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You don’t pay resort fees on Hilton Honors redemptions

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I have been in Washington this week at Hilton’s HQ to find out more about what the company is doing.  More from this trip will follow.

There was one thing I learned on Tuesday which I didn’t know, and which none of the other writers in the room knew either.  There are no resort fees to pay on a Hilton Honors redemption when you pay 100% with points.

As we have written about recently, ‘resort fees’ have started to appear in New York of late as well as their traditional haunts of Las Vegas and Hawaii.  If you book a Hilton Honors redemption, however, Hilton pays this fee directly to the hotel on your behalf.

Hilton has done a bad job of promoting this benefit, because it could make a real difference to your thinking when deciding whether to book a cash or reward stay.  Now you know.


How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (February 2025)

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

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

and for small business owners:

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.

Comments (74)

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  • rams1981 says:

    OT I mentioned a few days ago how Hilton agreed to extend my Be My Guest Certificates by a year. And they arrived today by DHL. Amazing service

    • KBuffett says:

      How does one avail of a few of these?

      • Rob says:

        Have a massive fight with a Hilton hotel. Get a BMG certificate. Or win two in our current Hilton competition!

  • KBuffett says:

    There are also no taxes to pay on redemptions with Hilton which saves a nice amount, especially in places like Dubai.

  • Cavlin says:

    “You should , under the ‘Competitions’ tab, before entering.”

    Sorry I didn’t understand what this was trying to say. Do we need to register to partake before sending the email?
    Thanks

    • Rob says:

      No, we are just covering ourselves legally by highlighting the official rules.

  • TripRep says:

    Rob – sure I covered the advantages of redemptions to avoid resort fees in my Conrad Maldives reviews…

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

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