Hilton Honors Loyalty Program Review

Q: How do I convert Hilton Honors points to miles/travel partners?

Sign in to your Honors account and then head over to the appropriate page to exchange points. Sometimes, the Hilton Honors transfer ratio is less than 1:1, so make sure you check before transferring. For example, you can transfer 10,000 Honors points and receive 1,500 Amtrak Guest Rewards points.

Alex Miller

- Updated: February 2, 2022|

15Comments

Travel /
Hotels

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Hilton Honors Summary Table

Hotel Website Hilton.com
Loyalty Program Hilton Honors
Hotel Brands 18 brands including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts
Points Are Worth 0.5 cents per point
Earn Points/Miles
- Best Ways To Earn Lots of Hilton Honors Points
- How To Use Hilton Honors Dining to Earn More Points
Redeem Points/Miles
- Best Ways To Redeem Hilton Honors Points for Hotel Stays for Maximum Value
- Best Hilton Luxury Hotels To Book With Points for Maximum Value
- Best Redemptions and Popular Locations at Canopy by Hilton, Curio by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Honors Transfer Partners
Award Chart Link Hilton Honors Points Explorer calculator for minimum and maximum points required for standard rooms

Branded and Partnered Credit Cards

Hilton Honors Credit Cards

American Express issues several Hilton co-branded cards.

Hot Tip: Check out our comparison of the benefits and perks of each Hilton Honors credit card as well as our recommended cards for Hilton Honors loyalists for more details.

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards

Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Hilton near-instantly at a ratio of 1,000:2,000. This is not a great use of Membership Rewards points, so only do this if you’re close to having enough Hilton Honors points for an award.

Recommended Personal Cards

Business owners can also choose from a variety of Amex business credit cards.

Hilton Honors Overview

Hilton has branded its loyalty program as Hilton Honors (formerly Hilton HHonors).

Hilton Honors offers an array of customizable points earning and hotel benefits that let you choose what is important to you for each stay.

Joining Hilton Honors

How to Sign in to Your Hilton Honors Account

Viewing Your Account Activity

Your Hilton Honors account overview page shows points activity, elite status progress, and special offers.

MyWay Hotel Benefits

if you have Gold or Diamond status, you can select MyWay Hotel Benefits.

Benefits vary by brand and elite status. Some are automatic, and some require you to make a selection. You need to make this selection prior to checking in for a stay, but you can always change your preference for the next stay.

Hot Tip: MyWay Hotel Benefits could include a choice between bonus points, complimentary continental breakfast, and a space-available room upgrade. If you won’t be eating at the hotel, consider changing to points ahead of your stay. Then change back for the next stay if you plan to eat.

Points Expiration

Hilton Honors points expire after 24 months of inactivity. Any account activity that earns or redeems points extends point expiration by 1 year.

Hilton Honors Rewards Program

Hilton Honors Elite Status

Hilton honors diamond status — Image Credit: Hilton

Let’s review the benefits of Hilton Honors elite status.

Benefits	Member 0-9 nights/year	Silver 10-39 nights/year	Gold 40-59 nights/year	Diamond 60-74 nights/year
No resort fees on award stays	X	X	X	X
Late check-out	X	X	X	X
Free Wi-Fi	X	X	X	X
Fifth standard rewards night free		X	X	X
2 free bottles of water		X	X	X
Elite rollover nights		X	X	X
Elite tier bonus points		20%	80%	100%
Space available room upgrade			Up to Executive room type	Up to 1-Bedroom Suite room type
Complimentary breakfast			X	X
Milestone bonuses			X	X
Executive lounge access				X
Diamond status extension				X
48-hour room guarantee				X
Elite status gifting				X

Value of Hilton Honors Elite Status

Hilton Honors Silver confers minimal hotel stay benefits, but it opens up the fifth-night free benefit on award stays (which can save lots of points!).

Hilton Honors Gold is considered a “status sweet spot” because it offers the prized benefit of complimentary breakfast at most full-service properties. The breakfast benefit is only for continental breakfast, but some hotels generously choose to extend that to a full hot breakfast. Make sure to choose this benefit by brand in your MyWay Hotel Benefits in your online profile.

