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Hilton is one of the largest and most recognizable global hotel brands. With more than 7,000 properties spanning roughly 120 countries and 19 brands, you'll find Hilton hotels in every corner of the globe. With such a large chain and footprint, the Hilton Honors loyalty program is one of the biggest in the industry.
Beyond the global footprint, Hilton's elite program offers excellent perks at each status level. In fact, top-tier Diamond members receive tangible benefits like lounge access and the ability to gift elite status. Also, Hilton Gold has earned its place as the best mid-tier hotel elite status. Even better, it's one of the easiest to acquire.
In this guide, we'll cover how to earn Hilton Honors points, the best ways to redeem points, run through Hilton's elite program, and dig into the rules and transfer policies.
Page Contents
How to Join Hilton Honors
You can sign-up for Hilton Honors online through the Hilton website or using the Hilton mobile app. Before you do, check here to see if there's a new member bonus for registering through a special link. If not, you can join here. On the registration form, you'll be prompted to provide your name, phone number, email, address, and create a password.
Hilton provides you with your Hilton Honors membership number immediately after joining. You can view your account status, upcoming reservations, and book travel using cash or points while logged into the website or app.
Add your Hilton Honors Account to AwardWallet
Now is also the perfect time to add Hilton Honors to your AwardWallet account. Once you do, AwardWallet will track your Hilton reservations, points balance and expiration, elite status, and any credits or promos associated with your account.
If your Hilton points or elite status expires soon, we'll send you a series of reminders by email. You also can use AwardWallet to log into your Hilton account with one click — rather than needing to enter your Hilton membership number and password on the Hilton website.
AwardWallet Plus members also see their Hilton Honors earning and redemption history, plus their progress toward the next tier of elite status.
Track Hilton Honors Accounts for Family and Friends
In addition, you can track accounts for friends and family with AwardWallet. To add a second account or a different loyalty program, log into AwardWallet through a web browser or the AwardWallet app (iOS, Android). Then, you can click the “Add Award Program to Track” button and type in the name of the program — or use this link.
Hilton Honors Brands
Hilton has a global presence with more than 7,000 properties in 120+ countries around the world. The chain comprises 19 unique brands that range from limited-service Hampton by Hilton to the distinctive luxury of Waldorf Astoria.
Although it's not Hilton's premier luxury brand, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is the flagship brand within the portfolio. It has over 550 properties around the world. Hilton is an upscale, full-service brand for both business and leisure travelers, named after founder Conrad Hilton. Hilton's high-end Conrad brand is the second namesake brand.
Other brands in the Hilton Honors portfolio include the Curio Collection of independent boutique hotels, the ubiquitous select-service Hilton Garden Inn, and Homewood Suites by Hilton — one of two Hilton Honors extended-stay hotel brands. Hilton also has been testing the waters with new brands in recent years, such as LXR, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton.
| HOTEL CATEGORY | BRAND |
|---|---|
| Luxury | Waldorf Astoria Conrad LXR |
| Boutique/Independent Collections | Curio Collection Tapestry Collection Canopy by Hilton |
| Standard Upscale Full-Service | Hilton Hotels & Resorts DoubleTree by Hilton Signia by Hilton Embassy Suites |
| Lifestyle with Limited or Focused Service | Tempo by Hilton Motto by Hilton Tru by Hilton |
| Focused-Service or Limited-Service | Hilton Garden Inn Hampton by Hilton Spark by Hilton |
| Extended Stay | Homewood Suites Home2 Suites |
| Timeshare | Hilton Grand Vacations |
Best Ways to Earn Hilton Honors Points
Hilton Honors points are easy to accumulate. This is due to the strong earning rates on co-branded Hilton credit cards and a generous return on Hilton spending using these cards. Plus, Hilton features the best points pooling policy of any loyalty program we've reviewed. This makes it easy for you to amass a huge balance of points when working towards a big redemption.
Related: How To Pool Hilton Honors Points
Hilton award stays typically require more points per night than other hotel programs. At first blush, this makes it look like the Hilton Honors rewards program offers less value than its competitors. But this is unequivocally not the case.
