You don’t pay resort fees on Hilton Honors redemptions

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.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (March 2023)

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)

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

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.)