‘Free champagne and upgrade’ promo with BA and Conrad / Waldorf-Astoria hotels

British Airways has launched a special promotion in conjunction with Hilton‘s two luxury brands – Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria.

On the face of it, it is not a bad deal:

Free bottle of champagne

Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability

Triple Avios points for your stay

If your Hilton HHonors account is set to ‘Points and Fixed Miles’, you would earn 1,500 Avios points per stay under this promotion. If it is set to ‘Points and Variable Miles’, you would earn 3 Avios per $1.

The conditions are modest:

Minimum two night stay

Valid between 1st April and 30th September

You need to book a specific package to qualify for this offer.

I looked at a couple of examples to see if this is a genuine deal or not.

The Waldorf-Astoria Berlin (see photo, it has just opened) over the weekend of June 7th-9th is €310 per night for a King Junior Deluxe room. The cheapest non-refundable rate is €263, so this is a package worth looking at. The €310 rate is equal to the Best Flexible Rate.

The new Conrad Algarve resort, for the same weekend, comes out at €414. This is the same as the Best Flexible Rate, but there are Advanced Purchase rates which undercut this substantially. €362 gets you breakfast and dinner included, for example, as long as you are happy to pre-pay.

As usual, therefore, ‘buyer beware’ would seen an appropriate motto for this promotion.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.