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Hilton Honors elite status is an easy way to make your next Hilton stay a lot more rewarding. For a lengthy list of perk-related reasons, elite status is a valuable tool to have in your back pocket.
What makes Hilton's elite status even better is that there are many ways to earn it, including co-branded Hilton credit cards. Here's how to earn Hilton Honors elite status through cobranded credit cards and a look at whether it's worth it.
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Hilton Honors Gold Status
Known as the best mid-tier elite status available, Hilton Honors Gold is one step above Silver and one below top-tier Diamond. At this level, you'll enjoy complimentary breakfast or food and beverage credits during most stays, space-available upgrades at select properties, and a fifth-night-free benefit when you redeem Hilton points.
To earn Hilton Gold status through stays, you would typically need to accrue one of the following each calendar year:
- 20 qualifying stays
- 40 qualifying nights
- 75,000 base points
Alternatively, Gold status is achievable through holding certain Hilton co-branded credit cards, such as the Hilton Surpass or the Hilton Business Card. The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum Card also offer an identical complimentary status benefit. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Related: Hilton Honors Redemptions for the Budget-Savvy Traveler
Spend $20,000 in a calendar year on the Hilton Amex
You also can earn Hilton Honors Gold status by spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year on the Hilton Honors American Express Card. This no-annual-fee credit card (Rates & Fees) offers complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status for as long as you have the card, and the option to spend up to Gold is a nice perk if you spend heavily on the card and forego the other methods of earning Hilton status.
At the time of writing, Hilton doesn't offer lifetime status for its Gold tier — only Diamond. Moreover, points from credit card sending are treated as bonus points, not base points, so they don't help you earn lifetime status (though they did temporarily during some COVID-19-related changes to Hilton Honors).
- Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- No Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 7X Points per dollar on eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands
- Earn 5X Points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Hilton Honors Diamond Status
As Hilton's highest elite status level, Diamond is where the benefits genuinely shine. After achieving Diamond, you'll be granted executive lounge access at properties with lounges, complimentary breakfast or food and beverage credits on most stays, space-available room upgrades, and more. On top of that, you'll receive a 100% points bonus compared to the 80% that Gold-level Hilton Honors members earn.
Diamond is one of the easiest top-tier statuses to achieve, and, just like Hilton Honors Gold, there are numerous ways to earn it.
To reach Diamond status through stays, you would typically need to accrue one of the following each calendar year:
- 30 qualifying stays.
- 60 qualifying nights.
- 120,000 base points.
For road warriors, these numbers may not be out of reach, but there exists a quicker way to Diamond status with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Recently refreshed with new benefits and a higher annual fee, the featured perk for the Hilton Aspire is complimentary Diamond status for as long as the account is kept open. If the high annual fee is hard to justify, there is yet another way to achieve Diamond — spending on one of two co-branded Hilton credit cards.
Related: Hilton Aspire credit card review
Spend $40,000 in a calendar year on the Hilton Surpass or the Hilton Business Card
If you hold either the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you can reach Hilton Honors Diamond status by spending $40,000 in a calendar year on your card. Both cards offer complimentary Gold status just for keeping the accounts open, but Diamond might be within reach for those who spend or are considering spending substantially on their cards.
If you take the spend-to-status route, you will also earn a Hilton free night award after spending $15,000 on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, which is a nice benefit to pick up along the way.
Related: Do Hilton Honors Points Expire?
- Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That's up to $200 in statement credits annually.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
- As a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $150 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Lifetime Hilton Diamond status
A perk unique to its top-tier status only, Hilton offers lifetime Diamond status to members who:
- Maintain Diamond status for 10 years (the years don't have to be consecutive).
- Stay a total of 1,000 nights or accrue at least two million base points since joining Hilton Honors.
However, points earned via spending on co-branded Hilton credit cards will be treated as bonus points for elite-tier qualification and lifetime status qualification.
- Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
- Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. With Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, you can enjoy benefits at hotels and resorts within the Hilton Portfolio. As a Gold member, earn an 80% Bonus on all Base Points you earn on every stay.
- You may receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
- As a Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
- Terms apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 12X Hilton Honors points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
- 5X Hilton Honors points on the first $100,000 spent per calendar year on other eligible purchases; 3X thereafter
Is It Worth Earning Hilton Status Through Card Spending?
If Gold status is desirable, there are plenty of avenues to reach it outside of spending $20,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Amex. Hilton offers two co-branded credit cards with complimentary Gold status, each featuring reasonable annual fees. If you carry the Hilton Surpass ($150 annual fee - Rates & Fees) or the Hilton Business Card ($195 annual fee - Rates & Fees), you'll have Gold status soon after approval, and you won't have to leave your house to get it.
The same goes for Hilton Honors Diamond status. If you're a Hilton loyalist, it's worth checking out the perks offered by the Hilton Aspire. Generous bonus categories and a refreshed list of valuable benefits can negate the sting of the annual fee and continuously provide value every year.
For many, spending $20,000 or $40,000 annually for Gold or Diamond status is a challenging task. Before you start spending for status, it's worth asking yourself whether Hilton status and the redeemable bonus points that come with spending offer the best return on your money.
Instead of spending on your card for Hilton status, consider getting a card that provides the status you want just for being a cardmember. There are many rewards credit cards out there, and rewarding your spending in the best way possible is an integral part of developing a long-term credit card strategy.
Related: Things We Love About the Hilton Honors Rewards Program
Bottom Line
Hilton Honors elite status is easy to earn, thanks to a long list of ways to achieve it. If you hold a particular co-branded credit card, Gold or Diamond status is achievable without effort.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Hilton Honors American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees), and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees)
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