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Earn bonus Hilton HHonors points with the IHG Rewards Club Visa credit card

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If you got the IHG Rewards Club Visa credit card when the sign up bonus was tripled recently, here is an interesting little quirk.

The IHG credit card is issued by Barclaycard, who also issue the Hilton HHonors Visa card.

One of the benefits of the Hilton HHonors credit card is that, during the first year of having the card, you receive 2,500 bonus Hilton HHonors points when you pay for a Hilton hotel stay with the Hilton card.  The maximum bonus is 10,000 points.

However ….

hilton Paris Opera

A HfP reader recently stayed at a Hilton and paid with his IHG Visa (he doesn’t have the Hilton card).  This triggered 2,500 bonus Hilton HHonors points.

It seems that the Hilton system cannot differentiate between an IHG and a Hilton Visa.  It isn’t worth getting the IHG card purely to take advantage of this, but if you have it anyway – and find yourself at a Hilton – you may want to pay with it and see what happens.

PS. The photo is of the new Hilton Paris Opera

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Category

Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards

Comments (32)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • What's the Point says:
    30 Apr30 April 05:30

    I will be testing this theory out today – just checked into a Hilton and used my IHG Visa card as I am trying to get to 75,000 IHG qualifying points before the 1st of July.

    • Dave R says:
      30 Apr30 April 07:56

      Why 1st July? I thought we had until the end of the year to hit 75k points to qualify for the new top status. If its 1st July I have no chance.

      • Rob says:
        30 Apr30 April 08:13

        1st July is the deadline if you want the new status on the first day. It doesn’t matter if you hit it later.

        • Thunderbirds says:
          30 Apr30 April 09:09

          Presumably the new status should be triggered by Rollover Nights from 2014.

  • Stu says:
    30 Apr30 April 06:45

    Anyone know if the 2500 bonus triggers for incidental expenses on top of an award stay?

    • Rob says:
      30 Apr30 April 08:16

      When I first had the card three years ago I did manage to get it to do this. No guarantee of course.

      • DG says:
        30 Apr30 April 19:42

        It did work for me. I used the Hilton weekend voucher in March and pay incidentals with the Visa card.

        • Stu says:
          1 May1 May 08:24

          Yep, I just checked and it’s worked for me too – received the 2.5k bonus for incidentals on a Doubletree Kuala Lumpur award from Monday. Wonder if it would work for purchases as a non-resident e.g. packet of nuts from the bar!?

  • Tariq says:
    30 Apr30 April 06:50

    Also of note, and it isn’t worth doing just for the points, but it’s a nice bonus – I did a balance transfer to the Hilton card on one of the frequent offers that they send me for 0%, and I was awarded 2 HH pts per £ of balance transferred.

    • Rob says:
      30 Apr30 April 08:15

      I assume there was a balance transfer fee which is why you said it wasn’t worth doing just for the points? Otherwise, it clearly is!

      • Tariq says:
        30 Apr30 April 19:14

        Yes indeed, 3% fee I think it was – the cost of my screw up because I made a late payment to the card that the balance was on and they took away my previous 0% that had 6 months left to run!

  • James67 says:
    30 Apr30 April 07:12

    It probably also works with points and cash stays too. Also on subject of hilton; London Metropole now see s to be a vacation club property. Yesterday I received an email offering two nights with breakfast plus 5000 bonus points vor £229 if I agreed to their 2hr sales pitch.

    • Rob says:
      30 Apr30 April 08:14

      Not the greatest deal ever! £99, yes …

      • James67 says:
        30 Apr30 April 08:37

        My thoughts exactly. I think at other properties doing this they usually throw in mea.s and more points. At the marfiott ersions I have seen car hire included too. Zpart from anythi g else it was a horrible stay at Metropo,e fo.lowed by Edinburgh Grosvenor that really put me off Hi,ton somes years back. Since then I have only used Hampton i UK.

    • Lady London says:
      30 Apr30 April 13:51

      that one is heavily discounted. their rates can be excellent with a bit of negotiation for an event. But a more unlikely holiday location would be hard to think of.

  • Rich Spencer says:
    30 Apr30 April 07:55

    Out of interest, how do they know your Hilton acc number I can’t imagine they take it when you open the card?

    • John G says:
      30 Apr30 April 08:03

      I assume Hilton give out the bonus directly and they know your HH number.

  • Jonathan says:
    30 Apr30 April 08:49

    I bet that reader at some point had a HHonors barclaycard.

    I did, and for the first stay got my 2500 points by paying with it. I cancelled the hhonors card so could churn in the future. But each time I go and stay at Hilton (about 1/year) I got the 2500 bonus, even when paying with a different visa. Even after 2-3 years.

    The system works by putting a promotion on the hhonors account when you first get the hhonors visa, and then get a 2500 credit on the hhonors account whenever you stay and pay by visa. This does not expire with the hhonors Visa card, or after one year apparently.

    • Carlo says:
      30 Apr30 April 18:14

      It’s me. I’ve never had a Hhonors Barclaycard, however, I did have one about two years ago on the old platform (can’t remember at all what that was now).

  • Brian says:
    30 Apr30 April 09:09

    Regarding the 2,500 points, is this only received if you pay with the HHonors Visa card? If so, then damn I’ve misunderstood some of the other articles/info etc as I thought it was just for booking a hotel, regardless of payment type. Thanks

  • Brian says:
    30 Apr30 April 09:29

    Sorry ignore my above post…..

    http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/personal/hilton-free-night-stay?WT.mc_id=C128L011N91&WT.tsrc=Aggregators&TC=USW0770001&mpch=ads

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