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If you’re a frequent visitor of the Hilton hotel chain, you will likely be aware of the brand’s loyalty program.
How Do Hilton Points Work?
The Hilton chain includes over 6,800 properties in 122 countries around the world. After you join the Hilton Honors program, you can earn points when you spend money at Hilton properties, use a Hilton Honors credit card or make purchases with Hilton partners.
You can redeem your accumulated points for free hotel stays, room upgrades, or even Amazon purchases.
If you prefer a hotel card which is a bit different than how general travel card work, here's an overview of the Hilton cards and the number of miles you can get with each:
Card | Rewards | Bonus | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors Card from American Express | 3X – 7X
7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 5x points at U.S. restaurants (including takeout and delivery) U.S.supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and 3x points for each dollar on other eligible purchases
| 70,000 points
70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership
| $0 (Rates & Fees) |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
| 3X – 12X
Earn 12x Points on hotels & resorts at eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Earn 6x Points on dining at U.S. restaurants , and for takeout and delivery in the U.S, on groceries at U.S. supermarkets and at U.S. gas stations. Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases and 3X Points on all other purchases
| 130,000 points
130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership
| $150 (Rates & Fees) |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
| 3x – 14x
14X Hilton Honors bonus points when you make eligible purchases on your card at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton Portfolio, 7X Hilton Honors bonus points on eligible purchases on your card for: Flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants, 3X Hilton Honors bonus points on other eligible purchases
| 150,000 points
150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 Months of Card Membership
| $550 |
One of the things we like about Hilton cards is the generous welcome bonus they offer. Even the cheapest Hilton card bonus is quite high – new cardholders can earn up to 70,000 points with the Hilton Honors Card from American Express.
How Much Are Hilton Points Worth?
On average, you can expect a value of 0.6 cent per point, but the exact value of your Hilton points can vary according to a number of factors including your redemption method, as with many hotel and airline loyalty programs.
If you use your points towards Amazon purchases, you are likely to get a lower value compared to using your points to pay for a Hilton hotel stay.
To calculate the exact value of your Hilton points, you’ll need to compare cash prices and reward redemptions. For example, if a room costs $100 or 6,000 points, you’ll see that your points are worth 0.6 cents each.
On the other hand, if you want to use your Hilton points towards your Amazon purchases, the redemption rate is $1 for 500 Hilton points. This works out to a redemption value of 0.2 cents per point, which is far lower than the average redemption rate.
How to Redeem Hilton Points for Free Nights
As you would expect, one of the best ways to redeem your Hilton points is for free nights at any of the 6,800 plus Hilton hotels and resorts.
Hotel credit cards provide a great way to earn a hotel stay, and Hilton offers some of the best options when it comes to hotel cards.
You can search for award availability directly on the Hilton website using the search tool and find your award in a few simple steps.
1. Search For Award Stays
You can get the ball rolling on your search by simply entering your stay location, arrival and departure dates and the number of rooms and guests into the search tool. This will bring up a search results page that will allow you to browse the deals.
2. Use the Points Explorer Tool
If you have limited points, you can use the points explorer tool to filter the search results according to the number of points you have.
This can save you from wasting time on room deals that are out of your reach.
However, you can use the “Points & Money” feature to pay using a combination of points and cash. There is a tool with a slider, so you can check the cash and points prices in 1,000 point increments.
3. Check the Cash and Point Values
Although the initial search will show the number of points you’ll require, when you click through the displayed prices will switch to dollars.
However, you can still find the points amount in smaller print above the cash rate. This is actually very beneficial, as you can do a quick check of the cash and points values to determine if the award represents good value for your points.
4. Choose Your Room Type
Unusually for a hotel rewards program, Hilton Honors allows you to book award stays for different room types. This means that you can choose to stay in a basic room all the way up to a suite, depending on availability at the specific location.
This creates greater flexibility for planning a special getaway, you just need to be prepared for a higher points cost for more expensive rooms.
5. Click Through
If you’ve found an award that you’d like to book, you simply need to click through and complete the booking with your details. You’ll then receive a confirmation of your stay, so you can finalize your break.
Bear in mind that if you’re a Hilton Honors elite member, you’ll get a fifth consecutive night free if you book a standard room award stay. This means that you can book five nights and you’ll only pay for four!
How to Redeem Hilton Points for Experiences
You can also use your Hilton points to pay for experiences. This redemption method is becoming more common with travel loyalty programs (for example, you can use Marriott Bonvoy points with Marriott Moment), and Hilton offers a decent selection.
You can choose from:
- Sporting events
- Live music
- Local cultural tours
- Wine and food tours.
If you’re considering more exclusive events, they are typically sold as part of a live auction. This means that you can bid your Hilton points until the specified end of auction date. This can be an exciting way to see if you can win access to an exclusive event.
However, the standard method of redeeming your points for experiences is to use your points to purchase an event outright. Unfortunately, this does make it tricky to work out a clear points value, since there are rarely cash equivalent prices. This means that you’ll need to think about whether an experience is worth it for you.
If you’re considering an event, multiply the points cost by 0.5 and then by 0.01, which will provide you with an approximate cash value. You can then consider if you would be willing to pay that amount in cash for a specific event.
You can browse the full selection of experiences on the Hilton Honors website. There is a featured experiences page that details the latest deals, but you can browse all the experiences or use the search tool at the top of the page to specify destinations, categories, point requirements, and dates.
