The award travelers guide to Hilton Honors

news7g01/03/2023

13 19 minutes read

With more than 7,000 hotels in 123 countries across 18 brands, Hilton likely has a property to suit your needs when you hit the road. When you combine this with a strong portfolio of Hilton Honors credit cards and points that are relatively easy to earn and redeem, Hilton Honors makes a strong case for being one of the best hotel rewards programs out there.

Here is an in-depth look into the Hilton Honors program for award travelers, including an overview of elite status and how to earn and redeem miles.

Hilton Honors elite status

Hilton offers four tiers within its Hilton Honors loyalty program. You’ll become a member just by signing up for the program. Plus, there are three Hilton Honors elite status tiers: Silver, Gold and Diamond.

Hilton Honors Member

Hilton automatically gives Member tier status to everyone who signs up for the Hilton Honors program. Member-tier guests get the following benefits:

Free standard internet in your room and the lobby during stays.
No resort fees on award stays.
Complimentary Wi-Fi.
Access to the Hilton Honors Member discount rate.
Choose your room from available rooms up to 24 hours in advance.
Use digital check-in and a digital key.

On top of these benefits, Hilton Honors Members earn 5 base points per dollar spent at Tru and Home2 brands and 10 base points per dollar spent at all other Hilton properties. TPG’s valuations peg the value of Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cents each. So, just by signing up for the Hilton Honors program, you’ll get a 3% return at Tru and Home2 brands and a 6% return at other Hilton brands as a Hilton Honors Member.

Hilton Honors Silver

The Conrad Washington, DC. SCOTT MAYEROWITZ/THE POINTS GUY

You can earn Hilton Honors Silver status after four stays, 10 nights or 25,000 base points in a calendar year.

On top of the benefits available to all Hilton Honors members, Hilton Honors Silver members also get the following perks:

Fifth night free on award stays booked solely with points.
20% bonus on base points earned on every stay.
Elite rollover nights.
Two bottles of water per stay at select properties.
15% off spa discount at Hilton’s all-inclusive brands.

With the 20% bonus, Hilton Honors Silver members earn 6 points per dollar spent at Tru and Home2 brands (5 base points plus 1 bonus point) and 12 points per dollar spent at all other Hilton properties (10 base points plus 2 bonus points). Based on TPG’s valuations, Silver members get a 3.6% return at Tru and Home2 brands and a 7.2% return at other Hilton brands.

TPG values Hilton Honors Silver status at $60 per year, primarily due to the bonus earnings and fifth night free on award stays.

How to get Hilton Silver status with a credit card

Hilton gives cardholders of the Hilton Honors American Express Card Silver status as a card benefit. This card has no annual fee (see rates and fees) but currently offers 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership.

Hilton Honors Gold

You’ll earn Hilton Honors Gold status after 20 stays, 40 nights or 75,000 base points accrued in a calendar year.

On top of the benefits available to Hilton Honors Silver members, Hilton Honors Gold members also get the following benefits:

Daily food and beverage credit (U.S. hotels only) or continental breakfast (non-U.S. hotels).
Space-available room upgrades, all the way up to the executive level.
Milestone bonuses: Earn 10,000 bonus points every 10 nights after you’ve stayed 30 nights in a calendar year.
80% bonus on base points earned on every stay.

With the 80% bonus, Hilton Honors Gold members earn 9 points per dollar at Tru and Home2 brands and 18 points per dollar spent at all other Hilton properties. Based on TPG’s valuations, Gold members get a 5.4% return at Tru and Home2 brands and a 10.8% return at other Hilton brands.

TPG values Hilton Honors Gold status at $1,255 per year due to the bonus earnings, space-available room upgrades and breakfast benefit.

How to get Hilton Gold status through credit cards

Cardholders of the following American Express cards automatically get Hilton Honors Gold status (enrollment is required) for as long as they keep their card account open:

Additionally, Hilton Honors American Express Card cardholders can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the following calendar year by spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Hilton Honors Diamond

Diamond status can sometimes get you much better upgrades, like this one at the Conrad New York Midtown. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

You can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status after 30 stays, 60 nights or 120,000 base points accrued in a calendar year.

