Card comparison
Which card is better between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the better overall pick over Hilton Honors American Express Surpass because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (55 vs 46) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate Tie
Annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Welcome bonus Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
Benefits value Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the stronger overall pick between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (55 vs 46) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card (3% top effective rate) vs Hilton Honors American Express Surpass (3%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Choose A if
Choose Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card when its strongest categories, bonus, or perks match how you actually spend.
Choose B if
Choose Hilton Honors American Express Surpass when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass trade wins row by row. Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card peaks at 3% effective; Hilton Honors American Express Surpass peaks at 3%. Tie wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2x miles (3%) | 6x points (3%) | Tie |
| Grocery | 1x miles (1.5%) | 6x points (3%) | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass · 1.5 pts |
| Gas | 1x miles (1.5%) | 6x points (3%) | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass · 1.5 pts |
| Travel | 2x miles (3%) | 3x points (1.5%) | Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card · 1.5 pts |
| Other | 1x miles (1.5%) | 4x points (2%) | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass · 0.5 pts |
| Welcome bonus | ~$1350 estimated | ~$650 estimated | Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card |
| Est. annual benefits | $1335/yr | $315/yr | Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card |
| Annual fee | $350 | $150 | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass |
| Holistic overall | 55 pts (cat 16, bonus 14, benefits 20, fee 5) | 46 pts (cat 24, bonus 7, benefits 5, fee 10) | Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card (3% top effective rate) vs Hilton Honors American Express Surpass (3%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Strategy
Use Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add value beyond the earn rate.. Use Hilton Honors American Express Surpass when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 6x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can.
Welcome bonus playbook
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Madeen analysis
Which card has stronger benefits: Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Madeen estimates $1335 annual benefit value on Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card versus $315 on Hilton Honors American Express Surpass. Credits only matter if you will use them.
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
Total est. value: $1,335/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Up to $240 back on Turo $240/yr
- Mastercard Concierge $150/yr
- Instacart $140/yr
- Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit $120/yr
- Up to $100 Annual Splurge Credit $100/yr
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Total est. value: $315/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- $200 Hilton Credit $200/yr
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance $40/yr
- Free Night Reward $25/yr
- Global Assist® Hotline $25/yr
- ShopRunner $25/yr
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend. Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card lists 90k American AAdvantage; Hilton Honors American Express Surpass lists 130k Hilton Honors.
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
90k American AAdvantage
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
130k Hilton Honors
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Both Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass carry structured reward caps in the catalog. Compare the category that matters most before assuming the headline multiplier lasts all year.
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible Rides and Rails™ purchases including public transit
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
- 6X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- 6X points on gas at U.S. gas stations
- 6X points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets
- 4X points U.S online retail purchases
Who should pick which
Scenario playbook
Cashback-first user
Pick Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the better cashback-style pick because it has the cleaner effective-rate and fee blend for this pair.
Travel & points user
Pick Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the stronger travel-style pick because it combines better reward value with more travel-friendly positioning.
No annual fee priority
Pick Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is easier to keep for no-fee users because it has the lighter annual-fee burden in this pair.
Heavy dining spend
Pick Tie
For restaurant and dining-coded spend, the winner is whoever posts the stronger dining effective rate after caps and exclusions — see the category matrix for the current snapshot.
Heavy grocery spend
Pick Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Supermarket and grocery coding can differ from superstores and delivery, so compare the grocery row before you optimize a weekly shopping basket.
Welcome bonus chaser
Pick Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Fee-sensitive keeper
Pick Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
When you want the card that is easiest to keep year two, annual fee often matters more than a narrow category edge.
Decision guide
Which card is better between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (55 vs 46) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card (3% top effective rate) vs Hilton Honors American Express Surpass (3%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
When should you pick Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card over Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Choose Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add value beyond the earn rate.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $350 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 3% effective (2x miles).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 81% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $350 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- American AAdvantage value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
When should you pick Hilton Honors American Express Surpass over Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card?
Choose Hilton Honors American Express Surpass if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 6x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $150 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 3% effective (6x points).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 81% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $150 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- Multiple caps, activations, or exclusions may limit headline earn rates.
Common questions about Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card vs Hilton Honors American Express Surpass
Which card is better between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (55 vs 46) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The overall winner depends on your spend mix — use the scorecard rows and scenario playbook to see where each card actually wins.
Which card wins on dining: Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Dining is effectively a tie on effective rate in this snapshot.
Which card is better for cashback users: Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the better cashback-style pick between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Which card has stronger benefits: Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card leads on estimated annual benefit value in the Madeen snapshot.
Which card has the lower annual fee: Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass?
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass has the simpler fee story in this pair ($350 vs $150). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass better for travel spend?
Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card is the stronger travel-style pick between Citi AAdvantage Globe™ Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass in this snapshot.
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Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-07-18
Content tier Premium depth
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