When you love the consistency of brand-name resorts or recurrently keep at Hilton or Marriott properties, carrying one in every of their cobranded resort bank cards could also be a good suggestion.
The Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card are two mid-tier merchandise with quite a lot of perks, together with annual free nights, alternatives to earn a plethora of factors and computerized standing for extra advantages each time you keep at a taking part property.
However does one stand out above the opposite? This is a more in-depth have a look at how these playing cards work so you possibly can resolve which is healthier for you.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless vs. Hilton Surpass comparability
This is a fast abstract of crucial options of every card that can assist you examine options and advantages head-to-head:
| Function | Marriott Bonvoy Boundless | Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome supply | Earn a $150 assertion credit score after making the primary buy within the first 12 months from account opening, and earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. | Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus factors after spending $3,000 in purchases on the cardboard inside the first six months of card membership. |
| Incomes charges |
|
|
| Elite standing | 15 elite nights yearly, which grants computerized Silver standing | Automated Gold standing |
| Free nights | Free evening award in your card’s annual anniversary, price as much as 35,000 factors. Sure inns have resort charges. | Free evening reward after spending $15,000 on the cardboard in a calendar yr |
| Different advantages |
|
|
| Annual charge | $95 | $150 annual charge (see charges and costs) |
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless vs. Hilton Amex Surpass Welcome supply
The Bonvoy Boundless comes with a welcome bonus of a $150 assertion credit score after making the primary buy within the first 12 months from account opening, and earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. — price as much as $1,000 (together with the assertion credit score), primarily based on TPG’s February 2025 valuations.
With the Hilton Surpass, you may earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus factors after spending $3,000 in purchases inside the first six months of card membership. The welcome supply is price $780, primarily based on TPG’s February 2025 valuations.
Winner: Bonvoy Boundless. The welcome supply and assertion credit score present a larger return to new cardholders.
Associated: Listed below are the very best bank card welcome presents
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless vs. Hilton Amex Surpass advantages
When you’ve got the Bonvoy Boundless, you may earn a free evening yearly in your account anniversary after paying your annual charge. That is legitimate for a keep price as much as 35,000 factors, although you possibly can complement the certificates with as much as 15,000 additional factors to snag higher-priced rooms. With a $95 annual charge, the free evening award alone makes the cardboard price holding if you happen to keep at an eligible Marriott property as soon as per yr.
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With the Hilton Surpass, you can too get pleasure from a free evening, but it surely’s not computerized. You may should spend at the least $15,000 on the cardboard in a calendar yr to earn it, translating to a minimal of $1,250 month-to-month. And for the reason that Hilton Surpass is not essentially the greatest card for on a regular basis spending, you can be sacrificing some rewards on these purchases.
That stated, you should use the free evening for just about any property within the Hilton Honors portfolio (with only a few exceptions), probably giving the award an outsize worth.
Bonvoy Boundless cardholders get computerized Silver Elite standing by advantage of the 15 elite evening credit awarded on the cardboard (if you happen to even have a Marriott enterprise card, you possibly can stack these credit for a complete of 30 nights). These 15 nights put you greater than half of the way in which to Gold standing, and you may earn an extra credit score for each $5,000 you spend on the cardboard. And in case your spending on the cardboard hits at the least $35,000 in a calendar yr, you may mechanically be upgraded to Marriott Gold standing.
As a Hilton Surpass cardmember, you get computerized Hilton Honors Gold standing. You’re then upgraded to Diamond standing if you happen to spend at the least $40,000 in a calendar yr on the cardboard. Elite standing at each resort manufacturers comes with an inventory of advantages that enhance as you progress to greater tiers — however Hilton Gold is considerably extra priceless than Marriott Silver.
Each playing cards waive international transaction charges (see Hilton Surpass charges and costs) and supply extra advantages.
The Bonvoy Boundless consists of buy safety, baggage delay insurance coverage, misplaced baggage reimbursement protection and journey delay reimbursement insurance coverage. Customers even have entry to complimentary Visa Concierge service.