Those hotels with Executive Lounges sometimes upgrade Gold members to the Executive floor where they can enjoy breakfast and often evening drinks and snacks. Lounge access is not guaranteed, and Gold members must receive a room upgrade, which is subject to availability and decision by the specific hotel.

Hot Tip: If you have Executive Lounge access, many Hilton hotels will allow you the alternate option of complimentary breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which may have a wider food selection than the Executive Lounge.

Hilton Honors Diamond mainly improves upon Gold through guaranteed Executive Lounge access. This may not be important if you don’t frequent hotels with these lounges. Other improvements upon Gold include better room upgrades and better points earning.

Earning Hilton Honors Elite Status

Hilton Honors elite status is earned per calendar year. You can earn through stays, nights, or base points. Base-point qualification is useful for those travelers with fewer high-priced stays.

Elite Tier	# of Stays	# of Nights	Base Points	Status Bonus
Silver	4 stays	10 nights	25,000	20% — 12x per $1
Gold	20 stays	40 nights	75,000	80% — 18x per $1
Diamond	30 stays	60 nights	120,000	100% — 20x per $1

For 2022, the qualification requirements have been adjusted by half:

Elite Tier	# of Stays	# of Nights	Base Points	Status Bonus
Silver	2 stays	5 nights	12,500	20% — 12x per $1
Gold	10 stays	20 nights	37,500	80% — 18x per $1
Diamond	15 stays	30 nights	60,000	100% — 20x per $1

Hilton Honors offers Silver, Gold, and Diamond members the option to rollover elite nights to the next year, so if you stay 70 nights, 60 will earn you Diamond this year, and 10 will go toward your count to requalify next year.

Update: See how Hilton Honors has adjusted 2022 points and status expiration, elite qualification, free night awards, and more in our article: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Hotel Elite Status Extensions, Changes, and Updates.

Several American Express credit cards offer Hilton elite status as well:

Hilton Honors card: Silver (spend $20,000 in a calendar year for Gold)
Amex Platinum card: Gold (activate on your American Express card benefits page)
Hilton Surpass card and Hilton Business Amex card: Gold (spend $40,000 in a calendar year for Diamond)
Hilton Aspire card: Diamond

Once you have earned elite status, it is valid for the remainder of the current calendar year and through the end of the next one.

How To Earn Honors Points

There are many ways to earn Hilton Honors points, starting with hotel stays.

Earning Points on Stays

Base Points: All Hilton Honors members earn 10 base points per dollar spent for most rooms (some will only apply this to the room rate and not taxes). At Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton, you earn 5 points per dollar.

Elite Status Bonus: You will earn additional bonus points based on elite status — a 20%, 80%, or 100% bonus for Silver, Gold, or Diamond members respectively.

Milestone Bonuses:

Hilton Honors Milestone Bonus — Image Credit: Hilton

10,000 points for every 10 nights per year, starting at 40 nights
Extra 30,000 points for reaching 60 nights per year

Promotions: Hilton Honors typically has a promotion every quarter for bonuses such as double points on stays. Watch your email or visit the My Offers page and make sure to register before your upcoming stays.

Earning Points With Partners

Beyond hotel stays, there are many other options to earn Hilton Honors points:

See our post on how to earn Hilton Honors points for more ideas.

Transfer Points Between Accounts

Hilton Honors offers free points transfers subject to the following limits:

Transfer a maximum of 500,000 points per calendar year per account
Receive a maximum of 2,000,000 points per calendar year per account
Maximum of 6 free transfer transactions per calendar year per account

Hot Tip: Free transfers are a great way to pool points for a fifth-night free award!

How To Redeem Honors Points

Redeeming Hilton Honors points is very important! You want to make sure you get the best value for your points, and this can be confusing to figure out.

Your Hilton Honors points can be redeemed in a number of ways, including experiences, Lyft rides, online shopping, and rental cars, though the primary way to redeem points is for free nights.

Free Nights

A standard reward will start off at 5,000 points per night. However, as the caliber of property increases, so do the points… at the top tier, a room can cost up to 120,000 points per night!

A bonus offer may lower the amount needed for a stay at a particular hotel and category combination, although many bonus offers simply earn you additional points.

Using the Points & Money option, you can use a smaller number of points along with a lesser dollar amount to book a room. For instance, instead of paying 20,000 points for a room, you could pay 8,000 points and $30.

