Whenever I bring up how great Hilton’s reward program is, I always hear “Hilton sucks! A free night is, like, 95000 points!” Hilton Honors does not suck. And while 95,000 points per night sounds like an inordinate number of points, it’s actually not when you do the math on what it takes to earn those points.
“Yeah, but then you have to stay at a Hilton hotel” – that’s another line I get when I sing the virtues of the Hilton honors program. Hilton has thousands of hotels worldwide and there are some incredible properties that would beat out any Hyatt or Starwood hotel. But bottom line? Hilton Honors is probably the best hotel rewards program. Here’s why:
Related: A Pocket Guide to the New Hilton Cards
Ease of Earning Elite Status
First and foremost, Hilton issues mid and top-tier elite status as a credit card benefit. The Hilton Honors Ascend Card offers instant Gold status, with the ability to upgrade to Diamond after $40,000 spent. Want top-tier Diamond status straight out of the gate, no strings attached? Pick up the Hilton Honors Aspire Card instead. It has a $450 annual fee, but you may get that value back from upgrades and hotel perks alone. Along with access to Amex Offers deals. Hotel elite status is an incredibly valuable benefit that can save you lots of cash on your travels. Being able to get meaningful elite status from a credit card is what makes Hilton so unique.
Elite Benefits
I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve had elite status with other programs. It doesn’t always transfer to valuable benefits.” That’s true. As a former Hyatt Diamond member, the breakfast benefit was always nice but I rarely ever got upgraded. And even that breakfast benefit was at the lounge, which wasn’t always that great. That has not been my experience with Hilton. I’ve been a Hilton Gold and Diamond member for the last four years and have gotten a room upgrade every single time I’ve checked into a Hilton. Including the Penthouse Suite at Conrad Bali.
At the Conrad Mecca, I not only got lounge access but they gave all eight of us free breakfast at the Mearaj restaurant. This was by far the most impressive buffet spread I’ve ever seen – and I’m not even referring to just breakfast. I’ve had amazing experiences as a Hilton elite member and I know I’m not the only one who can vouch for the value of their elite benefits. Gold status is valuable on its own – cardholders get free breakfast, room upgrades (when available), bonus points and more.
Related: 5 Amazing Hilton Hotels to Redeem Your Amex Hilton Card Sign-up Bonus
Ease of Earning Free Nights Via Paid Stays
The ability to earn free nights easily is what matters most to me in a hotel rewards program. The point is to get rewarded and no program (other than Radisson Rewards) does this better than Hilton Honors. It takes just $500 – $9,500 worth of spending to earn a free night with Hilton Honors. That doesn’t even include elite or milestone bonuses. Get yourself a Hilton Ascend card with Gold status and you’ll have to spend just $277 – $4,750 to earn a free night. Compare that with Starwood, where non-elite members have to spend $1,000 – $17,500 to earn a free night. Hilton Honors isn’t looking so bad, is it?
Ease of Earning Free Nights Via Credit Card Spending
I don’t know about you all, but I earn most of my points from credit card spending. When it comes to earning free nights through credit card spending, Hilton beats out the competition. It takes just $1,666.67 – $31,666.67 worth of credit card spending to earn a free night with Hilton Honors. That’s just non-bonus category spending. If you’re using your Hilton credit cards to pay for hotels, you can earn up to 14 bonus points per $1 spent! Or take advantage of other lucrative spending categories, like 6x points at gas stations, supermarkets and restaurants from the Hilton Ascend and Hilton Amex Business cards. At that rate, a free night is just $833 – $15,833 away.
Hotels in Every Market
Now to answer the last question: Where do you redeem all these Hilton points? A great thing about Hilton Honors is that there are lots of affiliated hotels in every market. Over a dozen hotels of various price points in cities like New York and Washington D.C. Headed abroad? Some of the most popular hotels, like the Conrad Koh Samui’s and Conrad Maldives properties, can be booked with your Hilton points.
Yes, Hilton hotels stateside can suck sometimes – especially in major hotel markets. But generally, I find that low-category and high category hotels to be their sweet spots. Stick to Curio and Conrad hotels and you’ll find lots of awesome hotels worldwide where a free night can offer incredible value. And before you shut me down, stay tuned because a “Best of Hilton” redemption series is coming.
I want to hear from you: What is your opinion of the Hilton Honors program and has this article changed your mind about the attainability of free nights?
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