that her card says member since 1990 (she hasn't had an AMEX since like 1994) and didn't get the Citi Visa until 2005 or so.
Newbie to AMEX world... My wife had the Citi card, I was a free additional cardholder. We just got the Ascend cards in separate mailings which included the card and a full page insert with "get ready"" at the top of the page. My insert says >I< get Hilton Silver status (hers said she gets gold). Strangely, my paperwork also says 7x Hilton points, 5x gas/supermarkets, 3x other purchases, but hers says 12x, 6x, 3x and we have different card numbers. Her insert says she can upgrade to Gold and gets Priority Pass 10 visits (mine says I can upgrade to Gold). Both sets of paperwork say Ascend card.
I'm confused. Did Amex just accidentally send me the wrong info sheet? I wasn't expecting any benefits for me as an additional cardholder. I expected my use of the card to just generate Hilton points for my wife's account. And I don't want to pay for the extra card, so hoping this is still a free benefit to have additional cardholder.
I'm confused. Did Amex just accidentally send me the wrong info sheet? I wasn't expecting any benefits for me as an additional cardholder. I expected my use of the card to just generate Hilton points for my wife's account. And I don't want to pay for the extra card, so hoping this is still a free benefit to have additional cardholder.