More Ways to Earn Hilton Honors Points

I always reiterate that while Hilton Honors points are one of the weakest forms of reward currencies (worth around .05 cents per point), they are one of the easiest to accumulate in a hurry and that seems to be remaining true now. I recently wrote about all of the new Hilton Honors promotions and news happening, but there’s a bit more going on right now, too. So here’s a quick recap and look at all of the promotions and offers you might want to consider to earn Hilton Honors points.

Recap of other news and offers

1) Hilton Honors rebranding

The big Hilton news recently was the announcement of the rebranding of the Hilton Honors program and some fresh changes to different features of the program. These changes present both negative and positive things to look forward to, depending on how you view things. Read more about my take on the changes

2) Status Matches 

Hilton is offering status matches again and allowing you to retain Gold and Diamond status in the following ways: 

You’ll also have the opportunity to extend your status match through March 31, 2019,
when you stay with us over the next 90 days. If you’re matched to Gold status,
you’ll just need to complete 4 stays. If you’re matched to Diamond, you’ll need 8 stays

3) 2K everyday

Earn 2,000 Points every day at over 4,800 hotels when you sign up and complete a stay from February 1 through April 30, 2017.

With each Hilton stay you can net an extra 2,000 Honors points every day. Not a bad at all but once again you need to make sure that you register for this promotion. According to Miles to Memories, “award stays are not automatically eligible for the promo, but you will earn the 2K per night if you have any eligible incidental folio charges during your award stay.”

4) Amex Offers

a) Earn 3,500 Membership Rewards

Right now, there’s a targeted offer where you can earn 3,500 Membership Rewards when you spend $250 or more at Hilton Hotels and Resorts and Curio collections. The offer expires April 15, 2017. 

b) $5 statement credit

There’s also another offer for Hilton gift cards that might be targeted where you can get a one-time $5 statement credit by spending a minimum of $75+ in one or more transactions online at americanexpress.com/hiltongiftcard. The offer expires April 30, 2017.

Hilton Cabana Miami Beach 35
Hilton Cabana, Miami Beach.

New offers and news

1) 50,000 Bonus Points

Another targeted offer is out there to earn 50,000 Bonus Points when you sign up and stay 4 nights or more in 90 days. You can check the link here to see if you’re targeted.

2) Hilton Mobile App 500 point bonus 

Right now you can book with the Hilton Honors app and get 500 more points for each completed stay through December 31, 2017. You need to register for this promotion here to be eligible for the bonus. This offer can be stacked with other Hilton promotions. While 500 Hilton Honors points isn’t exactly the biggest cause for excitement, it’s a nice way to supplement your earning simply by booking through an app. 

H/T OMAAT.

3) Hilton Honors American Express Surpass at 100K

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card  is at 100,000, which at a valuation of close to .05 cents per point comes out to roughly $500. This card comes with an annual fee of $75 that is not waived. This offer is the highest offer that is offered to the public (barring leaked offers). You can read more about this card and my take on it here, but here are some key features of the card:

Bonus categories 

The Hilton Honors Surpass Card earns the following bonus rates on purchases:

  • Earn 12 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
  • Earn 6 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card:
    • at U.S. restaurants
    • at U.S supermarkets
    • at U.S. gas stations
  • Earn 3 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

These are great earning rates for Hilton HHonors points and compared to other Hilton cards offered by American Express and Citi, this is your best bet for earning Hilton HHonors points.

Hilton Gold Status

The Hilton Honors Surpass Card offers you Honors Gold Status. Gold status is a decent benefit — you can read more about the benefits of Gold Status here but the benefits most related to this card are the following:

  • 5th night free
  • Complimentary breakfasts
  • Potential for upgrades

The 5th night free benefit is a great way to maximize the value of your sign-up bonus. So long as you book 5 nights consecutively, you’re given that 5th night for free. Thus, you can often increase the value of your points by taking advantage of this benefit. Also, once you have Gold Status, you can always look into status matches with different hotels and try to gain status with other hotel chains or you can inquire about status challenges to earn Hilton Diamond Status.

Keep in mind that you can also earn Gold status through the American Express Platinum Card. 

Priority Pass Select

A lot of people aren’t aware but the Surpass offers you a Priority Pass membership that grants you access to over 700 airport lounges around the world. However, this is the membership that is valued at $99, which means that all lounge visits are subject to a fee of U.S. $27 per person per visit. If you really are attracted to lounge access, you should consider other cards like the Platinum Card or Sapphire Reserve to take advantage of that benefit.

H/T Running With Miles.

Final Word

Once again, Hilton continues to make it easier than ever to rack up tons of Hilton Honors points. While the new changes to the program may eventually mean higher redemption prices for rooms, I think those changes are still far enough away so that jumping on earning opportunities with Hilton Honors still makes a lot of sense.