Best Hilton Credit Cards

The Hilton Surpass sign-up bonus is 130,000 points for spending $2,000 within 3 months of being approved for an account. Cardholders receive their bonus points within 6 to 8 weeks of meeting the initial spending requirement. The Hilton Surpass Card's sign-up bonus is worth roughly $767 when redeemed for Hilton reservations.

This Hilton Surpass sign-up bonus is not available to current or former Ascend or Hilton Surpass cardholders. It's also important to note that a sign-up bonus for this many points does come at a cost. The Ascend card has a $95 annual fee. But the sign-up bonus basically has that covered for nearly nine years. This isn't the easiest card to get, either. It requires excellent credit.

Here are the Hilton Surpass sign-up bonus details:

• Sign-up bonus: Earn 130,000 bonus points for spending $2,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
• Eligibility: The bonus offer is open only to new applicants who've never had the Hilton Ascend or Hilton Surpass credit cards.
• When bonus points post: 6 to 8 weeks after the spending requirement has been met.
• Redemption options: Points are redeemable toward Hilton reservations, travel purchases such as airfare or car rentals, shopping and dining purchases, charitable causes and more.
• Point value: Slightly 0.59 cents each. You'll get the most value if you redeem points for free nights at Hilton properties. Points cannot be redeemed for cash or statement credits.
• Expiration: Unredeemed rewards expire after 18 months of account inactivity (i.e. no making purchases or redeeming points).   
• Payments that don't count toward the sign-up bonus: Fees, interest, balance transfers, prepaid cards, gift cards, or other cash equivalents like lottery tickets.

The Hilton Surpass sign-up bonus is just one of the card's attractive features. It also offers 12 points per $1 spent at Hilton properties; 6 points per $1 at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants; and 3 points per $1 on all other purchases.

Spending a lot can also get you extra perks. There's a free weekend night for spending $15,000 every year. And if you spend $40,000 in 12 months, you get Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. That gives you things like complimentary breakfast, late check-out, and room upgrades.

Hilton will charge your credit card when you check in, though you will need to provide a credit card number when you book the stay. If a promotional room rate requires a deposit or pre-payment, which is common with third-party travel providers, Hilton/the travel provider will charge your credit card for that amount when you make the reservation.

Once Hilton has a credit card number on file as a guarantee of payment, they will reserve the room until check-in is complete. If you need to cancel the reservation, do so at least 48 hours before check-in, or Hilton will charge your credit card for the first night of the reservation, including any taxes and fees.

When you check in to a Hilton hotel, you must present a picture ID and the credit card used to make the reservation, and the names on both should match. If the reservation was charged to someone else's credit card, you will need to provide a completed credit card authorization form when you check in. This lets Hilton know that the reservation is legitimate and that you have permission to pay with the other person's credit card.

You can get a Hilton credit card authorization form by calling the Hilton location you will visit and asking them to send one to you by email (Hilton does not provide a general form to use for all locations). The authorization form will let the Hilton hotel know that your stay can be charged to someone else's credit card, or that someone else's stay can be charged to yours. When the guest arrives at the Hilton hotel, they must present the Hilton credit card authorization form at the front desk in order to check in. This lets the hotel know that the booking is valid and wasn't made with a stolen credit card.

A Hilton credit card authorization form is useful for situations like gifting a vacation to someone or having a company card pay for an employee's stay during a conference. The form will include information like the names and contact information of the guests and the owner of the credit card, the booking confirmation number and the credit card number. It will also specify what charges the cardholder is willing to pay for – for example, you might authorize the room expenses to be charged to the card, but make the guest pay for incidentals. The form will require the cardholder's signature, too.

The biggest Hilton Honors American Express benefits are rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranties on purchased items, and a Global Assist Hotline. The Hilton Honors Amex card also offers access to exclusive “experiences” and presale tickets for events, along with complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status. The card used to offer baggage insurance, too, but it dropped that benefit in January 2020.

Top Hilton Honors American Express benefits:

Rental car insurance: Covers up to $50,000 in damage or theft for rentals of up to 30 days paid for with your Hilton Honors Amex.

Purchase protection: Pays up to $1,000 per item and $50,000 per card each calendar year for items that are damaged or stolen within 90 days of being purchased.

Extended warranty: Adds up to one additional year to the original manufacturer's warranty on items purchased with your Hilton Honors Amex. The original warranty must be five years or fewer, and the total coverage from Amex caps out at $10,000.

Global Assist Hotline: Offers 24/7 access to free information useful for trip planning, managing situations like lost bags, and getting referrals to medical and legal help while traveling.

Experiences: Cardholders get the opportunity to attend exclusive events and access presale tickets for concerts, sporting events, the theater and more.

Silver status: Free Silver status in the Hilton Honors loyalty program, which provides perks like a 20% bonus on points earned for stays, and a fifth night free when booking with points.