The Hilton Surpass comes with a way more restricted set of protections. Nonetheless, the most important perk right here is the power to rise up to $200 in assertion credit each calendar yr (as much as $50 every quarter) for eligible Hilton purchases. By taking full benefit of this perk, you may get optimistic worth from the Hilton Surpass’s $150 annual charge (see charges and costs).
Winner: Hilton Surpass. Whereas the Bonvoy Boundless has good advantages, the Hilton Surpass’s complimentary Gold standing and as much as $200 in assertion credit for eligible Hilton purchases have it edging out its competitors.
Associated: Evaluating the very best resort elite standing tiers and methods to earn them
Incomes factors on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless vs. Hilton Amex Surpass
When you’re a Marriott or Hilton loyalist, you possible favor one model’s factors over one other. However if you happen to’re not loyal to any particular resort, here is a breakdown of what incomes seems to be like on each playing cards.
With the Bonvoy Boundless, you may earn 6 factors per greenback spent at Marriott properties plus 3 factors per greenback spent at U.S. grocery shops, U.S. gasoline stations and U.S. eating places (as much as $6,000 in mixed spending annually). As well as, you may earn 2 factors per greenback on different journey purchases and in every single place else.
In the meantime, if in case you have the Hilton Surpass, you may earn 12 factors per greenback spent at Hilton properties, 6 factors per greenback spent at U.S. eating places, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gasoline stations, 4 factors per greenback on U.S. on-line retail purchases and three factors per greenback in every single place else.
For bonus classes, the Hilton Surpass earns almost double that of the Marriott card. Even with a barely decrease worth (0.6 cents per level for Hilton versus .85 cents per level for Marriott, in keeping with TPG’s February 2025 valuations), you may most likely come out forward with factors if you happen to use the Hilton Surpass card recurrently.
Winner: Hilton Surpass. You may rack up extra rewards with the Hilton Surpass.
Associated: How and why you must maximize your resort stays through the use of a number of loyalty packages
Redeeming factors on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless vs. Hilton Amex Surpass
The perfect worth for Marriott and Hilton factors normally comes from redeeming for resort reward nights. You do produce other choices, however resort stays sometimes provide the highest worth per level. Sadly, each packages not have award charts.
The vast majority of Marriott stays price between 5,000 and 100,000 factors per evening. Nonetheless, this system imposes dynamic award pricing, which means the price of all its 8,000-plus inns and resorts can differ.
In keeping with TPG’s February 2025 valuations, you may get about 0.85 cents per level on common, however the worth you get is dependent upon the resort, dates and different elements.
Hilton award stays sometimes price anyplace from 5,000 factors to 95,000 per evening, with a mean worth of about 0.6 cents per level, in keeping with TPG’s February 2025 valuations. Nonetheless, some specialty properties cost as much as 150,000 factors per evening. Whereas this system does not have revealed award charts, you may get a really feel for the way a lot your keep will price with Hilton’s Factors Explorer instrument.
When you’re operating low on factors, each packages function the power to mix money and factors to guide a room. Nonetheless, you must calculate the worth you are getting per level for each redemption to ensure these make sense.
Lastly, Marriott has nearly 40 airline switch companions; whereas transferring factors to switch companions is normally the easiest way to get most worth, you are higher off utilizing your Marriott factors for Marriott stays.
Winner: Bonvoy Boundless. Regardless of Marriott’s use of dynamic pricing, you may nonetheless get extra worth with their factors.
Associated: 29 greatest Marriott inns on the earth
Ought to I get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless or Hilton Amex Surpass?
The Bonvoy Boundless and Hilton Surpass are two in style resort rewards playing cards with related prices and advantages. Though Marriott factors are price barely extra, the precious advantages and higher incomes fee on the Hilton Surpass make it the higher card for all however Marriott loyalists.
Backside line
Marriott and Hilton supply compelling bank cards that may fast-track your path to free resort visits. Relying in your journey habits and spending tendencies, it’s possible you’ll profit from one and even each of those playing cards.
Savvy vacationers could not need to go away residence with out one. To study extra, learn our full evaluations of the Bonvoy Boundless and Hilton Surpass.
Apply right here: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
Apply right here: Hilton Honors Surpass
Associated: Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
For charges and costs of the Hilton Amex Surpass, click on right here.
