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)
Oct 17, 2017, 8:13 am
#421
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,533
If I downgrade to the no fee card, I get no bonus and then would have to "hope" Amex comes along with an upgrade offer without the language of "you never had the card before".
Oct 17, 2017, 8:25 am
#422
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,398
If that's the case, all the more reason for me to cancel Surpass, apply for the regular Amex Hilton to get the bonus and then wait for an Ascend upgrade or new card bonus.
If I downgrade to the no fee card, I get no bonus and then would have to "hope" Amex comes along with an upgrade offer without the language of "you never had the card before".
If I downgrade to the no fee card, I get no bonus and then would have to "hope" Amex comes along with an upgrade offer without the language of "you never had the card before".
Oct 17, 2017, 8:29 am
#423
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,533
If you go with that strategy you will have to apply for the ascend card as a new card in January. You won't be able to upgrade the fee free Hilton, with the credit card "reform" laws that were passed a while back a credit card issuer can't increase the annual fee on a credit card in the first 12 months, so even though you are upgrading the card to a better product with more benefits it won't be allowed and you'll have to apply for a new card (I ran into that issue when I wanted to upgrade my Delta Plat to a Delta Reserve Am Ex).
If they keep Surpass alone and not replace it with Ascend, I have no problem applying for a new card in X months.
Right now, only keeping Surpass because my AF hit like in July or something.
Probably will be switching to Marriott as my hotel partner of choice with the devaluation of Hilton lately.
However, it's good that you mentioned the above, as not everyone is aware of these intracacies. I'll be canceling my Citi Hilton card today to head off things (ie, any "upgrade/conversion" to Ascend/Surpass).
Oct 17, 2017, 8:46 am
#424
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,398
This is true. However, I have no desire to actually get/keep all 3 (or be "upgraded" to the Ascend via the Citi Hilton fiasco).
If they keep Surpass alone and not replace it with Ascend, I have no problem applying for a new card in X months.
Right now, only keeping Surpass because my AF hit like in July or something.
Probably will be switching to Marriott as my hotel partner of choice with the devaluation of Hilton lately.
However, it's good that you mentioned the above, as not everyone is aware of these intracacies. I'll be canceling my Citi Hilton card today to head off things (ie, any "upgrade/conversion" to Ascend/Surpass).
If they keep Surpass alone and not replace it with Ascend, I have no problem applying for a new card in X months.
Right now, only keeping Surpass because my AF hit like in July or something.
Probably will be switching to Marriott as my hotel partner of choice with the devaluation of Hilton lately.
However, it's good that you mentioned the above, as not everyone is aware of these intracacies. I'll be canceling my Citi Hilton card today to head off things (ie, any "upgrade/conversion" to Ascend/Surpass).
I have my $10K in spend in after the annual fee for the free night and have $40K in spend in on the credit card this year for diamond for 2018 (I've been giving a lot more stays to Hyatt since they gave me a diamond status match last year and they treat their diamonds much better than Hilton, they just don't have all the properties Hilton does so need the credit card spend to remain diamond) and don't want to risk losing the free night or the diamond status.
But I also don't want to lose out on a sign up promo for the Ascend if there is one by having the card converted. But on the other hand if they do convert the citi card to an ascend I can have the fee free Hilton credit line moved to the Ascend or one of my Delta Am Ex cards (since Delta is going to be requiring $250K in Am Ex spend for the diamond MQD waiver next year the big credit line could come in handy if a last minute big item expenses comes up at the office).
It sucks that Hilton is chosing Am EX as their partner. I wish they would have stuck with Citi or gone with an issuer of MC/Visa.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:21 am
#425
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
I can confirm that after having Hilton add my middle initial to my Honors account, and then requesting Amex to update my Hilton number (and it "went through") that everything reflected correctly online within 2 days. My correct Honors number, point total, and diamond status now reflect on the Amex website. I've updated the wiki to share this suggestion, since many here seem to have the same problem and the fix is relatively simple.
So I contacted Hilton via chat and asked the nice lady to insert my middle initial in my name on my Honors account. She advised me that it was already there, and assured me that she had just not entered in when I brought it up on chat. It's been there for a while .... probably years. When I log on to my Honors account, my middle initial does not show up. But by jingo, the nice lady said it shows up on their end.
On to AMEX. I explain the whole deal to them (again, for the nth time) and, long story made short, they once again referred my situation to the digital team. My AMEX account shows that my middle initial is there, for the record.
The fellow I chatted with today seemed confident that this time, it would get fixed. He said, check back in 48-72 hours and see if it's resolved. Which I will do, and report back here.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:23 am
#426
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
Just as an info point, I signed up for the Surpass card during the springtime 100K promotion.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:26 am
#427
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,218
Just as an info point, I signed up for the Surpass card during the springtime 100K promotion.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.
Oct 17, 2017, 11:16 am
#428
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,398
[QUOTE=dave1013;28942812]Just as an info point, I signed up for the Surpass card during the springtime 100K promotion.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.[/QUOTEI
If you had $40K in charges in 2017 you should have diamond status for all of 2018. Are you sure it didn't state the status expired in 19 and not 18?
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.[/QUOTEI
If you had $40K in charges in 2017 you should have diamond status for all of 2018. Are you sure it didn't state the status expired in 19 and not 18?
Oct 17, 2017, 11:56 am
#429
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
UPDATE: Called Honors and they said the email was automatically generated. It has no relation to the AMEX spend. The one showing the extension into 2019 will come toward the end of this year.
Last edited by dave1013; Oct 17, 2017 at 2:35 pm
Oct 17, 2017, 11:58 am
#430
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
[QUOTE=jamesteroh;28943327]
No, it says 2018. I will look into this and hopefully read things more carefully!
Just as an info point, I signed up for the Surpass card during the springtime 100K promotion.
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.[/QUOTEI
If you had $40K in charges in 2017 you should have diamond status for all of 2018. Are you sure it didn't state the status expired in 19 and not 18?
During the current billing cycle (which ends in a week), I went over the $40K spend threshold to retain Diamond status for another year.
This morning, I received an email telling me that my status has been extended through March 31, 2018.
I wasn't expecting this notice until after the current cycle ends next week, but glad nonetheless to have received some confirmation of the extension, as I feared there would be none.[/QUOTEI
If you had $40K in charges in 2017 you should have diamond status for all of 2018. Are you sure it didn't state the status expired in 19 and not 18?
Oct 17, 2017, 3:07 pm
#431
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: DEN
Programs: Hilton Diamond Hyatt Globalist Marriott Gold AA EXP
Posts: 1,010
Unless they are split into Business and Personal versions.
Oct 21, 2017, 6:13 pm
#434
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: IAD...and loving it?!
Programs: UA Platinum (1MM Gold), HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 858
it worked...100k points just posted...
Have now talked to an AMEX agent who said that the "no previous bonus" clause appies only to new requests for a Surpass card, not upgrades. In the "trust but verify" mode, I have copied the Terms and Conditions statement to a pdf document in case this becomes a dispute later on. Finished the on-line upgrade and it immediately I'd been approved (no real risk on their part since it is an upgrade form a card that already has an established line of credit). We'll see how this plays out.
