Why I think Hilton Honors hotel points may be getting more valuable
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As we covered extensively on Head for Points in February, Hilton Honors underwent a substantial restructuring which totally changed the value basis of the scheme.
You can now use Hilton Honors points to get a free room OR to get a cash discount on a room. The minimum number of points you need is just 5,000.
The big question we all had was what value Hilton would put on a point. I made three mid-range UK Hilton bookings this week which show that the value you get can be OK.
This has an impact on how you judge the value of Amex Membership Rewards points (from an Amex Gold or Amex Platinum) and the UK Hilton Honors Platinum Visa card.
Of the three UK Hilton rooms I booked this week, for stays over the next fornight, this is what I got:
Room 1 – £63.70 or 17,000 Hilton Honors points – value per point 0.37p
Room 2 – £83.30 or 31,000 Hilton Honors points – value per point 0.27p
Room 3 – £78.40 or 21,000 Hilton Honors points – value per point 0.37p
This is the thesis I am using for the rest of this article:
Because you can redeem as few as 5,000 Hilton points for a cash discount, because there are no availability constraints and because the room is treated as a revenue room (you earn stay credit, bonus points etc), Hilton Honors points are now closer to being treated as cash than they used to be.
Before February, when you needed at least 30,000 Hilton points to get a free room in any major tourist destination (unless you wanting a romantic weekend in Sheffield, where the Hampton was always 10,000) – and only then if there was reward availability – you certainly couldn’t treat them as anything like cash.
You can now use as few as 5,000 points and you don’t need ‘all points’ reward availability to use them, so as long as you are paying for hotels on a regular basis then they are certainly more ‘cash-like’ than they were.
This means that American Express Membership Rewards points and the Hilton Honors Platinum Visa card now become more valuable.
The Hilton Honors Platinum Visa credit card is free and gives you 2 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent. If it turns out that 0.37p per point of value is going to be generally available (and that isn’t yet certain, it is still early days) then the Hilton card gets you 0.74% of your spending back. That is a very good result given the poor return on most free or low-fee Visa and MasterCard products these days.
American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton Honors at a rate of 1:2. This means, again, that you’re getting 0.74p per Amex point based on the value I got from Room 1 and Room 3 I booked this week. This is not as good as transferring your Amex points into Avios or other frequent flyer miles, but it is far better than using them for gift cards etc where you get 0.4p to 0.5p of value. For someone with only a small Amex points balance, Hilton Honors becomes one of the best low balance redemptions – just 2,500 Amex points gets you the minimum 5,000 Hilton points required to get a cash discount on a room.
There is no guarantee that Hilton will continue to let you get 0.37p per point when you redeem for a cash discount on a room – you won’t get it all of the time now. You certainly shouldn’t dismiss any small pot of Hilton Honors you may have, and you shouldn’t turn up your nose at the chance to earn a small number.
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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.
Derek Smith 
Rob 
TripRep 
John Gallagher 
Alan 
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