Members receive higher-than-average earning rates on hotel stays. Cardholders earn top multipliers when using co-branded credit cards. Plus, you can leverage lots of travel and dining partner programs. There is no shortage of ways to earn Hilton Honors points!
Earn Points on Hilton Stays
The most straightforward way to earn Hilton Honors points is by staying at a Hilton property. Just make sure that your Honors number is attached to the reservation. Members earn 10 base points per $1 spent on hotel stays and most incidental charges, such as parking, food, and beverages. However, at Tru and Home2 Suites, you'll only earn 5 points per $1 spent.
If you hold Hilton elite status — which comes complimentary with all Hilton co-brand credit cards — you'll enjoy the following elite point bonuses:
- Silver: 20% bonus (total of 12 points per $1 spent)
- Gold: 80% bonus (total of 18 points per $1 spent)
- Diamond: 100% bonus (total of 20 points per $1 spent)
Select properties offer additional points at check-in if selected as a Hilton “My Way” benefit — a perk exclusive to Gold and Diamond members. Promotions can provide even more points from hotel stays. Check out the current Hilton promotions.
Earning Hilton Points – An Example
Here's an example of points earned from one of my previous stays. The nightly rate was $123 before taxes. I also spent $20.13 on food and a cocktail at the hotel restaurant. The final bill, including taxes, came to $164.66, which I put on my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Here's how many points I earned:
- 10 base points per $1 as a Hilton Honors member, spending $143.13 (room plus food) — 1,431 points
- 10 bonus points per $1 as a Diamond elite member (100% bonus) — 1,431 points
- Qualifying stay under the Points Unlimited promotion — 2,000 points
- 14x points per $1 by using my Hilton Aspire — 2,305 points
The total haul from the stay: 7,167 points, worth ~$43, based on average values from AwardWallet's users and their redemptions of Hilton points at 0.58¢ on average. This is a 26% return on spending. Not a bad return for a work stay!
Hilton Honors Credit Cards
American Express issues multiple Hilton credit cards. All Hilton Honors credit cards offer complimentary elite status, bonus points on Hilton stays, and three of the four cards offer free nights and other perks. We cover the Hilton cards in more detail in our guide to earning Hilton points, but here's a quick recap of the cards and the bonuses on offer:
- Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged 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.
- 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.
The no-annual-fee Hilton Amex is perfect if you only stay with Hilton occasionally and don't want to pay an annual fee (Rates & Fees). You'll earn some extra points and will have access to Hilton's fifth-night-free benefit. Read our Hilton Amex review for more details.
- 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 Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
The Hilton Surpass is an excellent mid-tier card with a great mix of benefits for the $150 annual fee . Cardmembers receive complimentary Hilton Gold status and 10 Priority Pass lounge visits each year; see our Hilton Surpass review for more information. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
Hilton Aspire cardmembers receive exceptional value if they stay with Hilton on a regular basis, and it's the only card to offer top-tier elite status as a card benefit. Plus, you'll get an annual Hilton free night reward to be used at almost any Hilton property worldwide. Check out our Hilton Aspire review for all the details.
- Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first three months of Card Membership.
- Earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card: 12X directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, 6X at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. purchases for shipping, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants, 3X on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Earn another Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
- Terms apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 12X directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
- 6X on Select Business & Travel Purchases
- 3X Everywhere Else
The Hilton Business Card rounds out the lineup for small business owners who want to accumulate points from company spending, featuring similar benefits to the Hilton Surpass. See our Hilton Business Card review for more information.
Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points to Hilton Honors
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio. Points transfer in increments of 1,000 Membership Rewards points. Cards like the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card and American Express® Gold Card earn Membership Rewards points and offer great earning rates on supermarket purchases.
Generally, transferring Membership Rewards to Hilton doesn't provide good value. In fact, you can get better value using your Membership Rewards points in other ways. However, the occasional transfer bonus of up to 50% can make this a better value when offered. Click here to see the latest Amex transfer bonus to Hilton.
Host Meetings and Events with Hilton
If you're a meeting or event planner — or just putting together a one-time event at a Hilton property — make sure you don't miss out on earning points for this spend.