In addition to Gold benefits, Hilton Diamond members also get the following perks:

Space-available room upgrades (up to a one-bedroom suite).
Executive lounge access for you and up to one other guest registered in your room.
Premium Wi-Fi.
48-hour room guarantee if you reach out at least 48 hours before your stay.
Elite status gifting: Typically, if you hit 40 nights in the calendar year, you can gift Gold status to any member, and if you hit 70 nights, then that gift is upgraded to Diamond.
100% bonus on base points earned on every stay.

With the 100% bonus, Hilton Honors Diamond members earn 10 points per dollar at Tru and Home2 brands and 20 points per dollar spent at all other Hilton properties. Based on TPG’s valuations, Diamond members get a 6% return at Tru and Home2 brands and a 12% return at other Hilton brands.

TPG values Hilton Honors Diamond status at $3,025 per year due to the bonus earnings, space-available room upgrades, milestone bonuses and food and beverage credit or continental breakfast benefit.

How to get Hilton Diamond status with a credit card

Some Hilton Honors credit cards that offer complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status as a benefit also allow you to spend your way to Hilton Honors Diamond status. Specifically, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offer an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the following calendar year when you spend $40,000 on your card in a calendar year.

Meanwhile, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status as long as you keep the card account open. The Hilton Aspire currently offers a welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points (worth $900 by TPG’s valuations) after you spend $4,000 on purchases on the card within your first three months of cardmembership. The card has a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees) but includes many perks that may justify the annual fee.

The information for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Status match to Gold and challenge to Diamond

Hilton Honors frequently offers a status match to Hilton Honors Gold with a challenge to keep Gold or upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status.

You can currently request a status match to Hilton Honors Gold and experience how Hilton Honors Gold members travel for the following 90 days. If you stay seven nights within your 90-day trial period, you can keep Gold status through March 31, 2024. And, if you stay 12 nights within your 90-day trial period, Hilton will upgrade your status to Diamond through March 31, 2024.

However, you’ll want to time your status match carefully since the terms and conditions often state that only members who have not previously completed a status match challenge are eligible. Additionally, reward stays do not count toward the status match qualification.

Which bookings are eligible for Hilton elite benefits?

You usually won’t get access to elite benefits and earnings when you don’t book directly with a hotel brand. Luckily, the Hilton Honors terms and conditions state that bookings through the following channels will be eligible for on-property Hilton Honors benefits:

Any official Hilton hotel brand or Hilton Honors website.
Hilton Reservations and Customer Care phone line.
Hilton Honors or Hilton mobile application.
Directly at a hotel in the Hilton Portfolio.
Through an IATA-accredited retail travel agent that books through a Hilton channel or one of the following Global Distribution Systems: Amadeus, Apollo/Galileo, Worldspan and Sabre.

The Hilton Honors terms and conditions also note that you won’t get on-property benefits in the following circumstances:

Reservations booked through a non-Hilton direct booking channel, a non-designated GDS, a third-party website or any other channel.
Rates available on “opaque” websites where you don’t know the hotel brand and specific hotel until after booking.
Third-party hotel packages or travel packages not booked through one of the eligible channels.
Any ineligible stay, including but not limited to wholesale/tour operator packages, contracted crew rates and travel agency discount rates, as defined in the Hilton Honors terms and conditions.

So, if you’re looking to get elite earnings and benefits on a stay, you’ll want to book through an eligible channel.

How to earn Hilton points

La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton. BENJI STAWSKI/THE POINTS GUY

As with most hotel loyalty programs, there are many ways to earn Hilton points. Although you can earn some points through Hilton Honors partners, many travelers earn most of their points by staying at Hilton properties or through credit card spending.

Here’s a quick overview of some popular ways to earn Hilton points.

Hotel stays

You’ll earn at least 10 Hilton Honors base points for every dollar you spend at most Hilton brands, although you’ll only earn 5 base points per dollar spent at Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton. You can earn base points on up to four rooms per stay, and you’ll earn base points on all eligible charges you make to these rooms.

You’ll also earn bonus points based on your Hilton Honors status tier. Specifically, Silver members earn a 20% bonus; Gold members earn 80% and Diamond members earn 100% bonus points.

Hilton Honors often offers promotions that can allow you to earn bonus points on hotel stays. For the first four months of 2023, Hilton has a Double Up & Explore promotion giving registered members double points on all stays. You’ll also earn 1,000 bonus points (worth $6 at TPG’s valuations) for each of Hilton’s 18 brands you stay at during the promotional period.

