Hilton Honors isn’t at the top of our list of the most rewarding hotel loyalty programs, but it still holds good value. The hotel chain has a network of over 5,000 properties across six continents. And you can book all of them, even the most prestigious brands, with points. In this guide, we’ll go over the best ways to make the most out of your Hilton Honors points.
Easily earn Hilton points with cobranded cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
| Best Redemptions | Hilton Stays Points & Money Fifth Night Free (Elites Only) Hilton Experiences |
| Point Valuation | $0.006 Per Point |
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HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS SURPASS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has an offer for 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points when you spend $2,000 within 3 months of account opening. The total 130k bonus points are worth around $780 per our valuation.
Earn 12 points per $1 spent on a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. This chain of hotels consists of over 5,000 locations. Earn 6 points per $1 on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. All other purchases will earn 3 points per $1.
Other benefits include complimentary Gold Status and a Weekend Night Reward after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
The card has an annual fee of $95 (See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply).
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Hilton Honors Important Redemption Details
Before we get into all the great ways to use your Hilton points, let’s first go over some important redemption details:
- Hilton doesn’t publish award charts, but they do have a Points Explorer tool to search for hotels within your points budget.
- There are no resort fees when you book with all Hilton points.
- You can pool points with up to 10 friends and family members.
- Hilton points expire after 12 months of account inactivity.
Hilton Stays
Naturally, one of the best ways to use your Hilton points is on stays with the one of the many Hilton hotels around the world. As we mentioned above, Hilton does not provide any published award charts, so you’ll have to use Points Explorer to get an idea of what hotels are within your budget. The tool will display the lowest price recently booked by other members as well as the maximum award rate for the property.
Because our most recent valuations peg Hilton points at $0.006 each, we recommend going for awards that give you at least that much per point.
Best Ways To Redeem With Hilton
Standard Room awards are usually capped at a certain number of points. When you see award pricing in multiples of 5,000 or 10,000 points, it often means that the revenue rates are high.
For example, a Standard Room award at Embassy Suites in Midtown Manhattan:
| Date | December 31, 2020 | January 1, 2021 |
| Points Price | 70,000 | 47,000 |
| Cash Price | $748.48 | $214.76 |
| Points Value | $0.01/point | $0.0046/point |
*We independently collected information from public sources to form our best partner redemptions. This information is subject to change without notice.
As you can see, fewer points for a room doesn’t always translate into the best value. At under 0.5 cents per point, you’re better off paying in cash on New Year’s Day and saving your rewards for a better redemption.
However, the New Year’s Eve option gives your points almost double their value, compared to what we typically see from Hilton awards.
Here’s the takeaway: If Standard Room awards are priced in increments of 5,000 or 10,000, you’ll likely get great value for your Hilton points.
Redeem your Hilton points for Premium Rooms, which offer better views, club lounge access or even suites. The process for booking these awards is the same as Standard Rooms. You’ll have to utilize Points Explorer to see pricing.
In general, Premium Room awards don’t get the best value for your Hilton points, compared to Standard Rooms. That said, you can find the occasional steal if you look at off-peak times.
Use a combination of points and money for an award stay, with a minimum of 5,000 points and in increments of 1,000. Simply select the full award price, then drag the slider to the combination that suits you.
Keep in mind, you’ll earn Hilton points on the cash portion of this redemption option.
We recommend using Points & Money if you’re short on rewards, an infrequent traveler, or if you don’t want to use all of your rewards on one stay.
If you have Hilton Honors status, you’ll get your fifth night free on Standard Room award stays of five or more nights. That comes out to a 20% discount. With this in mind, we don’t recommend booking award stays of just four nights.
Get automatic Hilton status by having a Hilton Amex credit card, including the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card.
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HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a welcome bonus offer for 80,000 Hilton Honors Points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Our valuation puts the 80k points at around $480 in value ($0.006 per point).
This Hilton credit card earns 7 Hilton Honors points per $1 spent directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands. U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas station spending earns 5 Hilton Honors points per dollar. All other purchases will earn 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar.
Other features include no foreign transaction fees and free Hilton Honors Silver Status. This card has no annual fee. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
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This perk extends to stays up to 20-nights long for a maximum of four free nights.
Our Favorite Hilton Properties To Redeem
Live like a Hollywood star at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Rooms are normally priced at about $700 a night, but you can stay for free with just 95,000 Hilton points.
Average Point Value: $0.0073 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0092 per point
The Boca Beach Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Florida features great ocean views and easy access to a private beach. Rooms go for $550 – or 80,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.007 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0086 per point
If you’re looking for a luxury oceanfront resort in Maui, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, is an excellent option. Rooms go for around $700 – or 95,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0074 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0092 per point
The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is an excellent option for a quiet, romantic getaway. Rooms are approximately $800 – or 95,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0084 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.01 per point
The Conrad Koh Samui in Thailand is a five-star property with a private beachfront. Rooms go for about $600 – or 95,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0063 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0079 per point
If you’re into history, you’ll enjoy the Reichshof Hamburg, Curio Collection by Hilton in Germany. The property is in a historic building close to a number of museums and landmarks. Stay for around $232 – or 40,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0058 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0072 per point
For a cheap stay at a great value, consider the Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South in Austria. Rooms start at about $155 – or 10,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.015 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0194 per point
The Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport in Indonesia is an excellent deal overseas at a dream destination. Rooms go for as low as $62 – or 5,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0124 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0155 per point
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sighisoara-Cavaler in Romania is a contemporary property that’s directly across the street from the Tarnava Mare River. Rooms start at $75 – or 10,000 points – per night.
Average Point Value: $0.0075 per point
Value with 5th Night Free: $0.0094 per point
*We independently collected information from public sources. This information is subject to change without notice.
Hilton Experiences
Hilton Honors also lets you redeem your points for things like dinner at top restaurants, tickets to sporting events, special access at concerts and more, through Hilton Experiences. Some options let you purchase immediately using your Hilton rewards, while others require bidding against other Hilton Honors members.
Past auctions include tickets to the Indy 500, a chef’s table experience at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant, and truffle hunting in Tuscany.
Because these options often don’t have a cash value tied to them, it’s hard to determine whether or not Hilton Experiences offer good value for your points. But since these are once-in-a-lifetime events, we’re going to say they’re worth a lot.
Bottom Line
Hilton Honors has a vast range of properties, from simple Hampton Inns to the ultra-luxe Waldorf Astorias. To stretch your points to the max, we recommend redeeming for stays that offer more than $0.006 per point, as well as Points & Money, fifth night free awards and Hilton Experiences.
Need a jumpstart on your Hilton Honors balance? Take advantage of the generous welcome bonus from the Hilton Honors American Express Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
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