Planners earn 1 Hilton point per $1 spent on meetings and events, up to $100,000 per event. You'll need to add Event Planner Points to your contract with Hilton. However, not all properties participate. Here is the list of participating hotels in the event planner program.
Hilton Honors Promotions
Hilton Honors promotions can be an excellent way for you to rack up additional Hilton points or get a discount when booking a room. Hilton runs multiple promotions per year, typically offering bonus points per stay or per night. Occasionally, Hilton will offer bonus elite night credits — useful for qualifying for Hilton elite status.
We regularly update the blog with the latest Hilton promos. Bookmark this page to see what deals can help you earn extra points or save money on your next stay.
Buying Hilton Points
Hilton sells points at a standard rate of $10 per 1,000 points — 1¢ per point. Given that the AwardWallet users tend to redeem Hilton points at 0.58¢ apiece, this isn't a good deal.
However, there are occassionally buy Hilton points promotions. Hilton normally caps members at buying no more than 80,000 points per year, before promotional bonuses, though this rule is often relaxed during promotional events. With a 100% bonus, you're paying $5 per 1,000 points — 0.5¢ per point. In some cases, it may be worth purchasing points. An example: topping off your account for an award that takes advantage of the fifth-night-free benefit.
Based on AwardWallet tracking, Hilton points take roughly 14 hours to hit your account after purchase.
Pooling Hilton Points
Hilton allows members to pool Hilton Honors points with up to 10 other people into a single account — a unique option among hotel loyalty programs. One member has to initiate the “pool,” and other members can choose to contribute points to it. This is essentially a transfer of points to one member's account, as no separate pooled account is created.
Members can transfer up to 500,000 points to other members via points pooling in a calendar year. A single member can receive up to two million Hilton points in a calendar year from others. Points pooling is free. In addition, you can participate in as many points pools as you'd like.
Anecdotally, I have had numerous technical issues trying to pool and transfer points. It worked flawlessly the first time I initiated a points pool. However, I've never been able to successfully receive points since then, even after reaching out to Hilton multiple times.
Related: Which Rewards Programs Allow You to Combine Points and Miles for Free?
Dining Program
If you eat our frequently, dining programs can be a great way to rack up extra points and miles. If you join Hilton Honors Dining and opt into marketing emails, you'll earn 5 Hilton points per $1 spent dining out at participating restaurants. You can search by ZIP code at Hilton Honors Dining. Make sure you check to see if a participating restaurant is offering rewards on a given day. And check whether Hilton is on our list of hotel dining rewards programs with a new member bonus before you sign up.
Hilton Travel Partners
Hilton partners with a number of other travel brands, including:
- Alamo
- Enterprise
- National
- Lyft
- Airline Transfers (Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic)
- Vacation packages and cruises
Check out additional detail on each of these in our separate post on the best ways to earn Hilton Honors points.
Best Ways to Redeem Hilton Honors Points
Hilton free nights start at just 5,000 points at a number of select properties around the globe. However, most require many more points than this. Hilton moved away from an official award chart and now prices award nights dynamically. When the cash rate is higher, award rates are typically higher.
The general range for standard room awards is between 5,000 and 95,000 points per night. However, more and more properties are being added to the list of properties costing more than 100,000 Hilton points — including the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi and Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton. Some of these luxury properties can cost 150,000 points per night.
Read more: Hilton Honors Increases Points Costs at Many Top Hotels
You can find the price range for all Hilton properties through its Points Explorer tool, filterable by brand, points price, and location.
Note that the min and max values listed are based on recent bookings made. You'll occasionally find lower award rates when you search for your specific dates.
For example, in 2023, the Via Sants Hotel Barcelona, Tapestry Collection by Hilton was listed at a minimum of 35,000 points. However, we found award nights available for 31,000 and 33,000 Hilton points on some dates. The points calendar accessible through the Points Explorer tool is an excellent way to find the cheapest award nights at a property.
Hilton Award Pricing
The referenced list provides the standard room pricing for Hilton properties around the globe. However, Hilton allows Honors members to book other room types with points. Typically, if a room is available at a cash rate, you can book it with points, including premium room rewards. This includes anything from rooms with a better view to suites.
