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American Express Blue Cash Preferred vs Hilton Honors Surpass Card

Both are American Express cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.

Best card by category Card terms as of Oct 29

Everything else

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 1.2% 3x base rate
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Dining

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 2.4% 6x
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Groceries

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%, capped
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 2.4% 6x

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 2.4% 6x

Online

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 1.6% 4x
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 3.0% 3%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 1.2% 3x base rate

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred 6.0% 6%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 1.2% 3x base rate

Hotels

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card 4.8% 12x
  2. Blue Cash Preferred 1.0% 1% base rate

What the numbers are doing

Blue Cash Preferred's 6% on groceries runs out: it applies to the first $6,000 of groceries spend a year, and everything past that earns 1%.

The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Blue Cash Preferred $95 and Hilton Honors Surpass Card $150 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.

Where they differ: Hilton Honors Surpass Card takes everything else, dining, online and hotels; Blue Cash Preferred takes groceries, gas, ground transportation and streaming.

pointslipEveryday
Pass content preview
CategoryBest card
Everything elseHilton Honors Surpass Card1.2%
DiningHilton Honors Surpass Card2.4%
GroceriesBlue Cash Preferred6.0%
GasBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
OnlineHilton Honors Surpass Card1.6%
Ground transportationBlue Cash Preferred3.0%
StreamingBlue Cash Preferred6.0%
HotelsHilton Honors Surpass Card4.8%

Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.

Every category, every card

Everything else

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 1.2%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Dining

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 2.4%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Groceries

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 2.4%

Gas

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 2.4%

Online

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 1.6%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%

Ground transportation

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 3.0%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 1.2%

Streaming

  1. Blue Cash Preferred — 6.0%
  2. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 1.2%

Hotels

  1. Hilton Honors Surpass Card — 4.8%
  2. Blue Cash Preferred — 1.0%
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