Hilton Honors: Promotions, Points, Levels and Redemption

Hotel and frequent flyer programs are a great way for travelers to make the most out of their money. There are a variety of programs to choose from these days, including Hilton Honor Points.

Consumers can participate in Hilton Honor Points through a couple of avenues – either (1) by being a Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature or Hilton HHonors Platinum from American Express cardholder or (2) through direct enrollment with a participating hotel (there are many to choose from, as the program includes Hilton, Conrad Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Scandic hotels).

The Hilton Honors Points program is fairly complex, so here is a breakdown of the program so you can determine if it’s the best rewards program for you and your family:

Points Calculator

The first detail everyone wants to know when it comes to rewards program is how they can accrue points. So, here’s the breakdown:

• Hotel Stay: Members earn 10 points for every $1 charged to a room, including phone and room service charges when staying at participating Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inns. Members also earn 10 points per $1 spent on room rates for eligible rate stays at Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Homewood Suites by Hilton. Lastly, they earn 1,000 points per night for eligible rate stays at participating Scandic Hotels.

• Frequent Flyer Miles: Members can also earn 500 miles toward over 40 airline frequent flyer programs when staying at participating Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites locations. When staying at Hapmton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Scandic Hotels, members earn 100 miles toward one of 20 airline frequent flyer programs.

• Car Rental: Members can earn 250 points by presenting a car rental agreement with National or Thrifty during a hotel stay; they can also earn 250 points per rental with Sixt and Avis whether or not it’s in conjunction with a hotel stay.

• Phone Service: Members earn 7,500 points when they sign up for a new annual AT&T Wireless service plan that is $29.99 per more per month.

• Other Points: Members also earn points through a variety of other means including buying/selling real estate, moving services, car service, FTD.com purchases, USA Today subscriptions and other miscellaneous purchases.

And, if you have one of the Hilton HHonors credit cards, you can earn additional rewards for other purchases; please note that these points are considered “bonus points” and do not count toward status level (which we’ll discuss in another section):

Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature – 6 HHonors Bonus Points for every $1 spent at participating hotels; 3 points for every $1 spent at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations; and 2 points for every $1 spent elsewhere

Citi® Hilton HHonors Visa Signature® Card Earn 40,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 within 4 months of account opening* Earn 6 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent at a participating hotel within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio.* Earn 3 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.* Earn 2 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on all other purchases.* No annual fee.* Intro APR for Purchases Intro APR for Balance Transfer APR as low as Annual Fee - - 14.24% - 16.24% (Variable) $0

Hilton HHonors Platinum from American Express – 6 HHonors Bonus Points for every $1 spent at participating hotels, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, wireless and home phone, internet, cable and satellite TV providers; 3 points for every $1 spent elsewhere

Before you open one of these cards, you will want to evaluate the interest rates and any additional fees that come with the cards. Both cards are annual fee free but will have other common credit card fees like late charges and cash advance fees.

Levels /Tiers

As mentioned in the previous section, this is a rewards program that has various VIP levels. These levels qualify members to accrue additional points and give them access to additional benefits.

• Silver VIP: Members who have at least 4 stays or 10 nights during any 12-month period at HHonors hotels receive the following benefits: 15% bonus on base points; complimentary use of hotel-operated health club facilities during their stay; and VIP award opportunities. Cardholders of the Citi and American Express Hilton HHonors credit cards also receive Silver VIP status for the first year of membership.

• Gold VIP: Members who have at least 16 stays or 36 nights during any 12-month period at HHonors hotels, or earn 60,000 base points in any 12-month period, receive the Silver VIP benefits as well as the following: 25% bonus on base points; complimentary room upgrade (upon request) or amenities with every stay; and hotel award blackout date exemption. Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express cardholders who spend more than $20,000 in a calendar year will also receive Gold VIP status for the following calendar year.

• Diamond VIP: Members who have at least 28 stays or 60 nights during any 12-month period at HHonors hotels or earn 100,000 base points in any 12-month period gain access to Silver and Gold benefits as well as: 50% bonus on base points; complimentary room upgrade (upon request) or amenities with every stay; hotel availability guaranteed on reservations made at least 48 hours in advance; and hotel award blackout date exemption.

Reward Redemption Chart and Values

Now that you know how to accrue points and the benefits of the various VIP levels, here is what you can receive for your points; as you can see, the Hilton Honors Points program offers members more than just free hotel stays. We’ve included some estimated point values so you can determine the possibility of earning the rewards within your desired timeframe:

• Hotel stay – hotel stays are generally redeemable for a two person room, with rooms ranging from 6,000 to 65,000+ per night.

• Airfare – participating airlines include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, South African Airways, United Airlines and US Airways. Tickets start at 40,000 points for companion coach tickets in the continental US.

• Amtrak – members can also use their rewards to travel via train, with Amtrak tickets starting at 170,000 points for a trip between Chicago and New Orleans, including a standard bedroom and dining car meals.

• Amusement parks – tickets are available for Disney and Universal Studios parks. Tickets range from 15,000 points for a one-day child tick at Universal Studios Florida to 65,000 for a four-day adult Park Hopper Plus ticket for the Walt Disney World Resort.

• Car rental – available with Avis, National and Thrifty; points can be used for car group upgrades or rental. Upgrades start at 2,500 points and one-day rentals start at 15,000 points.

• Cruises – cruises are another reward option, with available cruises through Carnival and Princess Cruises. Rewards include port charges and start under 200,000 points for a four day cruise to the Bahamas.

• Shopping – Hiltion Honors Points can be used for more than just travel purposes, they can also be used for products from popular companies like Tiffany & Co, Bloomingdale’s, Harry and David, Swiss Army and The Sharper Image. Rewards in this category start as low as 10,000 points.

To Miles

Thanks to a partnership between Hilton and eight airlines (Aero California, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, LanChile, Mexicana Airlines, Midwest Airlines, South African Airways or Virgin Atlantic Airways), members are also able to exchange HHonors points for airline miles or their airline miles for HHonors points.

The exchange for most miles is 5,000 miles for 10,000 points; and to exchange points for miles, the conversion is 10,000 points for 1,500 miles.

Redemption

Points are typically redeemed for desired rewards online. However, members who are utilizing points toward hotel stays may want to redeem over the phone. This is because depending upon your membership level, you may be able to reserve rooms by phone that show as unavailable online.

When redeeming points for an airline reservation, tickets are mailed to the member’s address that is on file. If the member needs expedited delivery, there is a $25 fee for U.S. delivery; deliver to outside the continental U.S. will be a minimum of $50.

Redemption typically happens immediately but there are some international awards and Diamond special arrangement awards that can take one to three days to finalize, so you will want to plan accordingly.

Rewards Expiration

Points do not expire. However, inactive accounts (as defined by no activity for 12 consecutive months) are closed; if the member doesn’t reactivate the account, they will lose all of their accumulated points.

Members do need to know that rewards do expire. Once you have redeemed points for awards certificates or tickets, they are only valid for one year from the issue date, unless otherwise noted at time of points redemption.

Write to Meghan Clark at meghan@creditdonkey.com

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