Bits: SPG / Uber earning rate cut, 80% bonus when you buy Hilton points

News in brief:

Uber cuts Starwood earning rate (but it is still points for nothing)

For the last two years, I have been earning a steady stream of free Starwood Preferred Guest points via their partnership with Uber.

Unfortunately, Starwood has just halved your earning rate from Uber rides.

From 1st February, you will receive:

1 Starpoint for every $2 equivalent you spend with Uber

2 Starpoints for every $1 equivalent you spend with Uber whilst staying at an SPG hotel

As a special bonus, during February you will earn 5 points for every $1 spent with Uber whilst a registered guest at a Starwood property.

Full details can be found here.  I value SPG points at 1.5p so this remains a decent return if you are taking Uber anyway.  The fact that it stops your SPG points from expiring by creating activity on your account is even better.

Full details can be found here.  In summary:

You MUST have stayed at a Starwood hotel this year to participate.  It looks like only cash stays count.  Once you have done one stay you are eligible to earn points from Uber until 31 January 2018.  After that date, another cash stay from 2018 will be required.

If you have not had a Starwood stay this year, you can still link your Uber account.  You will not begin to earn points until after you have completed a paid stay.

You can take part irrespective of what status you have in Starwood Preferred Guest

You must link your SPG and Uber accounts via this website.  The email addresses and surname must match.  Your points will be automatically deposited with SPG.

You can earn a maximum of 10,000 points per year (excluding bonus points for rides on days you are staying with SPG)

If you haven’t already signed up with Uber, you can have a free £15 credit towards your first ride by downloading the app via this link or using the Android or iOS app store directly and inputting code ‘HEADFORPOINTS’ on the payment settings page.

80% bonus when you buy Hilton HHonors points

Until 17th February, Hilton HHonors is offering an 80% bonus when you purchase 5,000+ points.

The Hilton ‘buy points’ page is here.

Regular readers of Head for Points will know that I tend to value Hilton points at 0.3p each.  You are paying 0.45p ($800 / £650 for 144,000) here so the maths does not look good.

Five star Hilton, Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria hotels typically run to 80,000 points per night.  In this sale you would be paying $444 for 80,000 points which is often more than you would be paying for a five star in a major city.  This is not a bargain.

However, Hilton HHonors IS a decent deal at cheaper point levels.   The Hampton by Hilton in Sheffield, for example, is 10,000 points per night.  At 0.45p per point you would be paying roughly £45 per night if you bought the points.  That is a 55% discount on the typical nightly rate of £100.  Hampton properties include free breakfast as well.

On the other hand, the Hilton Sheffield is 30,000 points per night.  You would be paying around £135 for those points which is the same as the typical £135 cash cost – and you would earn points and miles back on the cash rate.

If you just buying a handful of points to top off your account, the price per point doesn’t matter anyway.  If you a few thousand short of a redemption then this is a decent opportunity to buy them.

---

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 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. 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)

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.)