Even if you don’t have an upcoming Hilton stay in early 2023, register in case a trip comes up.

Credit card spending

Credit card spending will likely be your best bet for earning a large sum of Hilton Honors points. Between sizable welcome bonuses and high category bonuses, it’s relatively easy to earn Hilton points quickly using Hilton Honors credit cards.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

My favorite Hilton Honors credit card is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Although the card has a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees), it comes packed with benefits that can justify this annual fee even if you stay with Hilton a few times each year.

The Hilton Aspire comes with a welcome bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases on the card within your first three months of cardmembership. Based on TPG’s valuations, the welcome bonus points are worth $900. Plus, the card offers the following bonus categories:

Earn 14 points per dollar at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (8.4% return based on TPG’s valuations).
Earn 7 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants (4.2% return).
Earn 3 points per dollar on other eligible purchases (1.8% return).

Regarding card perks, you’ll get complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status and up to $250 in statement credits each year of cardmembership for use at participating Hilton Resorts. Plus, you’ll get one free night certificate with your new card and every year after renewal, as well as the ability to earn another free night certificate after you spend $60,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

If you’re looking for a Hilton Honors credit card with a lower annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card may be a good option with its $95 annual fee.

The Hilton Surpass currently offers a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on the card in the first three months of cardmembership. Based on TPG’s valuations, the bonus points are worth $780.

And when using the Hilton Surpass for purchases, you’ll earn the following:

Earn 12 points per dollar at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (7.2% return based on TPG’s valuations).
Earn 6 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants (3.6% return).
Earn 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases (1.8% return).

Hilton Surpass cardholders get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and the ability to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the following calendar year after spending $40,000 in a calendar year. Once enrolled, you’ll get 10 Priority Pass lounge visits each Priority Pass membership year. And you can earn a free night certificate after spending $15,000 on your card in a calendar year.

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

If you’re looking for a business credit card with similar benefits to the Hilton Surpass, you will want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. This card has a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees). And you can earn a welcome offer of 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of cardmembership.

As a business card, the Hilton Honors Business Card offers the following bonus categories:

Earn 12 points per dollar at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (7.2% return based on TPG’s valuations).
Earn 6 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants and on U.S. shipping purchases, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies (3.6% return).
Earn 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases (1.8% return).

As a Hilton Honors Business cardmember, you’ll get automatic Hilton Honors Gold status and up to 10 complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits yearly (enrollment required). You can earn up to two free night rewards and Hilton Honors Diamond status by meeting specific calendar year spending thresholds.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Finally, if you’re looking for a no-annual-fee credit card, the Hilton Honors Card from American Express may be suitable (see rates and fees). This card currently offers 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of cardmembership. Based on TPG’s valuations, this bonus is worth up to $480.

Cardholders of the Hilton Amex get complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status as well as the ability to earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the following calendar year by spending $20,000 on their card in a calendar year. Plus, the Hilton Amex offers the following bonus categories for spending:

Earn 7 points per dollar at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (4.2% return based on TPG’s valuations).
Earn 5 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations (3% return).
Earn 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases (1.8% return).

Related: Best hotel credit cards

Transferable points

You can typically get Hilton Honors points by transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio. The program occasionally offers transfer bonuses.

However, TPG values Amex points at 2 cents per point and Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cents per point. So, even transferring during a bonus period may not make sense.

Partners

You can earn Hilton points on Lyft rides. RGSTUDIO/GETTY IMAGES

Hilton Honors has partners through which you can earn and redeem Hilton points. For example, you can convert Amtrak Guest Rewards points, Hawaiian Airlines miles and Virgin Atlantic points into Hilton Honors points.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points by riding with Lyft. By linking your Hilton Honors account with your Lyft account, you can earn 3 points per dollar on Lyft rides (economy, luxury and extra seats) and 2 points per dollar on shared Lyft rides. You’ll earn points on your base fare, so bridge tolls, fuel surcharges and tips won’t accrue additional Hilton points. You can earn Hilton points on up to $10,000 of Lyft spending per calendar year.

You can also earn Hilton points on select Alamo, Enterprise and National car rentals. Specifically, you can earn up to 5,000 Hilton points for every completed qualifying rental reserved through Hilton. Based on TPG’s valuations, 5,000 Hilton points are worth $30.