Premium room reward pricing can vary significantly. In addition, it is typically correlated with the cash rate. These awards may be both better or worse deals than standard room rewards. Here are sample premium room prices at the Conrad Bali:
One thing to note: In order to use your Free Night Reward certificates earned from Hilton credit cards, you must be able to book a standard room reward. If only premium room rewards are available, you will not be able to use the certificate on that date/at that hotel.
Pay with Points & Money
Hilton offers a unique feature that allows you to price stays in a combination of cash and points using a sliding scale. You can use any combination for your stay. Something to keep in mind is that Hilton waives resort fees for 100% award stays, so you may forfeit some savings should you choose to use the Points and Money option at a property charging resort fees. We strongly recommend you book stays using either 100% cash or 100% points and pass on using this feature.
Hilton Honors 5th Night Free Benefit
One of the best perks of being an elite Hilton Honors member is the fifth-night-free benefit on award stays. This benefit allows you to get five award nights for the price of four on stays of 5+ consecutive nights at the same hotel.
Rather than simply pricing the fifth night at 0 points, however, Hilton averages the cost of your stay and then deducts that average amount of points. For example, if nightly award rates at the Hilton New York Times Square are 77,000 points, 75,000 points, 82,000 points, 82,000 points, and 74,000 points over a five-night stay, you'll receive a discount of 78,000 Hilton points. This is the average single-night award cost across the reservation.
The fifth-night-free benefit works on stays of five or more nights. You'll receive one free night for every five booked for stays of up to 20 nights.
Hilton Free Night Night Reward
One of the benefits of the Hilton Aspire and Hilton Surpass cards is the ability to earn free night awards every year. These are redeemable at any nearly Hilton property worldwide with a small list of exclusions.
Hilton free night awards can be used any night of the week — an improvement over their previous limitation to use on weekends. These awards must be used for stays that occur prior to the expiration date listed on the certificate.
To book a free weekend night, you need to call 1-800-4HONORS and have your certificate number ready.
Hilton Honors Award Sweet Spots
With over 7,000 properties in 120+ countries around the globe, you can find plenty of Hilton hotels where award nights are an excellent value. In general, Hilton awards that approach a 1¢ per point value are a great find.
Here is a very brief list of 10 properties that stand out:
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi: It goes without saying that Hilton's flagship Maldives property is an excellent award deal (rooms for $1,700?!). The trick is finding standard room availability.
- Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal: Rooms often cost over $1,000 per night, which makes the 120,000-points-per-night standard award cost an excellent deal. This is also a great hotel for using free night rewards.
- Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills: Rooms for $1,000 per night or 120,000 points? I'll choose points.
- Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam: Amsterdam can be crazy expensive. Rooms easily climb over $800. I'd happily book for 110,000 points per night.
- Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort: Again, rooms for $1,000 or 110,000 points? Points make paradise free. Note that this is another property where finding award availability is especially difficult.
- Conrad Bora Bora Nui: I'll take the lagoon view for just 120,000 points, thank you. No need to spend over a grand.
- Conrad Koh Samui: With rates over $600, you'll often get over 0.7¢ per Hilton point staying here.
- The Reach Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton: Rates can eclipse $800 per night, making 95,000 points actually appealing.
- Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero: It can be difficult to find availability in the summer, but on nights where standard room awards are 80,000 points versus $500+ cash, I'll choose points.
- Hilton Tel Aviv: When rates creep above $600, paying 85,000 points per night is the way to go.
Given Hilton's move to dynamic pricing, the best value is usually found at luxury properties. However, many of the best hotels tend to restrict standard room award inventory, only offering premium room awards for much higher prices (and less value).
Read more: Hilton Honors Redemptions For The Budget Savvy Traveler
How to Book a Hilton Award
The easiest way to book a Hilton award stay is online at Hilton.com or via the Hilton app. You don't need to log into your Honors account to search for award nights. However, you'll need to log in once you select a room and rate at a particular hotel.