The Amex Hilton 80,000-point bonus offer is available to new Hilton Honors American Express Card applicants who spend $1,000 in the first 3 months after opening an account. That is a pretty good deal, considering the Amex Hilton Card has a $0 annual fee. The bonus isn't as big as it seems at first glance, though, because points are only worth about half a cent apiece on average when redeemed toward stays at Hilton properties. Once a cardholder meets the spending requirement, they should see the bonus points in their account in around 8 to 12 weeks.

In addition to the 80,000-point bonus, the Amex Hilton card also gives ongoing bonus rewards for every $1 spent at participating Hilton Honors properties as well as U.S.-based restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations. Other perks include a 0% foreign transaction fee and automatic Silver Elite Status in Hilton Honors.

The Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card gives you Hilton Diamond status automatically, just for owning the card. Diamond status provides a host of perks whenever you stay at any Hilton property, including a 100% bonus on all points earned for stays, access to the hotel's Executive lounge, guaranteed room availability with 48 hours' notice, and free premium Wi-Fi. You'll also get all the benefits available to lower status levels, such as two complimentary bottles of water, free continental breakfast, a fifth free night on reward stays and more. You will maintain this status as long as your credit card account remains open. While this is a great perk, keep in mind that the Hilton Honors Aspire card comes with a $450 annual fee.

There is one other credit card that gives Hilton Diamond status, too – the Hilton Honors Surpass Card. However, to get Diamond status, you must spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year. If you do, you will receive Diamond status through the end of the following calendar year. The Hilton Honors Surpass Card's annual fee is $95.

Normally, earning Hilton Diamond status requires 60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 total points earned. Using an Aspire or Surpass card could allow you to get there more quickly, giving you access to the hotel's highest level of perks.

To make a Hilton Honors credit card payment, log in to your American Express account, navigate to “Payments,” and select “Make a Payment.” Then, enter the bank account and routing number for the account the payment will be withdrawn from, and submit the payment. This process is the same for all of the Hilton Honors credit cards that you can still apply for, as they are all issued by American Express.

Your Hilton Honors credit card payment should take about 24 to 36 hours to be reflected on your account balance. You could also consider enrolling in autopay so that the payment gets automatically withdrawn from your account each month by the due date. To set up autopay, click “Manage Autopay” from the Payments menu.

Another way to pay your Hilton Honors credit card is through the American Express mobile app. Just log in with the same credentials as your online account, tap on your card, and click “Make Payment.” From there, you can input your bank account information.

You can also make a Hilton Honors credit card payment by phone or through the mail. The phone number is 800-472-9297, and the mailing address is American Express / P.O. Box 650448 / Dallas, TX 75265-0448. You can mail a check or money order (but not cash). If you go that route, send your payment 7 to 10 business days before the due date to make sure it arrives on time.

Two credit cards offer Hilton Gold status automatically: the Hilton Honors Surpass Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. The Gold status provided by these Hilton credit cards lasts as long as each card is open, but it isn't exactly free considering the Surpass Card has a $95 annual fee and the Business Card charges $95. Still, those fees are a bargain compared to what it would normally cost to earn Gold status: 40 nights, 20 stays or 75,000 base points earned. It's also worth noting that Surpass cardholders who spend $40,000 on the card in a calendar year get an upgrade to Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.

There is another Hilton credit card that offers Hilton Gold status, too, just not automatically. The Hilton Honors American Express Card gives complimentary Silver status, but cardholders who spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year get upgraded to Gold status through the end of the next calendar year. This card has a $0 annual fee.

Hilton Gold status offers special perks when staying at Hilton properties, such as complimentary room upgrades if available, a free continental breakfast and 80% bonus points on stays.

Hilton credit card free night certificates are good for a free weekend night stay in a double-occupancy room, including taxes, at nearly 6,000 Hilton properties. The Hilton Aspire, Hilton Surpass, and Hilton Business credit cards all give free night certificates. Certificates are valid for one year from the date they're earned and can only be used for weekend stays. Normally, at least. To accommodate customers whose travel plans have been affected by COVID-19, Hilton credit card free night certificates earned March 11-April 30, 2020 are valid through August 31, 2021, and certificates issued May 1-December 31, 2020 are valid for 24 months from the date they're issued. They can also be used on any weeknight.

The criteria for earning free night certificates vary. The Aspire card, for example, gets you a free night certificate upon account opening and every year that the card is renewed. You'll receive a second free night when spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year. All eligible Hilton credit cards will award you at least one free night certificate after you spend a specific amount every year. You'll receive an e-mail with your free night rewards number and booking instructions within 8-12 weeks after you qualify.

To redeem your Hilton credit card free night certificate, you'll need to visit the Hilton website and search for Hilton hotels with “Standard Room Reward” listed in the results. You cannot redeem the free night certificate online, so once you've found an available room, you'll need to call Hilton customer service at 1 (800) 446-6677 to apply the free night toward your stay.