Finally, by creating an account and linking a credit or debit card to Hilton Honors Dining, you can earn between 2 and 8 points per dollar at participating restaurants for a 1.2% to 4.8% return based on TPG’s valuations. Note that these points are on top of the points you might earn from your credit card or the restaurant’s loyalty program.

Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Buy Hilton points

Hilton generally sells points for 1 cent each, allowing you to purchase up to 160,000 points for $1,600 per calendar year. However, during some Hilton promotions, you may be able to purchase a larger quantity of points for as low as 0.5 cents apiece.

How to redeem Hilton points

Conrad Punta de Mita. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Generally, the best way to redeem hotel points is for free nights at the program’s participating properties. This is certainly true when it comes to redeeming Hilton Honors points. But here’s an overview of all of your options for redeeming Hilton points.

Award nights

Hilton doesn’t publish an award chart. But you can use the Points Explorer tool to search for properties based on location and the number of points you’re willing to spend per night.

Once you’ve searched by location and points amount, you can filter your results based on the brand. Here’s a sample search for Florida properties booked recently for 25,000 points or less per night.

Although Hilton’s Points Explorer tool can be helpful for trip planning, the current redemption rates may vary from those shown in the Points Explorer. After all, the Points Explorer tool uses historical data. So, you’ll want to check the current points cost using Hilton’s standard booking search engine before getting too excited about a particular property.

Although Hilton doesn’t have a published award chart, the value you can get from your Hilton points when redeeming for a free night will vary. For example, let’s take the Conrad New York Midtown. On a random date I checked, the rate is $657 plus $102 of taxes for one night, or 95,000 Hilton Honors points.

Although 95,000 Hilton points is a lot to spend for a night in New York City, you would get a value of 1 cent per point. TPG values Hilton points at 0.6 cents each, so you’d still be getting more than TPG’s valuation.

But you may get a much worse value for your points on some redemptions. For example, a room at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Fiji is $178 on a given date. However, Hilton wants 38,000 points for that same room, giving a redemption value of just 0.47 cents per point. That is incredibly low and likely not worth your hard-earned points.

Note that you also can redeem your points for upgraded accommodations. When looking at Pay with Points options for a room, you’ll usually see that some rooms cost more than others.

While redeeming for a premium room usually won’t provide great value, it can be excellent for those needing a larger room or who want an upgraded view.

Points & Money rewards

Redeeming for a free night award using Points & Money allows you to stretch your points. Instead of paying all points for a free night, you can use a combination of cash and points. Unlike with other programs, you can even adjust the ratio in increments of 1,000 points using a sliding tool.

In the case above, I’d be able to pay 30,000 points to save $129.71, which makes these points worth 0.43 cents each.

Travel rewards

You can transfer your points to approximately 40 travel partners. But you’ll usually need to transfer at least 10,000 miles simultaneously, and the transfer ratios aren’t favorable.

You can also redeem your Hilton points toward car rentals, Shop with Points at Amazon and Lyft rides. But you’ll usually only get about 0.2 cents per point on these redemptions. So, I’d recommend avoiding all of these travel rewards options.

Hilton Honors Experiences

If you’re looking for a non-hotel award with substantial value, you can redeem points for various experiences through Hilton Honors Experiences. That’s how TPG’s Katie Genter enjoyed a 60-minute couples massage and four-course dinner for 20,000 Hilton points. You can purchase some experiences using a set amount of points, while Hilton sells other experiences in an auction format.

The options and types of experiences available tend to change often. So, it’s worth checking the website frequently to see what experiences may appear.

Donate

Finally, you can donate your points to charity through PointWorthy. For every 3,500 Hilton points you donate, a charity of your choice will get $10. Note that donating your points provides a value of 0.29 cents per point, well below TPG’s valuation of 0.6 cents per point.

How to book Hilton Honors award nights

Booking award nights through the Hilton website is easy. From the homepage, type in your destination, dates and number of guests. But, before clicking “Find a Hotel,” click on “Special Rates” and check the “Use Points” box.

Once you click “Find a Hotel,” the award rates for your stay will appear in the search results.

You can click on a specific property to compare rates for each room type. Then you can quickly decide whether redeeming points is worthwhile.