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How to Redeem Hilton Points for Airline Transfers
Although the Hilton Honors is a hotel program, the company does have partnerships with airlines, so you can redeem your points for airline transfers and flights.
There is the possibility of transferring your Hilton points to a number of airline programs. You can then use those miles to book your flights. Unfortunately, the process is a little convoluted.
- Log into Your Account: The first step you’ll need to do is log into your account. Once you’re in your dashboard, you should see the “preferences” tab. You will then need to find the “Preferred Travel Partners” section.
- Choose an Airline: The Hilton group has 25 plus airline partners including Delta Air, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and Jet Airways. You’ll need to scroll through the list of airlines and select the appropriate one. You can then add your member number to add the airline to your account.
- Visit the “Exchange Your Points” Page: After you’ve added an airline, you will need to visit the exchange points page. Highlight the airline partner and then indicate the number of points you want to exchange in the drop-down bar. The number of points will vary according to the airline.
Redeem Hilton Points for Airline Transfers: Example
For example, you need to exchange at least 10,000 points to United Airlines and you’ll get 1,000 United miles for every 10,000 points.
It is important to be aware of the value of the miles and what value you’re getting with your points. In the above example, with United Miles being worth approximately 1.2 cents each, the transfer would provide you with a $12 value.
However, if you used your Hilton points to book a hotel, you could expect a $60 plus value for the same 10,000 points. So, this doesn’t represent the best value for your points, but if you are struggling to use them, you may want to consider this option.
The Hilton Honors program currently has 26 airline transfer partners. Compared to other hotel programs, it's quite average. For example, you can redeem Hyatt points on 25 airline transfer partners, while Marriot offers the longest list of airline partners – 38 airline partners.
How to Redeem Hilton Points for Shopping
If you are not wanting to use your Hilton points for a hotel stay, you can use them to pay for your Amazon purchases. This is an easy redemption option as the Amazon Shop with Points feature provides the opportunity to use your rewards points from various programs including Hilton Honors to pay for your purchases.
To do this, you will need to link your accounts. You can do this by logging into your Amazon.com account and in the settings link your Hilton Honors account. Once your account is linked, you’ll have the option to use your points at checkout when you shop on Amazon.
The redemption rate for Amazon shopping is $1 for every 500 Hilton points. This provides a value of 0.2 cents per point, which is significantly less than if you’re booking a hotel stay. However, if you are unable to travel or plan a vacation in the immediate future, this does provide a simple way to use your available points.
How to Redeem Hilton Points for Rental Cars
Hilton has agreements with Enterprise, National and Alamo, so you can use your Hilton points for booking rental cars. You can check the deals using a special search function that you’ll find on the Hilton Honors website.
There is no set value for using your points for rental cars, so you’ll need to carefully check the redemption values. On average, you can expect a 0.2 cent per point value, which is less than the redemption rate for hotels.
However, if you’re planning a vacation package, it is nice to be able to use your points for all aspects of your trip including your rental car.
Other Ways to Redeem Hilton Points
As one of the popular hotel loyalty programs and hotel credit cards, There are also several other ways that you can use to redeem your Hilton points. These include:
- Lyft Credit: Hilton is partnered with Lyft, so you can earn and redeem Hilton points if you pair your accounts. To use your Hilton points, you can redeem them for account credit. You can expect a redemption rate of 0.22 cents per point, which is not the best way to use your points. However, if you’re a frequent Lyft user, you can boost your points balance with rides.
- Ticketmaster Purchases: You can also use your points to purchase tickets via Ticketmaster. You can log into your Ticketmaster account and then attach your Hilton Honors account to your profile. You’ll get a value of 0.2 cents per point, as you’ll need 500 Hilton points for every $1.
- Event and Meeting Hosting: Hilton allows you to convert your points into “event vouchers”. You can use these for planning events or meetings such as conferences, team meetings or even weddings. You’ll get a conversion ratio of $50 for 25,000 points.
- Charitable Donations: Finally, if you don’t know what to do with your points and want to support a cause, you can donate them. Hilton is partnered with PointWorthy to manage its charitable donation transactions. This doesn’t offer a high redemption value, but it can be a good way to support a good cause and clear your account balance.
FAQs
Are Hilton points redeemable for cash?
There are a number of redemption methods, but no direct cash redemption method.
How many Hilton points to redeem a flight?
This will depend on the details of the flight, including the airline, travel dates, destination and departure airport.
Can I redeem Hilton points for merchandise?
Yes, you can browse the Hilton Honors shopping mall to see what merchandise and other products you can purchase with your points.
Which airline partners can I redeem Hilton points on?
There is a list of 26+ airlines available on the Hilton Honors website. The list includes Delta Air, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and Jet Airways.
How many Hilton points for a free night?
As few as 5,000 Points per night and no more than 95,000 Points – this depends on the specific hotel, the number of nights, the dates, and the room type
Can Hilton points be redeemed through Chase ultimate rewards?
Hilton Honors and Chase Ultimate Rewards do not transfer partners, so you can’t transfer or redeem Hilton points via Chase or vice versa. You can use Amex points for Hilton.
Can I redeem Hilton points through Expedia?
No, but it is possible to earn Hilton points via Expedia
Does Hilton offer a luxury card?
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers great perks but is not considered a luxury card.
However, it offers a high reward rate and up to $250 in airline-fee credits and up to $250 in Hilton resort credits every calendar year..
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