To search for points rates, simply check the “Use Points” box in the Special Rates options. Enter your destination and dates and click the “Find a Hotel” button.
I did a sample search for Paris, France, where there is a decent selection of Hilton properties. I have mixed feelings about the changes to Hilton's search display, though displaying the list and map together is a plus. You can see that there are 16 Hilton hotel options in the Paris area. The downside is that Hilton doesn't show a total price for multi-night stays. Instead, Hilton simply lists the price for the first night.
To view the room types and availability at a particular property, click the “View Rates” button. You'll see which are standard rooms rewards versus those that are premium room rewards. You can see this particular Tapestry Collection property has five available room types bookable with points, and only one of them is a standard room reward.
Once you settle on a room type, you must log in to book (if not logged in already). Then, you can enter the reservation details, use the Points and Money slider to customize the rate, and finalize the booking.
Other Ways to Redeem Hilton Points
Using Hilton points for free hotel stays will definitely provide the best value for your points. However, I want to touch on a number of other uses. You can redeem Hilton points for:
- Hilton Honors Experiences
- Lyft rides
- Amazon products
- Convert to airline miles
Pretty much all of these uses are a poor value compared to most hotel stays. Amazon lets you cash out Hilton points at 0.2 cents each. The value for redeeming points for Lyft rides is similar. Transferring points to airlines yields gives you a fraction of what you had before the transfer.
The only potential I really see in any of these is the ability to use Honors points for experiences, and that's because you sometimes can find some unique activities for decent value.
How to Earn Hilton Honors Elite Status
Hilton offers a fairly strong elite program that rewards loyal members with perks like complimentary breakfast, bonus points, room upgrades, and executive lounge access. The Hilton Honors loyalty program offers three elite tiers: Silver, Gold, and Diamond. In addition, there's a basic Member tier (achieved at sign-up), which offers some basic perks
Hilton Elite Status Tiers and Benefits
The benefits you enjoy as a Hilton elite increase as you climb through the tiers from Silver to Gold to Diamond. Here is what you can expect at each of the three levels:
| Status Tier | Requirements | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Sign up for Hilton Honors | Hilton Honors Discount Rate Earn points toward free nights & more No resort fees on reward stays Digital Check-in option and Digital Key Free WiFi |
| Silver Elite | 10 nights OR 4 stays OR 25,000 Base Points | All Member benefits plus... 20% Bonus Points on stays (12 Honors points per $1 spent) Fifth night free on reward stays Two free bottles of water per stay Elite Rollover Nights |
| Gold Elite | 40 nights OR 20 stays OR 75,000 Base Points | All Silver benefits plus... 80% Bonus Points on stays (18 Honors points per $1 spent) Space-available room upgrades, up to rooms on the executive level (at property discretion) Daily food and beverage credit or continental breakfast at select brands (varies by hotel) Milestone Bonuses |
| Diamond Elite | 60 nights OR 30 stays OR 120,000 Base Points | All Gold benefits plus... 100% Bonus Points on stays (20 Honors points per $1 spent) Space-available room upgrades, up to standard suites (at property discretion) Executive lounge access Diamond status extension Premium WiFi 48-hour room guarantee Elite status gifting |
Check out the Hilton Honors terms and conditions for more details.
Rollover Nights
Rollover nights are a benefit for Hilton Honors elites. Any nights accrued in excess of the status tier you qualify for are rolled over to get a jump start on the following year's qualification. For example, if you stay 67 nights in 2023, qualifying for Diamond status, you'd roll over 7 nights for 2024 elite qualification.
Hilton Milestone Bonuses
Hilton offers milestone bonuses once you hit a certain number of nights stayed in a calendar year. The first bonus (10,000 bonus points) is awarded when you hit 40 nights. You'll earn an additional 10,000 points for every 10 additional nights after 40 nights, with an extra 30,000 points awarded when you hit 60 total nights. This is on top of the normal milestone bonus for 60 nights. You can continue to earn milestone bonuses in excess of 100 nights, for every 10 nights stayed.
