I’m a big fan of Hilton and a few years ago ranked the program as numero uno for my family’s travel needs. We’ve had good experiences with this chain, and I like the fact that you can sometimes redeem points on suites at a standard rate in places like Embassy Suites. See my post on visiting DC during cherry blossom season. I’m also a fan of Embassy Suites breakfast, especially their omelet bar. Seriously, how good is it?! This is a rare case when included breakfast is actually something I would pay for. 
The problem? I’ve already applied for all flavors of Amex Hilton co-branded credit cards, and the only reasonable way for me to acquire points is by buying them for 0.5 cent apiece (when on sale). Due to stealth ongoing devaluation, this rarely makes sense compared to cash rates.
So, when I saw DoC post mentioning “no lifetime language” offers on several Amex Hilton cards, it definitely piqued my interest. Application links, copied from DoC blog (none pay us commission, obviously):
I tried applying for Surpass offer in my name first, and was shocked when it went through. I’ve been in pop-up jail forever. What’s better than one Hilton bonus? Two, of course. I applied in my husband’s name and he was approved as well. We will have to spend $6k in 6 months, which is very doable. I’ll try to think of ways to offset $300 in annual fees by utilizing quarterly $50 Hilton credits (new feature).
I honestly don’t know where we will use the points, but one possible option is Embassy Suites St. Augustine Oceanfront resort. The cost is steep at 80k points per night, but the suites will comfortably fit my family of four, and breakfast would be a cherry on top. We would redeem points on four nights during winter holidays, and get the fifth night free. So, the total cost would be 320k points.
A word of caution
I have no idea where these links came from. They look legitimate, and don’t appear to be targeted. But it goes without saying that there is no guarantee that we will actually get the bonus. Please understand that before you choose to apply. If you’ve never had Amex Hilton cards, you should be fine. Otherwise, there is a risk that you are wasting your time and money.
I’m OK with it, but please don’t blame me if something goes wrong. Some decisions in this hobby require a leap of faith, and this is one of them. If you are just starting out, I urge you to focus on other offers, like 75k points offer on Capital One Venture Rewards (our affiliate link) with $95 annual fee.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
UPDATE: I got my first Surpass less than a year ago and applied for a second using the link with no lifetime language. Just passed my spend and the 170k points hit my Hilton account today. Successful datapoint here.
@David H Sweet!
Yup, same here, at least on one of my cards. Still working on the other one.
I also applied (again) for this and was surprised to be approved.
Wondering how to utilize those credits as well.
@HML Nice!
I’m sure there will be a FlyerTalk thread with data points on this one. But of course, the easiest way to utilize the $50 credit is by booking a Hilton stay. Getting $50 off is a nice discount if the rate is cheap.
Woohoo! It’s raining Hilton points! I’m jealous of all your options in Florida and I’m sure you will put those points to good use. Congrats!
@Nancy Well, I will contain my excitement until we actually get the points! 😉
Yeah, living in Florida comes with a number of drawbacks. Summer heat is certainly one of them, yikes. But my kids have access to a number of really nice resorts. They seriously have no clue how lucky they are.
I got the Surpass card in July using the links that provided points and a free night cerrificate with an annual fee of $95. Now the revised Surpass has a $150 annual fee with a $50 quarterly reimbursement for Hilton purchases. Last week I went to the lobby of a nearby Hilton and bought a $3 candy bar using my Surpass card. I was reimbursed 4 days later. This means you can use the quarterly credit even if you don’t have a Hilton stay. Rather, just go to the lobby of any Hilton and purchase candy/chips/gum/chap stick etc. (up to $50 worth) and you will be reimbursed. Given an annual fee of $150 and 4 quarterly reimbursements of $50 one could consider this card a money maker. (Obvioualy the candy etc. at a Hilton lobby has inflated prices).
@Harv This is actually something I was curious about, so thanks for confirming it’s possible. Could also be a good excuse to have lunch at a Hilton resort if your schedule permits. Another angle I’m thinking of is reaching out to a Hilton hotel where you already have a reservation and charging $50 every few months to go towards incidentals credit you can use during your stay. I’ve done this before with Aspire card’s $250 resort credit and I don’t see why this wouldn’t work with Surpass. But time will tell.
Meant in this case would you be able to buy Hilton gift cards from Hilton front desk with the credit..
@Dave Hmm, that’s a good idea. Front desk should work, online gift card purchase like won’t trigger it. But I’m just making a guess. I’m sure we will soon see a lot of data points on FlyerTalk.
Ummm … Do we know if Hilton sells gift cards? I’ve never seen one, but I could just be oblivious LOL.
@Traveler Mike They may not. I’ve only bought Hilton gift cards online.
Our family has done Doubletree Melbourne Beach, FL a couple times right on the beach and free cookies! Some good restaurants right down the street.
@Chris W Yes, I saw that one! Love the fact that all rooms are oceanfront. Living in central Florida, I’m spoiled for choices within 3-4 hours driving distance.
Would you be able to buy gift cards with the $50 quarterly credit
Got an Embassy Suites that is an hour away and next to a nice mall. Love staying there.
@Deva I like this type of local getaways in my state of Florida, especially when a hotel is beachfront.
Leana,
Great article. The Embassy suites are great for families. The two bedroom two bath suites are tailor made for families, and we like the made to order breakfasts !
The Saint Augustine Suites Embassy Suite hotel is great. We stayed there after it was built on points. The other property in Florida is the Deerfield Beach Embassy Suites, which is just across the street from the beach. Both are great family properties.
Another beautiful Hilton property in Florida is in Key Largo, The Bakers Cay resort it’s a beautiful high-end property. Though it’s not an all suite property.
@M Thanks!
I love Embassy Suites, can’t beat it for families. We did stay at Baker’s Cay resort and very much enjoyed it. I did a review on it awhile back. The only issue is tiny mini-suites bookable via points. My kids are getting big, and extra space is super important. But it is a lovely property, for sure.
I stayed at Tokyo Conrad for 2 nights in June. Can’t say enough about the rooms (awesome is an understatement). Also in June, I applied for the Hilton business and Surpass (previously had) w/NLL and was approved and received the sub’s. I am tempted to apply for the Surpass again!
@GBSanDiego Nice! Exactly the type of data point I was looking for.
Glad you enjoyed Tokyo Conrad. My daughter asked to go back to Japan for her graduation trip, so if I have some certs, I would love to check it out.
I also used Hilton chain & HH points for couple years for nice stays, although lately the point prices increased dramatically, like 30-50%, so be aware!
In your example above, for 80,000 HH/nt. stay your bonus will get you 2+ nights and will save $800+ which is good.
@Aleks Oh yes, that’s why I’ve mentioned the ongoing stealth devaluation of Hilton program in my post. In fact, that Embassy Suites place in St. Augustine used to cost 70k points per night just a few months ago. Now it’s 80k. Several beachfront Florida hotels have actually doubled in points cost, even during low season. So yeah, 170k Hilton points won’t get you much in US these days. But you can still do ok value-wise by traveling during holidays and redeeming on resort suites that fit the whole family. That’s what I plan to do.