Hilton Honors points often get a bad rap, mainly because Hilton no longer has award charts. After moving to dynamic pricing, we’ve seen Hilton points show some astronomical redemption values. However, there’s still a lot going for Hilton. In this post, I’ll be explaining how you can get 20x in value from a single credit card welcome bonus.
Credit Card Welcome Bonus: 10x in Value
The Hilton Surpass card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 130,000 points and 1 free night certificate. In my opinion, this is a fantastic welcome bonus and gives you the opportunity to get up to 20x returns on a card that charges an annual fee of $150.
With this welcome bonus on the Hilton Surpass card, you’ll earn 130,000 points and one free night certificate after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months of card membership. This should be pretty easy to meet as you only need to spend $500 each month.
Now how do you get up to 20x in travel from this card? Here’s how. You can book a two night stay at some really aspirational properties in the Hilton Honors portfolio with this card. You can book the first night with points and then another night with the free night certificate.
Click here for the 130,000 points and 1 free night certificate offer
| Hotel Name | Price per night | Approximate price for a 2 night stay | Points per Night | Estimated Cents Per Point Value |
| Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa | $822 | $1,644 | 110,000 | 0.75 |
| Huvafen Fushi Maldives, an SLH Hotel | $1,122 | $2,244 | 150,000 | 0.75 |
| Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi | $3,040 | $6,080 | 150,000 | 2.03 |
| Milaidhoo Maldives, an SLH Hotel | $1,431 | $2,862 | 150,000 | 0.95 |
| Amilla Maldives, an SLH Hotel | $1,219 | $2,438 | 120,000 | 1.02 |
| Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills | $1,353 | $2,706 | 120,000 | 1.13 |
| Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal | $1,789 | $3,578 | 140,000 | 1.28 |
| Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam | $1,437 | $2,874 | 140,000 | 1.03 |
| Conrad Bora Bora Nui | $2,064 | $4,128 | 120,000 | 1.72 |
| Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island | $1,406 | $2,812 | 130,000 | 1.08 |
| Grand Wailea Maui | $865 | $1,730 | 110,000 | 0.79 |
| Roku Kyoto | $1,526 | $3,052 | 120,000 | 1.27 |
Data Collection Parameters
- The prices in the data above represent average prices based on data sampled for the month of May 2025. Prices may vary based on seasonality in other months.
- The prices represent hotel rates per night and do not include taxes, resort fees and other levies. In a nutshell, your CPP value may be higher if you add up the taxes on the base rate per night.
- For certain properties, you may be required to pay out of pocket for seaplane or boat transfers. The prices in the table only represent the room rates and do not include other mandatory transportation charges from or to the property.
- For 5 properties in the list, the redemption value per night is above the 130,000 points welcome bonus. Once you meet the spend for the welcome bonus, you’ll have a minimum of 139,000 Hilton Honors points. You can make up for any minor shortfall in points by either converting Amex Membership Rewards points into Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio or you can also buy Hilton Honors points with a 100% bonus to boost your points balance.
Observations
As you can see in the data above, you can get some amazing value from a single credit card welcome bonus. For a card that charges an annual fee of $150, you can get, in some cases, well over 20x in value. If you have a look at the table and compare the cash price with the $150 annual fee, you get a mean return of 20x. While boat and seaplane transfers may cost you a lot at certain properties, you’ll still get an easy 10x-15x value.
Out of the properties in the list, I’ve stayed at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Hilton Amingiri Madives and the Grand Wailea Maui and would highly recommend them if you’re considering any of these properties for an upcoming vacation.
The Pundit’s Mantra
In addition to the amazing return for booking stays at aspirational properties, the Hilton Surpass card also grants you complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. This means that you’ll get complimentary breakfast at Hilton properties outside the US and a daily breakfast credit at Hilton properties in the US. Moreover, you’ll also get $50 credits each quarter to spend at Hilton properties globally.
If you do not qualify for the Hilton Surpass card, then American Express is also offering elevated welcome bonuses on all of their other co-branded credit cards with Hilton.
| Card Name | Limited Time Offer & Application Link |
Hilton Honors American Express Card |
70,000 points & 1 free night certificate |
Amex Hilton Surpass Card |
130,000 points & 1 free night certificate |
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card |
175,000 & 1 free night certificate |
Amex Hilton Business Card |
175,000 Hilton Honors points |
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