Complimentary Elite Status From Credit Cards
All Hilton credit cards offer some level of complimentary elite status:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: Silver elite
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Gold elite
- The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Gold elite
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Diamond elite
This status can be enjoyed for as long as your card remains open. You do not need to meet any stay or qualification requirements each year. The Hilton Aspire is the only card that offers Hilton Diamond status and the only hotel credit card that offers complimentary top-tier elite status in any hotel chain.
Beyond Hilton's co-branded credit cards, cardmembers with The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can enroll for complimentary Hilton Gold status .
Status Matching
Hilton also offers a status match program for elite members of other hotel programs. The requirements tend to change, and the offerings vary from a status match to a status challenge, and the requirements will depend on your status in other programs. You'll need to provide your name, email, Honors number, and proof of elite status in the other program. You'll need to show proof of at least one stay in the other program within the past 12 months.
This can be a great shortcut to elite status with Hilton for the first year. Beyond that, you'll need to meet the normal status requirements to main your elite tier.
Related: All Hotel Elite Status Match & Fast Track Opportunities
Hilton Lifetime Diamond status
Hilton offers a lifetime status program, but only for its Diamond elite tier. The requirements for lifetime Diamond status requires earning Diamond status for at least 10 years (do not need to be consecutive) and either:
- Complete at least 1,000 paid and/or reward nights
- Earn at least two million Base Points over the life of your membership
Hilton Honors Rules and Policies
Hilton Change and Cancellation Policies
Under normal circumstances, Hilton Advance Purchase reservations are completely non-refundable. These offer the lowest rate, but you are locked into your reservation and will forfeit the entire amount should you cancel.
In general, flexible rate Hilton stays (both cash and award) can be canceled free of charge up until 48 or 72 hours prior to arrival. However, change and cancellation policies are up to the individual hotel, so read the terms carefully. There have been some outliers to these change and cancellation policies, with specific properties requiring more advance notice.
Hilton Price Match Guarantee
Hilton offers a Price Match Guarantee that ensures you will find the lowest publicly available rate through official Hilton booking channels. If you find a lower rate at another site, Hilton will both match the lower rate and provide an additional 25% discount off the lower rate.
However, you have to jump through some hoops. You must make your claim within 24 hours of booking through an official Hilton channel. The booking must also be for the same hotel, same room type, and have the same amenities (breakfast, view, check-in time, etc.). If there are any discrepancies between these, Hilton does not consider this a lower qualified price and will likely reject the Price Match.
If you think you have a Hilton Price Match Guarantee to claim, you can use the online claim form.
Hilton Points Expiration Policy
Hilton Honors points expire if your account doesn't have eligible activity in a 24-month period.
You have access to a number of ways to extend your Hilton Honors points expiration date. Most earning and redemption activities will extend the expiration date. However, points pooling and Membership Rewards transfers notably will not extend the expiration date.
Final Thoughts
Hilton Honors is an excellent hotel loyalty program and one from which I have personally obtained great value. It's a go-to hotel rewards program for me, thanks to the ability to easily amass points from paid stays and promotions, a suite of excellent co-branded credit cards, and a solid elite program. An interesting metric: Hilton is the chain for which my ratio of award stays to paid stays is highest. A whopping 92% of my nights with Hilton have been on points. Now, that is value.
Related: Things We Love About Hilton Honors Rewards Program
Hilton Honors FAQ
Do Hilton Honors Points expire?
Hilton Honors points expire if your account doesn't have eligible activity in a 24-month period.
Can you book Hilton stays for friends and family?
Yes, you can book award nights for friends and family using your Hilton points. You'll need to call 800-446-6677 to make the reservation in their name. You can book paid stays for others, but their Hilton Honors number will need to be attached to earn the points.
How many Hilton points do you need for a free night?
It depends. Free nights are dynamically priced. Prices start at just 5,000 points at a handful of the lowest-tier properties. Standard nights at a handful of ultra-luxury properties can cost more than 120,000 points. Premium rooms can cost even more.
Do you still receive elite benefits when booking through a third party?
No, you will not receive elite benefits when booking Hilton stays through a third-party. This applies to sites like Hotels.com and Booking.com.
How do I find my Hilton Honors membership number?
