Guide to the Hilton Honors rewards program
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Key takeaways
- Hilton Honors is the hotel loyalty program associated with the Hilton brand.
- Hilton Honors members can earn and redeem points at more than 7,500 properties around the world.
- There are many ways to earn Hilton Honors points, including paid hotel stays, spending with co-branded Hilton credit cards, travel bookings with partners, HIlton Honors dining and more.
- The program also has three levels of elite status — Silver, Gold and Diamond — which you can reach through paid hotel stays, the use of co-branded credit cards and other qualifying activities.
Since Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919, Hilton has become one of the leading hotel brands in all of history. Today, its portfolio includes 23 distinct brands and more than 7,500 properties around the world.
Whenever and wherever you travel, you’re likely to find a Hilton property nearby. This makes the Hilton Honors rewards program a favorite for many kinds of travelers, including casual vacationers who want to save some money on their next trip, rewards credit card enthusiasts looking to travel the world without breaking the bank and business travelers who want a little extra comfort on the road.
This Hilton Honors guide will answer your most important questions about the rewards program – plus, we’ll show you how to earn and use your points for free nights at Hilton Hotels.
What is Hilton Honors?
Hilton Honors is the loyalty program for Hilton Hotels. Members can enjoy great perks like guaranteed lowest room rates, free Wi-Fi and the ability to manage their reservation (and even unlock their door) from the Hilton mobile app.
On top of that, members earn points any time they make a reservation at a Hilton hotel or use a Hilton credit card. As you earn points, you unlock even more benefits through Hilton’s elite status tiers. Your points can be redeemed for free nights at properties within the Hilton portfolio — from more budget-friendly brands like Hampton by Hilton to luxurious resorts from Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts.
The best part is, the Hilton Honors program is entirely free to join. You don’t have to pay to create an account so you can begin earning points and rewards as a member right away. As you earn more, you can increase your status level and see even more benefits.
Hilton Honors quick facts
| Is Hilton Honors free? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Hotel brands offered | 23 |
| Number of properties worldwide | 7,500+ |
| Points needed for a free night | 5,000 to 95,000 (up to 120,000 per night for select luxury properties) |
| Rewards value | 0.6 cents per point |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Hotel brands in the program |
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How to earn Hilton Honors points
There are many ways to earn points, which makes it easy to get to your next free night sooner.
- Earn the welcome bonus. After joining the Hilton Honors program, you’ll receive bonus points on your first hotel stay. The current bonus is worth up to 1,000 points on your first paid stay and another 2,000 points on your second paid stay.
- Stay at Hilton hotels. You’ll earn 10 base points for every dollar you spend at Hilton hotels. You can also earn a certain percentage in bonus points every time you stay as an elite member of the program.
- Use a Hilton Honors credit card. American Express offers several co-branded credit cards that earn Hilton Honors rewards. If you use one of the best hotel credit cards for everyday spending at grocery stores, gas stations and for online shopping, you can earn Hilton Honors points with every purchase.
- Ride with Lyft. You can link your Hilton Honors and Lyft accounts to earn up to 3X points on Lyft rides and 2X points on shared Lyft rides.
- Join Hilton Honors Dining. You can earn points while dining at restaurants around the world with Hilton Honors Dining. Just search for restaurants near you, pay with the credit card you’ve registered with Hilton Honors Dining and earn points.
- Rent a car. Hilton Honors partners with Alamo, Enterprise and National, allowing you to both earn points and receive a discount on your rental.
- Earn Hilton milestone bonuses. As a Gold or Diamond tier member, you can earn bonus points when you reach certain milestones each calendar year.
How to redeem Hilton Honors points
There’s more than one way to spend the points you’ve earned, including:
- Free nights at Hilton properties. The best and most obvious way to use your Hilton Honors points is for free stays at Hilton hotels. Award nights typically range from 5,000 to 95,000 points, although some high-end properties can cost as much as 120,000 points per night.
- Redeem for exclusive experiences. If you have some points to burn and want to try something new and exciting, use your Hilton Honors points for Hilton Experiences.
- Pay for Lyft rides. If you have enough points in your Hilton account, you can convert them to Lyft credits to use whenever you need them.
