Tesco to Virgin Atlantic to Hilton …. a good deal?

One of the lesser known uses of Tesco Clubcard vouchers is the ability to convert them into Hilton HHonors points via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

(You can also convert Tesco Clubcard vouchers into Hilton vouchers for stays at certain hotels – see here – but that is a topic for another day.)

The conversion looks like this:

250 Clubcard points gets you 625 Virgin miles – see here – then,
10,000 Virgin miles gets you 20,000 Hilton HHonors points – see here

I tend to value Hilton points at 0.5p each. The most luxurious Hilton properties, which are usually the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria branded hotels (the Waldorf Astoria New York is pictured above), are 50,000 points and they would sell for around £250. If you can get a hotel where Hilton offers ‘cash and points’, you can get even better value.

At the standard conversion rate of £2.50 Tesco to 625 Virgin to 1250 Hilton, using the 0.5p valuation, this is not bad. A £2.50 Tesco voucher gets you a notional £6.25 of Hilton stay if you redeem smartly, albeit you need to convert 10,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles at a time, and in 5,000 increments above that.

Until 31st August, though, Tesco is offering a 50 per cent bonus on Virgin conversions. A £2.50 voucher gets 937 Virgin miles, or £9.37 of Hilton stays if you can get 0.5p of value for them. This is good, and worth thinking about if you are a Hilton HHonors member.

---

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (September 2024)

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

Do you know that 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.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

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)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton 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. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)