Bits: 100% bonus buying Hilton points, no more Heathrow Express First upgrades for Star Gold

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• Allan says:

  9 Oct9 October 05:09

  I was told by a guard on the HEX back in July that this would end in September.

• Genghis says:

  9 Oct9 October 06:03

  “If you [sic] just buying a handful of points to top off your account, the price per point doesn’t matter anyway.”

  So a minimum of 40k points is a handful? It’s all relative I guess

  • Rob says:

    9 Oct9 October 10:10

    Bad wording, agreed.

• TGLoyalty says:

  9 Oct9 October 08:15

  £250 stay at double points wouldn’t net you anywhere near 40k points my last stay of about that much was c9k and I’m Diamond triple would be c12k.

  MR to Hilton is 0.5p if you value an Avios or Flying Club mile at 1p

  So it’s not that poor even with the shocking FX rates at the moment

• Mr Dee says:

  9 Oct9 October 09:17

  Sheffield doubletree 3 nights @ £90 = £270 – £50 Amex Discount = £220
  Return on points estimate: 15k @ 0.003p valuation each = £45
  =£175

  Sheffield doubletree 5 nights @ £90 = £450 – £50 Amex Discount = £400
  Return on points estimate: 25k @ 0.003p valuation each = £75
  Effective Cost
  =£325

  Same redemption by purchasing points:
  3 nights 30k @ 0.004p = £120
  5 nights (5 for 4) 40k @ 0.004p = £160

  This obviously will change based on the hotel your staying and the value that you will get.

  • Genghis says:

    9 Oct9 October 09:32

    Choosing one of the best value redemptions is not exactly a representative example.

    • Boris says:

      9 Oct9 October 09:41

      Raffles likes Sheffield 😮

    • TGLoyalty says:

      9 Oct9 October 11:43

      Illustrates just exactly when you use points and not cash though

      Also Don’t forget 5 nights for the price of 4 on points

    • Mr Dee says:

      9 Oct9 October 13:43

      Agree, you sometimes need to be selective on your points use and at the moment in the sale (Until tomorrow) there are some good deals to use the £50 off Amex deal especially as I believe its charged straight away

    • Mr Dee says:

      9 Oct9 October 13:51

      Manchester Deansgate 1 night@ £260 – £50 Amex Discount = £210
      Return on points estimate: 10k @ 0.003p valuation each = £30
      =£180

      Manchester Deansgate 5 nights @ £260 = £1300 – £50 Amex Discount = £1250
      Return on points estimate: 50k @ 0.003p valuation each = £150
      Effective Cost
      =£1100

      Same redemption by purchasing points:
      1 nights 50k @ 0.004p = £200
      5 nights (5 for 4) 200k @ 0.004p = £800

      Granted that there is a limit on the amount of points you can buy and prices do change but this was based on a random midweek night.

    • Genghis says:

      9 Oct9 October 14:54

      Since when does Joe Bloggs stay in Sheffield or Manchester for 5 nights?

  • Mr Dee says:

    9 Oct9 October 15:44

    No idea why he would!

    • Gareth Morgan says:

      10 Oct10 October 11:38

      One thing that has always puzzled me about the value of points is VAT. As VAT doesn’t seem to be charged on points purchases, presumably as the transaction is typically outside the EU, how do you value the redemption where, on business, you can reclaim the tax but for leisure you can’t.

• Lady London says:

  9 Oct9 October 09:42

  At least the Star Alliance hasn’t tried to say taking away the free First Class benefit is “due to customer feedback” or “an enhancement”. Unlike some wellknown British Airlines….

• Russell says:

  9 Oct9 October 10:00

  I cannot speak for Sheffield, but the Hampton in Newcastle / Tyne is very good value for the points.

  It too is only 10 000 points a night and we had a very pleasant two nights there earlier this year.

  We needed to book a further two nights over Christmas this year – 8 000 points an £38.60 – and the breakfast is MUCH better than the Holiday Inn Express up the road, which had no points availability at all on 24 Dec. The location of the Hampton is MUCH better too

• Roosit says:

  9 Oct9 October 12:26

  Slightly OT but following an article earlier this week I thought I’d try the Hilton HHonors Visa. Before applying I tried the eligibility checker on the website – and was rejected. I tried both under my own and my husband’s name, neither of us usually has any problems when applying for credit cards, and we’ve never held a card with Barclays, so I’m wondering, is there anything else about this particular card that I should be aware of? Or is Barclays stricter than other providers? Eligibility on others still showing over 90%. Any thoughts much appreciated.

  • Rob says:

    9 Oct9 October 13:31

    Don’t think so, we’re not talking Amex Platinum here …

  • Mr Dee says:

    9 Oct9 October 13:45

    A friend got rejected last month because they held a barclaycard and basically said they didn’t try to even process the application or do a credit check.

    • Rob says:

      9 Oct9 October 16:20

      …. but that rule has now changed, in theory.

  • Alan says:

    14 Oct14 October 17:04

    I’ve always found they have a much higher rejection rate than other cards – at times I suspect you can have too good a credit rating for them!

• Rts says:

  9 Oct9 October 12:30

  A quick question; if I used my diamond membership with hhonors to book a room for my friend to use. Will they benefit from my diamond status despite me not being there?

  • Rob says:

    9 Oct9 October 13:30

    They will if the booking is in your name and your friend impersonates you or you book for 2 adults and name them as the 2nd guest.

    • Rts says:

      9 Oct9 October 15:19

      OK. So if I were to book 4 rooms for 8 people and 4 of the 8 were additional guests, this shouldn’t be an issue? All would benefit from diamond status?

      • Rob says:

        9 Oct9 October 16:18

        No. Status benefits are usually restricted to 1 room per booking (check the Hilton rules for the exact position Hilton takes). This would apply to cash or reward nights.

        • What's the Point says:

          9 Oct9 October 20:40

          Correct, I booked 5 rooms for a family do this year and only myself and the Mrs got the Diamond benefits…although I may have sneaked one of two other family members into the lounge at different times…

      • TGLoyalty says:

        9 Oct9 October 16:51

        You sometimes get them for up to 2 rooms, depends on property.

        You will only earn points for a maximum of two rooms per stay, and Night/Stay for just 1 of them.

        SPG lets you have up to 3 rooms for points not sure about status recognition or nights/stay accumulation

        • Rob says:

          9 Oct9 October 17:16

          SPG counts 3 for status. Not unknown for people to book 3 x £45 rooms for Sat nights at Heathrow to requalify.

  • John says:

    9 Oct9 October 13:50

    Yes unless it’s in a country where passport is required to check-in (e.g Spain)

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