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2026 is shaping up to be a fascinating year for the Hilton Honors program. Beginning January 1, 2026, the thresholds for reaching Gold and Diamond status will be lowered. In addition, Hilton will introduce a new tier called Diamond Reserve, which will offer premium perks like confirmable upgrade rewards and a guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
It appears that, on top of these changes, Hilton will also introduce a new invite-only status. And it'll be reserved for the most loyal Hilton guests — similar to Hyatt's Courtesy Card and Marriott Cobalt.
Here's what we know so far.
Hilton to Introduce ‘The Honors Society'
It's no secret that hotels and airlines love offering secret top-tier status to a handful of loyalists. These ultra-top-tier statuses come with the best perks in the business, but rarely have any sort of tangible eligibility requirements. You have to be selected, and eligibility can vary year over year.
More often than not, this status is awarded to those with substantial spending — to the tune of $100,000+ per year — or those who manage large corporate contracts or by appointment from hotel executives.
Hilton is joining programs like Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and ALL Accor Limitless to offer an invite-only status. Hilton's version will reportedly be called ‘The Honors Society.' Although Hilton hasn't publicly shared details, the hotel teases that more information will be available in early 2026.
Don't get too excited though, as this status will likely only be targeted to a few thousand people each year. For context, there are 235 million Hilton Honors members. According to several reports, of those 235 million members, there are roughly 1.2 to 1.4 million Hilton Diamond members. Once the new Diamond Reserve launches in 2026, it's expected that roughly 50,000 to 55,000 members will qualify.
If the top 5% of Diamond Reserve members are offered entry to The Honors Society, this status will have just 2,500 members worldwide. But, Hilton could target an even smaller group than that. But if you're among them, you'll have to let us know what your experience is like.
Hilton Diamond to Become a Mid-Tier Status
Since the vast majority of people won't be offered The Honors Society status, this change won't have a material impact on frequent Hilton guests. However, it's interesting to see the changes in program loyalty throughout the year. We started 2025 with Hilton Diamond being the top-tier elite status. As we head into 2026, Hilton Diamond is falling somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy:
- The Honors Society
- Diamond Reserve
- Lifetime Diamond
- Diamond
- Gold
- Silver
- Member
Although you can currently score top-tier status by simply being a cardholder of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you'll soon need to put in some serious effort to score the most elite benefits each year.
- Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/14/2026.
- Card Members can earn 14X Points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Card Members can earn 7X Points on purchases of Flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through American Express Travel, Car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies, and purchases at U.S. Restaurants.
- Card Members can earn 3X Points on all other eligible purchases.
- Enhance your hotel stay with complimentary Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status and enjoy a world of hotel privileges and benefits. Get exclusive perks at any of Hilton's 24 hotel brands, like a 100% Bonus on Base Points earned on every stay, Premium Wi-Fi and space-available room upgrades at select properties, and more.
- Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal.
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That's up to $400 back annually.
- $200 Flight Credit: Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend an additional $30,000 (for a total of $60,000) in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
- $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: You can receive up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you sign up and pay for a CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your eligible Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
- $100 Property Credit: How it Works: To receive up to $100 in credits for qualifying hotel charges, book a 2-night minimum stay at participating Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts with your Card through hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com and select the Aspire Card Benefit rate option on the booking page or call Hilton Honors at (855) 292-5757 with the proper booking reference. See Terms & Conditions for further details.
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
- $550 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
- 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
Related: Spend Towards Elite Status With Your Hilton Honors Credit Card
Bottom Line
We don't know too much about The Honors Society right now. But we anticipate more details to be made publicly available in early 2026. Ideally, this won't impact benefits received at each elite status tier too much, but it will impact things like upgrade priority when it launches.
Diamond members who are used to receiving priority during stays will now be fourth in line. The new Diamond Reserve might be attainable for frequent guests, but The Honors Society will be a hyper-exclusive, hard-to-reach status that few will ever see.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees)
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