- Transfer points to airlines. Hilton is partnered with more than 30 global airlines, including Delta and United. You can transfer your Hilton Honors points to the partner’s loyalty program if you need some extra miles to book a reward flight.
- Shop with points. Looking for a special gift? Use your Hilton Honors points to shop online through either the Hilton Honors Shopping Mall or Amazon.
- Book a rental. Hilton Honors points will transfer to Hilton’s rental car partners, allowing you to use them to reserve a car while you’re traveling. Alamo, Enterprise and National all accept the hotel’s points.
How much are Hilton Honors points worth?
You can expect your Hilton Honors points to be worth roughly 0.6 cents each, on average, according to Bankrate valuations. This number is an estimate, of course, and should be used as more of a guide than a rule.
Your points will be more or less valuable at some properties and on certain dates than others. Additionally, Hilton operates on a dynamic pricing system instead of a set rewards chart, so the points you’ll need for a free night will fluctuate based on demand.
It’s difficult to predict which properties and dates will give you the best value. For example, you may get 0.6 cents per point on a stay at a villa in the Conrad Maldives, but only 0.4 cents per point for a king sky room at the SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton.
Also note that you can get more value from Hilton Honors points if you find a superior redemption and utilize the program’s fifth night free benefit. True to its name, this benefit lets Silver members and higher book five consecutive nights at a Hilton property for the number of points normally required to book four nights.
Imagine you want to use your rewards to stay at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, which typically costs 80,000 points per night for a standard room.
If you’re able to find five consecutive award nights that offer the standard room reward rate, you could book a five-night stay here for just 320,000 Hilton Honors points instead of 400,000 points. Even better, keep in mind that the Hilton Honors program waives resort fees on award stays for extra savings.
While you can use your Hilton Honors points for all sorts of things besides hotel stays, they’re a lot less valuable for non-hotel redemptions.. It may be tempting to use your points for other purposes, but you’ll be much better off saving your points for the next time you travel instead of using them elsewhere.
How do you know if using Hilton points is worth it?
Using Hilton Honors points makes sense when you can book a property you want to visit for a reasonable cost. Remember that Hilton Honors points are worth an average of 0.6 cents each, so redemptions are typically a good value if you get that much value or more from your points.
The formula you use to figure out if Hilton redemptions are worth it looks like this:
Formula
This valuation makes it so a hotel that has a cash price of $300 per night should set you back 50,000 Hilton Honors points or fewer. If you find a hotel for a $300 nightly rate and they’re asking for more than 50,000 points, this means you’re getting a lower than average point value overall.
Hilton Honors elite status
When you earn elite status with the Hilton Honors program, you’ll earn elite benefits for the remainder of the year in which you qualified, as well as the entire year that follows. This means that earning elite status in 2024 lets you enjoy your elite status benefits through the end of 2025.
The chart below shows what you need to earn elite status with Hilton and benefits you’ll enjoy with each status tier you achieve:
| Status level | Requirements | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Sign up for a Hilton Honors membership |
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| Silver | 10 nights, 4 stays or 25,000 Base Points |
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| Gold | 40 Nights, 20 stays, or 75,000 Base Points |
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| Diamond | 60 nights, 30 stays, or 120,000 Base Points |
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The bottom line
Hilton Honors is an excellent rewards program to be a part of, no matter how you like to travel. With properties all over the world, Hilton lets you earn and use points virtually anywhere you go — and its credit cards can help you gain even more value, from hotel elite status via card spending to Free Night Awards.
*The information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Hilton Honors
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You can join Hilton Honors on the hotel brand website by providing your full name, phone number, email address and mailing address. You’ll need to create a username and password to activate your account.
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You maintain Hilton elite status for the year you earn it and the following year. To continue enjoying elite status benefits with the brand, you’ll need to meet requirements to earn status again for subsequent years. These requirements can include a number of paid hotel nights, completed hotel stays or base points earned.
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The highest tier of Hilton Honors status is called Diamond, and you can earn this tier of status by completing 60 nights or 30 stays or earning 120,000 base points within a calendar year (in 2024). The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card* also comes with automatic Hilton Diamond status, although a $550 annual fee applies.
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Hilton’s fifth night free benefit lets Silver elite members and higher get a fifth night free when using points to book at least five consecutive nights.
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