Premium room rewards are also available. However, we value these lower than other redemptions. Due to their complexity, you’ll simply have to calculate the value of your points for each reward.

Remember that you will have access to the fifth-night free option if you are a Silver member or above. When booking rewards for 5 nights, you will receive a discount based on the average room rate for the 5 nights. This makes saving your points for when you reach a higher status much more appealing!

Exchange Points

Another way to redeem points is by transferring them to one of over 30 airline or rail partners. Using these partners, you can earn a variety of miles depending on the individual exchange rate.

The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the name of the Hilton rewards program?

The Hilton loyalty program is called Hilton Honors. Hilton includes brands such as DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, and more.

Should I join Hilton Honors? Is it worth it?

Joining Hilton Honors is free and provides access to a range of benefits.

You earn points with stays at Hilton’s many brands, spending with Hilton’s partners, and co-branded Hilton credit cards. Points in your Hilton Honors account can be redeemed for free nights, online shopping, or rewards with Hilton travel partners.

What are the Hilton Honors benefits and status tiers?

There are many benefits of the Hilton Honors program. You get the ability to check in digitally, enter room preferences, and receive free Wi-Fi just for signing up. As you advance in status tiers, you get more and more benefits.

Hilton Honors levels for elite status are Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Advancing up the tiers requires a certain amount of nights, stays, or base points. Once you have reached these levels, you instantly go up in status.

Status benefits include additional bonus points earned, welcome amenity gifts, complimentary upgrades, lounge access, and complimentary breakfast.

When do Hilton Honors points expire?

Your Hilton Honors points will expire after 1 year of inactivity. As long as you keep earning or redeeming points every year, you will keep all of your points active.

What are Hilton Honors base points and bonus points?

While both points are the same when redeeming them for free nights and other awards, they differ in that base points count toward your elite status.

You earn base points when you stay in hotels, and your bonus points are calculated based on them. Bonus points combine with base points for redemptions like free award nights.

Base points are calculated off the number of dollars you spend on the room (10 base points per dollar for most Hilton brands).

What are Hilton Honors points worth?

The value differs depending on your redemption, but it is typically lower than other points and starts at around 0.4 cents each.

How do I convert Hilton Honors points to miles/travel partners?

Sometimes, the Hilton Honors transfer ratio is less than 1:1, so make sure you check before transferring. For example, you can transfer 10,000 Honors points and receive 1,500 Amtrak Guest Rewards points.

What are all the Hilton Honors hotels?

Hotels in the Hilton portfolio include: Canopy by Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Motto by Hilton, Signia by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.

Who is Conrad Hilton?

Conrad Hilton was the founder of Hilton hotels. He bought his first hotel in 1919 and soon built it into an empire. He died in 1979.

Is there a Hilton Honors credit card?

American Express is the sole issuer of Hilton Honors credit cards in the U.S.

You can also transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards.

What are Hilton Grand Vacations?

These are Hilton’s timeshare properties. Similar to other timeshares, you buy in and earn a certain amount of points each year to spend on timeshare properties.

What is the Hilton Honors login?

The Hilton Honors sign in is here.

What is the phone number and email for Hilton Honors customer service?

The Hilton Honors phone number is 800-445-8667. You can email a service representative here.

About Alex Miller

Alex has been traveling for over 25 years and from a young age was lucky enough to set out on numerous family trips all over the world, which gave him the travel bug. Alex has since earned tens of millions of travel points and miles, mainly through maximizing every opportunity to earn the most points possible on each dollar spent.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

