The American Express® Gold Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are two popular credit card options.
The Amex Gold is among the best cards for earning points at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants.
The Hilton Surpass offers 12x points at Hilton Hotels and nice benefits like Hilton Gold elite status and 10 free Priority Pass visits each year.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Reviews: American Express® Gold Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Overview of Each Card
- Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 12X Points at Hilton Hotels and Resorts
- 6X Points at U.S. Restaurants, U.S. Supermarkets, and U.S. Gas Stations
- Hilton Honors Gold Status
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge Visits
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
Welcome Bonus
The Amex Gold currently offers the following welcome bonus:
bonus_miles_full
The Hilton Surpass Amex currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
Earning Rewards
The Amex Gold earns Membership Rewards points and offers some very nice points multipliers to help you earn a lot of points:
- 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants (including takeout and food delivery in the U.S.).
- 4 points per dollar on up to $25,000 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar).
- 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly from the airline or through the Amex Travel.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
The Hilton Surpass Amex allows cardholders to earn points at the following rates:
- 12 points per dollar at Hilton Hotels and Resorts;
- 6 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants (including takeout and delivery);
- 6 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets;
- 6 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations; and
- 3 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: It depends. The Hilton Surpass wins for spending at Hilton Hotels and Resorts, but for non-Hilton spending, the Amex Gold is a better option since Membership Rewards points are worth much more than Hilton Honors points.
Card Benefits and Perks
The American Express Gold Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
- Up to $120 annual dining statement credit: Earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits when you pay with the Amex Gold Card at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required.
- Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash: Earn up to $10 in Uber Cash monthly for Uber Eats and Uber rides in the U.S. when you enroll and add the card to the Uber app.
- Up to $100 in hotel credits: Cardmembers who use their card to book a stay of two nights or more through Amex’s The Hotel Collection receive a $100 on-site credit for qualifying activities.
- Trip delay insurance ($300 for a delay of more than 12 hours)*
- Lost luggage reimbursement*
- No foreign transaction fees
- Secondary rental car insurance*
- Return protection*
- Purchase protection*
- Extended warranty
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
The Amex Hilton Surpass Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
- Automatic Hilton Gold Elite Status.
- Earn Hilton Diamond status after spending $40,000 in a calendar year.
- Earn a free weekend night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
- 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits each year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Purchase Protection*
- Extended Warranty.*
- Secondary Rental Car Insurance*
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Winner: Tie. The Amex Gold offers $240 in statement credits and better travel protections, but the Hilton Surpass offers 10 complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge visits and Hilton Gold status.
Value of the Annual Fees
The American Express Gold has a $250 annual fee (rates and fees), which is offset by the $240 in credits, trip and purchase protections, and extra points on dining, flights, and U.S. supermarkets.
The Hilton Surpass Amex has an annual fee of $95 (rates & fees), which can be offset by the Hilton Gold status and travel and purchase protections.
Winner: It depends. If you don’t have a Priority Pass membership from another credit card, the Hilton Surpass is a cost-effective way to get access to airport lounges.
But if you already have a membership, the Amex Gold’s $240 in statement credits are a great way to offset the annual fee.
Redeeming Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards is a popular rewards program that offers a variety of redemption options, including travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
However, to get the most value out of your rewards, it’s important to use them strategically.
One of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards is through transfer partners.
The program partners with over 20 airline and hotel partners, including ANA, Air Canada Aeroplan, Iberia Avios, and Avianca LifeMiles.
By transferring your points to these partners, you can often get more value per point and enjoy a wider range of redemption options.
Membership Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
|
|
|---|---|
Aer Lingus Avios
|
AeroMexico [1 to 1.6]
|
Air Canada Aeroplan
|
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
|
ANA
|
Avianca LifeMiles
|
British Airways Avios
|
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
|
Delta SkyMiles
|
El Al [1,000 to 20]
|
Emirates
|
Etihad Guest
|
Hawaiian Airlines
|
Iberia Avios
|
JetBlue [250 to 200]
|
Qantas
|
Qatar Airways
|
Singapore KrisFlyer
|
Virgin Atlantic
|
Choice
|
Marriott Bonvoy
|
Hilton Honors [1 to 2]
|
For the Hilton Honors program, redeeming your points for free hotel nights is the best value.
Unfortunately, Hilton does not publish an award chart so the cost to use your points varies based on several factors such as the demand for the hotel and the cash price for your chosen dates.
The price for a “standard room” is between 5,000 points for budget properties and 150,000 points for ultra-luxurious properties like the Waldorf Astoria Maldives.
Hilton also lets you book a “premium room”, which allows you to book suites, villas, and better rooms, but the price for these are much higher than standard rooms.
All Hilton Honors elite members (including Silver, Gold, and Diamond members) receive a fifth night free on award stays, which is a way to help save points on longer award stays.
Winner: Amex Gold. Membership Rewards points offers more value and flexibility than Hilton Honors points.
The Verdict
Both the Amex Gold and Hilton Surpass Amex are great options.
The Hilton Surpass is a good option if you frequently stay at Hilton Hotels and want airport lounge access.
The Amex Gold is one of the best cards for earning Membership Rewards points and offers $240 in statement credits to offset its annual fee.
Which card are you going to choose?
