Hilton reminder: Save on hotels in the Europe and Asia sales

Normal HfP service will resume next week, but for now I wanted to continue my ‘reminders’ series by reminding you of a number of good Hilton opportunities currently available.  We’ve got:

• the Europe, Middle East and Africa sale
• the Asia-Pacific sale
• the generous status match opportunity
• the new bonus points promotion, for stays from 4th January

Let’s start with ….

Hilton’s winter sale in EMEA

Hilton is currently running its Winter Sale with decent weekend deals across Europe, Africa and Middle East.

Full details are on the Hilton website here.

The sale offers up to 25% off the standard Best Available Rate if you are a Hilton Honors member.

That said ….. basing the ‘25% saving’ on the Best Available Bed & Breakfast rate is not exactly fair. Sale rates are non refundable so it is cheeky to compare them to a refundable rate but these deals do usually offer a saving on the usual ‘advanced purchase’ price. Full pre-payment needs to be made at time of booking.

This rate is only available for weekend stays until 29th May 2019 and must be booked by 31st January 2019.

The 25% savings are for Hilton Honors members only. The normal sale discount rate is 15%. If you aren’t a Hilton Honors member – very unlikely I admit if you are a regular HfP reader – you can sign up when booking your stay.

There’s an Asia-Pacific sale too

There is a separate Hilton sale covering its properties in Asia and Australasia.  See here for details.

It includes hotels such as the Millennium Hilton Bangkok pictured below.  You might also want to take a look at the brand new Waldorf Astoria Bangkok which looks very impressive.

The deals are valid for stays up to 30th September 2019 which is surprisingly long.  There is also no rush to book unless you are travelling immediately, as these deals are available until 2nd February.

The headline saving is ‘up to 35% off’ the standard flexible rate – albeit these bookings are non-refundable, and not all hotels offer 35% – so it is worth looking to see if any existing Hilton bookings you have should be rebooked. It may also be worth cancelling redemptions and rebooking for cash if the rate is low enough.

Full details of the APAC sale can be found on this special page of hilton.com.

Don’t forget Hilton’s generous status match offer

If you have top or mid-tier status with another hotel loyalty scheme, Hilton will match it for 90 days and give you an opportunity to keep it for longer.

Details of how you can claim your status match are in this article. You will keep your Diamond or Gold status until March 2020 if you successfully complete the challenge.

Top-tier Diamond status comes with guaranteed Executive Lounge access and (on request) late check-out at most brands. If you have status elsewhere that you can match, and can pick up a sale deal at a property with a decent lounge, you should get a good deal.

Finally …. don’t forget to register for the NEW bonus points offer

Hilton Honors has just launched its new Spring promotion, Points Unlimited, which is now open for registration.

To give Hilton credit, it is very straightforward with minimal small print:

You will earn 2,000 bonus Hilton Honors points for every stay between 4th January and 5th May.

Even better, you will earn an additional 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points for every FIVE stays OR TEN nights you complete, whichever comes first.

There is no cap to what you can earn and there are no minimum stay requirements.  The bonus should also trigger on reward stays given how similar promotions have worked in the past.

Given that I value a Hilton Honors point at around 0.33p, you are getting a good return on your spending here.  Someone who only ever spends one night at a time in a hotel would be earning – when you include the 10,000 bonus points per five stays – 4,000 bonus points per stay.  I would value that at £13 which is a VERY good return especially as it doesn’t include your base points or any status bonus.

There is no small print except that you need to register in advance via the Hilton website:

There is no minimum stay requirement

Existing bookings still count

All Hilton Family properties (Hilton, Hampton, Curio, Waldorf-Astoria, Conrad etc) are taking part – there is no list of non-participating hotels – except for Hampton properties in China

2,000 bonus points per stay is a decent offer, especially for someone who tends to do short stays.  The additional 10,000 points carrot for every five stays or 10 nights is a worthwhile extra bonus.  If your hotel stays are generally just for one night then you should seriously consider moving them (in chunks of five) to Hilton this Spring.

Make sure you register here if you have any Hilton stays coming up over the next four months.  Even if you don’t have any stays planned, it is still worth registering just in case – a lot can happen between now and 5th May.

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

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors 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.