Which credit card earns the most points for Hilton stays?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If valuable hotel elite status without the high annual fee is what you're after, it doesn't get much better than the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
The Surpass offers immediate Hilton Gold status — an elite tier that is quite valuable for even an occasional traveler. Complimentary breakfast (or food and beverage credit) and room upgrades, anyone?
However, when it comes to spending money at Hilton properties, let's take a look at which card comes out on top. Hilton has a trio of consumer cards to choose from, in addition to other travel cards that give you a bonus on hotel stays. Remember, you don't necessarily have to pay with the card to reap the benefits.
Let's take a closer look to see which card is best for Hilton stays.
Current Hilton Surpass offer
While the premium Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card currently has a welcome offer of 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership, the mid-tier Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card includes a welcome offer that's right behind its premium counterpart.
The Hilton Surpass card offers 130,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first six months of card membership. The card has an annual fee of $150 (see rates & fees).
The points from the welcome offer equate to $780 in value, based on TPG's August 2024 valuations.
The information for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
How the Surpass card stacks up to the competition
Based on TPG's latest monthly valuations, the Hilton Surpass card's 12 points per dollar earned on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels equals a return of 7.2%. However, cobranded Hilton cards aren't your only option for earning bonus rewards on a Hilton hotel booking.
Below, I've compared the earning rates — and the return on spending — you'd get with the three current Amex Hilton cards and a handful of other top consumer travel rewards cards that offer bonus points on hotels.
Related: Review of the Hilton Surpass card
| CARD | Earning rate AT HILTON HOTELS | RETURN ON SPENDING (BASED ON TPG'S VALUATIONS) | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express | 12 points per dollar | 7.2% | |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | 14 points per dollar | 8.4% | |
| Hilton Honors American Express Card | 7 points per dollar | 4.2% | |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 10 points per dollar | 20% | Must be booked through Chase Travel℠ |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 5 points per dollar | 10% | Must be booked with American Express Travel |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | 10 miles per dollar | 18.5% | Must be booked through Capital One Travel |
| Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants) | 3 points per dollar | 5.1% |
The information for the Citi Prestige Card card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
As you can see, several cards are great for earning bonus points on Hilton stays and hotel purchases in general.
But the cards that offer the highest return on hotel purchases — such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X — require that you book prepaid reservations through their respective portals, restricting your ability to earn Hilton points and use elite perks. Beyond those cards, the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass are currently your best bets for Hilton stays.
Of course, it also depends on which points are the most valuable to you — if you'd rather earn points in the Ultimate Rewards program than Hilton, the higher return on spending with the Hilton cards doesn't mean much.
Bottom line
Some of the best cards to use for Hilton stays are, in fact, not even Hilton cards. For instance, booking with a Chase Sapphire Reserve through Chase Travel typically won't earn you Hilton points or let you make use of your elite perks, but that may not matter to you.
However, if you want points, free night reward and the ability to utilize the benefits of your status, booking directly through Hilton is your best option. In that case, you can't go wrong with the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass cards — offering 14 Hilton points and 12 Hilton points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases (terms apply), respectively.
Apply here: Hilton Amex Surpass
Apply here: Hilton American Express
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass Amex, click here.