You can also use the flexible date search to easily view a month at a time. When you enter the dates for your hotel stay, select “Shop by price,” and you’ll see a calendar view of how much a stay of your chosen length would cost per night for each check-in date.

I aim to use Hilton points only to get a redemption rate of 0.6 cents per point or higher. This is in line with TPG’s valuation of Hilton points at 0.6 cents each. Even if you’re willing to book awards that get a value of less than 0.6 cents each for your Hilton points, it’s generally best to aim for an award where the rate is no more than the maximum listed on the program’s Points Explorer page.

Maximizing Hilton Honors

Here are some strategies to get the most value out of your Hilton Honors experience.

Promotions

As mentioned, Hilton Honors frequently offers promotions that allow you to earn extra points. Be sure to refer to this page which we regularly update for the latest on Hilton Honors promotions.

5th night free on awards

As mentioned above, Silver, Gold, and Diamond Hilton Honors members have access to a fifth night free on award stays. This benefit provides every fifth night free for standard room reward stays of five or more nights.

If Hilton prices some nights differently during your stay, the free night(s) will be subtracted from the average number of Hilton Honors points needed each night. There is no limit on how many times you can use this benefit annually, but Hilton will not award you more than four free nights per stay.

Price match guarantee

To incentivize you to book directly with Hilton, Hilton offers a price match guarantee.

Under this guarantee, if you find a lower price for the same accommodation and terms before making a reservation or within 24 hours of making your reservation through an official Hilton booking channel, Hilton will honor the lower price and take an additional 25% off the room rate for each night of your stay.

When multiple prices for the same accommodations are available through the official Hilton booking channel, you must book the lowest rate to qualify for the price match guarantee. Hilton’s claim process is easy to use since it auto-populates much of the required information using your Hilton confirmation number.

Stretch your points at low-category Hilton hotels

You can get great value by redeeming your Hilton points at luxury properties. But you can also get significant value from your points at low-category Hilton properties. There are many low-category Hilton properties internationally, including 5,000- and 10,000-point-per-night properties in Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia that look impressive. Even some low-category Hilton properties in the U.S. cost as little as 10,000 points per night.

Frequently asked questions

How much are Hilton points worth?

The value of Hilton points depends on how you plan to redeem your points. However, TPG values Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cents each. TPG bases its valuation on the value you can get when redeeming these points and the cost at which TPG would be willing to buy Hilton points.

How many points do I need for a free night at Hilton?

Hilton doesn’t have an award chart, so the number of points required for a free night varies depending on the hotel, time of year and room rate. A standard room usually costs between 5,000 and 95,000 Hilton Honors points but may cost as much as 150,000 points at select properties with specialty accommodations. And premium rooms are bookable for more points than standard rooms at most properties.

How do I get lifetime Diamond status with Hilton?

You can get lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond status by meeting both of the following requirements:

Earn Hilton Diamond status for 10 (nonconsecutive) years.
Complete a total of 1,000 paid and reward nights or earn 2 million base points.

You must have Hilton Diamond status for 365 days before it counts as a fully completed year.

Which Hilton brands are best?

Hilton has 18 brands, ranging from luxurious Waldorf Astoria properties to practical, budget-focused Home2 Suites properties designed for extended stays. The best brand for you depends on your needs and preferred style. But many travelers believe that Hilton’s best brands are Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR and Curio Collection.

Do Hilton Honors points expire?

Hilton Honors points usually expire if you don’t have any eligible account activity for 25 consecutive months.

Bottom line

As you can see, earning and redeeming Hilton Honors points is relatively easy. If you stay at Hilton properties at least a few times each year, I recommend getting a Hilton Honors credit card, such as the Hilton Aspire or Hilton Surpass. It will get enough value from the card’s perks to justify its annual fee. Having a Hilton Honors card will also let you spend to earn Hilton points if needed for an upcoming redemption.

When it comes to redeeming, you’ll get the most value from your Hilton points when you redeem for award nights and, in some cases, Hilton Honors Experiences. I usually stay in increments of five nights when using Hilton points since Hilton Silver, Gold and Diamond members get every fifth night free on award stays.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Business Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire, click here.

Additional reporting by Brett Holzhauer and Kyle Olsen.

news7g01/03/2023

13 19 minutes read

The award travelers guide to Hilton Honors