15 comments

stephen June 7, 2018
Embassy Suites Phoenix Airport is a “Bad Dog ” hotel
This hotel is a embarrassment to Embassy Suites (Hilton).
1-I made my reservations well in advance and at check in we where told the pool is closed for the weekend due to a gay pool party event. And yes I was told ” If you would like we will see if we can find you a pool at one of our other properties for your family to use this weekend if you would like. ” Really 🙁 …” It would have been nice if they told us before we arrive.
2-At 05:30 AM my wife woke me and said I smell sewage so I got up and investigated. I went to the bathroom and the shower was filled to the rim with sewage. I contacted the front desk and they said they would send someone to take care of it. 30 minutes later no one had showed up yet. I located their maintenance manager and he said he was aware of the problem however the pool was his first priority. 3 hours later they put us in a different room.
3- The air-conditioning is so old and out of date that it never stopped running and never reached 72 degrees…even at night and the damn thing was loud.
4- I was told the Manager would to get back with me, I’m still waiting 4 days later.
This is a old ran down motel, you can put lipstick on a pig all day long, but it is still a pig. I will NEVER recommend this hotel to any of my fellow veterans or friend.
Reply
CRAIG STIFFLER November 26, 2018
What’s the earning/cut off dates for obtaining status? Is it January 1 through December 31?
Reply
- Stephen Au November 26, 2018
  Hi Craig, yes it’s by calendar year. Thanks for reading!
  Reply
Natalia Wlodarz December 16, 2018
Hello.
I have a question about remaining a gold member. How many bookings do I need this year?
Reply
- Christine Krzyszton December 16, 2018
  Hi Natalia. Hilton Honors Gold Elite membership requires either 20 stays, 40 nights or 75,000 Base Points earned during any calendar year. Another option is to secure the Hilton Honors Ascend card which comes with Gold status. You can access further information on the card here: https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/hilton-honors-surpass-card-american-express/
  You can find more information on Hilton Honors Gold status here: https://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/terms/index.html#hilton_hhonors_membership_tiers
  Reply
Julia Snelling January 27, 2019
Is it possible to get a list of Hilton hotels or Doubletree hotels which have executive lounges? I’m interested in the USA and England only. Thanks very much.
Julia Snelling (Diamond member)
Reply
- James Larounis January 29, 2019
  Hi Julia! I think this may be the best resource for you in finding out which lounges Hilton currently/does not operate: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilton-hilton-honors/1212329-lounge-status-hilton-family-properties.html
  I hope this helps!
  Reply
Garrett Hennessy April 22, 2019
Loved my stay this past weekend at Seattle’s downtown Hilton Garden Inn – didn’t put HH# on reservation – what can I do to please get credit for stay?
Reply
- Katie Seemann April 22, 2019
  Hi Garrett,
  Log into your Hilton Honors Account. Go to My Account>Past Stays>Report a Missing Stay. You should be able to submit your info there to earn points for your completed stay.
  Reply
Paul Janicki May 8, 2019
As a Canadian member of Hilton Honors, I am unhappy that I am not able to apply for a Hilton Amex credit card. I would like to be able to receive the same benefits as the US residents. Marriott/SPG offers options for both Americans and Canadians with similar benefits for everyone.
Reply
- Erin Miller May 9, 2019
  Hi Paul, we totally agree that this seems pretty unfair!
  Please be advised we are not Hilton, nor are we affiliated with their rewards program in any way. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts here but in order for you concern to reach the appropriate party, we suggest you contact Hilton directly via their website contact or customer service line!
  Reply
Dr.Lemuel Patterson July 8, 2019
I had 16 clients to book rooms in the Hampton Inn during June 14-16. I set up the rooms and reserved on my business card until their transactions cleared. I bought a meeting room suite to host their 60 person dinner event and paid $800 for the room. With valid receipts and dates rendered, how do I get points awarded me? what are my next steps? Who do I send this to at corporate office for receiving awarded points?
Reply
- Jarrod West July 8, 2019
  Hi Lemuel,
  Please be advised that we are an educational website covering credit card points/miles and loyalty programs, and we have no affiliation with Hilton hotels.
  I would recommend you contact the customer support for their Hilton Honors program directly. The number to do so is: 1-800-548-8690
  Reply
David Shaw September 9, 2019
Having been a Hilton Honors member since 2003 I had accumulated over 547,000 points which were going towards my wife’s retirement vacation. Over the last few years, my business trips had declined to look after my wife whose Health was failing. Imagine my surprise to find my account had been reset to 0 points due to inactivity, Hilton was not able to share at what point this happened. I supplied a statement showing my points – they were not interested. Sent message to Hilton Head of Loyalty program – no response. Sorry, Hilton, I supported you for 16 years and spent a lot of money, now I have to explain this to my wife
Reply
Justin January 17, 2023
I also see a spa discount associated with the Silver status on Hilton’s website that doesn’t seem to show in the chart above. Has anyone utilized this offering?
Reply