Your Hilton number will be emailed to you when you join Hilton Honors. You can find your Hilton membership number in AwardWallet, if you've chosen to track your account, or pull up your card in the Hilton app.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Hilton Honors American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Can a person used Hilton Honors points to book a stay at Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare resorts?
I recent,y acquired the American Express Surpass….should I be seeing 12x points on Hilton stays, or is the 12x for other purchases?
You’ll earn 12X points on Hilton stays through your credit card statement. And, since you should now be a Hilton Gold, you should be earning 18X points (10X base + 80% bonus) directly through your Hilton Honors account.
Free Night Rewards can now be used anytime of the week. Hilton changed this fairly recently. The Comprehensive Guide needs to be updated.
This is only a temporary change for COVID. From Hilton:
Can the Free Weekend Night Reward be used on any day of the week?
Yes, unexpired Free Weekend Night Rewards and new Free Weekend Night Rewards issued through December 31, 2022 can now be used on any night of the week (not just on the weekends).
I just joined AwardsWallet and was impressed with the collection of helpful blogs available to me. I’ve looked for helpful tips and tricks for travel award programs for years, and never have I found such a value add collection. Having been a HH member for the last 16 years, I was surprised to learn several new things from this particular article. For example, the ability to pool points with other members (for free), the Points Explorer tool, and the ability to redeem points for Hilton Honors Experiences were all new to me – super helpful!
Excellent article on the ins and outs of Hilton Honors. I’ve stayed at a couple of Hilton properties in years past (back in the days of using Hotwire, when I didn’t know any better), and was impressed. Knowing what I know now, I could’ve gotten immense value, rather than paying cash all of the time. I currently have Hilton Gold through my Amex Platinum, and secondarily Hilton Silver through my new Hilton Honors Amex card, and will be turning to Hilton as my go-to as a beginner points traveler. All of the perks of the program at any elite level are superior to booking through OTAs and not earning anything toward free stays.
Interesting! Pity in Australia you can’t select your desired hotel to quarantine in, or else you could quickly rack up the nights!
Hilton is in my opinion by far the best chain and loyalty scheme. As a diamond I find that I am usually treated very well and have had some nice upgrades.
The fairly consistent free breakfast at Hilton brands is an excellent perk, especially when it’s so accessible to obtain Gold status.
Thanks for this excellent guide. These days, it seems that Hilton has better value in terms of rewards for frequent travelers than does Marriott. I find the free breakfast for Gold particularly valuable.
Yes, you’ll find that the free breakfast benefit, rightly, has lots of fans in the comments here.
Thanks for this. Very useful. I didn’t know that I could earn Hilton Honors points with Lyft. Am I right that I can double dip on Lyft: earn HH points plus the 10x UR for using my CSR?
It seems like it! The CSR 10X is based on the purchase posting to your credit card account. So, you should be able to get the Hilton bonus in addition to this.
The expiration pause is much more reasonable in comparison with the Marriott one, so far.
Very informative. Thank you.
Years ago, Marriott Rewards was my favorite hotel loyalty program. I now much prefer Hilton Honors and IHG Rewards (the latter because my two cards provide Platinum status, 2 free anniversary nights, the 4th night free, and – for weeklong trips – 3 free nights on a seven night stay).
This is an amazing post, thanks for a comprehensive guideline. Hope to see a co-branded Canadian credit card with Hilton.
Love the Hilton Honors program and how easy it is to rack up large numbers of points – and u need large numbers of points to stay at desirable Hilton Hotels – but they are too chintzy with the annual free nites (only on weekends, excessive spend requirements for additional nites) compared to the Chase IHG and Hyatt cards….need to work on your game here Hilton!
Very interesting. This program was always one of the most difficult for me to understand, so many ways to score points and spend them lost me. Now I can start earning Hilton points. Thanks.
Thanks for the comprehensive Hilton Honors program guide. Definitely will refer back to this one when considering booking hilton stays!
Have to consider this promotion, very interesting. I didn’t know about Hilton Honors American Express Card that’s great!! and with no annual fee!!. Also the possibility to convert to airline miles with Virgin Atlantic is a good catch for me.
Thanks you for sharing